Sun Powered Reef - Page 2

phat · 04/13/2007, 09:48 AM

stunning man really cool!!

what is inside you're sump??

jacmyoung · 04/13/2007, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by blkdrgn
We were at the Waikiki Aquarium and they had an outside tank just like yours except it did not have a cover. The water would overflow over all sides. Next time I go there I will ask how they maintain their tank such as salinity. The water was crystal clear. I noticed that you cleaned up the wires. What about making another shed to cover the refrigerator? Great looking setup!

That is the tank you saw, they use natural seawater BTW:

It is a clam tank with only one convict tang. Clams look very colorful viewed from top, fish on the other hand are best viewed from the side.

This in-ground tank is indeed a fascinating setup, I have been thinking how to do a large tank with all the energy conservation options possible, you just give me something to think about.

vitor pestana · 04/13/2007, 05:15 PM

Hi.

This is indeed a great setup, but has some problematic issues, for exemple the water salinity drop cause by the rain, temperature losses, and feeding time.

Salinity losses:

If the tank do not stays under a cover, and if it rains the water salinity and pH will drop very fast, this problem will be only solved if someone stays 24/7 taking care of the tank... bye bye vacations...

Temperature Losses:

The 5 sides of the tank are in direct contact with the ar, this means that if is to could or to hot outside it will be very hard ($$$$) to keep the temp betwen 25ÂºC and 26ÂºC.

Feeding Time:

In this setup the water flows from the inside do the outside, this means that all the food you put in cames out very quicly , and will be remove by the skimmer.

Cleaning Time:

I think that algea will grow in bouth sides of the glass, that means you must have twice the hard work to remove them.

Final conclusion, this is a very nice and beautiful setup but very hard and expensive to keep.

Best Regards

Vitor Pestana

vitor pestana · 04/13/2007, 05:27 PM

Hi.

I'm working on that part of the chiller cover now... baby steps.

I've seen that tank, it's a very nice ideia, but some issues trouble me, for exemple the feading time, cleaning the algeas from the glass, and the temperatures losses at night.

Regards

Vitor Pestana

shouldabenacowboy · 04/13/2007, 05:50 PM

very nice setup!

SBC

jacmyoung · 04/13/2007, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vitor pestana
Hi.

I'm working on that part of the chiller cover now... baby steps.

I've seen that tank, it's a very nice ideia, but some issues trouble me, for exemple the feading time, cleaning the algeas from the glass, and the temperatures losses at night.

Regards

Vitor Pestana

They can be resolved simply by moving the tank indoor or in a green house. In fact the invisible edge tanks are sold in many stores here, I am sure in Europe too. The problems I have seen are, a very powerful pump is needed to create the smooth flow over all sides, and humidity indoor. It is by no means an energy saving setup compared to your in-ground tank.

vitor pestana · 04/13/2007, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jacmyoung
They can be resolved simply by moving the tank indoor or in a green house. In fact the invisible edge tanks are sold in many stores here, I am sure in Europe too. The problems I have seen are, a very powerful pump is needed to create the smooth flow over all sides, and humidity indoor. It is by no means an energy saving setup compared to your in-ground tank.

Hi jacmyoung!

I agree.

This setup works perfectly in a green house, in the open air is very complicated.

Note: If the tank stays indoor (shade) and does not receive direct sunlight the all purpose is lost.

All the best

Vitor Pestana

Migas · 04/14/2007, 04:16 PM

Hi Vitor,
First of all...thank you for cherring with us your ideas, thoughts and dedication to this hobbie and most of all, for showing that thereÂ´s no limits when we believe in something! ItÂ´s a very difficult project to reach sucess, but i think, with the dedication that youÂ´ve showned, others will follow you.
Best of luck and keep posting...it has been a pleasure!

Miguel GonÃ§alves

Je®vis · 04/14/2007, 07:30 PM

Innovative... definitely out-of-the-norm... love it!

wilson0204 · 04/14/2007, 08:17 PM

very very cool

samson78945 · 04/14/2007, 09:12 PM

wutta great idea!!! i love it

TandN · 04/14/2007, 10:19 PM

love it best of luck

Carman34L · 04/14/2007, 10:23 PM

I dont know about portugal, but here in Minnesota we get severe thunder storms frequently, that can have golfball upto baseball size hail. golf ball sized hail will shatter windshields in cars, Do you have a cover incase severe weather?

