A ~19,000 Gallon Aquarium

[xmasia]

well any updates you got that bad boy filled with water yet??

[nahham]

Originally Posted by xmasia

well any updates you got that bad boy filled with water yet??

Unfortunately it is still not filled with water. I've been busy with other pressing matters. I've also been struggling with the well; need to drill deeper but don't have the time to manage that. However, I have a couple of minor updates:

• Bought new pumps. Smaller but more suited to the task at hand (hopefully). Each one should be able to do .5x per hour. I am planning to alternate between them. Still trying to get everything to work properly.
• In the process of ordering some 2 awesome pumps (0.5hp version) for general circulation. I think they use the same ones at Monterey Bay Aquarium, they just use the 1hp ones .
• In the process of buying a controller (ProfiLux 3 EX Elite Pack).

Sorry that I don't have any fancier updates this time. Hopefully I'll get the pumps running this week and fill the tank up just for show

[KarlBob]

It may not be full, but it sounds like you're still moving forward.

[PauChi]

Hi nahham,

I thought after reading both Chingchai and nineballs build threads ... oh ok that was a lot of reading and today I accidentally stumbled on yours and ya allah .... another monster thread !!

Just where in the world did you guys come from ... are you sure you're not "Aliens" ??? Trying to capture our attentions and conqeur us thereafter???

Speechless ....

Paul

[rcsjr]

What issues were you having with the well? Pumping dry or ?

[Trademark]

gotta love it,, awesome

[nahham]

Originally Posted by KarlBob

It may not be full, but it sounds like you're still moving forward.

Always encouraging words. Thanks

Originally Posted by PauChi

Hi nahham,

I thought after reading both Chingchai and nineballs build threads ... oh ok that was a lot of reading and today I accidentally stumbled on yours and ya allah .... another monster thread !!

Just where in the world did you guys come from ... are you sure you're not "Aliens" ??? Trying to capture our attentions and conqeur us thereafter???

Speechless ....

Paul

I know I come from far far away but I'm sure I'm not an Alien, at least not in my country. Thank you for stopping by and I really enjoyed the "ya allah" part

Originally Posted by rcsjr

What issues were you having with the well? Pumping dry or ?

The well is too shallow (~6m) so the pumps run for a couple of minutes and then it dries up. I was hoping that after the well gets established this problem will be fixed but it seems that the problem is here to stay. I could either drill deeper or cancel the well idea. I'm leaning towards cancelling the well idea because my pockets are the ones running dry now . I might move to the well later when everything is running smoothly and i can solely concentrate on it.

Originally Posted by Trademark

gotta love it,, awesome

Thank you Trademark for your comment and for stopping by. Stay tuned, I will surely have a major update soon (or at least AN update)

[dainiusiva]

Originally Posted by nahham

Stay tuned, I will surely have a major update soon (or at least AN update)

have a major one,please we're all watching with anticipation,you know? best of luck with your project nahham!

[nahham]

Originally Posted by dainiusiva

have a major one,please we're all watching with anticipation,you know? best of luck with your project nahham!

Thank you. I will try my best to have a major update ASAP. It is all coming together nicely because we also started working on the garden around the aquarium as well.

[nahham]

Just to refresh everyone's memory regarding the waterflow plans. This is what we went back to (the earlier plans):



We removed the well idea because it is giving us more problems than solutions. We might include later after everything is running properly. I just want to the tank to be filled with water, a couple of fish, and then I'd feel it's all moving along .

[mr.wilson]

I assume you are doing something to adjust salinity as the new water is introduced from the ocean.

Running it through the refugium first will help with water quality (lower nutrients), but you may have to hold it in a storage container with super high salinity or bleach to kill off the "bad stuff".

