Building My 375gal Glass Reef

[GlassReef]

reefrubble, mflamb, leslie hempel, jb61264, TandN, wee_heavy - Thanks, everyone for the very kind compliments. As always, they are much appreciated.

Originally posted by eran
How are both those skimmers working? Is it pulling what you thought they would or do you not have enough bio-load yet? Would love to see a full tank shot.

They were pulling great! So well that I've shut one of them down. There is just not enough bio-load yet.

Originally posted by polyped
What type of PVC glue did Tom use? I dont see any runs. Guess I shouldnt expect to since everything else on the tank is perfect.

As oosurfin mentioned, I always make sure to use a clear primer. You can't normally find it at the big box stores, but specialty shops usually carry it. Works great and makes for a very clean setup.

Originally posted by H20ENG
I built some stuff from the expanded PVC sheet and no glue I tried would stick the stuff together. I ended up using a pocket hole jig and stainless screws (all dry stuff like skimmer stands, etc). What did you use?

Great minds think alike! I also use mostly pocket hole joinery (my trusty Kreg Jig) together with epoxy glue. Works great and results in a surprisingly strong joint.

[GlassReef]

Originally posted by edandsandy
WELCOME BACK TOM!
We missed you

Thanks Sandy! My goodness, you didn't waste much time! I'll get right over to your thread and bring myself up-to-date, just as soon as I'm finished with a couple of posts, here.

[eran]

glad to see you back!!!!

[GlassReef]

OK, I'll try to get everything up-to-date as far as the fishroom, etc. is converned.

Over the past four or five weeks I started having troubles with my automated water change system. Some of you might remember I was using a Masterflex peristaltic pump driven setup:





The problem was that, although the Masterflex system worked very dependably and accurately, it was just too loud. I think the Masterflex pump heads were designed for an industrial environment. As such they just aren't very quiet. Anyway, I decided to replace the Masterflex pump with my LiterMeter III. I had been using my LiterMeter to dose my three part (2 part plus magnesium) supplements, so I needed a replacement. Buying another LM was just too expensive. After looking around for a while I decided to go with Drew's Pump from Bulk Reef Supply. Seemed like just the ticket.



The pumps dose 1.6mL per minute, so the dosing capacity was perfect. My system needs approx. 130mL a day of each suppliment. I needed a way of turning the pumps on and off a number of times each day and making sure the on times were exactly regulated.

Electronic timers were the obvious solution. I had experience with timers from Woods and found them to be extremely easy to use and very reliable. They provide up to eight ON-OFF cycles per 24 hours and most importantly, in our wet environments, 3-prong (grounded) sockets:



I built three little "dosing stations", each comprised of an electrical outlet box, an electronic timer, and one of the Drew's peristaltic pumps:



Together, the three stations pull the supplements from 2-1/2gal flasks located below the station:

[reefrubble]

Welcome back Tom . We missed you very much. I have been learning a lot from you , and your build . Ted

[edandsandy]

Originally posted by GlassReef
Thanks Sandy! My goodness, you didn't waste much time! I'll get right over to your thread and bring myself up-to-date, just as soon as I'm finished with a couple of posts, here.

Tom,
I guess you could say, I was at the right place at the right time.
Again, "I will say We missed you and glad to have you back"

[GlassReef]

As I mentioned, my system needs approx. 130mL of each supplement (Alk, Ca, and Mg). I decided to take full advantage of the timers' 8 cycles-per-day capability. It's not a good idea to dose the supplements simultaneously (especially Ca and Alk) due to the probability of precipitation, so I set the timer's up in a staggered fashion. Each supplement is set up to be dosed 8 times a day for 10 minutes. That makes 80 minutes X 1.6mL = 128mL - very close to the 130mL I was shooting for.

The Alk is dosed at 12:00, 03:00, 06:00, 09:00 - both A.M. and P.M.
The Ca is dosed at 01:00, 0400, 07:00, 10:00 - both A.M. and P.M.
The Alk is dosed at 02:00, 05:00, 08:00, 11:00 - both A.M. and P.M.

