The 75gal tank - an upgrade tale [Archive]

impur

10-08-2006, 02:00 PM

It all started in the spring of 2004. A freshwater tank wasn't cutting it for me back then, so I decided to take a leap to the world of saltwater. I had some knowledge of saltwater, I had kept a 55gal FOWLR for a year or so previously and I was enamored with nano-reef.com and all the amazing small reef tanks. So taking the leap I started with a 10 gal that was a great learning experience.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/PB190003.jpg

The experiece was great and all the livestock flourished. But alas it was not enough to satisfy me. After 8 months I decided to upgrade for more room. The 10gal had been a wonderful learning experience, but new ideas kept popping into my head on how to improve the environment for my reef. These ideas sprung into action and a 29gal was born. My reef loved the larger tank, more room to grow and roam.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1090146.jpg

For a year and a half i was content with my piece of the ocean. It had its ups and downs. I dealt with AEFW and redbugs. Even with these setbacks I forged on. Then came the urging again. It was not enough space. I wanted more! More fish, more coral, and most of all more room. Finally an opportunity arose to satisfy these wants. A 75gal came up for sale! I jumped at the chance, and put more of my ideas to work.

Today those ideas are becoming reality. I've been working all day to get my 75gal reef up and running. It will be another week or so before the reef moves in, but it is exciting none-the-less.

This is the tale of my 75gal.

impur

10-08-2006, 02:08 PM

The beginning. The stand is not in its place yet, but its in the house. The sump fits perfectly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010317.jpg

But quickly room was becoming sparce. I needed a spot for my CA reactor, a 10gal topoff resevoir, and an external pump. What if I wanted to add a kalk reactor? I need a solution. A shelf! That would give me more room for sure. How to implement it though? I had to add a 2 legs and somehow attach it to the stand. Idea! This will surely work!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010318.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010321.jpg

Yes i was right! Plenty of room for an external pump and my CA reactor. Next I wanted a way to better my skimmer. It was a cheap skimmer. I do not believe i need a $400 skimmer for my reef to be successful. With a multitude of inexpensive decent skimmers on the market I found one for $50. I would buy this and make it better! Needlewheels are the new bigboys on the block. But my skimmer does not have a needlewheel. IDEA!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010314.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010315.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010316.jpg

This would chop up the bubbles nicely, and would not cost me a dime!

impur

10-08-2006, 02:12 PM

Next, plumbing. This quickly became a problem. I do not have enough room to plumb it into the end of the sump. Since a closed loop will be my primary watermovement thru an OM Super Squirt an aswer quickly appeared. I would plumb it into the back of the sump and utilize 2 90 els.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010322.jpg

Stay tuned, we will be back after a break from our sponsors.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010327.jpg

Michael7979

10-08-2006, 02:26 PM

I like the thread Miles nice work and as usual you have come up with a lot of good DIY/'new' ideas to overcome problems.

And I need to know how you were able to lock up a sponsor for this project as I would like to have one also.

GREAT THREAD- keep it up!

nu2reef-n

10-08-2006, 02:57 PM

Great thread:)

blown65

10-08-2006, 06:02 PM

Beer time should be way over by now. heh

Great thread.

impur

10-08-2006, 06:08 PM

And now back to our featured presentation.

As the day progressed and sun gave way to clouds and rain, I kept trying to breath life info my new reeftank. The tank would not build itself afterall, and the myriad of obstacles could only be overcome by perseverance. The tank was put into place atop of the stand. My what a sight! This was it, it was coming together.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010332.jpg

But I was far from done. Plumbing needed to be glued, sump needed to be drilled, pipes need to be cut. I decided to start with drilling the sump, I had worked all day on the things going inside the stand, no need to stop prematurely.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010328.jpg

The hole was cut with precision, not a knick in the acrylic. Perfect. Next the bulkhead

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010329.jpg

And finally gluing in the street el. My first plumbing being glued into place! I felt so gratified. But wait, I had 5 bulkheads in the tank to plumb to an external pump and thru a wavemaker device. And I still hadn't plumbed the return pump yet! Time to put things into place.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010331.jpg

Then I realized I needed a switch of priorities to get the main part of this system done. I needed a plan. I did not have all the fittings to finish. So I made up a shopping list. Tomorrow, I make the long journey to Jerry's - The home improvement black hole. Would I return with all that is needed to finish my tank? Would I return at all? Only time will tell.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010333.jpg

siskiou

10-08-2006, 06:44 PM

Wow!
Nice set-up!

I now wish I had gone with a smaller sump and left some room to put the top-off reservoir inside the stand! :)

But there is always the future, right? ;)

R-3

10-08-2006, 09:47 PM

Tank looks good Miles. All drilled up! Dont take too many sponsor breaks and get it done. :) Later Ryan

vanz

10-09-2006, 12:23 PM

Awesome write up! Can't wait to see more. Are you planning on painting your stand black?

Nyles

10-09-2006, 12:34 PM

So far so good, when your ready to fire it up I will be happy to come by and help with a sponsored break (me sponsoring of course). LOL

impur

10-09-2006, 03:41 PM

Thanks ;) Nah i'm gonna leave it that color, redo the doors and add some trim so you can't see the black tank trim.

More to come soon!

impur

10-09-2006, 03:41 PM

So far so good, when your ready to fire it up I will be happy to come by and help with a sponsored break (me sponsoring of course). LOL

Sounds like a great plan!

Tonight we are having dinner with my wifes parents, its his bday so i won't be able to work on anything :(
Tomorrow though! I should get the plumbing done. I'm also going to look for some black contact paper for the back of the tank.

R-3

10-09-2006, 04:08 PM

Hey Miles did you make that sump? Looks good man. Later Ryan

impur

10-09-2006, 04:10 PM

Nah i bought it off Roy.

Thanks!

Nyles

10-09-2006, 06:01 PM

I have black enamel base paint, thats what I used. Your welcome to it. It will take 2 coats for a nice thick cover. You will need to clean the back good, but honestly I just wiped mine down... didnt even use vinegar and it has never peeled off or been effected by salt creep. Let me know, I can drop it off anytime.