Great Idea, I do love it. very unique!

Je®vis · 04/15/2007, 04:36 AM

Those snails are definitely doing a great job

oregonanenome · 04/15/2007, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by B.friend
That is awesome, Thats not going to be happening here in oregon but I wish. Good job for doing somthing new

B.Friend it could not happen in the W-valley but how about K-falls. You could regulate temps geothermally!

By the way vitor. I like it very much. How many liters evaporate per day?

vitor pestana · 04/15/2007, 04:18 PM

Hello friends.

I'll try to anwser to each and every one.

Migas

Thank you for your kind words, they are inspiring.

Carman34L

In Portugal we could it "granizo" is very, very rare, and when it hapens it's only small balls, but if the weather turns bad i can allways put the night winter cover preventing some temperature loss, a piece of "Blue Roffmate" like this:

JeÂ®vis

In my others reffs this kind of snails wore a little strange, some just comet suicide, the others toke to many time to adapt, i think the secret ingredient is the natural light cicle, they just miss the low tide efect.

oregonanenome

In this tank and in this time of year, it evaporate about 2 Liters per day.

And now the updat:

I did some work today, finish the calcium reactor pH controller calibration, now is working just fine:

Looking very closely i found some coraline algea growin... this tank has only about 1,5 month old:

vitor pestana · 04/15/2007, 04:19 PM

A friend of my came by and left me these new residents:

vitor pestana · 04/15/2007, 04:20 PM

Night Time:

The controllers painels are better seen at night:

All the best

Vitor Pestana

heckel90 · 04/15/2007, 08:44 PM

Vitor!! you think like me!!! We use sunlight.

itÂ´hard to use sunlight but is posible. I have algae (a little) because I donÂ´t have skimmer and my water is not RO.
I have an experimental system, smaller than yours, and diferent.
my system consist in a outdoor display and indoor surge device and sump.
the temperatures are fine all the time, even in summer, because my sump works like a regulator (is bigger than the display).
the link of the explanation of my system
http://www.clamsdirect.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2131

I have
2 Tridacna maxima
2 Montipora
1 sexy shrimp
live rock
no skimmer
no fish
parameters are fine

new pics 16.00PM

IÂ´m not testing the sunlight (because I know it works), IÂ´m proving if the rainwater is viable in a reef tank.
the next...is Acropora because is more dificult to maintain than Montipora.

Victor, your system is my goal...ok.
I enjoy your reef really.

martin
regards

Kigs · 04/15/2007, 08:57 PM

great set up...love that night time shot. did you have to put on a fixture on top of the fuge for that? it's amazing to see all those corals in their natural colors

bogg · 04/15/2007, 09:36 PM

Cool!, good job.

hawaiianwargod · 04/16/2007, 01:04 AM

Incredible!!!

kelvin88 · 04/16/2007, 04:29 AM

Wow, that's actually what I've been thinking to do, hey did you save a lot by doing this to your electric bills?

vitor pestana · 04/16/2007, 07:06 AM

Hi friends.

I'll try to answer to each one:

kelvin88

I save about $70 USD each month, remember, i have 750 lt, if you use 2 watts per litre you will get about 1500Watts of power, the price of 1 Kwatt in Portugal is about 0,1011â‚¬:

8 hours X 1500 watts = 12Kwatts X 0,1011â‚¬ = 1,210â‚¬

12Kwatts x 30 days = 37â‚¬ ($50 USD)

THINK ABOUT THIS:

If you'll try to replicate the same ammount of light indoor that i receive in my outside pool the costs would be astronomical, not mentioning the cost of the lamps.

