Budget Greenhouse Project

[hamburglar]

Ok, it's time for me to get this thread kicked off. I have been talking for a while about putting together a cheap greenhouse project. Well, I finally got started a couple of months ago.

The goal of this project is to provide me with a prototype to test new ideas with. I expect this greenhouse to be in operation no longer than 2-3 years.

The first and most important goal is a very low startup cost. I am estimating a $1500-$2000 hardware investment. This number includes the greenhouse also.

The second goal is very efficent operating costs. I will record water, chemical, and power useage.



Here are some new ideas that I would like to test:

Efficient alternating high-volume current - The heart of this system is the round tank. Once you get water circulating in a round tank, it keeps going on it's own..... Add to that idea, 2 seperate surge tanks that start the water circulation in opposit directions. Now you can maintain high-volume reversing current with a single mid-sized electric pump. I am going to use a Mag7.

Space Saving Design - My greenhouse is only 8x6 in size, but I am using a 5 foot diameter tank (pool). The only way to get to all sides of the tank is to have it rotate. I am building a stand so that I can spin the tank around. The "input plumbing" all had to hang into the top of the tank. The "output plumbing" goes through a center drain that revolves with the tank.

I will start posting pictures from the beginning of the project. I am currently running the fresh water testing. I will try to take new pictures this weekend.

The greenhouse is a Harbor Freight Polycarb 8x6. It cost about $350 shipped. I built the base out of 8x10's anchored with 80lbs of concrete in each corner. I dug out a hole for the sump pool. I hope to get a little bit of geothermal buffering out of this design, but the main reason was a height problem. I had to start below the ground level to fit everything into this tiny greenhouse.







The stand is super sturdy with way too much wood on it. I added a piece of 1/8 inch marine grade aluminum and the plywood circle for the rotation track







A round plywood disc is added on top of the track with 8 two-inch steel casters.











So now I have a rotating tank. Time to start adding the surge tanks stand and the plumbing.

[maxvan1]

Are you going to cover the metal pipe? I dont know, but it may rust?

Other wize, looks great.

[hamburglar]

I think you are refering to the greenhouse frame. Let me know if i am incorrect. The frame is aluminum. The greenhouse kit came with 4mm twin wall polycarbonate panels to snap into the frame shown in the pictures.

I left the polycarb panels out during initial construction so that I could install hardware easier.

The panels are now siliconed in place. I wanted to seal the greenhouse a little better than the manufacturer intended.

[alpha0r]

LOL.....Read this:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=465933

[hamburglar]

Are you laughing at my tiny greenhouse haha

Yes I have followed both that project as well as Dendro's and Scubedude's a year or so ago. I have also read that great Calfo book.

As you can see, I'm not really going for the same design ideas everyone sticks to. I really think the surge tanks might turn out better than air lifts. I also think round tanks are the way to go. Now, the revolving tank is a silly little thing I had to do just because my greenhouse is so small. In a real professional sized greenhouse, I would rather use 6 foot pools that I could simply walk around. Any bigger than 6 foot would make it difficult to reach the center.


I am curious about these kiddy pools. I am using them nested in case one springs a leak. I do expect some breakdown because of UV light. I just want to see how long they last. Remember...they are in a greenhouse with shade cloth. They should last longer than they would sitting in your yard. Another big point is that they only cost $10 each. That is a big time savings if you have 10-20 of them in a big greenhouse.

Like i said before, I am going to try to get some new pics this weekend....possibly today.

[hamburglar]

Ok, here are some pics taken today. I am still fresh water testing.





I have installed all of the plumbing and the MAG7. The MAG7 will be the only pump except for a Maxijet 1200 used as a utility pump. I used plywood in place of a polycarb panel so that i could mount the power strips and air intake fan. The fan is a simple $30 thermostat window fan. I tried to make a downward facing air duct to keep the rain out of the fan.



You can see more of the special plumbing here: Like I described before, one surge tank spins the water one direction, and the other surge tank spins the water the other direction. When they fire at the same time (since they are random) you get a really turbulant water flow.



Here are the temps today. The bottom # is my water temp. Today was mid 80's with full sunlight.



Here is my meter that will record power useage details for the entire greenhouse.




I currently have a %30 shade cloth over the greenhouse. I bought enough to cover it twice if needed.

[maxvan1]

WOW! Thats really nice, alot cleaner then I thought it would turn out!

[maxvan1]

Sorry for doing two posts it wont let me edit for some reason...

But I have an idea, you should paint the bottom white with that krylon fusion paint (as white doesnt absorb as much light, and sometimes can reflect it, or so I hear...) Plus when you take pics. of stock they will look nicer against white IMO.

[hamburglar]

Cool, I will look into that paint. I have been trying to decide if I want to put a thin layer of sand in that top tank. The paint idea might work better.

I might make a seperate sand tank to flow water through for DSB filtration.

Still not sure about a skimmer either. I have been skimmerless for about 4 years indoors. I will be exporting alot of water in bags, so I might not need one.

[Krypticol]

Looks great! Real clean, quality mini greenhouse prop!
Love it!

[hamburglar]

ok, my little 25GPD RO/DI filter has been running it's butt off for about 4 days now. i figure I will have clean fresh water running by the end of the weekend. My salt bucket is ready and waiting. I should have corals in this thing within 2 weeks time.