Michael7979

10-09-2006, 09:04 PM

I like the way you are writing this thread Miles! Glad to see you are having fun with it!!

impur

10-10-2006, 09:32 AM

I don't want to paint this tank. I'll find some contact paper so its removable.

Thanks Mike, i figured it would be fun to write a little story ;)

impur

10-15-2006, 05:13 PM

The trip to the home improvement blackhole was worse than I feared. Not only did I use up all the money I had on plumbing parts, when I arrived back at home I was still missing vital pieces!!!! So putting together what I could with what I had was all I could do.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010002.jpg

Michael7979

10-16-2006, 03:03 PM

Keep going Miles, you'll get it done soon.

impur

10-17-2006, 09:36 AM

I'm close. Got the background done. I finish gluing plumbing tonight then its time for water!!! I will update my tale later tonight!

BADBaxter

10-17-2006, 10:48 AM

Great job Mike!
It is great to NOT have the tank stocked as you do the work :)
How are you setting up your closed loop system? I am thinking about that for return... However my tank is full.
Ahhhh..... Reason to buy bigger tank!
If in need of sponser breaks... I have a brewrey in back that the kegs need draining...

Bill

impur

10-17-2006, 11:07 AM

I'm Miles!!! :p

I'm gonna use that bottom bulkhead as the intake and the return will go thru an OM super squirt for the wave effect. I'll add a MJ600 moded for an additional ~1000gph.

BADBaxter

10-17-2006, 01:01 PM

Miles?!? not Mike?
Boy... I have to start wearing my glasses more often...
What is the OM super squirt? is it similar to a SCWD?
Thanks,
Bill

Nyles

10-17-2006, 01:07 PM

www.oceansmotions.com

impur

10-17-2006, 01:16 PM

Yah its similar to the scwd, but has 4 outputs and can run up to 2500gph. It doesn't restrict the flow like a scwd either. I have version 3, where the #1 and #3 output run together, then it switches to #2 and #4. Alternates like that continuously. Really sweet.

impur

10-17-2006, 05:45 PM

As I lay in the lush grass completing my plumbing shopping list, I began to think of ways to keep the light in the tank. "The back would surely need to be black" I said. But how......Paint! But then i would have to trek the tank back outside, tape newspaper all over it, and wait for it to dry. Contact paper? That would work, does it come in black? Limo Tint!!! Yes that was it. Off in search of Tint I went. I came upon this magical place, Walmart reads the sign.

Perfect! This will work.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010009.jpg

I enlisted the (very attractive) help of a person I call wife
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010011.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010012.jpg

Finished. Just the look I was searching for.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010013.jpg

Now back to that plumbing.......

mister crabs

10-17-2006, 06:21 PM

great idea with the tint....neverthought of it before...lol

R-3

10-17-2006, 10:08 PM

Damn that light is bright. Im so psyched that Im gonna go back to T5's on the new tank. Later Ryan

impur

10-18-2006, 09:23 PM

I began the day with one task at hand. I would conquer the plumbing with great vengence and furious anger! I would not give way to pipe or fitting! So off to Jerry's I went, list in hand. In my pocket was the 2" bulkhead and precious return receipt. After getting my gold back I stocked up on supplies.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010014.jpg

A few short....beers later some supply lines were born
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010015.jpg

Unions to street els were forged
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010016.jpg

Things are set now. Tonight will be the calm before the storm. Friday will bring upon us the first test, the FW test for all the glory. Friday will be the day!!!!

Nyles

10-19-2006, 07:47 AM

Nice! Looks good so far... Nice pics and follow-up.

impur

10-22-2006, 09:07 PM

The day of the test approached, and went. Actually it was postponed until today. So i began by filling the tank with water. It was so nerve-racking

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010017.jpg

As the water crept to the top I kept my eye out for any leaks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010018.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010019.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010023.jpg

Not a drop! Glorious!!!! (yahoo) (dancing)

And the water flow cascades into the sump as the day turns to night.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010021.jpg

impur

10-22-2006, 09:10 PM

Then Nyles came over and we went to work creating a few MJmods to increase flow. This was one

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010024.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010025.jpg

Starts right up everytime. Nice flow from it too!

R-3

10-22-2006, 09:27 PM

Sweet!!! So when is the big transfer date? Let me know. Later Ryan

Nyles

10-22-2006, 09:54 PM

Hurry up already... lol....
Seriously looks great, I got the dual mj's in my tank, set the timer to switch 15 minute intervals, so far so sweet. The water flow literally changes opposite direction all over tank, AWESOME. Thanks Miles for all the help. I still owe ya.

Nyles

10-22-2006, 09:55 PM

Lunch is on me at the beer stein whenever you want.... great place to ... eat.

impur

10-23-2006, 07:46 AM

Lets see some pics!

Nyles

10-23-2006, 08:17 AM

I will tonight when I get home and the lights are on. :)

Nyles

10-23-2006, 06:25 PM

alright as promised, here is a pic of the maxi's

As I said they are on a oppsing timer, so they just switch operation every 15 minutes (one off and one on) Seems to be working well so far.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/nyleswright/Reef%20Tank/10-23-06001.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n184/nyleswright/Reef%20Tank/10-23-06003.jpg

CCR

10-23-2006, 06:43 PM

Lunch is on me at the beer stein whenever you want.... great place to ... eat.

OK not stealing post. I was going to order the maxi mods. Should I, or is it easy to do??? we have a hobby shop here in Salem. Just don't want to mess it up

oldbrownies

10-23-2006, 08:33 PM

any issues with them restarting when the timer turns em on and off?

Nyles

10-23-2006, 09:01 PM

No issues restarting after you make sure you dont use to aggressive of a prop, and make sure the rod is centered and stabile.

one of mine wasnt quite stabile I tweaked it today and they have cycled since last night with no issues.

