Plantbrain
07/12/2007, 01:48 AM
Well, things are looking up. Got new place with room and decent water. So I have my vendors that I use for clients making me some nice custom glass tanks for my tanks at home finally.
2 tanks(well 3 but ones a two part system)
40 gallon cube cold water macro
120 gallon reef w 65 gal macro
I have already made the 40 custom rimless cube that will be a cold water California biotope.
Plans call for a chiller and 60F water.
I plan on getting some CA garibaldi, some red/blue banded gobies, several shrimp species for livestock and 3-6 species of macro algae.
Fortunately I have a good workign relationship with folks at Monterey Bay aquarium and can obtain the critters legally from their breeding programs.
The macro algae will be collected near there.
No urchins:)
Even if we got pretty purple ones:)
Nice lime green aenomes though and orange vocano sponge.
Most of the macros I plan on are low growing, but in the tank they may exhibit different patters of growth.
There are many species I'd really like to keep but I may never have enough current, CA tide pools get pounded very hard and have a great deal of energy.
I will have a 150 HQI on a special designed 8" rotor so that the light moves around in an 8" diatmeter circle allowing better spread and allowing me to lower the pendent light about 4" off the water surface to reduce over spray from the light in the room.
I have an automated water changer design for both tanks I have planned on and will have the reservior outside pre mixed.
A solenoid on a timer drains the tank, and a electronic float switch adds water back. Like flushing a toilet.
FW tanks will have the same type of automated system.
I plan on some nice rocks and carpet with lots of snailies and nuibranches.
I have a 120 gallon reef SPS tank planned with Halophia foreground seagrasses.
Not quite sure what I'll use as a foreground yet.
Light rail to move the lamps back and forth again like the 8" dia pattern but linear front to back for a pattern.
I plan on using a 65 gallon refuge that will be the warm water macro algae tank.
I want to test to see if excellent macro growth with a wide range of species will also do well in the SPS area using methods such as KNO3 dosing etc or progressive critter additions for N sources.
I think the planned system will allow for this well.
Light will be a T5+3x 250w HQI combo.
Light for refuge will be 4x54 w T5's.
With the movement(I can link the rail movement for the lights using a nice wire and pulley for the T5's on refuge on the same system) I think I can get even better growth.
As I will be using an automated water changer, I do not need to play with or mess with dosing or testing.
I do however have to spend $ for salt.
I add the supplements to the make up water, thus the reservior is the dosing source.
Nothing runs out, nothing builds up.
Alk, Ca, etc are stabilized.
I plan on massive current and lots of fine misty aeration for the macros.
I have a neat design based on some larger scenes I was fond of from Florida reefs.
Looking forward to having my own reef as clients always want other things, designs etc than you.
I am a very DIY type person, so the stand, and tank, filter etc will be interesting and low labor.
I set up the drains to backwash all the filters whn I do water changes, so with los of frequent water changes, the filters are really clean and rarely clog.
All you do is use either a semi automated method or use solenoids on timers to drain the water.
You need a dedicated hard plumbed drain for the tank water and a be able to send the water change water through the filter and then oout to the drain.
A set of ball valves accomplishes this to back wash the filters, ths I never have to clean the filters and take them out.
I never have to test the water as the water changes address all that and keep that stable. Water changes are automated so I do not have to do that either.
I wil likely use semi automated methods, manually turning the valves to drain and turning another to refill.
I do this for all the clients I take care of.
One guy wanted something special, so I got a switch that uses a emote to turn a valve remotely, much like a remote control for your fish tank that can do a water change sitting in a chair.
Kinda of cool.
I'll have abou 30% go over an overflow and 70% through a in line canister set up(hence the back washing filter idea). This reduces the noise of the overflow but still keeps the benefits of each method without the trade offs of using just one method.
My goals:
No testing, I do enough of that at work and it's not my hobby.
No water changes, no buckets, no hoses etc hate them.
Good macro growth.
High vicious current.
No filter cleaning.
Plan on changing out 60-80 gallons a week.
So about 7-8$ in salt a week cost(I get good wals because I have clients and buy from wholesalers so the cost is less here).
My light bill will be more than that.
So to reduce heachaches, testing and other issues, I think it's a fair trade off. My light and pump bill is about that same cost(a tad more).
This makes the system a lot simple and easy to deal with.
And the cost is not that much more. I'll be able to sell the frags and macros to off set that each month also for the salt.
I think you can be clever and conceptual to reduce the complexity, murphy's law, reduce micromanagement, equipment, testing and have less labor and reduce the system down to the essence of the significant parts.