[katchupoy]

dont you have a TDS meter (a must) to test your RO/DI?

4 days of water is a lot of waste... IMO

[blide]

Looks like a fun project! Please post as many pic's as you can!

It's hard to see in the pic the bottom setup... How does it spin? I can see the drain and the wheels but it has to be sealed some where....

[hamburglar]

The RO/DI wastwater is being recycled to cure Aragocrete frag rocks

I will try to take a picture of the bottom tank this weekend. It will be used as a sump, with no corals. I just needed to get my water volume up as much as possible to buffer the temperature shifts .

The top tank has a 1 1/2 inch drain pipe running down through the middle. This pipe slips into a 3 inch pipe running up from the bottom tank. The pipes are not connected. The pipe from the top tank simply rotates inside the pipe from the bottom. This creates a "splash proof" channel for water to reach the sump. The plumbing in the bottom tank is also designed to keep the water circulating clockwise. This is because I will have heaters in the sump during the winter, and I don't want to melt a hole in the bottom tank.

[hamburglar]

Also....the bottom tank does not rotate. It will only be filled with water, extra frag rocks, the MAG7, and heaters.

[waterdog1]

oh I am lovin this. cant wait for more pics

[Randall_James]

I think I prefer the "Shrek" tub myself Did you make tracks for the wheeled platform?

EDIT: Doh, did not notice the disk at first

[sales weasel]

This is my first post at reef central. Man that is a nice clean system. I'm hoping to see more photos and hear about your progress. You even get to use natural sunlight. I can't wait to see more!

I'm trying to do some kind of system in my basement or my garage. I bought 3-55g tanks w/hoods and lights for $275 which I now realize was a waste of $$. I hope I can sell the six 24" hoods and light fixtures on ebay since they will be useless to me. I could have bought 100g Rubbermaid livestock feeding bins for much less than these 55g tanks. I live in a golf community with covenants as thick as the phone book, so the outdoor greenhouse is not an option...unless I can find someplace else to do it. My basement is finished and I think there would be too much potential for water spillage. I have a 3-car garage and my wife has given me permission to use a portion of one bay. I always thought the garage was the man's domain. It gets warm in there in summer and when you pull in a hot vehicle, it really gets warm. Inside the garage, I designed an 8x8 greenhouse-like structure that will use a 5000BTU window A/C unit from Home Depot (under $100). I have a 120g/d 6-stage RO system that I'm going to run off the outside water spigot. I plan to use RV water hose instead of a garden hose, so nothing will leach. I guess I could use some PVC w/quick disconnects.

[corro]

That is fantastic! Nice job... Keep the pics coming as your project progresses! You've got me wondering how hard it would be to heat a greenhouse like this (with glass) in the winter.

[Randall_James]

[welcome]
sales weasel

You are going to need sunlight if you are serious about something like he is doing. A MUST read is Anthony Calfo's "Book of coral propagation" before you even back the car out of the garage. Propagation under artificial lights is just a tough number to pull off. By his research, natural sunlight creates a better growth and is also somewhat cheaper.

You could post your stuff here at RC in the sales forum FWIW

[Maryswaterworld]

I have a quick question or thought. Does it get real cold at night during the winter nights that you might need some sort of heat? Otherwise your project looks great and I hope to see more pics when you have them.

[hamburglar]

Sales Weasel,

Randall is correct about Anthony Calfo's "Book of coral propagation". I bought a copy several years ago, and I think it may be responsible for a lot of this project. Even if you don't plan on using a greenhouse for propagation, this book provides a weath of knowlege about coral types and propagation techniques. I enjoyed reading it, and I will now keep it for reference information.

Corro,

I think I can heat this greenhouse with dual 500 watt titanium aquarium heaters. I plan on heating the water directly. In a larger greenhouse it would probably be more energy efficient to heat the air. This greenhouse is about 48 square feet with about 300 gallons of water in it. Needless to say, there isn't much air space left to heat

Cold winter nights in my area average about 30-40 degrees. Hot summer days average in the 80's. So far, I have been able to keep the water temperatures under 82 degrees, even this past week with 95 degree highs and 70% humidity (man that sucked). We will see what happens this winter. This is a learning experience after all.

Thanks everyone for the nice coments. My wife wasn't too wild about me doing this in the backyard, so I have to keep it neat and tidy

I just finished adding all of the RO/DI water today. I also added 250lbs of Southdown Sand to the top tank. Hopefully that will knock it out, because my Southdown stash is running dry.

I promise that new pictures are on the way very soon.

[corro]

Thanks everyone for the nice coments. My wife wasn't too wild about me doing this in the backyard, so I have to keep it neat and tidy

I suggest you spend you first bit of money you make from your frags on her

[Randall_James]

Frankly, the green house is small, economical and I am totally jealous Wondering how to get away with one myself just for the fun of it.....

[Justin74]

Thank you soo much for posting this thread! Ive been pondering what size and process to follow for some time now. But havent seen any this small, and am eagerly awaiting your completion and hopefully success! Very comendable to post your "experiment" even with the potential of failure.This is definately a valuable resource! Its come quite far, very innovative and looks exceptionally clean.Good job and best of luck to you!

-Justin