the 1700g stingray reef

[JohnL]

This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=7515288#post7515288

[CW from the OC]

On the Rowaphos problems, I've heard about some people having RTN/STN problems if they use the full amount initially.

It seems best to use a small amount at first and ramp it up over a month or two.

C Dub

[Energy]

I've cut way back on the Rowaphos and the initial problems have subsided. As far as the big skimmer goes it's still on Scott's agenda. I know he doesn't have all the parts yet but will probably have them in the next few months. "Big Ugly" is handling the bioload just fine in the mean time. I've shut down my other skimmer to save on electrical costs but have it ready in case of emergencies.

[Lordhelmet]

hey your first thread split!

[semigodd154]

WOW truely an inspiration wonderfully done.

[spazz]

the big skimmer will be built this fall and installed when energys work load slows down a little. there will have to be some major changes made to the fish room to fit the big skimmer in place. this will be a fun experment when we start it.

[thor32766]

sweet project, for sure!

[Bret61081]

Did the Gem tang ever make it in the tank yet? I might have missed it in the theard....and anymore updated pictures??!!

[Manderin]

could we see pics

[afromage5000]

ummmm...wow

[shells]

any more pics??? updates?? :) :cool:

[spazz]

energy has been so busy with his work that he dont even have time to look at his emails. this fall when things slow down im sure he will be back posting to this thread. we will also update the thread when his skimmer starts being built. we are shooting for this oct to have ti cranked up and running.

the bata tank is still in his holding tank until he gains some size. energy is afraid he will be picked on if he put him in the tank right now. he is fattening him up so he will grow faster and then he will put him in the main tank. it is a very beautiful fish and i dont blame him for keeping him away from the larger fish in the tank.

[Carman34L]

Just an FYI, Energy's tank is in Septembers issue of TFH.

[Energy]

Updates- There have been a few changes to the tank - some are noteworthy -most are not. One of my orange spotted rabbitfish developed a taste for zoanthids and wiped all of them out (argh). I picked up a choat's leapord wrasse which is starting to eat prepared foods and has been doing fine. This is great since they have a very low survival rate. I also picked up a rare Rhomboid wrasse which seems healthy. Everything else is Par for the course with little ups and downs here and there. TFH sent me a few copies of the magazine with the article on my Tank. That was quite an honor to be recognized. I don't feel like my tank is better than any one elses only bigger than most. There are many beatiful tanks (especially on Reef central) which are much nicer than mine by far!

[melev]

Thanks for the update. Sorry about your zoos. I just discovered I have AEFW in my reef, so I'm going to be dealing with that for the next month or so. Don't let them get into your reef.

[jnarowe]

Been a while! I got a Rhomboid pair as well. Be careful with them in QT...I had one jump and do what we call here, The Fish Stick. Total bummer as you know they aren't cheap. If you see it eyeing the surface in a semi verticle orientation, make sure you cover your QT!

Interestingly enough, mine came in from Kevco and directly to my house, and the wrasses ate prepared foods immediately. In fact the surviving one is a total hog and mixes it up with all the other fish to get food. It is acting very well and getting along with my Blue Sided Scott's Fairy Wrasse. I am surprised they haven't had problems but perhaps tank size helps a bit. All in all I am very pleased with the Rhomboid. :D

[bkbkid]

Energy, where in Mendota Heights do you live? I just moved here a month ago. I'm setting up a 220g SPS Reef right now.
Your tank is awesome, love the fact you also collect rare fish. Whats your favorite fish in your system so far (besides the stingray obviously?)

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7882357#post7882357 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bkbkid
Energy, where in Mendota Heights do you live? I just moved here a month ago. I'm setting up a 220g SPS Reef right now.
Your tank is awesome, love the fact you also collect rare fish. Whats your favorite fish in your system so far (besides the stingray obviously?)

are you a part of the TCMAS club here in the twin cities? if not you should join the club.

[dgasmd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7879877#post7879877 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
Updates- There have been a few changes to the tank - some are noteworthy -most are not. One of my orange spotted rabbitfish developed a taste for zoanthids and wiped all of them out (argh).

If I could only be so lucky. I finally got an orange spotted rabbitfish too. I had been looking for one for over 3 years and never saw one locally. Then, one day I walk into this one LFS and they like 4 of them sitting there for like $20 each. I took 2 home, one for the small tank and one for the big tank. Nice fish.

Look forward to seeing the article.:D

[spazz]

wow i should borrow that rabbit fish for a week. i have some pest zoos that i would liketo get rid of. ha ha ha ha ha

[gunnwong]

where do you get the snowflake clown? I love to have one of those fish. Is it rare or some thing like onyx clown? and how much you pay for those fish?
thank you

[Carman34L]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7885067#post7885067 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gunnwong
where do you get the snowflake clown? I love to have one of those fish. Is it rare or some thing like onyx clown? and how much you pay for those fish?
thank you


They are about the most expensive clowns you can get. Liveaquaria.com has a pair for $499.

[bkbkid]

yeah I just joined TCMAS, haven't made it to any meetings yet but definately plan on it as well as seeing others tanks in the area.

[Carman34L]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7887325#post7887325 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bkbkid
yeah I just joined TCMAS, haven't made it to any meetings yet but definately plan on it as well as seeing others tanks in the area.

FYI, you have to go to a meeting to actually join.

[AngeloM3]

Are there any pictures of the construction of this setup?

[Lunchbucket]

Energy - congrats on the honor!! hope to see the article someday!

glad the tank is doing great. any news on the new skimmer??

Lunchbucket

[Carman34L]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7897591#post7897591 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AngeloM3
Are there any pictures of the construction of this setup?


http://midwestcustomaquariums.com/onsitefabrication.html

here is a couple of pictures of the building of the tank.

[kahurunitahi]

I dont know what else to say except........ WOW

What an amazing tank and a very informative thread!! I have just finished reading it over a few days while being at work and have learnt a lot.

Down here in Australia we do not have any BIG tanks like this. My partner and I would like to have a BIG tank one day. We are currently setting up a 500g system and would like to base it on this tank. We currently came across some stingrays at the LFS, that would be great to have but from what I have learnt, is they need a lot of space.

Anyways, great tank and I look forward to updates!

[massman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8134498#post8134498 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kahurunitahi
I dont know what else to say except........ WOW

What an amazing tank and a very informative thread!! I have just finished reading it over a few days while being at work and have learnt a lot.

Down here in Australia we do not have any BIG tanks like this. My partner and I would like to have a BIG tank one day. We are currently setting up a 500g system and would like to base it on this tank. We currently came across some stingrays at the LFS, that would be great to have but from what I have learnt, is they need a lot of space.

Anyways, great tank and I look forward to updates!

We have plenty of BIG tanks here mate, you just haven't seen them.

There's a guy in Cottesloe, who dives in his tank.
Its in the centre of his house, he has viewing panels from most rooms.
Granted its not a reef, but it's BIG.

There are also plenty 2-5000l tanks around.

[kahurunitahi]

Yeh? Wow that must be huge... well apologies for my mistake! I guess there would be many of them around but they are just not known about.

[reefez]

Many around. But not all as nice as this one. Very well planned and cared for.

[massman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8220154#post8220154 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefez
Many around. But not all as nice as this one. Very well planned and cared for.
reefez, I was referring to the issue of the presence of large tanks in Australia.;)

[massman]

Double post sorry.

[Kent E]

I read it somewhere, that Energy had some time to get adjusted to this new system and he had some ideas for things he would do differently. I would love to hear the words of wisdom.

I'm starting to build my 4th tank and with each you learn so much!

[Laverna]

After viewing the pics of this tank and much consideration...... I have decided to trade my husband in for one that will build me a replica of this one!!!

So, up for grabs/WTT..... one 40 year old plumber for one reef crazy gentleman (no age limit as long as I get that tank!) LOL :)

Joking aside ~ great system and hats off to the owners!

Sissy

[HDAlien]

Beautiful tank, breathtaking!

HDAlien

[argo]

Energy, truly amazing setup. Are there any updated pics of your beautiful tank (or better yet a hi-res video)?

[Lev]

Hi!
Energy, very beautifull tank.
Please, I've probably missed the point, but - water changes how often you do them weekly, byweekly or monthly?
And another one - You love wrasses, why you does not have harlequin tuskfish? I have it, and it is a very lovely and colourfull fish.
Kind Regards,
Lev
Moscow, Russia

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8318125#post8318125 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by argo
Energy, truly amazing setup. Are there any updated pics of your beautiful tank (or better yet a hi-res video)?

sorry there are no updates to the thread lately. energy has been so busy with his business he has not had time to post on the thread.

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8325221#post8325221 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lev
Hi!
Energy, very beautifull tank.
Please, I've probably missed the point, but - water changes how often you do them weekly, byweekly or monthly?
And another one - You love wrasses, why you does not have harlequin tuskfish? I have it, and it is a very lovely and colourfull fish.
Kind Regards,
Lev
Moscow, Russia

i think he does monthly 10% water changes. i thought the harlequin tuskfish is agressive? wont they go after the fish and inverts? they are a beautiful fish. what do they eat?

