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02/18/2012, 12:29 PM | #1 |
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CalmSeasQuest Desktop Tank and DIY CSQ Skimmer
I've decided to rebuild the "PuzzleRock" tank that sits on my office desk...
That tank was a lot of fun to build, and the method of creating and using slabbed live rock hadn't been done before. The downside was, the aquascaping was so dense, that when coupled with the small tank dimensions - I never felt it fair to add any fish. As a result, the first question from every visitor to my office was "where are the fish"? And now for something completely different... This tank will go in a new direction. This will be something of a minimalist mixed reef and will be home to a pair of "Talcassos" to satisfy the visitors. While this tank will sit on my office desk, I'm doing the build at home so I don't have to tear down the current tank. Here's the equipment list,
On the fabrication end, I'm had to go through an acrylic learning curve. It took me longer than anticipated to complete the design and fabrication of the acrylic components. On a good note, the stocking plan for this tank is very simple and I already have much of the livestock on hand. It's strange, looking this concept and design on paper and in Sketchup ...it seems very simple. Come time to start fitting acrylic, it suddenly becomes complex. I suspect it has more to do with my skill level (or lack thereof) than the complexity of the design. I was able to finalize the feature inhabitants....A beautiful pair of Tal's Picassos....err Talcassos The larger two in the photo will be taking up residence on my desk. Although I hadn't yet given much thought to a coral stocking plan, I stumbled on an opportunity I just couldn't pass up. A nice Monti collection including, Tyree Superman monti Tyree Pokerstar Monti Tyree Purple Haze Tyree Sunset Tyree Seasons Greetings Copps Vesuvious Tyree Palawensis Tyree Undata LA Lakers Tyree Pink Sand Dollar Tyree Setosa Tyree Flower Petal Cap Tyree aequituberculata Leng Sy Cap Tyree Idaho Grape Confusa, spongotes ATL Forest Fire Digi Greg Hillers Teal digi Orange Digi [img]]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n622/CalmSeasQuest/Reef/2012%20Nano%20Build/Monti2.jpg[/img] Glass arrives... I created a bulkhead for this tank in hopes of hiding most of the equipment and gaining better surface skimming. It's a bit crude as I cut the teeth for the weir using a table saw as my router was DOA. It's amazing how some of the simplest things can take the most time and patience. I spent far too long creating this stone bridge...
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
02/18/2012, 12:38 PM | #2 |
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Freshwater leak and overflow check done
I've been working on the overflow and filtration. The challenge is I have only 8"X 3"X 8" in which to install a return pump and plumbing, heater, temp, ORP, Salinity and pH probes, Osmocontroller sensor and ATO, 2-part dosing, mechanical, chemical and biological filtration a few mangroves..AND...I decided this tank needs a skimmer
I looked at all the commercially available skimmers and none would fit in the available space, so my remaining option was to build one. I really liked Glazers nano skimmer, but it was a bit smaller than I wanted. Due to my very limited acrylic skills, it's not the prettiest, but it does fit in the allotted space (2"x2"X12") and for an airstone-driven skimmer, seems to function well. The reaction chamber is modeled after the Glazer's and a Tunze 9006 fitted with a foam extraction unit so I can store the skimmate remotely and lessen the skimmer footprint. Photos forthcoming...
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
02/18/2012, 12:41 PM | #3 |
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Traditional this tank will not be...
For the past 20 years, every tank I've built has basically been an adaptation of the same theme. Although we've long since lost the plenums, underground filters and skilters, many builds are simply filling a tank with live rock and gluing in Frags. I've had an idea about doing something different and this build presented a perfect opportunity to do so.
This idea isn't revolutionary, it probably isn't even evolutionary - but it is different. At least personally, I've never seen this done. I hope this tank will set forth some new ideas and perspectives about what a "reef tank" might be including new ideas on aquascaping and nanofiltration. Anyone expecting a traditional reef build will be disappointed. This one will definitively be considered "Abbynormal"
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
02/18/2012, 12:43 PM | #4 |
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The CSQ DIY Skimmer
The skimmer design is very simple. I used a 12" length of 2" acrylic pipe as it was the largest that would fit in the area available and it's easy to clean using a long handled glass brush. It affixes to the side of the sump area using 3 plastic-encased magnets that are attached to the body of the skimmer using Cyanocrylate (I couldn't get a strong enough seal with silicone.)