You really should get detailed water quality tests done at different times of day over a week to get a better idea of what you are working with so you know how to address it. If your issue is pathogens then you can bleach, super-salinate, or disinfect with UV or ozone. If your issue is excess nutrients you can resolve this with a refugium or denitrifying filter (carbon source, slow flow media reactor, sulphur reactor, or ion exchange resin). If general water quality is the issue, then a protein skimmer, carbon, or mechanical filter may be all you need. If your demand for specific corals are flexible, then I'm sure the water the sea is giving away for free is more than adequate for your purpose, or porpoise for that matter

If you are not getting algae blooms (cyanobacteria or phytoplankton) in your fish farm tank that gets fed a lot I presume, then your reef will be fine. I'm sure you can time your seawater intake so as to assure optimum water quality and collection of plankton for feeding your tank (probably at night).

[PauChi]

Originally Posted by nahham

I know I come from far far away but I'm sure I'm not an Alien, at least not in my country. Thank you for stopping by and I really enjoyed the "ya allah" part

nahham,

I too, came from a far, far away country of Mt. Kinabalu (Land Below the Wind) and that's why I do know a few Arabic phrases ... and unto a more serious note ... do you intend to "highlight" your massive tank with LED Blue actinics during nightfall? That would be one spectacular radiant glow of Blues ...

Paul

[ReefJerk]

Originally Posted by PauChi

nahham,

... do you intend to "highlight" your massive tank with LED Blue actinics during nightfall? That would be one spectacular radiant glow of Blues ...

Paul

They have single 35 watt LED spot light fixtures that would really set that off.

[nahham]

Originally Posted by mr.wilson

I assume you are doing something to adjust salinity as the new water is introduced from the ocean.

Running it through the refugium first will help with water quality (lower nutrients), but you may have to hold it in a storage container with super high salinity or bleach to kill off the "bad stuff".

You really should get detailed water quality tests done at different times of day over a week to get a better idea of what you are working with so you know how to address it. If your issue is pathogens then you can bleach, super-salinate, or disinfect with UV or ozone. If your issue is excess nutrients you can resolve this with a refugium or denitrifying filter (carbon source, slow flow media reactor, sulphur reactor, or ion exchange resin). If general water quality is the issue, then a protein skimmer, carbon, or mechanical filter may be all you need. If your demand for specific corals are flexible, then I'm sure the water the sea is giving away for free is more than adequate for your purpose, or porpoise for that matter

If you are not getting algae blooms (cyanobacteria or phytoplankton) in your fish farm tank that gets fed a lot I presume, then your reef will be fine. I'm sure you can time your seawater intake so as to assure optimum water quality and collection of plankton for feeding your tank (probably at night).

As usual, your comments and suggestions are great. I need to take notes and keep for later reference.

Originally Posted by PauChi

nahham,

I too, came from a far, far away country of Mt. Kinabalu (Land Below the Wind) and that's why I do know a few Arabic phrases ... and unto a more serious note ... do you intend to "highlight" your massive tank with LED Blue actinics during nightfall? That would be one spectacular radiant glow of Blues ...

Paul

Hello PauChi,

Mt. Kinabalu is amazing!! I spent sometime reading about it: 4000meters high, I want a house right on the peak

As for the design: I am thinking of having an Arabesque design on the front of the tank on both sides of the tank and on the columns and edge of the seating area. The Arabesque design will be raised allowing for LEDs behind the Arabesque and on the bottom edge of the tank. I already bought some sample LEDs:



The LEDs I bought was pretty shiny, and weather-proofed. I don't want it to take away from the tank itself.

I'll try to sketch the design and post it here..

[mike owen]

Wouldn't want to be downriver in an earthquake. What a huge aquarium. They are gonna need more of those if the Chinese keep sending boats a ground at the reef.

[H20ENG]

"I'm leaning towards cancelling the well idea because my pockets are the ones running dry now"

Oh yes, The famed Wallet Pump; THE most efficient pumps ever made, almost over unity devices! They are akin to aiptaisia, always popping up when you least expect them or at the least opportune times! And the suction! Unbelievable!!

I was also thinking that a very large ATS system, with a settling chamber that can be flushed, in line with the fuge would make a good raw water filter.

Not sure what the suspended solids concentration may be there, but a vortex or settling chamber would do wonders for clarity and to keep from loading the display with particulate. Though, with the props, I dont see an issue with settling particulate!

