tidalsculpin Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 So, I am well on my way to building the tidepool in my classroom. Thanks to several people here at PNWMAS and the help of some very generous donors like Envision Acrylics the tank is taking shape. Here is a link to the great help I got in the Fall. http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2212&highlight=tidepool I applied for a permit from ODFW for collection and received it December 18th. http://161.55.120.155/pdf/3822.html Here are pics of the tank construction by James and a schematic of filtration. I have built the skeleton of the stand and am in the process of plumbing now. I'll post pics of some of this process tomorrow. I want to get the tank running soon to get it properly cycled and ready for life. Kids will be doing intertidal zone reports in early March. I hope to have it rockscaped and crawling with animals by then. Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 While your tank is cycling, be sure to leave the chiller off, otherwise you will have a long wait. Looks like a nice setup. I would use some dry baserock in the sump chamber, rather than bioballs. While it would not have the initial bacteria present for denitrification, it will soon become established with aerobic/anaerobic bacteria. Another option would be lava rock or Cell-Pore. http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200103/msg00771.html I'm not sure how effective the live rock found on our Coast is, at least for keeping nitrates down, as it is often very dense and non-porous. I once used the gray, glass-like, light-weight "feather rock" that is popular for landscaping, in the sump of a Discus tank. I had very good results with it and it was very inexpensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 I have some feather rock from a previous project. Great idea. What do you use to cycle? Ammonium chloride? Shrimp method? Some cycle product? BTW here is where I am at as of today: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I have access to quite a bit of dry rock, well chat when you come by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 This will be a great teaching tool! Good luck getting the kids away from it to teach them anything else!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 yeah lol--my other tanks too. I have three running right now. The plant tank is boring. The reef has probably 30 visitors a day. I have 200 kids in my room each day. That is a lot of fingers in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I have some feather rock from a previous project. Great idea. What do you use to cycle? Ammonium chloride? Shrimp method? Some cycle product? I set it up on an already established tank, so the run-in time went very quickly. Any of those methods will work. Maybe you could use a combination of those methods? I once cycled a new tank with some freshly shucked oyster shells from a seafood company. You could probably get a live oyster at the seafood counter at the grocery store for about 50 cents each or so, & toss it in. Hey - it might even survive the cycling... either way, it has a better chance than it's buddies back in the seafood section! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronjunior Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I have 200 kids in my room each day. That is a lot of fingers in the tank. This might be a good candidate for Tour De Tanks 2007 and more fingers. Does the janitor work weekends? (naughty) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 I work weekends! I am a teacher.(rock2) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanz Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Man, that is one sweet tank! Since this is an open top, does the janitor know not to use chemicals around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Very cool project. Can't wait to see how it progresses. Cuda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted January 26, 2007 Author Share Posted January 26, 2007 Well, I did an initial water test today. Some mixed results. I need to epoxy two small leaks on the return. I have a slightly leaky bulkhead. My used pcx-100 is verry loud. Not conducive to teaching. I had my first experience with back siphoning too. Needless to say I am not that discouraged. It is kind a tough to set this thing up with a new baby in my home and trying to teach at the same time. Tomorrow, I'll fixh the return and try to get the bulkhead to a non-leaky state. I mught have to rethink the pump. Later, Joel L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronjunior Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Hold the pump up in the air to see if it's quieter....if so, use some rubber grommets underneath where it's being mounted or something to absorb the vibrations. You could alway build a soundproofing box around it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted January 27, 2007 Author Share Posted January 27, 2007 Thanks on that one. I have read that mouse pads help on that too. I have a bare floor on purpose to try to dissapate heat into the concrete slab. I guess I can slip a pad or other piece of rubber underneath. I fixed my skimmer connection today that was leaking. It's solid now. Gonna try to redo the return plumbing Sunday or Monday. I have two consistent drips between joints in the return line. Should I cut off at my tee and start from scratch or do some other fix? I have pvc glue, wet dry pvc glue, abs glue and epoxy putty. Could I just putty the joints? All joints were glued.... I know I was too confident. Should of wrapped em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 This is going to sound horrible but just add salt to the tank. Salt Creep is a wonderful sealant. Hey I never claimed to be a good plumber I just do it all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronjunior Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 I would trust an epoxy over relying on salt any day. I would be scared to come back from a few weeks away in the summer and have that salt plug dissolve. (which makes me think, hope you live close to the school for feeding in the summer and what are your plans) I used some JB weld to fix a crack on the bottom of my Ocean Clear Canister months ago, so far so good. If you redo the plumbing, be sure to use primer and don't move the pipes for awhile while the glue sets in. If you're bending the pipes, that can be an issue with getting a tight fit. Might glue one end at a time and let cure if possible. There are some techniques out there by wrapping the pipes with a special blanket type heater to bend PVC. Garage floor padding or those giant foam kids puzzles might be good too, nice and thick to absorb the noise of pump, chiller, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acrylics Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 I'd cut out the bad section and rebuild it. PVC pipe is cheap, fittings are cheap, and in the long run - a much better remedy than any "band-aid" type of fix. HTH, James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted January 27, 2007 Author Share Posted January 27, 2007 Yeah, I am going to redo the return. I wasnt happy with the way I had it set up anyways. I'm going to redo it tonight. 1 inch pvc from the return pump- 90 elbow to 1 inch tee- 1 inch pvc- two separate ball valves below water line and near the open part of the stand- 1 -/3/4 ell reducers -new 3/4 inch bulkheads- to four 1/2 inch locline return outlets. The locline will be placed near the overflows and about halfway deep into the tank. When I kicked on the pcx -100 there was a lot of flow. It is rated 1590gph. My tank height plus stand is 4' 3 inches. You just heard the amount of elbows and such. I figure I will have close to 1200 gph or a little less. I used the rc headloss calculator to try and figure this out. For the soundbox on the pump should I use pinkboard and plywood? Do I need to put vents on the top of the box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted January 29, 2007 Author Share Posted January 29, 2007 So, I re-did the return today. I only need two more locline outlets via mail and plumbing will be done. Next is to test after one day of curing. I'll fill it tomorrow and take pics. I will start making r.o. tomorrow morning assuming the test is successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr S Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Sweet set up. I would also like to visit your tank some time. You are more then welcome to come to the rock building seminar I am hosting in February at my school. My 8th graders just got through doing ocean animal powerpoints. I gave them extra credit if they did a critter from the reef tank. It is a great way to get students to appreciate the reef and get them to learn biology terminology. I can send you the outline if you are interested. They then presented to the class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted January 30, 2007 Author Share Posted January 30, 2007 Sounds like a great idea. My kids are doing ocean critters in March. First comes water cycle and wq. BTW -did a final water test today. No leaks.(clap) Here's the pics. Now it is time to make R.O., Skin the cabinet, Rock scape, and cycle!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 WOW... lol, is the mold growing on the walls yet? he he he he Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Here is a nice article written for Aquarium Fish Magazine by David Wrobel of Monterey Bay Aquarium The Temperate Reef Tank - Part One http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=9569&cid=3793&search= The Temperate Reef Tank - Part Two http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=9570&cid=3793&search= A good short post by Bob Fenner. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cold.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 Thanks, I have read all three. The other good resource is of course the coldwater rc thread. Our own Steve Weast is kind of the star of the show on it. But, also it is very informative when discussing organisms, temperatures and more. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=890751 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Thanks for that link. Steve Weast's temperate tanks are a very impressive mixture of both local and Tasmanian marine life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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