The mod was easy, Miles did all the hard work, don't get me wrong. You can see a easy step by step video at reefvideos.com the procees is your time to go to hobby store and get the parts, then assembly of prop literaly takes minutes, and make a shroud (probably the hardest part, and it was really simple. standard PVC tubing.

vanz

10-23-2006, 10:34 PM

Just a question, would you use the maxijet mod in your 29g? Would it be too strong? Would it look too big?

Nyles

10-24-2006, 07:27 AM

I would use a smaller pump that the 1200 with a smaller prop, I think Impur built a smaller version too, he will chime in. The regular pumps will work too (rio or any other powerhead) but the real benefit is the size, its nice and small and packs alot of flow.

Still running stong this morning with no issues.

impur

10-24-2006, 08:39 AM

Yah i had a small prop lying around and decided to give that a shot. It was some good flow, much better than the MJ900. I would put that one in my 29 gal. Not the 1200s we modded though, they put out a ton of flow!

Looks good Nyles. I like how you mounted them, any issue with noise?

I would not buy the stuff from mjmods.com. Its just too easy to do. Cost a total of maybe 5 bucks to mod one of these. Took me 5 min to cut the slots in the 1.5" PVC coupler on my mitersaw. After that the longest part of making them is letting the glue dry.

Nyles

10-24-2006, 08:46 AM

Ya at first there was some noise on one of them, I think it was a magnet off center. I fiddled with it and they both seem fine. They are a little noisey at first but with some break in time they either got quieter or I just got used to them, But I had to open the canopy this morning (I thought they where not running) but they are running nice and smooth, the fish like it, they are swimming in the stream alot.

Hows the ro/di fill up going?

impur

10-24-2006, 09:09 AM

Not going yet. I'm waiting for my panworld pump so i can test the CL plumbing for leaks. RO/DI fillup starts thursday night.

impur

10-26-2006, 08:22 PM

Tonights installment brought to you by

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010037.jpg

I worked tirelessly at my job all week, waiting for just one day. The day my pump would arrive!! Today was it. I was so excited. It arrived at 11:30 this morning, the UPS man was so kind. I tore off the tape and revealed my new (to me) Panworld 100PX-X external pump!!! How glorious it looked perched upon the newly made shelf

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010029.jpg

And the OM Super Squirt fits like a crown on a king!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010032.jpg

Now the plumbing was to be installed. Spa flex they call it, but flexible it is not! I tried many things and finally resorted to several large pots full of boiling water in the bath tub. It worked though! I was able to snake things into place.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010030.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010033.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010034.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010035.jpg

impur

10-26-2006, 08:25 PM

But alas, the intake for the pump became a problem. A leak sprung up, right were the street el screws into the bulkhead. I tightened as far as i felt comfortable, now i must drain the tank, remove the street el, retape it and screw it back together. That won't be until tomorrow night, maybe not till sunday.

impur

10-30-2006, 08:29 PM

So after solving the leak it was finally time for a real test. I unplugged the bulkheads, opened the ball valves and gave the Panworld pump some juice.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010038.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010039.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010040.jpg

Closed loop plumbing finally complete

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010041.jpg

Now things were coming together! Time for sand. About 1-1.5" sandbed. Not sure if i need more sand or not.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010042.jpg

R-3

10-30-2006, 10:54 PM

Good progress Miles!! Looks good. I need to get some black acrylic (which I just gotta got to PDX to get) and build a overflow and I can get going. Proud to be a T5 user again! Lets see those lights on there. Later Ryan

impur

10-31-2006, 09:22 AM

I'll put em on tonight and snap a pic ;)

impur

11-06-2006, 08:37 PM

For days I slaved to make enough new salt water to fill my new tank. I filled garbage cans, buckets, jugs and anything that could hold water. I worked hard on the tank. I washed the sand. Over and over is washed it but it was not enough. Silt still ruled over the light.

As the fresh RO/DI water mixed with new Oceanic salt to become the lifeblood of my reef, I began to ponder how to keep things clean in my new larger tank. I notice how detrius pooled under rocks that sit on the sand. PVC was used in half my 29gal and worked well. Then Nyles came up with a brilliant plan.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010045.jpg

Yes this could work!! I could cut it up on my miter saw and use it in squares. But it was too large for my miter saw. I tried side cutters next. That worked, buy my hands quickly became tired. Surely I had to have a dremel bit suited for this. Yes!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010046.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010047.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010048.jpg

impur

11-06-2006, 08:38 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010050.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010054.jpg

impur

11-06-2006, 08:40 PM

NO LEAKS (clap) (dancing) (rock2)

Michael7979

11-06-2006, 08:56 PM

O' brother you got me thinking now!!!

Looks great!!

Nyles

11-06-2006, 09:08 PM

Nice one... now if you had a tablesaw... you could have made little rock lifts like I was thinking... Oh well, hey if you want I can drag the table saw by again this weekend.. then you can cut those racks down smaller into 4 pegs instead of those 12-16 peg sizes. Then they will be adjustable and movable. Let me know!

But Im broke so you will own me a beer... LOL. Really though it looks great, cant wait to see the end result.

R-3

11-06-2006, 09:40 PM

Lookin better Miles. Glad to see no leaks! Im gonna try to do some plumbing tonight and maybe wet-test tomorrow! Getting closer. Later Ryan

impur

11-07-2006, 08:50 AM

Yah i think they will work great as they are though. That is where i want my rocks, perfect fit.

impur

11-07-2006, 08:51 AM

Oh and the MJmod has been running completely silent all night :D

Nyles

11-07-2006, 08:53 AM

Mine are getting a little noisy, I think its coming from the carbon shaft rattling in the air tubing. I will figure it out.

impur

11-07-2006, 09:03 AM

You use that nylon washer? That helped a lot i think. It started to make some noise at first so i turned the shroud little by little till it stopped. Must have been slightly off center.

Nyles

11-07-2006, 09:08 AM

yup, the shaft is rattling in the airline near the prop. It comes and goes.. I may even superglue the end shut and drill a tiny hole for the carbon to go through, thus removing the play.

impur

11-07-2006, 09:25 AM

Yah thats a good idea.

