600 gallon Acrylic Reef - Page 28

BlackSumbel · #**676** 06/28/2006, 07:04 PM

Truly fascinating to watch it develop. I'd love to see any newer photos you have.

pwhitby · #**677** 06/28/2006, 07:59 PM

Right now I dont have much, and thats mostly because I am getting ready to rework a lot of the aquascaping. I am fitting one or two tunze waveboxes. Getting sufficient flow in this baby is difficult to say the least. I hope with the waveboxes to combat this by getting the wave motion moving a lot more of the water. That coupled with the closed loop, 2 other tunzes and 2 seios may get me nearer where I need to be.

Im also thinking of getting a set of four lumenarcs for the 400w bulbs I have on the back row of lights.

However, my next job is getting the skimmer up out of the water.

Paul.

Gwalker · #**678** 06/28/2006, 08:36 PM

You know your just going to have to break down and buy one of these... I have the 2hp model in the second link.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/.../7799/cid/1959

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/.../7692/cid/1949

Over 250 gpm should do the trick. You could say BUH BYE!! to the cyno!! and no hanging a dozen or so pumps in the tank! I think you getting a better appreciation of the "square footage" of your new tank in more ways than one!!!

G.

dugg · #**679** 06/28/2006, 10:26 PM

Won't the bigger pump be cheaper over all? It will not only replace a lot of powerheads and pumps, but should also be cheaper to run then all the pumps it would replace. By the way, how bad was that first power bill?

pwhitby · #**680** 06/28/2006, 10:32 PM

we didnt really notice an increase, if anything maybe $20 tops, but its hard to figure since the pool and the AC are being used now.

As for the cost effectiveness of the pump, not really.

The wavebox will move the entire contents of the tank (tho that may take two). A wavebox takes a staggering 17w. Compare thaqt to 500W of a larger pump. Also tunzes can be pointed where they are needed, which a larger pump can not. In the event of a power outage at least one tunze is on a UPC so it will run for at least 7 hrs.

To add a larger pump requires more holes being cut in the back panel which I am not going to do.

P.

akbuuur · #**681** 06/30/2006, 11:07 PM

wow....

pwhitby · #**682** 07/02/2006, 12:31 AM

Here are a few pics:

P.

Russ Braaten · #**683** 07/02/2006, 05:22 AM

Paul,

You have some great growth!

There isn't too much information on the way the Wavebox works. Does it use a small pump that flows constantly to fill the box and then the drain on the side opens and dumps the content of the box into the tank? If it wirks that way it seems the box needs to be mostly out of the water.

pwhitby · #**684** 07/02/2006, 10:58 AM

I think that it has a large tunze in it near the bottom. The tunze cycles on an off. In the of mode water enters through the tunze into the box. In the on mode water is forced out of the box by the tunze. This way the box fills and empties. Im assuming just the top of the box needs to be out of the water column.

pwhitby · #**685** 07/05/2006, 11:38 PM

Hopefully....my wavebox may be here tomorrow!!!!!! Im excited, but I expect it will take two to get a decent wave in this tank

sadsak · #**686** 07/07/2006, 07:03 PM

Can't wait to see some shots of it in acton!

sadsak · #**687** 07/07/2006, 07:03 PM

oops

sadsak · #**688** 07/07/2006, 07:03 PM

oops

Dtking · #**689** 07/08/2006, 12:51 AM

what exactly does a wavebox do?!... sorry to be stupid... plus i am drunk,
thanks,
Dustin

MyMonkey · #**690** 07/08/2006, 04:45 PM

Sweet. Nice Job Paul.

pwhitby · #**691** 07/08/2006, 04:51 PM

well...the wavebox is on back order and I need more pumps.....so I just purchased a couple of tunze streams instead.

Sorry I dont get to report back on how the wavebox worked.

P.

pwhitby · #**692** 07/13/2006, 07:24 PM

Well, I just added the two tunze 6080 units.

These are not variable using the controller and push 2250gph for a staggering 17w.

I already have two other tunzes, the 6100 (3,175gph -45W) and a 6200 (5000gph 62W).

The old units are on the right side of my tank and the new ones were added to the left to supplement the two seio 1500s on that side.

Well....I would like to say they made my corals sway back and forth but I cant. They kicked up so much crap the moment they came on all I can see are clouds. I have to admit, I was surprised at the flow they created. I think that since they are slightly angled to the others I created a circular flow in the system. This pulled every little bit of dirt dust and algae up from the rock and tossed it around. Even the areas under the eggcrate racking is getting cleaned by the suction into the new tunzes.

Im happy with the flow. Not too sure what the fish think.

I would post pics but, as I said, its kind of cloudy.

altogether I now have about 20,000gph total flow in the main tank.

P.

pwhitby · #**693** 07/13/2006, 08:56 PM

If anyone ever wondered how you clean a large tank......

as you can see, the water is pretty cloudy from all the dust/dirt the tunzes kicked up.

Thanks Lynn for sneaking a pic while I was busy!

P.

Russ Braaten · #**694** 07/13/2006, 09:10 PM

Did your face sting at all? At times my arms will sting when they get wet.

Another thing, Paul, we are homosapiens. We have learned to use tools. Hahahaha

pwhitby · #**695** 07/13/2006, 09:27 PM

Nope, no sting at all..tho I may have sun burnt my head!

I did have a tool, Russ. Did you think I was using my nails?

heres another pic I just took.

steve68 · #**696** 07/14/2006, 06:55 AM

you just wanted to dive in that's all LOL

nIx_tank · #**697** 07/14/2006, 07:52 AM

Wow Paul, you have just given me a new life goal.

My new goal is to have a tank so large that a mask and a snorkel are required elements for cleaning and maintainence.

Not sure my wife would be keen on my goal, but details, details...

MyMonkey · #**698** 07/14/2006, 09:56 AM

Is it loud in the room where the tank is? WIth all that flow I would think it might sound like a small airplane?

pwhitby · #**699** 07/14/2006, 10:07 AM

very quiet.

captbunzo · #**700** 07/14/2006, 10:22 AM

You have to remember that a lot of the flow is being created by powerheads, which are usually pretty quite.