[Lev]

Thanks for your reply, Spazz.
Harlequin's face looks agressive, but in fact they are very peacefull fishes, at least mine is. :) They are definatelly meat eaters, mine likes frosen shtimp, squid, ... I have a lot of hermits and many different molluscs in my tank, he does not touch them. Towards other fishes he is also very tolerant, never chases anyone, at the same time other fishes does not disturb him. He is one of my favorites fishes, he lives in my tank two years. I like him very much and highly recomend to everyone.
Kind regards,
Lev

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8326754#post8326754 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lev
Thanks for your reply, Spazz.
Harlequin's face looks agressive, but in fact they are very peacefull fishes, at least mine is. :) They are definatelly meat eaters, mine likes frosen shtimp, squid, ... I have a lot of hermits and many different molluscs in my tank, he does not touch them. Towards other fishes he is also very tolerant, never chases anyone, at the same time other fishes does not disturb him. He is one of my favorites fishes, he lives in my tank two years. I like him very much and highly recomend to everyone.
Kind regards,
Lev
thanks for that info Lev. do you have a thread or any pics from your system? I would love to see them. its great to see people from other countries here on reef central. with the language difference its hard to find reefers from countries that know english. I don't know any foreign languages so Ihave to stick to the english reef sites. :D

[Carman34L]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8326892#post8326892 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spazz
thanks for that info Lev. do you have a thread or any pics from your system? I would love to see them. its great to see people from other countries here on reef central. with the language difference its hard to find reefers from countries that know english. I don't know any foreign languages so Ihave to stick to the english reef sites. :D


Typical American, does not know any foreign languages!!!

:lol: J/K Spazz!!!!!

[RedEyeReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8326754#post8326754 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lev
Thanks for your reply, Spazz.
Harlequin's face looks agressive, but in fact they are very peacefull fishes, at least mine is. :) They are definatelly meat eaters, mine likes frosen shtimp, squid, ... I have a lot of hermits and many different molluscs in my tank, he does not touch them. Towards other fishes he is also very tolerant, never chases anyone, at the same time other fishes does not disturb him. He is one of my favorites fishes, he lives in my tank two years. I like him very much and highly recomend to everyone.
Kind regards,
Lev

I love my Harliquin and have had him/her about 4 years. Mine does eat snails and shrimp (cleaners, peppermints, Fires), even a few pistol shrimp that venture from their dens. Otherwise he is a model citizen.

[Lev]

Hi, yes I have a thread. :) BUT, it is in russian. Thouse who can read in russian welcome to comment, thouse who can sea pictures, please post in english anyway.
http://www.aqualogo.ru/phpbb2/index.php?showtopic=39
Kind Regards,
Lev

[jnarowe]

What is the tall reactor with the balls in it?

http://www.aqualogo.ru/phpbb2/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=5670

[Lev]

It is so unpopular nowdays trickle filter.

[jnarowe]

I figured so. It is quite a piece of equipment! :)

[GINT]

kak tam vsio v mockve Lev.Escio est ptycjy rynok.Ja davno byl i xotel by uznat

[Lev]

First off all, sorry for the offtopic Energy. It is not right to discuss anything apart from your wonderfull system in this thread.
Gint, Ptichi Rinok (Pet Market) has been mooved to another place, but it is OK, and bigger then ever. Moscow is a nice city, though it is bloody cold here in winter. If anyone want to discuss something about Moscow or my setup, please write in my thread.

[Energy]

Hi everyone, sorry about the long delay between posts. I'm just starting to get back into "tank" mode. A harlequin sounds intriguing and I know they are beatiful fish. Do they eat softies or zoanthids? I have removed both my orange spotted rabbitfish, my yellow belly Blue hippo tang and a large vigrate because of unwanted grazing and picking. Spazz has one of my rabbits and it's mowing down everything in his tank. The mega skimmer is in construction. Spazz(and carman to) will also be building a new sump. I have removed the airconditioning unit and will be going with a titianium heat exchanger. I will hopefully be installing a 400 gallon water change tank. My current 100 gallon tank doesn't come close to changing enough water at once. I hope that all these changes can take place over the winter. With my work and life nothing is a guarantee so all I can do is cross my fingers that I can get to it. There are quite a few possible changes taking place to the system to provide increased temperature stability and the capability to change larger volumes of water at once(in case of emergencies or such).

[maxxII]

Energy,
Harlequin Tusk Fish dont touch Zoo's or softies. The are a member of the wrasse family and grow large blue canine teeth the use to great effectiveness on mobile inverts. Usually shrimp and crabs, but the occassional snail or two as well.

They are a beautiful fish and somewhat fearsome looking as full adults with a mouthful of large blue teeth, but they rarely cause issues with other fish that are large enough to avoid being eaten.

Nick

[Energy]

Thanks Maxx- My main concern would be if it eats Zo's or softies since I'm really trying to
re-estblish these in my tank after my rabbit's wiped them out.

[maxxII]

No, that wouldnt be an issue. Keeping any sort of shrimp or crab might be a challenge though...

I would suggest finding a small one, and raising that in your tank, being careful not to feed it any small live fish. That should reduce the chances of it going after smaller fish as it gets older and larger.

Nick

[Energy]

Good advice - Thank you.

[maxxII]

You're quite welcome.

I just wish I lived close enough to see your tank in person some day...

Nick

[jnarowe]

Hey Energy, are you going to use a ground loop with the heat exchanger?

[Skateboarder]

That thing is huge!!!!:)

[Energy]

Bill Wonn and Spazz have given me some good advice . I will be using city tap water run through the heat exchanger to cool the aquarium. The heated tap water will then run into my ro/di unit increasing it's productivity. After it's finally set-up I'll beable to give better details.

[Energy]

Bill Wonn and Spazz have given me some good advice . I will be using city tap water run through the heat exchanger to cool the aquarium. The heated tap water will then run into my ro/di unit increasing it's productivity. After it's finally set-up I'll beable to give better details.

[jnarowe]

That sounds a bit strange to me. You will need the capacity to cool 24/7 but will not be making water 24/7. Plus you are paying for the tap water. A ground loop is more economically efficient don't you think?

I understand the desire to heat the tap water for RO/DI efficiency, but there again having that done consistently, not just when the tank needs to be cooled, is important. Since I keep my SW holding bin at tank temp., I just run 200 ft of supply line through it and then to the RO/DI. Then any time the RO/DI is functioning, it is getting warm water.

[Carman34L]

I think he ment he is recirulating just regular tap water. I am under the impresion that with these temp regulation devises they recirulate the sale water. Not use fresh water constantly.

[Travis]

Energy, I have also thought about doing something similar. But I would just use the tap to my RO/DI and use it for extra cooling when I run my RO/DI rather than relying on it for the sole means of cooling. What will you be using for a heat exchanger? Titanium? And how long of tubing will you use for the exchanger? I have thought about just using RO tubing but I don't think it has very good heat exchanging abilities. Titanium would be too much $$ for my purposes. I am having a hard time understanding how you will get "on-demand" cooling with this setup unless you will be dumping water down the drain when it is not being used for RO. One way to decrease wasted water would be to hook up the exchanger to the water line that feeds the house. That way you can use the water from the heat exchanger for everything in the house. In fact, I would guess it would lower your water heater costs.

I agree with jnarowe that a ground loop would be the best idea if you will be using the heat exchanger as the sole means of cooling. But knowing you, spazz, and Bill... you guys probably have something new and groundbreaking up your sleeves.:D Please share more when you can.

[Energy]

Nothing new. A solenoid will be connected to a temperature controller. When the trigger temp is reached the city tap water will turn on and run through the titanium heat exchanger until the desired temperature is reached. This water will be connected to my small ro/di unit which will go into a 400 gallon freshwater storage tank to make water changes. This will probably take anywhere from 10-25 days to fill up depending on the heat demand. Then I do a 400 gallon water change - emptying the system and getting ready for the next cycle. It's all theoretical at this point although I do have most of the parts here or on order. The other phase to the cooling cycle will be the household airconditioning which still pipes into the room and high powered fans for convection cooling to assist as well. Bill says that the same set-up more than handled his small 1500 gallon or so tank.

[jnarowe]

I use 3 blowers on my system with no other cooling. It works really well but I have a special situation in that my tank is on the bottom floor in the middle with 1 wall half-way sub-terranian. The make-up air is drawn from under my deck.

The issue I see with your proposed rig is that your tank will be depending on multiple variables to achieve cooling and top-off. If your tank doesn't need to be cooled for a long period you may not have enough water for changes. Bill and Scott are certainly more experienced than I so I would have to assume you have a good plan. I have a well and did consider the type of cooling you are considering, but concluded that it would not be as efficient as the way I have it now.