Nyles

11-07-2006, 09:35 AM

I ran out of glue.. again. So I will do it thursday. LOL.. always something. Hopefully I will come home with a few nice pieces tomorrow... you need anything?

impur

11-07-2006, 09:35 AM

No thanks. Maybe if it were a week from now, but where things are at right now i have my hands full. Thanks for the offer.

impur

11-07-2006, 06:48 PM

Ugh. I got home, turned on the CL (i didn't run it cuz i wasn't completely sure it would not leak = scared), and started to put some corals into buckets to acclimate. After checking the bulkheads about 30 times over the course of an hour, i decided i had better check one more time before any corals actually got into the tank and i started transferring water. Sure enough, 3 of the top 4 were leaking. They are leaking where my threaded street els screw into them. Now it did not leak a drop for 2 days when i had it running before. But i got to thinking. Some how its squeezing water out of the threads, I wrapped the threads in teflon so how? I think it might be because of the reducers on the other side of the bulkhead restricting the flow and creating some pressure inside the bulkhead. Its not a fast leak, its like 1 drop every 1 or 2 minutes and i'm sure it would fill with saltcreep in time. But i just can't live with imperfection so as i cussed and stomped around preparing to drain the tank, i remembered how i fixed the exact same problem on the intake. Lots and lots of silicon :D So i smothered the connection spot with silicon. I mean if water gets thru this silicon it will officially be a modern miracle. If this doesn't work.......

Michael7979

11-07-2006, 06:51 PM

It will..........be positive!!

impur

11-08-2006, 09:08 AM

Ok so i'm gonna head to Jerry's tonight and change out the loclines. I don't like the idea of that back pressure there and just to be safe i'm gonna see about making some of those uber expensive returns, the name escapes me now. Anyway, its essentially a few sched 80 45* elbows. I'll get some pics tonight.

Nyles

11-08-2006, 09:36 PM

Omni-Flex....

impur

11-09-2006, 08:55 AM

Yah omniflex. I'm gonna build 4 of them for the cost of 1 :D

impur

11-09-2006, 06:52 PM

Ok removed the loclines and fired up the CL. No leaks at all :D Seems to do a good job of chaotic flow throughout the tank with no directional parts on the inside of the bulkheads. So thats good. But this Panworld pump sounds like a jetliner preparing for takeoff. I can hear it in every single room of my 1525 sq ft house. I can hear it outside even. This just will not do. I'm about 2 inches from selling the new tank and just keeping the 29gal.

vanz

11-09-2006, 10:17 PM

What about soundproofing the pump?

Just a quick search led me to this site:
http://www.extremesoundproofing.com/Projects/Compressors/compressors.html

Nyles

11-10-2006, 08:06 AM

Grab a fish cooler box and mod it....

impur

11-10-2006, 08:56 AM

I tried wrapping it in some foam and it did not help at all. Its got this high pitched hum that resonates throughout the house. In fact i can hear it better standing 15 feet away from the tank than i can when i'm 2 feet from it.

It also might be cavitating a little. It sounds like there is air in the impeller sometimes. Not bad, but i can hear it a little. It doesn't look like any MB are in the tank though.

I'm considering 2 things now.
1) selling the pump, buying a dart and plumbing the intake over the back of the tank.

2) selling the pump for a bonified quiet pump.

Nyles

11-10-2006, 10:05 AM

I will buy reefgeeks om and you buy his dart...

impur

11-10-2006, 10:24 AM

Heh, i might buy the T4 pump he bought off rich. 1200gph and all i hear about is how quiet they are. I'm gonna try removing the screws that hold down the pump and put a layer of 2" styrofoam then 2 layers of that green foam padding to see if it does anything. If not i'm selling it.

Ronjunior

11-10-2006, 12:02 PM

Put some thick rubber gromets/washers under where the screws go into....between the pump base and board you're screwing into. I also put scrunched up towels underneath everything to soak up some of the vibrations. If mine rests on the bottom or close to the side of the cabinet, it vibrates the wood like crazy. If that fails, before making a soundproof box, fold up a few really thick blankets like comforters and lay around to see if it deadens the sound. If it does, I would go for the suggestion from Vanz and use proper material made for sound proofing. I used to sell sound deadening lead panels used for floorboards of cars that may do the trick. Is it loud if you just hold it in the air while its running? If not, it should be an easy environmental fix.

impur

11-10-2006, 12:07 PM

Is it loud if you just hold it in the air while its running? If not, it should be an easy environmental fix.

I plan on running this test tonight.

impur

11-10-2006, 12:56 PM

Came across this. Might give it a shot

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=828812

Ronjunior

11-10-2006, 05:14 PM

Came across this. Might give it a shot

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=828812
Not a bad idea as long as you test before and after temp of the pump itself as to not burn it out and start a fire; if done right with a quieter fan, probably should be fine. Using heat sink compound to better transfer heat as well. I have a large heat sink you could have, but you're not close unless you're coming to the Nov. meeting.
The PC parts warehouse by me has awesome stuff with decent prices for mods. Has complete details of the products on his site, including the decibles for noise on the fans! Northwest Computer Accessories off of I-205 in Clackamas. www.nwca.com. You can buy online too...has some of the best prices I know and where I shopped for my last job as IT manager/ jack of all trades.
If you do the 12 volt thing, check out his led lighting and cold cathodes....perfect for moon lighting and you can hook up to your power supply for your fan as well. (I use an old power supply I ripped from an AT style PC so I have on/off switch attached. (I'm sure someone your way has one to throw away)
If anyone picks up parts there at will call, be sure to check out Ken's display room out front with his marine tank...assuming he still has it...haven't had the need to buy anything for awhile.

impur

11-11-2006, 09:47 AM

Cool, thanks for the info!

I removed the screws that were holding the pump down, 3 of them with rubber gromets, and it killed most of the resonating sound! I added another pad and its pretty quiet now, i can't hear it in most of the rooms. But i still will do the mod after i get my 29gal out of the way.