The skimmate collection area is angled to direct the skimmate to a 1/2" drain (Tunze would call it a foam extraction unit.) It's driven by a whisper 10 pump with a single Limewood air stone... I tested multiple airstones, but the turbulence seemed to offset the additional air. I'm also working on a bubble plate (silly I know, but it's easy to get "sucked" into playing with skimmer designs.) I still have to add the rigid airline that will attach to the air stone and design a small skimmate container that can sit beside the tank on my desk. Based on just a little testing, it seems to work well. It will be placed so the bottom-opening is beside the AC20 intake which I hope will aid it water flow through the skimmer.
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
02/18/2012, 12:44 PM | #5 |
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Looks well thought out.
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125 w/ 30 gallon sump. ASM G3 w/ Sedra 9000 and gatevalve. Two Little Phishies 550 phosban reactor. 3x150w XM 10k MH, 2x 96w PC. |
02/18/2012, 12:47 PM | #6 |
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Most of the filtration components are now in place...
The filtration process includes an 8" bulkhead and weir feeding raw water to the skimmer, Mangroves (yet to be installed) and an AC20 filter fitted with an InTank insert. The AC20 will hold Chemipure Elite and Purigen as needed. The skimmer is raised to allow space for the Mangroves roots directly below the skimmer opening. Although difficult to see in the photos or video, the Marine Pure bio-balls are enclosed in a vertical acrylic tower which has a slot opening beside the return pump. Filtered water from the AC20 enters the top of the bio-tower and is drawn down through the bio-balls by the return pump just before being warmed and being returned to the tank. The intake for the AC20 is places immediately beside the skimmer intake in the hopes of increasing flow though both the skimmer and surrounding Mangrove roots. The Apex thermometer is also located in this area, far from the heater to avoid any erroneous measurements and heater cycling. A small bottle serves as a temporary skimmate locker until I come up with a more aesthetically pleasing design. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the air-stone works - It creates a full column of micro-fine bubble rivaling that of my other pump-driven skimmers, albeit on a much smaller scale. This photo was taken just minutes after adding saltwater to the tank and already the water column was filling with foam. The Elos Osmocontroller still needs to be installed, and I'm waiting until I have some bio load and waste in the tank before adding the mangroves. The substrate has been added. The cycle was started using Ammonia, Dr. Tims nitrifying bacteria and the Marine Pure which has been seeding in my home DT sump for the past few weeks.
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change Last edited by CalmSeasQuest; 02/18/2012 at 01:26 PM. |
02/18/2012, 12:55 PM | #7 |
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I'm not understanding how the skimmer works. Looks like the foam head would just rise up and out at the lowest point without going down to the container. Could you explain it a little more for me?
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125 w/ 30 gallon sump. ASM G3 w/ Sedra 9000 and gatevalve. Two Little Phishies 550 phosban reactor. 3x150w XM 10k MH, 2x 96w PC. |
02/18/2012, 01:22 PM | #8 | |
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Quote:
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
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02/18/2012, 01:26 PM | #9 |
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Oh so the slanted cut isn't open? It's sealed off so skimmate is forced into the tube?
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125 w/ 30 gallon sump. ASM G3 w/ Sedra 9000 and gatevalve. Two Little Phishies 550 phosban reactor. 3x150w XM 10k MH, 2x 96w PC. |
02/18/2012, 01:34 PM | #10 | |
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Quote:
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
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02/18/2012, 09:55 PM | #11 |
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Ha, this is excellent, Love the skimmer design, I will be watching this thread closely. Although I am sad to see the old nano leave I am excited to see this one! Keep it up.
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02/18/2012, 10:05 PM | #12 |
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Cool skimmer design, I have not seen anything like it
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02/19/2012, 07:17 AM | #13 | |
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Quote:
Thanks Mark. There are a few very similar examples - Glazer makes a skimmer very similar to this, but smaller. The Mame skimmer is also close but smaller and very expensive. The design is basically a smaller version of the Tunze Foam Extraction unit that I use on a 9006 with great success. I really like this design as it's very easy to maintain - it can be removed and replaced in seconds and cleaned completely with a couple swipes of a bottle brush. I'm also playing with an idea to increase the size slightly and install a bubble plate (it's easy to get sucked into spending waaay too much time with skimmers.) The tank seems to be running OK - At least as far as I can tell by monitoring the Apex remotely. I'm noticing the salinity slowly creep up due to evaporation as I haven't gotten an ATO installed yet and I'm running the tank at 82 degrees to promote bacterial growth. I'm tempted to swing by the office just to see how the skimmers running.