I did, of course, leave my system modular enough that I could add a ground loop if needed. My ground temp. is 55F Summer and 45F Winter, so a closed loop through a heat exchanger would work really well. There have been more than one TOTM with a ground loop and I think it is a very smart way to do it.

I also route my brine from the RO/DI into holding tanks to water my vegetable garden. It is essentially fertilizer being high in nitrate & phosphate. :)

[Travis]

Energy, forgive me as sometimes I forget about the sheer size of your system. Having a 400 gallon tank just for water changes puts things back into perspective.:D It sounds like a pretty good plan. The exchanger may need to run almost constantly during the summer as the ground temps will be warmer. The only recommendation I can think of (and I'm sure you guys have already thought of it) is to put a bypass on the exchanger line so that you can make water without running water through the exchanger when cooling is not needed. I suspect that in the winter, when the ground temps are really cold around here, you will need to use that bypass a lot. Can't wait to hear how it works out for you.

[Carman34L]

I went to visit Energy today. He is getting ready to make a few large changes to his system. He is going to be installing a new sump which will hold upwards of 350-400 gallons. A new skimmer that will be a Dart Needle-Wheel design. It will be made out of a 24" round acrylic tube, and stand close to 6' tall. His whole fish room will be re-aranged for this change. The two fuges, he has setup at the back of the wall will go, and that is where the new Skimmer will sit. His old sump will rest on top of the new one and be the new refugium. Just about all of the plumbing is going to have to be redone for this change. Big Ulgy will likely go into retirment.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/tankroom.jpg

In the last month Energy has taken out all but two of the T5 lamps. He is pretty much running only MH's on the tank now. He is better able to disperse the light where he wants now without having to work around the T5's. Also the T5's were a headache because everytime a bulb went or loosened up he had to trouble shoot which bulb it was. Now that may not sound like alot of work but when you have as many he had on top of the tank it was a nightmare. He is going to be installing a titanium heat exchanger which should eliminate any temperature flucuations that he was having in the summer time. In the next 6 months this setup will be entirely differant for the better. Energy picked up a new 400 gallon water storage tank for RO/DI water.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/roditank.jpg

Well onto the eye candy!!!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/tankfront2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/tankfront.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/tankend.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/StarFish.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/ryzotropus.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/Rhomboidwrasse.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/LTAskunkclown2.jpg

[Carman34L]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/LTAskunkclown.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/LinetieusWrasse2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/LinetieusWrasse.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/Goby.jpg


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/foxface.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/ellfo.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/CoralDepth6.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/CoralDepth5.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/CoralDepth4.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/CoralDepth3.jpg

[Carman34L]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/CoralDepth2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/CoralDepth.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/Copperband.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/Clowns2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/clam.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/Acro.jpg

My peasronal favorite!!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Carman34L/Clowns-1.jpg

[melev]

Very nice, thanks for sharing all those images. :thumbsup:

[jnarowe]

nice. wrasses look good.

[Evyllchyld]

Well I just spend 6 hours and 15 minutes reading every post from page 1, and admiring every picture and video that was posted... What a way to spend a sunday, and after all that the only thing I can say is amazing tank! :rollface:

[Jiddy]

Tell that clown to put some clothes on. Those are some nice pics, glad to see an update!

[fishes2889]

That is some funny stuff. Naked clowns......

Steve

[Kent E]

Is the stingray still around?

[Travis]

Energy, the tanks is looking great. Really like that efflo!

Carman, thanks for the update and pics!

[Energy]

I've been running a reverse flow recirculating rowaphos reactor that spazz built for me. Since I've consistantly had coral burn every time new media was added I have begun to run the effluent from the reactor through the wetneck of "Big Ugly". I've noticed that even after weeks of the reactor running I still pull red skimmate. The entire collection cup and neck are bright red. This happens even after the rowaphos reactor has had weeks to settle in. This is telling me that the rowaphos is constantly leaching fine red particulate matter into the aquarium. Since running it through the wet neck which is now my "red neck" skimmer cup the corals haven't showed any signs of burning.

[jnarowe]

I was just discussing this issue with another local reefer and I am planning on running all effluent through a sock. I have had trouble with some LPS and I believe it may be associated with the Rowa/carbon fines getting into my system. Thanks so much for posting about this issue as I may have never figured it out on my own! :D

[sherm71tank]

That was one hell of (dude there was mud flying everywhere!)a burn out!!!! Anyhow, I will keep an eye on my sock for abnormal color. As usual I leave your pad more educated than when I went.

[jnarowe]

my wife is the one with the "pads" dude...but thanks for the great burn out...I am sure my neighbors loved it. Good thing they are all afraid of me! :D

[sherm71tank]

:thumbsup: I'm sure it was much more fun for me!!!!!

[Lunchbucket]

Energy - great updates man. you have a beautiful tomini tang in there!!

also where did you get the 2 snowflake clowns (i think that is what htey call them)?? the amazingly unique. they are the background pic on my computer. i like the little solid orange male? the best.

hope Travis and i can make a trip up and see the tank again soon!
Lunchbucket

[melev]

I run a RowaPHOS material in a Phosban Reactor. My system is only 330g of water, and I'm using about 2" of media. The first 5g goes into a bucket, just like a mini water change. I'm not experiencing bad effects with my corals right after making the change. If anything, they seem to be perking up lately.

I can't believe your cup is turning red in the skimmate. Do you have a lot of flow going through the media? Mine barely wiggles at the very surface.

[drummereef]

Unreal. Those pics are outstanding - thanks!

[Jeffie]

I would think that the particles that you are getting back in your skimmer may be from too much flow thru the reactor also.. When I re-fill my phosban reactor with ROWA- I do the same as Melev and let the first few gallons dump into a container that I discard and after that there are not particles that leach out back into the aquarium. The flow thru the reactor is very slow though. You can just see a slight tumbling at the surface of the media..

[KEEPERZ]

energy-just changed out my rowaphos last
night for my 700g, stuck the reactor in a 50g
rubbermaid garbage can with some salt water,
let it run for a couple hours so the media could
settle out.Once it does,I set it back into the sump
and run the effluent into a 100 micron filter sock for
safe keeping. Been doing this the same way in my
stocked 450 for a couple years with no problems to
the acros,barely let the top of the media shimmer
and soon all po4 is ghost-using the merk/deltec test
kit.

[Energy]

My reactor runs very slowly plus I let 100 gallons run through it prior to putting it into my system. The reactor spazz built is adjustable so I can control the flow. The top of my media barely wiggles as well. My point is even though it appears that no media fines are being released, my skimmer cup says otherwise. I can see the media and it does not appear that any contaminated (media clouded) water is recirculating into the system. My other skimmer which does not have the effluent running into the wetneck does not pick anything up. The media that is released is so super fine (not even visible) that it probably settles out prior to getting picked up by our skimmers under normal circumstances. Only by running 100% of the effluent directly into the wetneck of the skimmer am I able to get the red skimmate. I doubt if a 100 micron sock would pick it up- but it's better than directly releasing it into the water without straining. I will be trying the new Warner Marine phos r product. It is supposed to have large particules and be able to get the phospahte level near zero. According to their advertising it can be used without a reactor as well. I have heard great reviews on the product and already placed an order.

[Energy]

LUNCH - you and the T-Man should come over soon. Catch ya later.

[melev]

It seems to me that if you run 100g of water through the media, you'll lose a lot of its potential to absorb PO4.

[jnarowe]

Please update us on the new media. So what is the working theory behind Rowa et. al. harming corals? Is it that the fines are clogging the epidural pores and choking off the coral's ability to respirate?

About the red carpet...one of our LFS just got in a blue one that was at least 18" across and it was sweet. I have never seen a red one...are there any in captivity that you know of?

[onehundred20]

seen a few red ones around, barely see them for sale though...i noticed some byropsis near some acros(i think thats how its spelled) any plan of attack for that?

[Energy]

Jnarowe- These are just my theories, but I have a few. First the Rowa clarifies the water to the extent that coral burning occurs. Also the rowa can strip the phosphates out of the water very fast. This rapid reduction in phosphates can be harmful to the zooxanthaele (sp?) in the corals which partially utilize them as a nutrient source. Third the continual release of unseen particules that could be landing on the corals would probably cause a chemical burn to occur.

Jnarowe- Red Carpets are rare and not very hardy. Caquarium usually has a few a year which are always sold out. There are also orange carpets but I've only seen one picture and never any for sale.

One hundred 20- Thats' what the rowaphos is for. I'm takeing away the nutrient feeding the hair algae. The algae's there because I quit running Rowa due to coral burn. Now by running it through the wetneck I've seen very small problems with new batches of Rowa.

Melev- Yes I lose some potential to absorb the PO4 but I also reduce the potential to lose corals at the start up of a new batch. I might be a little over paranoid but until I get it down just right that's the way I'll proceed.