I still have a leak where one of the threaded street els screws into the bulkhead. I tied a paper towel around it yesterday before the Duck bball game, about 6:30pm and this morning its barely damp. I can live with that. Hopefully it will seal itself with saltcreep. It was dripping yesterday onto my 8 swith outlet, right onto something plugged into it. When i got home i could smell it burning. Its slightly melted on one plug and it shocked me when i reached back there. So, i'm gonna have to mount my other one somewhere else. Got lucky on that one.

Ronjunior

11-11-2006, 01:42 PM

I wouldn't screw around with an leaks outside your tank and relying on salt creep. If you end up burning the place down/shock yourself/kill your tank mates etc....you can kiss your insurance policy goodbye and your nerves! Especially now that you made it public knowledge :(. My Ocean Clear canister filter got a crack in it the other day and now I'm screwed. Mfg. says don't fix, but people use JB Weld in pool repairs....If I dare to use it still, it's going to have to go over my sump to catch any leaks unless I find a replacement.....don't want to come home one day and find that "patched" leak that suddenly sprang all over the floor!

impur

11-12-2006, 07:17 PM

Well Nyles came over and we went to work transferring everything. He brought the frags he was holding for me as well. Now this tank looks full LOL But i don't really have enough rock to start stacking things. Had one loss overnight, a green mille that was sweet. It looked great all afternoon after the transfer then RTN'd overnight.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010059.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010060.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010061.jpg

impur

11-12-2006, 07:20 PM

There are a lot of microbubbles. It cleared up a lot overnight. You can now see down the length of the tank and see the other side! But i'm gonna have to work on some baffles in the sump to help with the MB. Its coming from where the water enters the sump. Lots of air in there i guess.

Speaking of air, I think my little impeller mod on my skimmer is paying off. This baby is full of bubbles. Its finally now not overflowing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010064.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010065.jpg

Michael7979

11-12-2006, 08:09 PM

Keep us posted............looks like you are off to a great start. Man it looks like alot of stuff to have in a 29, (Nyles must of held alot of frags).

Nyles

11-12-2006, 08:24 PM

He had most of his frags from a smaller tank, I brought over about 18 frags.

Nyles

11-12-2006, 08:25 PM

I am however very fustraited that the green milli died... that was the nices frag out of them. IMO

R-3

11-12-2006, 09:12 PM

Looks great Miles! Glad the transfer went smoothly. Yeah I need to get some rock too!! LOL. Tank looks good. Keep pics coming. Later Ryan

impur

11-13-2006, 09:58 AM

Thanks guys. Yah i'm bumbed about the green mille. Things look fine this morning. I'm gonna get my AC Jr. hooked up today and hope to get the ATO back in place as well. Later this week i will get the CA reactor back online.

I fixed a couple leaks coming from the drain. They started up overnight. Not sure why it would run for 5 days with no leaks then all the sudden leak, but at least it was an easy fix. I'm still getting a slow leak out of that one bulkhead where the street el screws in. If it doesn't stop this week i'm gonna drain the tank down below it this weekend and fix it. I was showing it to my dad and he said i shoulda used teflon paste no tape. DOH! I never know when to use what.

I'll get a few more pics today. Thinks are opening up nicely.

Hey Nyles, i got that tip that broke off that nice piece last night. Got it glued to a frag plug, its still in good shape. Even had some PE last night. I ended up using my mag float and zip tying that frag tray to it, so i can lower it a little and move the light forward. Now the frags are getting all sorts of light :D But i gotta buy a new mag float lol. I'm gonna get one of the ones with the coralline scraper attached anyway.

siskiou

11-13-2006, 12:45 PM

Did you get the ACJR with serial port or without?

Let me know how it works out for you! I'm seriously thinking of making this my Christmas plus Birthday wish for this year! :)

impur

11-13-2006, 02:44 PM

Um, i don't think it has the serial port. I've had the controller for about 8 months and its the best thing i've bought for my tank. Keeps everything stable.

siskiou

11-13-2006, 02:57 PM

Are you using the moonlight cycle?

impur

11-13-2006, 04:19 PM

Not yet. I need to come up with a better moonlight. My 2 LEDs just won't cut it in this tank.

impur

11-13-2006, 08:20 PM

Ok i took a few pics tonight. My OM isn't working. Not sure why. Flow only comes out of 2 holes. So i guess i'll have to take it all apart and see whats up. Gives me time to fix that darn leak too.

I tried mounting my MJmod to the seio holder i used. It worked, but the MJ has such backforce and the clip doesn't fit as well over this tank, it ended up just flopping around oddly. So i put in a Seio cuz the MJ was blowing too much sand around and i couldn't aim it while being so close to the glass.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010066.jpg

My frag tray mounted to the magfloat. Makes it easier to move, and now without that clamp holding it i can get the light right over it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010069.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010070.jpg

impur

11-13-2006, 08:21 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010071.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010073.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010074.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010078.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010080.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010082.jpg

impur

11-13-2006, 08:22 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010083.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010086.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010087.jpg

impur

11-13-2006, 08:23 PM

I'm not sure i like how blue it is. I might buy some new bulbs.

Nyles

11-13-2006, 08:33 PM

Well, come look at mine, its too white, your too blue. Somewhere in the middle! :)

siskiou

11-13-2006, 08:59 PM

Hey,

I need more blue!
Want to sell me a few of your bulbs?

impur

11-14-2006, 09:00 AM

Hey,

I need more blue!
Want to sell me a few of your bulbs?

Or we could trade, unless you wanted extras! I think these have 6-8 months of use on them so they should be good to go for another year +.

I have a GE daylight bulb i'm gonna add tonight and see how it looks.

impur

11-14-2006, 09:04 AM

I plugged one of my returns, since the OM is stuck and that was the leaking one, i figured no real good in letting it leak anymore. I have a small leak in my return at some threads. So i'm gonna have to dismantle all the plumbing yet again. All of it! Sheesh i just wanna enjoy the tank now (flame) (flame)

siskiou

11-14-2006, 03:09 PM

Or we could trade, unless you wanted extras! I think these have 6-8 months of use on them so they should be good to go for another year +.