Now talking about the temperature, i made some changes this weekend in my setup, now i have a 2ÂºC diferential, this means that all the heat acumulated by day is preserved by night, this oscilates betewn 25ÂºC to 27ÂºC, in this time of year my temperature controller is in standby mode most of the time, the power consuption is very, very low.

kigs

This colours are the real thing, not the blue actinic fluorscent light that are used in a indoor tank.

heckel90

I like your espirit, it takes a lot of corage to take a step to the unknown like this.

Best Regards

Vitor Pestana

Je®vis · 04/16/2007, 07:16 AM

Nice SPS your friend left you with... good choice as the Monti Cap will look amazing from the top

04/13/2007, 05:50 PM	#30
shouldabenacowboy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Where am I today? Posts: 529	very nice setup! SBC __________________ They're selling make believe, and I don't buy that anymore They're trying to put an end to guys like me - Gary Allan Cuz there aint nothing funny when a soldier cries - John Michael Montgomery

04/15/2007, 04:18 PM	#41
vitor pestana Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Portugal Posts: 143	Hello friends. I'll try to anwser to each and every one. Migas Thank you for your kind words, they are inspiring. Carman34L In Portugal we could it "granizo" is very, very rare, and when it hapens it's only small balls, but if the weather turns bad i can allways put the night winter cover preventing some temperature loss, a piece of "Blue Roffmate" like this: JeÂ®vis In my others reffs this kind of snails wore a little strange, some just comet suicide, the others toke to many time to adapt, i think the secret ingredient is the natural light cicle, they just miss the low tide efect. oregonanenome In this tank and in this time of year, it evaporate about 2 Liters per day. And now the updat: I did some work today, finish the calcium reactor pH controller calibration, now is working just fine: Looking very closely i found some coraline algea growin... this tank has only about 1,5 month old: Last edited by vitor pestana; 04/15/2007 at 05:05 PM.

04/15/2007, 04:20 PM	#43
vitor pestana Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Portugal Posts: 143	Night Time: The controllers painels are better seen at night: All the best Vitor Pestana Last edited by vitor pestana; 04/15/2007 at 04:43 PM.

04/15/2007, 09:36 PM	#46
bogg Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,174	Cool!, good job. __________________ And God said let the water teem with living creatures and he saw that it was good. Current Tank Info: Elos 120xl, 2 planet 2's, KZs, wavy sea/Tunze

04/16/2007, 01:04 AM	#47
hawaiianwargod Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: 11 54' N, 121 55' E Posts: 1,836	Incredible!!! __________________ "To be a successful reefer, one must master the art of mimicry" ~Hawaiianwargod~ [E] levated [L] evel [O] f [S] weetness Current Tank Info: 210+ - "G" Elos 160XL [~]

04/13/2007, 09:48 AM	#26
phat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: south africa Posts: 11	stunning man really cool!! what is inside you're sump??

04/13/2007, 05:15 PM	#28
vitor pestana Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Portugal Posts: 143	Hi. This is indeed a great setup, but has some problematic issues, for exemple the water salinity drop cause by the rain, temperature losses, and feeding time. Salinity losses: If the tank do not stays under a cover, and if it rains the water salinity and pH will drop very fast, this problem will be only solved if someone stays 24/7 taking care of the tank... bye bye vacations... Temperature Losses: The 5 sides of the tank are in direct contact with the ar, this means that if is to could or to hot outside it will be very hard ($$$$) to keep the temp betwen 25ÂºC and 26ÂºC. Feeding Time: In this setup the water flows from the inside do the outside, this means that all the food you put in cames out very quicly , and will be remove by the skimmer. Cleaning Time: I think that algea will grow in bouth sides of the glass, that means you must have twice the hard work to remove them. Final conclusion, this is a very nice and beautiful setup but very hard and expensive to keep. Best Regards Vitor Pestana

04/13/2007, 05:27 PM	#29
vitor pestana Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Portugal Posts: 143	Hi. I'm working on that part of the chiller cover now... baby steps. I've seen that tank, it's a very nice ideia, but some issues trouble me, for exemple the feading time, cleaning the algeas from the glass, and the temperatures losses at night. Regards Vitor Pestana

04/14/2007, 04:16 PM	#33
Migas Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Setubal Posts: 5	Hi Vitor, First of all...thank you for cherring with us your ideas, thoughts and dedication to this hobbie and most of all, for showing that thereÂ´s no limits when we believe in something! ItÂ´s a very difficult project to reach sucess, but i think, with the dedication that youÂ´ve showned, others will follow you. Best of luck and keep posting...it has been a pleasure! Miguel GonÃ§alves

04/14/2007, 07:30 PM	#34
Je®vis Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 124	Innovative... definitely out-of-the-norm... love it!