[jnarowe]

I am surprised you have an algal problem with all the algae eating animals you have in that system. I popped a sea hare into mine and it ate every last nub of grape caulerpa in the tank. Maybe you should try that too? I know they can be a problem if they die, but I had one die and just grabbed it out of the tank. It did not affect my system at all and you have even more water volume than I. It is a real work horse and ineteresting to watch as well. (OK...so it's ugly as sin but I like it! :D)

I have been running Rowa (and clones) since day one and have had a few corals die. My biggest problem has been with LPS for some reason. Since you have been discussing this, I started keeping a log of when I change the media to see if there is a correlation.

If I run across a red carpet I will let you know.

[maxxII]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8608614#post8608614 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
It seems to me that if you run 100g of water through the media, you'll lose a lot of its potential to absorb PO4.

Marc,
how so? If Energy has a 1700 gallon system, what difference is 100 gallons through the media prior going to make? I realize if he's not using enough media for his system, but if he's got the right amount in his reactor, 100 gallons shouldnt make a difference. Might be a waste of water, but thats a different matter and subjective I would think....

Just curious,

Nick

[dgasmd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8609935#post8609935 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
Jnarowe- These are just my theories, but I have a few. First the Rowa clarifies the water to the extent that coral burning occurs. Also the rowa can strip the phosphates out of the water very fast. This rapid reduction in phosphates can be harmful to the zooxanthaele (sp?) in the corals which partially utilize them as a nutrient source. Third the continual release of unseen particules that could be landing on the corals would probably cause a chemical burn to occur.


1. A few misconceptions to clarify here if I may. Rowa or any other PO4 removing compound DOES NOT clarify water at all. They do remove PO4, silicates, arsenic, and a few other things, but binding tanins and other things that may make your water yellow or less clear is not one of them.

2. The removing the PO4 too quickly theory is nothing more than an RC thing. Think about it. Water in the ocean where corals come from, even in lagunal environments, has a 100 fold lower PO4 content than most tanks with very low PO4. If anything, corals would tend to perish when exposed to high PO4 enviroments like our tanks, so bringing them closer to cleaner water devoid of PO4 will do no harm, bleach, or burn corals. Does this happen in your tank when you do a large water change with newly mixed water that obviously has a very much lower level of PO4 than your tank water? Of course not.

3. I do agree with you on the particle theory. The fine continued release of these particles do land on the corals and their mucous covering. That in itself can have a huge impact as a chemica burn on the coral.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8609935#post8609935 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
One hundred 20- Thats' what the rowaphos is for. I'm takeing away the nutrient feeding the hair algae. The algae's there because I quit running Rowa due to coral burn. Now by running it through the wetneck I've seen very small problems with new batches of Rowa.


Macroalgae, which is pretty much anything we see in our tanks short of cyano, is not dependant or limited by PO4 for growth. They are limited by nitrates though. As a matter of fact, macroalges are extremely poor at binding PO4. They do need it, like anything alive, but our tanks even at 0 readings of PO4 have more than plenty for algae, corals, fish, and anything else growing there. If you want to grow macro to compete witht he macro in the tank or deplete nitrates, a refugium is a much better solution for this. One other thing to keep in mind is that rowa and allt he Fe based PO4 removers also dissolve a good amount of Fe in the water, which in itself fuels macroalgae growth.

I am only pointing these out because I see this being written all the time here and it just continues to get propagated without real scientific basis. Keeping an aquarium doing well is a combination of things at least in my mind: luck, art, dedication, paying attention to details, knowledge, money, etc........

One things you may try is adding strontium weekly. It tends to fuel and speed up the growth of coraline algae, which in itself competes with nuisance algae for room. No scientific basis for this though, but it is something I see in my tank over and over.

[jnarowe]

I just spent several hours getting rid of coraline algae! :lol:

dgasmd: I agree that really the only negative impact from Fe media would be the fines irritating the corals themselves, if in fact that does happen. I suppose that iron in solution well above natural SW levels may have an impact on corals though.

Too often we relate tank problems to some thing that is easy to "see". And using Fe media to control HA is probably not the best approach since iron does fuel plant growth.

I just read within the last 2 days a post where someone wrote that large tanks don't need as much water changes and I just about fell off my chair! That person clearly doesn't understand the dynamics of water changes nor the trouble we can get into with large tanks should we do less water changes. Once something gets out-of-control (visible), it is very tough to get the tank parameters back in line with a large water volume.

The other thing about Energy's tank is the incredible variety of animals and corals present and while it is a huge system, there must be some fairly significant chemical warfare going on as well as an occassional death that releases toxins into the system. The subject of skimming comes up a lot and I have seen a few posts about "overskimming" and stripping the nutrients from the water. Maybe this was the case with Energy's tank? I find that hard to believe, again because of all the bio mass in the system. We may never know what caused his recent problems, but I did notice some kind of a "domino" affect with the HA, the snail die-off etc. Snails are fairly hardy and I still wonder what happened to them. They usually just die of "old age". I think whatever killed the snails may ultimately be the culprit.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8611230#post8611230 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maxxII
Marc,
how so? If Energy has a 1700 gallon system, what difference is 100 gallons through the media prior going to make? I realize if he's not using enough media for his system, but if he's got the right amount in his reactor, 100 gallons shouldnt make a difference. Might be a waste of water, but thats a different matter and subjective I would think....

Just curious,

Nick

It is purely my own personal theory. I hate wasting anything, and on some level I worry that if I rinse something such as RowaPHOS, I'm getting less bang for my buck. Rather than use tap water to rinse it which does contain PO4, I used to use RO/DI water to get the fines out but not decrease its PO4-removal abilities.

However, I ran into the problem of switching it from the rinse system to reinstalling it in the sump. At that point, a big volume of air would be pumped into th reactor, which would create a mini atomic puff of media in the reactor and send more fines into suspension and out into the sump. So now I just hook it up in sump, and run a longer piece of tubing from the reactor to a nearby bucket, and turn on the pump. It takes about 20 minutes or so to push out about 3 to 4 gallons of red effluent. Once I can see through the reactor and it is clear above the media to the top, I disconnect the longer tubing and put the effluent into the sump.

My reactor is in the skimmer section, but the pump is in the prop section (or return section). The effluent returns in the skimmer section before the bubble trap. If any fines are making it through that into the prop section, my corals seem completely unaffected in that zone. And then that water travels back up to the reef, and those seem to be fine as well.

[onehundred20]

i was also told to slowly add the rowa in as lower the po4(same for nitrates) quickly would shock the corals, but isnt that like saying having "filling the garage with carbon monoxide, and someone telling you not to open the garage door; that the rapid reduction in carbon monoxide levels would in some way be more harmful to you"

[dgasmd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8612941#post8612941 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by onehundred20
i was also told to slowly add the rowa in as lower the po4(same for nitrates) quickly would shock the corals, but isnt that like saying having "filling the garage with carbon monoxide, and someone telling you not to open the garage door; that the rapid reduction in carbon monoxide levels would in some way be more harmful to you"

One of the best analogies to this subject I've heard in a long time. Same goes for the salts in the market. Don't mix salts or your tank will crash! As if all the points from the collection to the holding facility, to the shipper/exporter, to the importer, re-bagger or wholesaler, store, and finally you all use exactly the same salt!!

Anyway, my apologies to Energy if we have derailed the thread enough, but I thought the clarifications about the rowa and PO4 absorbers was important and legitimate as it pertained to the subject.

[KEEPERZ]

If these "fines" from the media are harming corals, wouldn't we see bad reactions from our clams also?

[onehundred20]

just thought I would throw that out there:) back to the stingray reef:)

[dgasmd]

Not all things are made equal my friend. Softies and LPS for the most part don't seem to be affected by it either. I have personally been using phosban for over 4 years without a single incident. Can't explain that one either!!

[onehundred20]

dgasmd do you have a thread somewhere for your tank?

[Energy]

Well I might be wrong on the coral burning from water clarification. I believe that might be a RC thing. On the other hand it seems that the rapid removal of the PO4 could be detrimental to the corals. Yes they may normally live at near zero levels but in our systems they become accustomed to much higher levels. Any rapid swings good to bad or Vice versa will be detrimental and this is what I was referring to.

For clarification I did lose a bunch of Mexican Turbo snails which are notorius for dying any way. It was a risk I took when I purchased them. I can guarantee the largest problem with my tank at this time is UNDER skimming and not overskimming. I know that many issues could have been avoided had I a larger skimmer. Spazz is currently working to correct that. Big Uglies bigger brother will be coming to stay soon.

Dgasmd- Thanks for clarifying the PO4 theories. Like I said they were just my opinions and not concrete science(Hell I dig in the dirt and demolish things for a living).
BTW I run two refugiums totaling about 150 gallons with chaeto and sponges. I feed the tank heavily (decent fish bioload)and that is where part of the problem from underskimming plays a role.

[onehundred20]

cant wait to see the new skimmer, is spazz a builder for these larger projects?