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
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02/19/2012, 10:53 AM | #14 |
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Love the skimmer. This is why I can't stop reading your thread. There is always something new to try and keeps the hobby addicting
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02/20/2012, 09:54 PM | #15 | |
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Quote:
I'm pleased to report the little skimmer is "rocking." Although there is little to skim a this point, it's functioning well with about half an ounce of light-colored skimmate in the bottle. I didn't have as much time as hoped today to work on the tank. The Elos Osmocontroller that I had planned to install today shipped without a return line (unlike it's Tunze counterpart.) After wasting time trying to figure out a way to get it installed with what I had on-hand, I shoved it back in its box and re-installed the Tunze Osmolator which has ran perfectly for the past year. It appears the cycle is well underway (I'm running the tank at 82 degrees to promote bacterial growth.) The ammonia dosed on Friday that raised the tank to 3ppm is gone, measuring zero with no nitrites detected today. I once again raised the ammonia level to 3ppm today and I'll check it again on Wednesday. It appears the seeded Marine Pure coupled with Dr. Tims bacteria are working well. At this rate, the tank might be ready for livestock in about a week.
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
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02/22/2012, 11:22 AM | #16 |
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I may have been a bit overoptimistic on the cycle progress. Today I measured .25 Ammonia / 0 Nitrates remaining from the 3ppm dosed on Monday, so we still have a ways to go. I added more ammonia to bring it back to 3ppm and I'll retest on Friday.
Despite there being very little bio-load in the tank, the little skimmer continues to impress...
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
02/22/2012, 11:42 AM | #17 |
Cyprinius carpio
Join Date: Mar 2004
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I really am looking forward to your nontraditional build.
Never seen a glazer before so I will have to look for it but as soon as I saw yours I figured Mame or that ATB that can have a dual chamber. Did you ever do the bubble plate (for fun)? |
02/22/2012, 12:05 PM | #18 | |
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Quote:
I envision the bubble plate with a fitting to hold the air-stone that is easily removed so the entire skimmer can be cleaned with a couple swipes of a bottle brush.
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
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02/22/2012, 12:41 PM | #19 |
Cyprinius carpio
Join Date: Mar 2004
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Tom,
It is kind of scary because ever since I saw the Mame one I have wanted to build one for my pico just for the heck of it because I did not want to spend $100.00 on a straight plastic tube with a hole on the side. I saw yours and thought that is what I am hoping to do. I will look at your home page for hints. Again good luck. |
02/22/2012, 12:50 PM | #20 |
Where's The Reef?
Join Date: Oct 2011
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Looks fantastic!
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I'd rather Die on my feet, than Live on my Knees. Current Tank Info: 150g SPS Reef, 2x250w 14k Pheonix Metal Halides w/T-5 Actinics, 2 Tunze 6095's, Tunze 7096 controller, Ozone, Precision Marine Skimmer, Reef Octopus Bio-Churn Bio Pellet Reactor, GFO & Carbon Reactor, Ozone Reactor, ATO, Reef Keeper. |
02/27/2012, 10:15 PM | #21 | |
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Quote:
Thanks! The cycle continues - Dosed ammonia back to 3 PPM, strangely although the Ammonia is largely gone in 48 hours, I'm not able to measure any Nitrites. I'm hoping that is due to the pre-cycled Marine Pure. With any luck, I'll be able to retrieve the Picassos from Tal shortly. Here are a couple quick shots of the display area, although they may generate more questions than answers...
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
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02/27/2012, 10:51 PM | #22 |
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Whaaaat? Is that acrylic? When you said untraditional this is not what I expected. I am very curious as to what your plans will be now that I've seen the teaser...
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02/27/2012, 11:08 PM | #23 | |
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Quote:
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
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02/28/2012, 02:26 AM | #24 |
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Ok, you got me curious now, im tagging along. Looks great so far!
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Roll Tide! Current Tank Info: 220G Tall DSB SPS DT/3 Sol Blue/ 75 Gallon Sump in basement with Reeflo return/ 2 Mp40W/ Profilux Controller. 65G QT |
02/28/2012, 09:49 AM | #25 | |
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Quote:
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-Tom The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw Current Tank Info: 96X30" 270Gal, Kessil 360WEs, BK250 Double Cone, 400 gal ASW station with continuous water change |
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csq, desktop tank, diy skimmer |
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