To Andy

[Staceon]

Hi Andy,

If I remember correctly last summer you had an eco-wheel tank set up in your house correct? Just wondering how things are going with it? Do you like it? Any pros, cons? Did you find you had to add additional water movement?

Thanks!

[ASH]

I've had the Eco-Wheel running since 9-1-2000. The water movement has been fine without adding anything additional. I thought I had a problem but after clearing air from my return and keeping the water level near the top it's fine.

The only down-side has been tiny bubbles that result from the incredible churning that occurs in the wheel housing. I've slowly added an assortment of hard and soft corals as well as 14 fish (one female clown is huge, then there's a yellow Tang, a Fox Face, Coral Beauty and some smaller fish). I moved everything from my 29G tank including a several year old anemone which has blossomed in its larger home. A recent gift of pumping Xenia is spreading like ivy.

Noise was a big problem until I wrapped the offending pipe where the water and air meet with a foam cover sold for beds at WalMart. The air pump itself is fine noise wise. The non-drilled 180G AG has had no heat problems despite being pretty closed in. If it climbs during the summer, I'll have the exhaust moist air leaving the wheel box exit the hood area instead or recycling it back into the system as it is now. I've added a calcium reactor and a dosing machine for make up water. No water changes so far. The wheel is lit 24/7 by a Model 3000 running a 28 and 55-watt PC lamp. The tank itself is a lab testing 4X32-watt T-8's on a Model 660 (6.5K NO lamps) and three MH (center a 5.5K 250-MH, a 150-watt double ended 10K powered by our next to be released ballast, and a 175-watt Aqua Connect also powered by IceCap ballasts, on the other side).

In total, I like the simplicity, the white noise it makes and that it seems to work as promised so far.
Andy