[jnarowe]

I have heard that about the Mexican Turbos but my experience has been different. I put 50 in my tank at start up and have only lost about 5 after about 8 months. I wouldn't put them in again based on what I have learned about them since, but so far they just seem to get bigger and bigger. Most of mine are now larger than golf balls.

[dgasmd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8615996#post8615996 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
I wouldn't put them in again based on what I have learned about them since, but so far they just seem to get bigger and bigger.

Care to expand on this??:D

[jnarowe]

Not sure what you mean, but I have learned that they would not fall into the "Desirable" for captivity catagory. They also poo like crazy. When people visit my tank and realize that the moving rocks are actually giant snails covered in coraline, I get some strange looks. I am currently breeding (on purpose) multiple desirable snails that are better suited for captive reefs so I do pay attention to this issue with keen interest. My system currently holds about 500 mature snails and zillions of babies.

[onehundred20]

thats odd mine has been in my tank for about 2 years and is an algae machine, he came in a batch of astrea I bought a long time ago and all the astrea are dead but hes alive and strong

do you think this could have something to do with having multiple in a tank?

[Energy]

They don't fare well from shipping and they are moving bulldozers. Mine knocked everything over in their path. They and the sea hares are algae eating machines. I'll probably be picking up 10 or so more sea hares. They are cool and actually move around the corals instead of pushing the corals out of the way.

Hey 120- Spazz does work on larger projects. In fact I know of some MEGA projects that he is familiar with but enough about that. His designs are well suited for larger skimmers etc. They are so incredibly efficient it's crazy. I'm just lucky he's in my backyard and likes to use my tank for his new designs. He built a prototype "Tunze" like pump that pushed about 10,000-12,000 gallons per hour on 28 watts. It's still experimental and not ready for anything more than fun in my tank. IF it comes to fruition it would blow the socks off all the high flow pumps. In fact it was almost to powerful for my tank. Spazz is a genius in the disguise of a truck driver.

[onehundred20]

wow thats awsome, might have to use his services if I ever do a big tank build:) Thats a crazy powerhead! Ive been following his thread for bills reefzilla :)

[Kent E]

Energy, I found the same thing for sea hares, they are easy on the corals. Ten seems like a real lot though. I have 1 in a 450. It's holding it's weight but I don't think I'd go over 2 in my tank.

[Energy]

Kent- your probably right - I don't have much hair algae so maybe four or so.

[jnarowe]

I really want to "second" that. One in my 1000g display has no problem keeping it stripped of macro and HA. And with all the tangs and other herbivores you have, even 4 might be too many. I had two and one died right away, and my concern for you putting in more than one is whether you can keep track of them in case one dies.

[Travis]

I agree with the PO4 removers continuously releasing "fines" over time. I have my PO4 reactor output pour into a 100 micron filter sock stuffed full of filter floss. This, in turn, sits inside another 100 micron filter sock. On occasion, I have to run everything through the washer because the fines that are released penetrate all the way to the outer sock and everything turns red. I'm guessing a lot of fines also make it back into the sump.

I beleive the whole sea hare dying and killing off a tank is a myth. Same thing with cukes. I added a sea hare last week and after only a day it somehow got sucked into my CL pump and spit out in little pieces of gooey flesh. My skimmer went crazy but no ill effects to the tank. It was a 2-3" fat and plump sea hare and I'm still trying to figure out how it got through my CL strainer.

Back to the GFO thingy... I too have witnessed the burning effect after adding a new batch. No idea what causes it but I don't think it is cleaning the water of PO4 too quickly. I'm guessing it has more to do with the fines being released or something else leeching out from the media.

[jnarowe]

man, the sea hare that died in my system stank so bad it would make a mere mortal vomit out his guts! :D

[onehundred20]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8619895#post8619895 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by onehundred20
thats odd mine has been in my tank for about 2 years and is an algae machine, he came in a batch of astrea I bought a long time ago and all the astrea are dead but hes alive and strong

do you think this could have something to do with having multiple in a tank?

not to get back on the subject, but I just remember this same turbo had an infestation of pyramid snails at one point also and hes still kicking lol, im not sure what got rid of the pyramid snails but hes still kicking and about the only snail i have left.

[Energy]

I started to use the Phos r product from Warner Marine. It seems to be a little less expensive initially but in my reactor it creates just as many fine particles as Rowaphos. I turned the reactor way back to try and keep the media calm but I still ended up running over 200 gallons through it just to mitigate any fines prior to introduction in to the aquarium. The product reads DO NOT RINSE but I believe this to be inaccurate. The only thing I could think of that would create the lenghty storm in the chamber is if the media(pellets) where geting pulverized from the reactor. I did not rinse this batch but the next one will get rinsed with RO/DI water prior to starting up the reactor.

[spazz]

i know energy plans to update here real soon so stay tuned.

[Energy]

Here's an update This is the remodeled fish tank room. This is an image of a Volcano brand skimmer. This thing rocks to say the least. This skimmer holds over 100 gallons[ and runs off a mere 190 watts. The foam it produces is incredible.
IMG]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2220.jpg[/IMG]
Here's a shot of the skimmate.
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2224.jpg

[Energy]

Here's a shot of the tank center.http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2082.jpg
Here's another shot for ya!
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2083.jpg

One more shot for all of you reef junkies.
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2074.jpg

[reefwonders]

SWEEEEET skimmer.:thumbsup:

Now that's what you call a riser tube.

I can hardly wait for mine.:D

Looks like you dont have to worry about your skimmate overflowing on the floor...as long as the sink drain doesn't get clogged.:rollface:


I like the monti with the stag growing out of it.:)

[mtfatwork]

love the skimmer that thing is insane

[Travis]

Looking great Energy. That skimmer looks awesome. I got to see one of the "mini" volcano skimmers last weekend. It was 18" diameter and 72" tall.:lol: What are the dimensions of your skimmer?

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9267536#post9267536 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis
Looking great Energy. That skimmer looks awesome. I got to see one of the "mini" volcano skimmers last weekend. It was 18" diameter and 72" tall.:lol: What are the dimensions of your skimmer?

hi travis it was good talking to you last weekend. sorry i didnt have more time to talk. was busy with the plumbing thing. lol

energys skimmer is 66" tall 24" diam, with an 18" diam cup and a 10" diam riser tube. its run by a dart needle wheel and an a alita 80 pump for now. there is plans to up grade that pump to a volcano pump, real soon soon.

[slovan]

Your skimmers are something else Spazz! I thought the smaller one I saw last weekend was impressive enough. This one is a beast! :thumbsup:

A Volcano pump? Are you coming out with your own pumps as well?

[Jeffie]

Hell yeah Spazz :eek2: :thumbsup: :eek2:

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9267650#post9267650 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by slovan
Your skimmers are something else Spazz! I thought the smaller one I saw last weekend was impressive enough. This one is a beast! :thumbsup:

A Volcano pump? Are you coming out with your own pumps as well?

well energy was nice enough to let me experment with his system and use his new skimmer to develop my new pump design. its hard to test things if you dont havee a big system to run them on. i dont know for sure how things will go with this new design but the first proto type was a huge sucess. if it works then i have to convert one for john in iowa too.
last weekend was a blast. wish i would have had more time to shoot the bull with you guys. i was just so busy doing the install that i couldnt talk much. if you ever get to the minneapolis area drop me a line. we can hook up and have some fun.

[slovan]

Sounds good. It was nice to meet you and your wife. I just tried to keep his kids out of your hair so you could finish the install. :)

Glad to hear your new pump is yielding good results. Your innovative thinking and products will only help raise the bar in the hobby.

[jnarowe]

I do have a question if you guys have the time.

How do you manage an overskim event if the cup drains directly to a sink?

What happens for me is that sometimes I have an overskim event and my bucket fills to the top and a float switch shuts off my air pump. Then I dump the bucket and make an adjustment, but with this Volcano install, you might never know there is a problem until there is a salinity drop right? I have often thought of plumbing it to my sink but am fearful of an overskim like while I am asleep.

Am I missing something?

[Energy]

Spazz can answer this better than I can but I know he is talking about adding an auto-shutoff in case of an overflow. He wants to turn off all the skimmer pumps as soon as it senses an overflow. I'm not sure when he'll get to this phase of the design but it is one safety aspect of the skimmer that I think is very important.

[jnarowe]

I just can't figure it out. I mean, an overflow event would require sensing for volume and time right? I am really interested to see what he comes up with as I have not seen anything so far that deals with this issue.

I have one buddy that makes up with diluted SW based on some kind of a formula, but I don't entirely understand it. I will be helping him set up a Deltec Ca reactor next week and will ask him more about it then.

[sherm71tank]

I think he should get that sooner than later. I've had my share of "overskimming events" and it is not cool to have gallons of ro/di dumping into your reef (and skimmate running onto your floor if it's not plumbded into your sink, most of us don't have that option). Nice looking skimmers though. I don't get having to use an air pump with the the huge water pumps but hey, I don't have to.