[mr.wilson]

Originally Posted by H20ENG

I was also thinking that a very large ATS system, with a settling chamber that can be flushed, in line with the fuge would make a good raw water filter.

Not sure what the suspended solids concentration may be there, but a vortex or settling chamber would do wonders for clarity and to keep from loading the display with particulate. Though, with the props, I dont see an issue with settling particulate!

Good idea on the oversized ATS. Unlike our home tanks, this one can have a lawn of algae if desired. A shallow algae bed is much more efficient than a deep pool. It will harbour lots of live plankton for feeding the tank. You can harvest it with a pitch fork. If you grow Gracileria sp. algae you can sell it for agar agar production or grow Arthrospira sp. for spirulina. maybe you can get a government grant for developing a new algae farming industry in the region. You have to pay for your well somehow

You will get more evaporation with shallow tanks so monitor salinity carefully. The algae beds (ATS) will also help with detritus settling or at least separation.

You may even be able to farm xenia or some other colonial polyps in a pre-filtering tank. Xenia is a very efficient method of nutrient export and you can sell the byproduct. The other benefit of xenia is the pumping varieties act as a cheap catch all meter for water quality. If your xenia stops pumping, you have an issue to address.

This article by Dr. Ronald Shimek shows the merits of xenia as a method of nutrient export. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-1...ture/index.php

Passive coral farming may be more lucrative than fish farming

[H20ENG]

Plus if your farm fish are herbivores you have a ready supply of free food

[nahham]

Hello,

Sorry dainiusiva, its just a minor update but at least we are moving along.

OK. First of all, let me show you what I 'kinda' have in mind for the design. I mentioned an Arabesque front for the aquarium which will be raised to have LEDs shine behind it. Here is what I'm talking about:



The Arabesque design wouldn't be exactly what is shown here; this is only a sample design which was the easiest to draw in Sketchup. Since we are on this subject, I would like to open it for voting. Here are the designs I'm considering:

MDF Arabesque Designs and Wood Arabesque Designs. I am leaning towards:

MDF: 122, 1666, and 255
Wood: PWJ007 (C71) RISING STAR and PWJ011 (C57)

I would love if people on RC voted on which they think looks better and if one gets a majority vote, I will have it on there . Now that is what I consider a community build .

I myself am leaning towards the MDF partitions because I think the designs look more authentic. If any one is worried about MDF and saltwater, we will be weather-proofing it or getting the same MDF designs in wood (and weather-proofing that as well).

The white areas behind the Arabesque will be lit. I'm thinking either blue or white. Anyone care to share his/her preference here as well?

I'm also planning to have LEDs under the length of the aquarium. I am thinking blue here would be a good fit, but I'm open to suggestions.

Under the "its-not-a-big-deal-but-it-was-a-good-day" section, I am happy to report that we have successfully filled the fish farm while testing one of the pumps without any incidents. Now we need to make the plumbing permanent, a big job if I can say so myself. We will hopefully start tomorrow and if everything goes as planned, we will have water in the tank before the end of the week. Here is a photo of the fish farm filled with water (low quality mobile shot):



I'm waiting for a very helpful person to confirm all my stuff (the circulation pumps and the controller) is ready to be shipped so that I can relax and start preparing for it (and pay ). I should be advertising the good customer service and knowledge but I'm worried I'll be kicked-off RC for it . You know who you are: Thank you!!

[ReefJerk]

Sweet! I wonder if somebody is going to ask you if you're worried about micro-bubbles. Lol!

[KarlBob]

I'm voting for MDF design 1666. My second choice would be wood design C57.

How long did it take that pump to fill the fish farm?

One side filled, one side to go.

[PauChi]

Originally Posted by KarlBob

I'm voting for MDF design 1666.

I Second this as well ...

Paul

[gman107]

1666

[mr.wilson]

Can't you just paint it with ships and cranes like the harbor so it looks invisible

[nahham]

Originally Posted by KarlBob

I'm voting for MDF design 1666. My second choice would be wood design C57.

How long did it take that pump to fill the fish farm?

One side filled, one side to go.

I believe it took a bit less that 3 hrs to fill the fish farm with only 1 pump.