How many were you thinking of trading?
I have two 10k lamps I'd like to switch to blue (one CA brand, one no-name). Though even one more blue/actinic one would work.
Not sure what brand your's are.

impur

11-14-2006, 04:48 PM

D&D i'll let u know tomorrow after i swap in the daylight bulb

vanz

11-14-2006, 05:00 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010074.jpg

These are nice. the orange ones, what are they?

siskiou

11-14-2006, 05:03 PM

Okay.
I'd also be happy to buy one of the actinics from you if you still have too much blue or pay you a little to make up for the quality difference if you decide on a trade.

And good luck getting the leaks fixed!
We are going through something similar with the freshwater tank. Will have to take the water down below the bulkheads and do some silicone work.

impur

11-15-2006, 09:13 AM

Ahh so you know my pain!!! LOL I burned the tips of 2 of my fingers yesterday at work on the @#$% copy machine, pretty badly too. I hope it heals by this weekend so i can do some work. It was VERY painful to change out the bulbs in the fixture this morning. But i got it done, removed an actinic and put the GE daylight in place. I'll see how it looks when lights come on around noon. Then i'll shoot you a pm Susanne. BTW I hope to work on your MJmod this weekend.

Thanks vanz, they are actually 3 different colored polyps, part of some wild frags i got. The top one is orange with green mouth, the middle as you can see, looks like a bam bam orange, and the bottom one. That one is awesome, its actually really red. I haven't seen a zoo this red before. I hope it grows out!

siskiou

11-15-2006, 03:48 PM

Ahh so you know my pain!!! LOL I burned the tips of 2 of my fingers yesterday at work on the @#$% copy machine, pretty badly too. I hope it heals by this weekend so i can do some work. It was VERY painful to change out the bulbs in the fixture this morning. But i got it done, removed an actinic and put the GE daylight in place. I'll see how it looks when lights come on around noon. Then i'll shoot you a pm Susanne. BTW I hope to work on your MJmod this weekend.

Sounds good!
If you send a pm and I don't reply tonight, it's only because I'll be slaving away at my second job.
And "ouch" on the burns! Fingertips are so loaded with nerves, it's doubly painful!

impur

11-16-2006, 01:22 PM

Well i finally got my AC Jr hooked up. Still need to setup the ATO, should be done tonight. I made another frag tray to get my clam and SPS closer to the light and more flow.

But I might not need all that flow. I could very well end up with a softy/LPS tank by the end of the week. So far the casualties are:

O tort
2 small blue mille frags
tan w/ yellow polyp frag
both tricolors
tricolor frag
large purple tipped w/ green polyps colony
tan/green colony
silver polyped porites (i think its porites, er was) beginning its decline
small green monti cap frag

So what i have left are green w/purple rim monti cap, orange digi, green digi, a couple frags of orange digi, the main blue mille colony (although it looks to be headed out too), and a yellow acro. All but 1 of the corals Nyles brought me are doing fine, which is odd to me.

Sad sad sad.

Parameters today at 12:30

Temp 79.2
salinity 1.025
pH 8.18
alk 8.6dKH salifert test
calcium 440ppm salifert
nitrates 0ppm salifert
nitrites 0ppm AP test
ammonia 0ppm salifert
phosphates 0ppm AP

Not really sure whats going on.

Nyles

11-16-2006, 01:24 PM

I still think your short on light! What happened to members getting to use a lux/par meter? Would be interesting to see what we have for light differences.

vanz

11-16-2006, 01:29 PM

siskiou

11-16-2006, 03:23 PM

But I might not need all that flow. I could very well end up with a softy/LPS tank by the end of the week. So far the casualties are:

That really sucks!

Were they all doing fine and just faded away once transferred to the new tank?

R-3

11-16-2006, 03:28 PM

HOLY CRAP MILES!! What happened? Man that sucks. Let me know if ya need anything. Later Ryan

impur

11-16-2006, 03:29 PM

Yep they all died once into the new tank. Not sure why. Zoos and softies are all fine. Even montis are fine. Its either the light or flow.

I can live with a few dying, but i really loved that O tort and both tricolors.

R-3

11-16-2006, 03:33 PM

I dont think it would be the light Miles. I had plenty of SPS under it in my 75. Are you thinking the light switch from MH to T5? Man that sucks. Flow doesnt sound right either. I cant imagine losing that many pieces because of light and flow in such a short period. Hope you get this figured out. Later Ryan

impur

11-16-2006, 03:36 PM

Well its either too much light, too little light, or too little flow. Thats all it could be. I mean i did this exact same transfer a few months ago when i put them all into QT. I did the same proceedure.

So considering light. The first corals to go were on the sand. Tricolors. Next to go were the frags on the frag tray that were about 8" below the light. The corals on the tray got lots of flow, lots of light. The ones on the sand got less light less flow. But my montis are on the sand and doing fine. So is the yellow acro that still doing fine. So i really have absolutely no clue why they died. It wasn't RTN, they bleached out. I can still see a few polyps in one of the dying corals today at lunch. But i'm sure its toast now. I guess i'll just chalk it up to the transfer sending them down the drain.

siskiou

11-16-2006, 03:41 PM

What kind of light were the corals you got from Nyles under?

I know that I have to be careful and shade anything I move from pc lighting to the T5, but your's were under metal halide, right?

6 T5's over an 18" deep tank is a lot of light, though!
Maybe some eggcrate for a few days, or window screen to give them a chance to adjust?
I'm starting my fixture out fairly high above the tank and will bring it down slowly over time. The hanging kit is great for that!

Nyles

11-16-2006, 03:47 PM

siskiou

11-16-2006, 03:54 PM

only argument there is I buy stuff from all the local stores with MH and the corals in my tank have never had a problem. Im at a loss as to why they would RTN so quick... but I think its light related. He went from 250 mh to the 6 t5 4 blue and 2 10k give or take.

mine are 5 each -11k and 3 each -blue plus (40% blue 60% sun) t-5's

It sure is strange that all but one of the corals from your tank are fine, and the rest are dying.
Maybe Miles' were still recovering from the recent quarantine and dipping, and the light shock did them in? (scratch)

Nyles

11-16-2006, 03:59 PM

That thought crossed my mind, but I still think it was light differences that shocked them. Dunno without a par/lux meter though.