[dgasmd]

Energy:

To say anything at all about that beast of a skimmer would be too little. Very very nice to say the least. Seems like a nice sump as well, but how come your water level is so low in it??

I guess you need to change your signature since I see you got a red carpet now. Looks nice. Very recent addition? I ask because it seems its mouth is gaping a little. Hope it does well for you. My experience has been that they are such poor shippers. But when you get one that does OK for the first few weeks, they are bullet proof from then on.

ank is looking very nice in general. Very very nice variety of corals going from ricordias to just about everything else. Is the stingray still around? I did not see it in any of the pictures. Can't get enough of the black tang.

[AJT]

I plumb the top of the skimmer overflow container back to my sump over carbon. Rarely does it happen because I empty my container every 2-3 days, but when it does everything goes back to the sump.

Yes it goes back into the tank, but when this happens it seems to be really clear water. Better than loosing the whole tank..

[Energy]

Dgasmd- That red carpet is dead- I should have known when I bought it that it wasn't OK. The seller told me it was fine and had just ate that's why it's mouth was gaping. Unfortunately it's mouth never stopped and it slowly perished. I still would like to get another red and am trying to work with a guy that has one for sale right now. The water level is low intentionally so I have enough backup volume in case of a power outage.

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9267862#post9267862 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
I do have a question if you guys have the time.

How do you manage an overskim event if the cup drains directly to a sink?

What happens for me is that sometimes I have an overskim event and my bucket fills to the top and a float switch shuts off my air pump. Then I dump the bucket and make an adjustment, but with this Volcano install, you might never know there is a problem until there is a salinity drop right? I have often thought of plumbing it to my sink but am fearful of an overskim like while I am asleep.

Am I missing something?

rightn ow energy has the valve shut off incase there is an overflow. but in the future there will be a float switch installed into the cup to prevent an overflow. john in iowa has one in his 18" skimmer that is working very well. he runs his with his aqua controller 3 pro. i plan to make a shut down system for energys that runs by itself.

[jnarowe]

So I still don't get it. Are you talking about a float switch mounted in the cup and then restricting exit flow enough that during an over-skimming event the level would rise in the cup and trip the float switch?

If the cup is plumbed to the sink, how does the skimmate level reach the switch?

I have one mounted in my 6g bucket, but then I have to empty the bucket every couple days...

[Beenalongtime79]

Scott... Freaking sweet skimmer man!!!! Your work just gets sweeter and sweeter with time. I am proud to say I have one of the first few skimmers that you've made, although much smaller than these monster skimmers. :)

Can't wait to see these volcano skimmer pumps!

Energy, looking great man! :)

[Lunchbucket]

flipping insane!!! i can't imagine that your skimmer holds more water then my two reefs combined!!! insane!!

please keep the pics coming! i hope to come see your setup sometime again Energy! it was amazing the other two times i saw it.

Travis you get a chance to see Energy's tank last weekend?? if so you have pics??

so is Volcano Skimmers your line Spazz? any specs on them? website? min size?

i'm intrigued
Lunchbucket

[Double-J]

jnarowe, Here is the float valve on my volcano. I only use the drain to manually drain the skimmer to the sink. I don't think i would run a skimmer straight to a sink without some sort of mechanism. I think your just asking for trouble. This is hooked up to my ACIIIP digital input so when the waterlevel in the skimmers cup gets to high it shuts off the Alita and the Dart. The same idea as your but in the collection cup.

<img src="http://www.shallowreef.com/display_image.php?id=231">

[Energy]

Lunch- VOLCANOES are his line of skimmers and you(travis to) are welcome to come over and see it in action. While your here you can look at the tank as well!

[jnarowe]

tinytool: Thanks for that. I get it now. :rolleyes: Essentially that is the same as my bucket only you guys are opening a valve to drain the cup when it gets full and I am lugging 6g over to the sink. Makes sense. My cup is too small though.

Energy: Dude, I thought you were looking for a blue carpet?? :D

[Energy]

Back to a red carpet. Finally got a blue! Thanks for your help with the search

[jnarowe]

I have never seen a red one in person. Should I ask my guys about it?

[Energy]

Ask anyone you want, There few and far between.

[Travis]

Spazz, it was nicing meeting you also as well as tinytool and slovan. I can't wait to hear more about your volcano pumps. I can't even begin to imagine how awesome they will be.

Lunch, nah, didn't get to see Energy's tank. I stopped over at tinytool's in Des Moines last weekend with my bro in law and saw his tank while spazz was there delivering and hooking up some equipment.

Energy, I would love to come see your tank again sometime. I will for sure look you up when I am in the area.

[RGibson]

Spazz what is the smallest Volcano pump you will have?

[hahnmeister]

Geee... I was just wondering the same thing. I was considering DIYing, or rather assembling from other's pieces, a XL recirculating Bubblemaster clone (about 30" tall, 12" diameter), and was wondering what might be able to put about 2000lph through such a body.

[Lunchbucket]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9272076#post9272076 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis
Lunch, nah, didn't get to see Energy's tank. I stopped over at tinytool's in Des Moines last weekend with my bro in law and saw his tank while spazz was there delivering and hooking up some equipment.

Energy, I would love to come see your tank again sometime. I will for sure look you up when I am in the area.

LUCKY YOU!!

lets plan a trip to the cities so we can see Energy's tank again and we'll make some other stops also

Lunchbucket

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9272352#post9272352 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RGibson
Spazz what is the smallest Volcano pump you will have?

dont know for sure. im looking for a small pump like the tiny might pump to turn into a smaller pump for smaller skimmers. hopefully i can find a small pump to convert. other wise i will only be able to convert the dart over to work on bigger skimmers. right now i dont even have the final design for the dart size pump done. once i convert energys skimmer over to the new pump then i will have a better idea of what i can do for smaller skimmers.

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9272352#post9272352 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RGibson
Spazz what is the smallest Volcano pump you will have?

dont know for sure. im looking for a small pump like the tiny might pump to turn into a smaller pump for smaller skimmers. hopefully i can find a small pump to convert. other wise i will only be able to convert the dart over to work on bigger skimmers. right now i dont even have the final design for the dart size pump done. once i convert energys skimmer over to the new pump then i will have a better idea of what i can do for smaller skimmers.

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9273977#post9273977 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spazz
other wise i will only be able to convert the dart over to work on bigger skimmers.

What would be the smallest skimmer (body dia & height) that the Dart could work on ??

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9274126#post9274126 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by asnatlas
What would be the smallest skimmer (body dia & height) that the Dart could work on ??

i thnk you could go down to a 16"diam 24" tall main body and use an alita 40 to feed it. any body that is smaller would just bee too much air for the skimmer to handle. it would be very turbulant.

[hahnmeister]

So my idea for a Bubblemaster style recirc skimmer... 12" diameter by 30" tall... what do you think? Too much? Argh... I thought it would be a neat idea, but I cant find a good pump to use.

[jnarowe]

Energy: Did you buy this?

Atlantis Red Carpet (http://www.atlantisaquarium.net/clanemone.html)

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9267396#post9267396 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2224.jpg

Good lord, that thing skims out entire cans of soda?! :eek2: :lol:

[spazz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9277118#post9277118 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
So my idea for a Bubblemaster style recirc skimmer... 12" diameter by 30" tall... what do you think? Too much? Argh... I thought it would be a neat idea, but I cant find a good pump to use.

it wouldnt work with the dart needle wheel. it would be too turbulant inside.

[jnarowe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9277819#post9277819 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Good lord, that thing skims out entire cans of soda?! :eek2: :lol:

That's nothing. I heard that they found Jimmy Hoffa's finger in the cup just two days after they started up that Volcano! :D

[Energy]

Jnarowe- Nope didn't buy that one. Didn't see it available till now otherwise I might have.
Melev- Yeah I'm glad I grabbed that can out of there before it got stuck in the drain line.

[jnarowe]

expensive IMO but they have super quality specimens. There's a couple corals on that site that I am going to get.

[Beenalongtime79]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9277118#post9277118 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
So my idea for a Bubblemaster style recirc skimmer... 12" diameter by 30" tall... what do you think? Too much? Argh... I thought it would be a neat idea, but I cant find a good pump to use.

Why not use two OR 3500/3700 with mesh mod on that thing. Two of them should more than be enough to fill that skimmer up full of bubbles. I know some people are getting around 35SCFH with meshwheel mod... so with two pumps, you'd be getting about 2000lph. That's ridiculous for the amount of water you wish to skim. :) Mileage will vary, but with that much air... you could probably safely skim up to 500-600 gallons. Heck, you could use probably one pump and still have the proper skimming power for your future system. :)

Honestly, your tank is going to be roughly 120-140 gallons with some unknown amount of additional saltwater in sumps/refugium.

Those two pumps will not need air pump assisted on a 30" tall skimmer and will draw a lot of air, more than enough for the total tank size that you are looking at.. I assume it would be less than 200 gallons total.

