"OverKill" Reef - My Project - Page 11

cdraughon · #**251** 01/28/2006, 03:00 PM

Your tank really looks nice. A couple of things...I have had a Mandarin in my 55 for over a year now. I do not have a fuge. It searches for pods all day and eats frozen mysis. It is very fat and happy.

Regarding your clam. Do you have an emerald crab? I have one and he has killed two clams. Unfortunately, I did not know it was the culprit until the second time. No more clams until it is gone!

Jcohen9999 · #**252** 01/28/2006, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cdraughon
Your tank really looks nice. A couple of things...I have had a Mandarin in my 55 for over a year now. I do not have a fuge. It searches for pods all day and eats frozen mysis. It is very fat and happy.

Regarding your clam. Do you have an emerald crab? I have one and he has killed two clams. Unfortunately, I did not know it was the culprit until the second time. No more clams until it is gone!

Thanks.

I haven't tried another mandarin and probably won't till I find one that's guaranteed to eats frozen.

I don't have an emerald (that I am aware of) and I hadn't thought of it until now but I guess there is possibility of that or another clam predator being in my tank. Maybe something that's been there all along but just got big enough to damage a 4-5" clam. Now there's another thing I really have to consider whether or not it's worth doing.

Jeff

NCreefwannabe · #**253** 01/28/2006, 03:21 PM

Wow I think your going to have stuff growing out of the tank if you wait much longer. You could always get a bigger tank and use that one soleyfor your favorite corals. Your fish havent gottin to big for it yet? Seems like they wont have much room soon lol.

Looks awesome!!!!

Gladius · #**254** 01/28/2006, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jcohen9999

How come you didn't build some sort of shelf so the pump can sit on it? It gets it off the floor. And there would be less head loss due to less amounts of pvc needed.

Also, I noticed alot of ppl calling this tank a nano. Isn't a nano somewhat defined as a small tank with small volume? Not a small tank with super/heavy duty/industrial grade/govt. sized volume..lol.

I dont think you could crash this system even if you wanted to!

Jcohen9999 · #**255** 01/31/2006, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gladius
How come you didn't build some sort of shelf so the pump can sit on it? It gets it off the floor. And there would be less head loss due to less amounts of pvc needed.

Also, I noticed alot of ppl calling this tank a nano. Isn't a nano somewhat defined as a small tank with small volume? Not a small tank with super/heavy duty/industrial grade/govt. sized volume..lol.

I dont think you could crash this system even if you wanted to!

My (very basic) understanding of head loss is the difference between the elevation of the input and output (in this case zero) and the frictional loss of fluid running through the pipes. In my case I really wanted all the noise and vibration to be in the basement and I wanted to isolate the rigid piping from the pump with as much flexible piping as was possible to further reduce vibration and noise. When I added this all up it seemed to me that the addition of a shelf just wasn't worth the effort. However, now that I have lived this for a couple of years I would have done this slightly differently (bigger pipes and less distance). Unfortunately, to redo this now would be a significant PITA as I would have to allow the water level in the tank to drop way below the height of some major SPS growth and the last time that happened (by accident) I lost quite a few things (even though the lights were off).

Now as for the nano question...I refer to the nano like conditions once in a while but I don't know if I ever thought of this as a true nano. However, I could be convinced that it is...

Oh and that SCWD is long gone...died in less than 6 months. Now I just have a T there and I get a ton of turbulance in the tank. Now that you got me thinking....I guess there maybe a OM squirt in my future.

Jeff

richw · #**256** 01/31/2006, 01:43 PM

Jeff --

This raises an interesting question: what is a nano tank? Is it the size of the display or the water volumne? While I would go with the former, I am not sure where the line (in gallonage) should be.

Gladius · #**257** 01/31/2006, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jcohen9999
My (very basic) understanding of head loss is the difference between the elevation of the input and output (in this case zero) and the frictional loss of fluid running through the pipes. In my case I really wanted all the noise and vibration to be in the basement and I wanted to isolate the rigid piping from the pump with as much flexible piping as was possible to further reduce vibration and noise. When I added this all up it seemed to me that the addition of a shelf just wasn't worth the effort. However, now that I have lived this for a couple of years I would have done this slightly differently (bigger pipes and less distance). Unfortunately, to redo this now would be a significant PITA as I would have to allow the water level in the tank to drop way below the height of some major SPS growth and the last time that happened (by accident) I lost quite a few things (even though the lights were off).

Now as for the nano question...I refer to the nano like conditions once in a while but I don't know if I ever thought of this as a true nano. However, I could be convinced that it is...

Oh and that SCWD is long gone...died in less than 6 months. Now I just have a T there and I get a ton of turbulance in the tank. Now that you got me thinking....I guess there maybe a OM squirt in my future.

Jeff

Good point of view. Maybe, if you get the building bug, mount that new pump all the way up by the ceiling, therefore reducing the piping by a walls length.

If you are worried about having to drain, you could just get some corks and plug the input/output pipe after you were to cut them. Yeah, it would be messy as you cut, but nothing some drop clothes couldnt handle to catch water.