R3 needs to spend some PNWMAS money on a lux meter!

impur

11-16-2006, 04:04 PM

Nah they were recovered and growing again. All had shown new growth in my 29. I keep thinking they are getting too much light now. But i just don't see how thats possible, the PAR at the bottom of a T5 lit tank is not near what it would be with MH. It doesn't make sense cuz not only are the corals from the bottom of the tank dead, stuff on the frag tray close to the light died too.

That leaves flow, or simply the transfer.

impur

11-16-2006, 04:09 PM

Ok i found some info. This is PAR readings MH versus T5. MH numbers on Top, T-5 on bottom. MH bulb is Iwasaki 175w.

impur

11-16-2006, 04:10 PM

They had to get less light, just had to. But i don't think that would kill them off. I donno.

Nyles

11-16-2006, 04:18 PM

ya but there is to many variables there... to get a good comparison og yours, you need to test yours. Well I got a test for ya... go buy some frags in portland and dump them in and see if they do fine. I bet they will.

impur

11-16-2006, 04:28 PM

I bet they will too. I'm sure its just because of the transfer, too much stress i guess.

I gotta find another O tort, it was my favorite :(

BADBaxter

11-16-2006, 04:32 PM

What a loss! Sorry to hear about it ... after watching this thread so long...

Could something external cause this? Someone cleaned the glass with chemicals.. Windex... or
The cabinet was "Orange Glo" ( polish..) or
House was sprayed for bugs last week...
A friend had many tanks for frags in his basement... side job... The pest company sprayed his neighbors house... lost a lot of coral..
Can you do a water change... should you?
Just another thought...

impur

11-16-2006, 04:52 PM

Nah no chemicals for sure. I think there would be other losses. The water is all new, well about 60-70 gallons. I am gonna add some carbon tonight. It had to be the stress from the transfer. All the acros Nyles brought are doing great!

Michael7979

11-16-2006, 05:16 PM

I think stress from moving is your most likely reason for the halocaust.

Miles you know I'll hook you up with some frags, my brother. We'll need to set up a time when we can meet. I have your green slimer and I can find more. Might take alittle time but I'll help you out.

Sorry to hear, man (sad) .

impur

11-16-2006, 07:43 PM

Thanks Mike, much appreciated. On the positive side, the rainbow acan has grown nicely, is doing great, and is ready for fragging ;) Maybe another week or 2 just so it settles in, but its got its feeders out now and looks real good.

Michael7979

11-16-2006, 07:57 PM

NP brother just let me know.

R-3

11-16-2006, 09:12 PM

We have brought it up in the past. Maybe ill talk to a LFS to see what we can get one for. Rent it out for $$$$. Ill post this with the board. Later Ryan

R-3

11-16-2006, 09:15 PM

Yeah that Rainbow acan will catch some good tradebait!!! This really sucks Miles. I feel bad. Later Ryan

impur

11-16-2006, 09:21 PM

Yeah that Rainbow acan will catch some good tradebait!!! This really sucks Miles. I feel bad. Later Ryan

I hope so ;) Yah it sucks, but just gotta learn from it and move on i guess. Its disappointing, but i can still concentrate on giving the rest of the corals the best environment that i can.

impur

11-17-2006, 06:03 PM

Well the carnage continues. Lost all my montis today. My large cap is just about toast. Orange digi is gone, both frags. Green digi is RTN, orange cap is RTN. Thats the last of them, every single SPS i had is now dead or dying. Now one of the corals Nyles brought over is starting to RTN too.

This really sucks. After all the trouble i went thru to QT them and get them pest free.

Er wait i still have my purple digi, its closed up and pissed off but no sign of RTN yet. I'm sure its just waiting till all my others die so I can watch the last one whither and die.

siskiou

11-17-2006, 06:18 PM

Gosh! I'm so sorry!
Anything I can do?

Michael7979

11-17-2006, 06:38 PM

Might get Nyles to take those back! Aleast until you can let things settle and find the reason why!

Ronjunior

11-17-2006, 06:51 PM

I feel for you, it sucks beyond belief. Me with fish and you the corals. I'm sure you got attached to those after all this time. Hopefully you can turn things around and save something out of all this. Without reading back through everything, did you dip again before putting them back in the tank the other day? Also, have you tested for copper contamination from who knows what; fish,crab? I'm with Michael, get the survivors back into the previous holding tank for now and keep digging. Tough decision with putting even more stress on the critters.

Ronjunior

11-17-2006, 07:01 PM

I just went back for a quick glance..(the wife said your first tank was beautiful by the way)...but I wonder if that dishwasher rack you used for a riser somehow contaminated something? Those chemicals they use are pretty darned harsh. Just a thought.
One post you mentioned you mixed water in pretty much anything you could get your hands on, jugs etc.... maybe something from there? Doesn't help now, but Home Depot has a Rubbermaid garbage can for $12 to use for fish only in the future :(
Also, that new tank looked used by the black paint that was chipping off the overflow. If I'm right, you might recontact the person you aquired it from and rack their brains as to anything that may have been used in there. Didn't these come directly from Nyles and into this tank, or did you have another "holding pen" at home?
Trying to help you brainstorm.....

Nyles

11-17-2006, 07:33 PM

The rack is new, and I personally pulled it from a clean crate of new racks, also they are food grade. So I know thats not the prob.
They are same racks as my commercial rubbermaid tubs I use at home are. As Miles told me his light in his old tank was old, so I think this is one of the issues. I still have no clue why the green milli died so abrupt though.