Cheers,
John H.

[hahnmeister]

My total system will be... 120g + 40g sump + 40g frag tank... so 200g total.

Yeah, its slight overkill.

Hmm... Spazz, you think it would be too much even with the bubble plate design that ATI uses in their bubblemasters? I thought that the vortex style plate might kill alot of the turbulence. Then again... Im talking about shoving the output of a Dart through about an 8" central tube.... bubble plate or not that is alot.

rufio, I was thinking about the OR3700s... but thats alot of wattage. I also have an eheim 1262 just laying around. I was wondering how that might perform if I mesh-modded it or got a NW from ER.

[Beenalongtime79]

Hey Hahn,

Spazz knows the exact numbers for running an OR 3700 pump with needlewheel, but it's about 40 watts I believe, so two of them would run 80 watts. Although the dart is more powerful, you don't need it and I think it still runs you more than 80W with air pump assist. It might be a little different with meshmod, but the wattage draw may be less with the mesh mod on the ORs.

Good luck on finding/DIYing the perfect skimmer. :) Hehe. I thought some people had good luck with the tiny might pump. I know spazz had done some work on it and also smtkj on here as well.

Cheers,
John

[hahnmeister]

Do you have a link to the 'tiny might' pump?

[Beenalongtime79]

Hahn,

This thread has some details of a tiny might skimmer that was built by Spazz, it has some nice pictures as well.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=847516&perpage=25&pagenumber=17

Try to contact smtkj about his tiny might experience.

I don't think I'll ever have a system requiring a skimmer with dart NW pump... maybe a tiny might powered skimmer, but I've come to the conclusion that it is possible for your tank to be too nutrient poor. I've gone through it with my tank and now that I've started feeding more and been actually sloppier with maintenance, my corals are coloring back up and growing faster. I know a ton of people will disagree, but I think there is a place where you can get too extreme with your nutrient depletion (not talking about phosphates or nitrates, because these should be kept as low as possible IMO). However, I will say that an oversized skimmer is great if you love to feed lots and love to have tons of fish in your tank.

Cheers,
John H.

[hahnmeister]

Yeah, I remember seeing those skimmers... thats what got me wondering about using a NW dart, not alita-fed or anything, on a 12" diameter-30" tall skimmer... I was wondering what the scfh of air would be like.... it seems that dual OR3700s would put out about the same if I meshmodded them. I have a couple 3700s... havent considered meshmodding them yet... Il have to crack them open and see what I might be able to do...

So what are the performance numbers for the dart vs tiny might on the various size skimmers I see?

[Beenalongtime79]

Sorry Hahn... can't really help you with those numbers now, it's been too long since I've looked at those threads, but hopefully Scott can chime in and give you a better idea of what those air values are?

Scott?? Care to chime in? :)

[Travis]

I hate to play "pretend mod" but can we leave the discussion of other people's skimmers out of this thread? I've seen the same people jump in and completely hijack other threads with these same discussions. I understand talking about spazz's skimmers here but I think the rest of the discussion going on right now belongs in its own thread. This is a great thread and I would hate to see it die due to a hijacking.

[shutiny]

There is a red carpet at the www.reefscinece.com

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9284686#post9284686 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shutiny
There is a red carpet at the www.reefscinece.com

reefscience.com (http://www.reefscience.com/web/ultra_corals1.php)

WOW... $800.00 that is a bit steep... I know phishy gets them in every now and again and I think they are 4-450ish...

[Energy]

Dude thanks for the lead on the red carpet but that's to steep for my blood! I might have a lead on a normal priced one. I'm hoping it comes through or I'm back to square one. Back to the tank: Over on "the reef tank site" their going to feature it as tank of the month. The only reason I'm saying it here is because if anyone want's more information on the new updates it can be read there. The filtration room was totally gutted and redone last month so everything has been changed around. The lighting system has been updated as well. It will be featured in March. I know some people wanted to see it as tank of the month here on Reef central but I haven't really felt that it was up to snuff. Maybe it can get there now with the new changes and the Volcanoe skimmer kicking butt and chewing bubble gum.

[jnarowe]

$800 is rediculous. As soon as you pay that, the market wll be flooded with them.

[TandN]

WOW WOW WOW Energy just finised all 47 pages of this thread. and im speachless. I run my PO4 remover through 2 filtersocks and it always has residue in it. Spazz your work is amazing I wish I knew someone local who had one to check out im a BK women myself ;)

[Ziggy953]

Now that is an amazing tank room! All that equipment gave me a W***Y......Oh yeah...the tank is nice too!! LOL WOW!!

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2265.jpg

New photo's - Here's the right end shot of the tank.

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2266.jpg
Close up of the stingray(Eastern Fiddler Ray) and purple carpet.

[Energy]

This is a far of shot of one of the caves that leads to the areas behind the rock work.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2267.jpg

[jnarowe]

crazy man. just F'n crazy. Got a bunch of the Red Sea xenia up top? That's got to be cool in person!

[Energy]

A little change of pace. This is one (of many) handfuls of thick sludge that the VOLCANOE skimmer kicked out in a little over a week. It also brought out 1-2 gallons of thick green liquid. Did I mentioon I love this skimmer? My corals have never been brighter!
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2243.jpg

Here's a cool little story. Spazz and Dustin set this skimmer up about two weeks ago. My ORP was averaging about 360-390 when it was set-up. I left for an out of town trip right after it was set-up. I told my wife to keep an eye on a failing carpet anemone for me while I was gone. Well when I came back sure enough it died and the wifey-poo never noticed. It stayed in the tank and rotted! I quick checked my parameters and my orp and it was up to 445. No other parameters had changed. So not only did the skimmer suck out the carpet anemone it even further polished the water and raised the orp by 60 points at the same time!

[jnarowe]

Nice poo. Think you can build a mud hut with that?? :lol:

[Energy]

Right side of the tank. The large cap colony has been fragged a lot- (it started with a nickel sized piece). You can also see the eastern fiddler ray- it's relatively new to the system. So far after only 3-4 days it's beginning to recognize the feeding tube. I use a 1.5 inch pvc pipe to shuttle food directly to the bottom. Then when the stingray approaches the pipe I lift it up to let some of the food out. This way only the stingray gets the food. This one seems to be picking up on the system. I also only feed in one spot so when the scent of food enters the system the ray knows exactly where to go. http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2269.jpg

[TandN]

This is one of very few tanks I can say every pic just gets better and better amazing im very jealous

[Energy]

You can see the red carpet in the bottom. It came in totally stressed - more than any anemone I've ever seen. It was almost inside out! Then it seemed to bounce back but not quite to 100%. It looks nice and inflated about half of the time but the mouth gapes a little and it's not quite sticky (as I'd like). I'm keeping a close eye on it.
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2262.jpg

[Energy]

This is a corner shot of the right island. If you look closely at the rose bta you can see it has on running shoes. Every few days it cruises around that island and then stops for awhile. But things like that is the reason for the islands. Corals and anemones that I want but need to isolate from the main rock work get put on the islands! That rose BTA knocked out half of my white POM POM Xenia which had overtaken the top of the island anyway.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2271.jpg

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9447281#post9447281 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2266.jpg
Close up of the stingray(Eastern Fiddler Ray) and purple carpet. [/B]

Something happen with the blue spot ??

[melev]

Awesome pictures. Makes me want a big tank one day. But not the bills I want to pay.

[Scottkelly911]

this system never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for the pix, I always enjoy them.

[Bret61081]

Did the Gem tang make it in to the tank yet??

[Lunchbucket]

Amazing pics buddy! Hope to see this beautiful tank sometime in the near future. Might be coming your way in a couple weeks or months I'll let you know to see if you will be around.

That RBTA is a beauty. If you get a clone I'd love to buy it from you.

MORE PICS :D
Lunchbucket

[Energy]

Gem tang is in the system now. I had to remove one of the purple tangs because it kept beating it up. The blue spot passed suddenly. They have been known to do this so that's the last one. Other hobbyist that I've talked to have had the same experience. Healthy and eating and then poof-gone! The Eastern fiddler ray is supposed to be pretty hardy.

[Lunchbucket]

Stan - Oh that gem tang was a beauty I remember that little guy!!

Lunchbucket

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9449359#post9449359 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
Gem tang is in the system now. I had to remove one of the purple tangs because it kept beating it up. The blue spot passed suddenly. They have been known to do this so that's the last one. Other hobbyist that I've talked to have had the same experience. Healthy and eating and then poof-gone! The Eastern fiddler ray is supposed to be pretty hardy.

:eek2: SWEET !!! a Gem Tang... :eek2: I don't recall seeing / hearing about one in a tank here in the US... I see them all the time overseas...

I am sorry to hear about your blue spot, I was guessing that is what happend since you were posting pics of a new ray... But I didn't want to assume...