MMMM OM Squirt... good idea!

Jcohen9999 · #**258** 01/31/2006, 02:35 PM

Quote:

corks and plug the input/output pipe

Doh....why didn't I think of this before...all I need to do is cork the 3 bulkheads from inside the tank!

Now I have to do this!

Related (sort of) question: could I take the one input (1" pvc) and tee it off to 2 return pumps to (almost) double my flow?

Jeff

Gladius · #**259** 01/31/2006, 03:13 PM

I am wanting to say no.... but not too sure. Reason being two pumps both sucking on a 1" pipe would flow up the maximum possible flow for the pipe. E.g. - I dont know what an 1" pipe flows (gph), but if your two pumps flow more than that... say 1500 gph and the pipe can only flow 1000 gph, then you are just limiting your pumps.

In conclusion, find what you pipe can flow and get a pump to match the flow to maximze the potential. Sounds simple enough. But I am ready to be shot down by an egghead.

Jcohen9999 · #**260** 01/31/2006, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by richw
Jeff --

This raises an interesting question: what is a nano tank? Is it the size of the display or the water volumne? While I would go with the former, I am not sure where the line (in gallonage) should be.

I don't know...maybe I should post on nano-reefs.com and see if they chase me away

melev · #**261** 01/31/2006, 03:31 PM

Jeff, thanks for updating this thread again. The tank is indeed quite full, and I'm impressed how your corals seem to put up with one another. I had one frag lean against another larger frag and 48 hours later I had a white stick.

Jcohen9999 · #**262** 01/31/2006, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
Jeff, thanks for updating this thread again. The tank is indeed quite full, and I'm impressed how your corals seem to put up with one another. I had one frag lean against another larger frag and 48 hours later I had a white stick.

Oh....I have plenty of white sections. I just got lucky that nothing of significance has totally been wiped out...at least nothing I want to talk about

Jeff

Dennis7 · #**263** 02/03/2006, 12:57 AM

I thought I over did my Nano. Looks good! Do you have heat issues with the MH lighting on the small tank?

Jcohen9999 · #**264** 02/03/2006, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dennis7
I thought I over did my Nano. Looks good! Do you have heat issues with the MH lighting on the small tank?

Thanks.

As far as I can tell, there is no significant heat transferred from the lights to the tank. Those guys at Aquactinics really designed their MH hoods well - the hood always feels room temperature and the splash shield only gets a little warm. As a matter of fact I sort of have the opposite problem in that my heaters are on all year.

Jeff

LekicINC · #**265** 02/03/2006, 07:58 AM

what happened to the yellow tang?

Jcohen9999 · #**266** 02/03/2006, 09:14 AM

Shhhhhh..you'll wake the Tang Police

It's in there...just camera shy these days. However, I did lose my pygmy angel. I think the green bristle star got it because one day it was just gone.

Jeff

piscivorous · #**267** 02/03/2006, 10:15 AM

You still haven't ever figured out what happened with the clam? I am amazed at how crowded the corals are also...seems like you'd be having all sorts of issues..chemical warfare...sweeper tenticles..etc. etc.

LekicINC · #**268** 02/03/2006, 10:42 AM

whats the fish list like?

Jcohen9999 · #**269** 02/03/2006, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by piscivorous
You still haven't ever figured out what happened with the clam? I am amazed at how crowded the corals are also...seems like you'd be having all sorts of issues..chemical warfare...sweeper tenticles..etc. etc.

Oy Vey! Don't put the kayn aynhoreh on me.

I was just my decision to allow for a more natural tank instead of the widely dispersed corals that I sometimes see. I really find it interesting when two difference SPSs grow into each other and even wrap around each other.

As was sort of planned, the extra water volume of the sump/fuge and the flow in the tank seem to take care of the issues with the proximty of the corals.

@LekicINC: The fish count is small (as are the fish themselves): Hippo Tang, Yellow Tang, Orchid Dottyback, 2 Ocellaris Clowns (I think), a Six Line Wrasse, Bicolor Blenny. However, I would like to add back the pygmy angel at some point.

Jeff

lessans · #**270** 02/04/2006, 01:28 PM

very sweet system. I noticed the float switch on the sump. Through where does the water get pumped into the sump? Does it come out of the piece floating in the sump? BTW, I'm trying to set up an auto-top-off on my 65 gal tank.

Jcohen9999 · #**271** 02/04/2006, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lessans
very sweet system. I noticed the float switch on the sump. Through where does the water get pumped into the sump? Does it come out of the piece floating in the sump? BTW, I'm trying to set up an auto-top-off on my 65 gal tank.

I can't find that picture right now but what I am pretty sure you are looking at is the float switch for the RO/DI water that I use to autofill my saltwater mixing reservoir and kalswater reservoir. The water from the kalswater reservoir is then pumped into the sump at a steady 300 ml/h to replace evaporation loss.

While the pump situation needs to be adjusted in the spring and fall to compensate for the change in humidty around here, it more than makes up for the piece of mind knowing that there is absolutely no way for a ton of kalswater to be dumped into my tank as is the risk with any auto-top off system (IMHO).

Jeff