Miles when you come over this weekend you more than welcome to bring back the frags I brought you.

impur

11-18-2006, 08:23 AM

Well i'm taking a couple precautions. I raised the light 2". I cut back the photo period by 1.5 hours, so the lights are on at 1:30 off at 7pm. I really think this is just because i did not acclimate them to the light, and as Nyles stated that MH bulb was at the end of its time, about 10-12 months of use on it. My monti cap is still mostly ok, the tips are burned on it all the way around about 1" down the cap. That right there says too much light to me. Plus i shut off the CL pump, it cavitates and throws MB into the tank. Plus my temp was up to 81.4, and i'd rather it be 79.5 or so. So to keep everything as stable as possible i turned off that pump. I might sell it and get anther GenX, i really like how quiet and powerful this one on my return is.

vanz

11-18-2006, 08:40 AM

:(

Don't know what to tell ya man. SPS are very sensitive aren't they? Give them back to Nyles ASAP. Good luck with the rest of your corals.

R-3

11-18-2006, 11:54 AM

I remeber James(Illusion) having some problems when he switched form 400w 10k to 400w 20k. It was a while back but he lost some colonies that he had. Later Ryan

oldbrownies

11-18-2006, 04:44 PM

I have heard other people have had issues going from the 10 to the 20K XM's, but i am sceptical that its them getting burned, being that the lumens and par are much lower in the 20k's

I would stick with the 10K's anyway... since i switched from 400 watt 20K to 400 watt 10K my growth has doubled, and my brown outs colored up within a month after being brown under the 20's with no change for 4

BADBaxter

11-18-2006, 06:12 PM

So OldBrownies...
You are saying that the 10K lights doubled your growth?

Barleychown

11-18-2006, 09:39 PM

Miles,

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Let me know if I can do anything for you!

impur

11-19-2006, 02:46 PM

Thanks everyone. Its sad but i must forge on and learn from the experience.

Jody brought me some stuff to cheer me up, and boy did it!! I got some zoos and a acan lord from him. They JUST went into the tank. A couple are already open. I'll put up more pics when the rest open. Notice how the pics are much less blue, i changed out one of the actinics. I like the color now, its perfect.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010088.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010089.jpg

And just for fun, a couple other pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010090.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010091.jpg

Hmmm wonder if my clowns are hungry? You can see the skeleton of my blasto there :( It had some palys growing on the skeleton and they started to sting the blasto, so i fragged them off and in the process i broke the main frag off the rock. It tore a couple baby polyps, but the whole coral just receded. That happened in the 29gal.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010093.jpg

impur

11-19-2006, 04:35 PM

Oh man i'm so happy with these zoos. They are incredible!! Thanks a ton Jody

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010113.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010112.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010108.jpg

impur

11-19-2006, 04:36 PM

Some other pics while i was at it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010103.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010102.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010098.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010097.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010094.jpg

impur

11-19-2006, 04:37 PM

A couple SPS doing well.

A. tenuis
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010100.jpg

Porties
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010099.jpg

H20cooled

11-19-2006, 04:55 PM

Wow those are some really cool color combos on your zoos.

impur

11-19-2006, 05:24 PM

A couple more

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010125.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010116.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010129.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010131.jpg

R-3

11-19-2006, 09:42 PM

Glad to see that everything is equaling out. Nice new zoos Miles. I cant wait till you start fragging those. Later Ryan

impur

11-21-2006, 07:56 PM

I went to work a little today installing and improving my ATO. Took some pics of course ;)

This stuff is cool, you put it in almost boiling water and it gets super flexible for like 5 min.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010136.jpg

So i cut it downt he center. This way i plan to have 2 float switches, one as a backup incase the bottom one fails

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010137.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010139.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010140.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010141.jpg

Nyles

11-21-2006, 08:01 PM

I have wanted to do that for a long time. Oh well, I don't think I ever will. LOL. I know how, even have a little pump to use, just too lazy to order. LOL

impur

11-21-2006, 08:04 PM

lol i order it when i'm at work. Then when it arrives i have something to tinker with for a little while till i get off :D

impur

12-04-2006, 08:36 AM

Couple of updated pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010181.jpg

SPS doing well

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010183.jpg

And looky here!! My blue mille decided to stop receeding at this little tip. Looks like i still have a blue mille!!! Its been like this about a week now. :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010191.jpg

impur

12-04-2006, 08:37 AM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010157.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010155.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010152.jpg

impur

12-17-2006, 12:40 PM

Well its been awhile since i updated this. I went to work saturday redoing my CA reactor plumbing, built an MJmod for Susanne, and found a couple ways to better the venturi on my skimmer. Of course lots of pics

I found this in the sprinkler section. The pump on my skimmer has 1/2 FPT where my venturi connects to it. The venturi is less than optimal. I found a piece of rigid tubing that fits perfectly into this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010248.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010249.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010247.jpg

I cut the end at an angle

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010251.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010252.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010253.jpg

impur

12-17-2006, 12:43 PM

I redesigned my CA reactor. I upped the pipe size to try and eliminate the pump cavitating, so i went from 1/2" to 1". I also eliminated the 45 el and 1 90 as well as changed where the CO2 in is.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010255.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/upgrade/P1010256.jpg

The vertial T is the effluent out, the CO2 will enter at the last T where the pump connects, and water in is the T before that.

impur

12-17-2006, 12:45 PM

Zoos are really all i have left but here are some pics of the livestock. I'm pulling all the frags with bubble algae today and removing it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010258-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010259-1.jpg

One frag of blue mille remaining, its now yellow. Go figure
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010265.jpg

Here is the other
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010266.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/P1010267.jpg

Nyles

12-18-2006, 08:14 AM

Porite is looking good. :D

impur

12-18-2006, 08:40 AM

Yah its a decent grower too.

siskiou

12-18-2006, 12:22 PM

Well its been awhile since i updated this. I went to work saturday redoing my CA reactor plumbing, built an MJmod for Susanne, and found a couple ways to better the venturi on my skimmer.

<Perks up ears> :)
Thanks a lot!
Should I come by some day soon?
I also have the heater you loaned me ready to return. Bought a new one at Sean's a week ago.

-Susanne

impur

12-23-2006, 02:51 PM

Well i got a new camera and took a couple pics to try it out. They came out pretty good. I don't have to use a magnifying glass now lol. I still have lots of modes to try out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/000_0017_00.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/000_0016.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/000_0015_00.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/impur/000_0013_00.jpg