[TandN]

theres a bunch of guys on here with them ;)

[jnarowe]

shhhh...Shawn is a spy! :lol:

[prostaff]

Great pics. Beautiful
How on earth did you catch a purple tang in that tank????

[spazz]

thats nasty stan! you shouldnt show people stuff like that. they might be eating there lunch and loose it all over there computers!
it looks like a huge pile of dog poo. i will be over to see the new sting ray real soon. he looks awesome!

[jnarowe]

While you are over there Scott, build us a Volcano Mud Hut! :lol:

[demeyer2]

How on earth did you catch a purple tang in that tank????
Yes how did you do that?

[Energy]

I caught it with a cheesball container. Just a big tall clear plastic container. I put the food in the bottom and wait for the fish to swim into it toward the bottom. Then just reach in and grab the container. The fish always swim down and away which is directly to the bottom of the container.

[jnarowe]

really smart...guess that comes with ample experience!

[prostaff]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9459364#post9459364 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
I caught it with a cheesball container. Just a big tall clear plastic container. I put the food in the bottom and wait for the fish to swim into it toward the bottom. Then just reach in and grab the container. The fish always swim down and away which is directly to the bottom of the container.

Ok. That was easy enough. I thought for a sec you were going to say you put on some diving gear in the middle of the night and went searching for the sucker with an underwater light and a harpoon :lol: Thanks for sharing. Now maybe I won't feel like once I put a fish in my system, thats it!! I was going to try some iffy angels in my system and now I know that if they start doing too much damage to corals, I can always get them out

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9447441#post9447441 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
This is a corner shot of the right island. If you look closely at the rose bta you can see it has on running shoes. Every few days it cruises around that island and then stops for awhile. But things like that is the reason for the islands. Corals and anemones that I want but need to isolate from the main rock work get put on the islands! That rose BTA knocked out half of my white POM POM Xenia which had overtaken the top of the island anyway.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2271.jpg

So the RBTAs won't travel across sand ? I had thought that they would ? If not then that is great news for me :) Thanks :D

[mtfatwork]

love the ray, can't wait to see it in person!

[mike126]

This tank is awsome i love the ray in there.. If you dont mind me asking what kind of equipment do you run where you work at??

[Energy]

Sparks-The bta's do roam across the sand but they are easier to catch. The sand does seem to deter but not stop them.
Mike-I run dozers, excavators, packers, front end loaders, skid steers, tri-axle dump trucks, tractor loader backhoes, - you get the idea!
Pro-staff the trick in catching the fish is getting them to enter the container. Some won't and then it gets challenging.

[Siapin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9462165#post9462165 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mike126
This tank is awsome i love the ray in there.. If you dont mind me asking what kind of equipment do you run where you work at??

He runs Halliburton...that's how he's able to afford this setup.

[cmondo]

That cheese ball container is a great idea. I guess the only thing that I am missing is a tank big enough to fit that or any other decent size container in.

[Lunchbucket]

You still looking for a red carpet anemone? I just heard of one that came in today that is 24" across!!

Lunchbucket

[Kent E]

Energy, any problems at all with the foam? It's been a while now and wondering if there are any regrets going this direction.

[Energy]

So far so good with the foam. Hey Lunch- Thanks for the heads up on th carpet but I just got one. When are you setting up that new tank?

[Hurley675]

Do you have any pics of your alligator?

[Lunchbucket]

Energy - Thought I'd let you know just in case. Not sure when I'm setting it up but I want to come pick it up next weekend maybe. We need to find a house and then the tank will go into the new house.....so it could be quite a while :(

Lunchbucket

[jnarowe]

better to find the house first anyway!

[Energy]

Half the rock in this picture is made out of foam and the other half is the real deal. Can you tell the difference? The vertical posts and horizontal ledges are made out of foam. Mike Palleta stopped by on Saturday with Steven Pro and Dr. George Batten and no one could tell the difference.http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2304.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2322.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2331.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2334.jpg

[Energy]

My son next to the Volcanoe skimmer. This gives you an idea of how big this thing is! If I ever tear the tank apart I can use the skimmer for an aquarium!http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2320.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2333.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2330.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2329.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2328.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2312.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2308.jpg

[jnarowe]

Very cool. I used foam in my FW Planted tank with good results too. It was a test for possibly using it on the walls of my reef tank, but when I decided to go with Vortechs, I scrapped the plan. I remember from a while ago you said you had glued the foam down to the tank bottom and I should have done the same. I built foam rocks and shelves around milk crates etc. but could not get them to the bottom of the tank, no matter how much weight I strapped to them...the boyancy was way to great. Pretty foolish of me to think I could do it that way, but I was recovering from a serious brain injury. :lol:

The Volcano is really looking good. Even in that pic you can see a tremendous volume of uniform bubbles.

[Energy]

This carpet is the size of a large serving platter.http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2310.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2271.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2313.jpg

[melev]

That skimmer is awesome. I'd love one but my tank isn't nearly large enough to justify such a beast.

I like the magnet collection you've got going there. And that sump is something serious!

[Energy]

I built that sump with spazz- that's when I realized how anal and methodical he is with his builds. I told him it was just a sump but he had to have it perfect and air bubble free. Any way it holds 327 gallons. We had to build it that big to handle all the overflow from a power outage.http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/images.jpg

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2337.jpg

[drummereef]

Unreal. Some of these pics I can't even believe what I'm seeing.

[Mahlhavoc]

/drool :eek:

[jnarowe]

That last pic is sweet. Love the water movement at the surface!

[Travis]

Energy, the last set of pics you posted leaves me speechless. I can't even mumble out the words to describe how great your tank is looking right now.

I have a question. In all the pics you just posted I looked really hard and could not find a single spec of hair algae. What are the main things that you feel helped you to erradicate the hair algae that was there? I've always battled bryopsis for years and no matter what I do I can never get it to leave.

[Energy]

Travis- the two proven things are Rowaphos and a large skimmer. I also believe sugar or vodka dosing helps. BTW I have very little snails now and just a few emerald crabs. I also feed heavily. More than ever. The skimmer is a huge help.

[tom obrecht]

I continue to be amazed with this tank! Seems like everytime I check back the pics get better and better. I wonder if there is such a thing as skimmer envy? :) If so, I think I have it from looking at that beast. I'm curious if I could pursuade Spazz to move to Wisconsin to my backyard just long enough to have him build me a beauty like that?:D

[jnarowe]

yeah, and imagine what the Ca demand is!! :eek:

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9511449#post9511449 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tom obrecht
I'm curious if I could pursuade Spazz to move to Wisconsin to my backyard just long enough to have him build me a beauty like that?:D

You don't need him to move to your state for that :). There are a growing number of us that have Volanco skimmers (the one for our tank should be done soon :D). Here is a place to go to order :

www.aquaticacrylics.com


HTH...

Sorry for the hijack Energy :)

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9511539#post9511539 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
yeah, and imagine what the Ca demand is!! :eek:

LOL I am sure is only like 5lbs of media an hr or so :p

[Loralie]

Now I am REALLY sorry I missed the speaker meeting on Sat. You know Energy you should try one of the blue ribbon eels in there. I just finished reading the thread on TRT about the guy who has had good sucess with getting his to feed. The more fish apparently the better...causes a them to ffed better. I think it would be an amazing addition

[Energy]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t149/Energy1212/IMG_2336.jpg

[Energy]

Loralie- Don't blue ribbon eels eat small fish? What's their main diet and how successfully have people kept them?

[Goodwin9]

Your photos are awesome...please keep them coming!

[honey]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9522072#post9522072 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
Loralie- Don't blue ribbon eels eat small fish? What's their main diet and how successfully have people kept them?

Energy,
check this out about that very specific subject:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1050101

Hon

[Loralie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9522072#post9522072 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
Loralie- Don't blue ribbon eels eat small fish? What's their main diet and how successfully have people kept them?

The guy on TRT said the only fish his ever bothered was the gundgeon gobies. I woner if it because they look so much like silversides? just a thought. Also the pictures he has of his BR eel shows it to have a head that is smaller than that of his snowflake eel. He also stated at the time of pics the eel was fully grown. A great deal longer than the snowflake, but smaller in width and head size.

[Loralie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9522072#post9522072 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Energy
Loralie- Don't blue ribbon eels eat small fish? What's their main diet and how successfully have people kept them?

The link that was posted above is the same one from TRT. He did a great job of documenting his success.
He has his eats frozen silversides.

[hahnmeister]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9512963#post9512963 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sparkss
You don't need him to move to your state for that :). There are a growing number of us that have Volanco skimmers (the one for our tank should be done soon :D). Here is a place to go to order :

www.aquaticacrylics.com


HTH...

Sorry for the hijack Energy :)

Yeah, I was going to say, I think Spazz must pass through Milwaukee all the time with his regular job. He goes from mini to northern chi-town to take photos of Bill's system...

[JCTewks]

OT: Hahn, is there anywhere we can keep up to date on Bill's new tank since the thread here at RC was closed??

Jeff