04/14/2007, 08:17 PM	#35
wilson0204 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Phoenix AZ Posts: 255	very very cool

04/14/2007, 09:12 PM	#36
samson78945 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: So Cal Posts: 267	wutta great idea!!! i love it

04/14/2007, 10:19 PM	#37
TandN Registered Member. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 2,009	love it best of luck

04/14/2007, 10:23 PM	#38
Carman34L Moved On Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lake Elmo, Minnesota Posts: 644	I dont know about portugal, but here in Minnesota we get severe thunder storms frequently, that can have golfball upto baseball size hail. golf ball sized hail will shatter windshields in cars, Do you have a cover incase severe weather? Great Idea, I do love it. very unique!

04/15/2007, 04:36 AM	#39
Je®vis Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 124	Those snails are definitely doing a great job

04/15/2007, 04:19 PM	#42
vitor pestana Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Portugal Posts: 143	A friend of my came by and left me these new residents:

04/15/2007, 08:44 PM	#44
heckel90 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Moreno, BA, Argentina Posts: 21	Vitor!! you think like me!!! We use sunlight. itÂ´hard to use sunlight but is posible. I have algae (a little) because I donÂ´t have skimmer and my water is not RO. I have an experimental system, smaller than yours, and diferent. my system consist in a outdoor display and indoor surge device and sump. the temperatures are fine all the time, even in summer, because my sump works like a regulator (is bigger than the display). the link of the explanation of my system http://www.clamsdirect.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2131 I have 2 Tridacna maxima 2 Montipora 1 sexy shrimp live rock no skimmer no fish parameters are fine new pics 16.00PM IÂ´m not testing the sunlight (because I know it works), IÂ´m proving if the rainwater is viable in a reef tank. the next...is Acropora because is more dificult to maintain than Montipora. Victor, your system is my goal...ok. I enjoy your reef really. martin regards

04/15/2007, 08:57 PM	#45
Kigs Moved On Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: LI, NY Posts: 2,182	great set up...love that night time shot. did you have to put on a fixture on top of the fuge for that? it's amazing to see all those corals in their natural colors

04/16/2007, 04:29 AM	#48
kelvin88 Moved On Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 26	Wow, that's actually what I've been thinking to do, hey did you save a lot by doing this to your electric bills?

04/16/2007, 07:06 AM	#49
vitor pestana Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Portugal Posts: 143	Hi friends. I'll try to answer to each one: kelvin88 I save about $70 USD each month, remember, i have 750 lt, if you use 2 watts per litre you will get about 1500Watts of power, the price of 1 Kwatt in Portugal is about 0,1011â‚¬: 8 hours X 1500 watts = 12Kwatts X 0,1011â‚¬ = 1,210â‚¬ 12Kwatts x 30 days = 37â‚¬ ($50 USD) THINK ABOUT THIS: If you'll try to replicate the same ammount of light indoor that i receive in my outside pool the costs would be astronomical, not mentioning the cost of the lamps. Now talking about the temperature, i made some changes this weekend in my setup, now i have a 2ÂºC diferential, this means that all the heat acumulated by day is preserved by night, this oscilates betewn 25ÂºC to 27ÂºC, in this time of year my temperature controller is in standby mode most of the time, the power consuption is very, very low. kigs This colours are the real thing, not the blue actinic fluorscent light that are used in a indoor tank. heckel90 I like your espirit, it takes a lot of corage to take a step to the unknown like this. Best Regards Vitor Pestana

04/16/2007, 07:16 AM	#50
Je®vis Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 124	Nice SPS your friend left you with... good choice as the Monti Cap will look amazing from the top