Water
Light
Nutrients
Biota
Filter
Regards,
Tom Barr
2 tanks(well 3 but ones a two part system)
40 gallon cube cold water macro
120 gallon reef w 65 gal macro
I have already made the 40 custom rimless cube that will be a cold water California biotope.
Plans call for a chiller and 60F water.
I plan on getting some CA garibaldi, some red/blue banded gobies, several shrimp species for livestock and 3-6 species of macro algae.
Fortunately I have a good workign relationship with folks at Monterey Bay aquarium and can obtain the critters legally from their breeding programs.
The macro algae will be collected near there.
No urchins:)
Even if we got pretty purple ones:)
Nice lime green aenomes though and orange vocano sponge.
Most of the macros I plan on are low growing, but in the tank they may exhibit different patters of growth.
There are many species I'd really like to keep but I may never have enough current, CA tide pools get pounded very hard and have a great deal of energy.
I will have a 150 HQI on a special designed 8" rotor so that the light moves around in an 8" diatmeter circle allowing better spread and allowing me to lower the pendent light about 4" off the water surface to reduce over spray from the light in the room.
I have an automated water changer design for both tanks I have planned on and will have the reservior outside pre mixed.
A solenoid on a timer drains the tank, and a electronic float switch adds water back. Like flushing a toilet.
FW tanks will have the same type of automated system.
I plan on some nice rocks and carpet with lots of snailies and nuibranches.
I have a 120 gallon reef SPS tank planned with Halophia foreground seagrasses.
Not quite sure what I'll use as a foreground yet.
Light rail to move the lamps back and forth again like the 8" dia pattern but linear front to back for a pattern.
I plan on using a 65 gallon refuge that will be the warm water macro algae tank.
I want to test to see if excellent macro growth with a wide range of species will also do well in the SPS area using methods such as KNO3 dosing etc or progressive critter additions for N sources.
I think the planned system will allow for this well.
Light will be a T5+3x 250w HQI combo.
Light for refuge will be 4x54 w T5's.
With the movement(I can link the rail movement for the lights using a nice wire and pulley for the T5's on refuge on the same system) I think I can get even better growth.
As I will be using an automated water changer, I do not need to play with or mess with dosing or testing.
I do however have to spend $ for salt.
I add the supplements to the make up water, thus the reservior is the dosing source.
Nothing runs out, nothing builds up.
Alk, Ca, etc are stabilized.
I plan on massive current and lots of fine misty aeration for the macros.
I have a neat design based on some larger scenes I was fond of from Florida reefs.
Looking forward to having my own reef as clients always want other things, designs etc than you.
I am a very DIY type person, so the stand, and tank, filter etc will be interesting and low labor.
I set up the drains to backwash all the filters whn I do water changes, so with los of frequent water changes, the filters are really clean and rarely clog.
All you do is use either a semi automated method or use solenoids on timers to drain the water.
You need a dedicated hard plumbed drain for the tank water and a be able to send the water change water through the filter and then oout to the drain.
A set of ball valves accomplishes this to back wash the filters, ths I never have to clean the filters and take them out.
I never have to test the water as the water changes address all that and keep that stable. Water changes are automated so I do not have to do that either.
I wil likely use semi automated methods, manually turning the valves to drain and turning another to refill.
I do this for all the clients I take care of.
One guy wanted something special, so I got a switch that uses a emote to turn a valve remotely, much like a remote control for your fish tank that can do a water change sitting in a chair.
Kinda of cool.
I'll have abou 30% go over an overflow and 70% through a in line canister set up(hence the back washing filter idea). This reduces the noise of the overflow but still keeps the benefits of each method without the trade offs of using just one method.
My goals:
No testing, I do enough of that at work and it's not my hobby.
No water changes, no buckets, no hoses etc hate them.
Good macro growth.
High vicious current.
No filter cleaning.
Plan on changing out 60-80 gallons a week.
So about 7-8$ in salt a week cost(I get good wals because I have clients and buy from wholesalers so the cost is less here).
My light bill will be more than that.
So to reduce heachaches, testing and other issues, I think it's a fair trade off. My light and pump bill is about that same cost(a tad more).
This makes the system a lot simple and easy to deal with.
And the cost is not that much more. I'll be able to sell the frags and macros to off set that each month also for the salt.
I think you can be clever and conceptual to reduce the complexity, murphy's law, reduce micromanagement, equipment, testing and have less labor and reduce the system down to the essence of the significant parts.
Water
Light
Nutrients
Biota
Filter
Regards,
Tom Barr