You can see that the doses are staggered one hour apart and no two supplements are dosed at one time.

All in all, I have found this setup to be very practical. It is amazing how stable the system's parameters are. I have the Alk stuck to 8.3, the Ca at 440, and Mg at 1350. The supplement jugs only need to be refilled once every two months. Beats the heck out of using a Ca-reactor!

Oh, almost forgot - the supplements are pumped through normal 1/4" RO tubing. The three lines are enclosed in a 3/4" PVC pipe that runs along three walls of the fishroom - from the dosing station to the sump:

[GlassReef]

eran, reefrubble - Thanks guys - glad to be back!

BTW - Ted, I'll be going to the conference in Orlando on Saturday. Any interest?

[Lightsluvr]

Now we can start harrassing you for more pictures!



LL

[Elliott]

Tom, I really like your dosing pump set up, you have me thinking

[GlassReef]

Originally posted by Lightsluvr Now we can start harrassing you for more pictures!

- I just happen to have a few ready to go. They're on the way ....

Originally posted by Elliott
Tom, I really like your dosing pump set up, you have me thinking

Hey Elliott! Nice to hear from you. All I can say is - I spent lotsa years trying to get a Ca-reactor "dialed in" , this is a LOT BETTER!!

[Elliott]

Originally posted by GlassReef


Hey Elliott! Nice to hear from you. All I can say is - I spent lotsa years trying to get a Ca-reactor "dialed in" , this is a LOT BETTER!!

I've been trying to reach a steady state with my Ca reactor for some time, without much success, my alk is always fluctuating significantly (7-11), I believe it's a major determinant to successfully keeping SPS, I plan to adopt your system when the kids get back in school, thanks Tom!

[GlassReef]

I don't have any decent FTS yet - I'm still looking for some usable panorama stitching software - but I thought I'd post a few closeups, just to show that there is life in the tank.

This is a Golden Birdsnest frag. It's growing well, but like most other corals in the tank, slowly losing color:



I was given some Green Button Polyps. They too grow fine but are losing color:



This female is 1/2 of a Percula pair I bought. They were originally ORA broodstock. She is 3+ inches long. I think, about the largest Percula I've ever personally encountered. The male is half her size:



This little guy is my favorite! He's always sticking his nose into everyone else's business - but he's harmless. Eats like a pig:



I have 21 fish in the DT:

1 Starry Blenny
1 Canary Blenny
2 Royal Grammas (mated pair)
3 Yellow Tangs
1 Purple Tang
3 Blue-green Chromis
1 Flame Hawk
2 Percula Clowns (mated pair)
7 Lyretail Anthias

Of the seven Lyretails two are normal males, four are females, and one is a "Super Male". The super male turned in the tank. It was very interesting watching the change. He's a gorgeous purple - I'll try to get some decent pics.

All the fish seem to be doing very well. They're all fat and happy. The Grammas have mated a couple of times. The yellow tangs got along well, at first, so I thought I was going to be lucky. As they grew a little older, though, it turned out it's two males and a female. The two males go at it quite a bit, but at least 'til now, it's been nothing serious. The purple tang is the absolute boss of the tank - what he/she says goes ...

All the

[reefrubble]

Tom , you got me thinking about chucking my calcium reactor , and building a set up like your's .

Ted

[GlassReef]

Originally posted by Elliott
I've been trying to reach a steady state with my Ca reactor for some time, without much success, my alk is always fluctuating significantly (7-11), I believe it's a major determinant to successfully keeping SPS ...

As I mentioned earlier, I never really felt that any reactor gave me stable parameters. With dosing, you can get very stable results. My Alk sticks at 8.0 dKH -every once in a while it may test at 7.9 or 8.1, but thats it. The next day it's back to 8.0

BTW - if anyone is interested in what I dose, amounts, etc. Let me know - I'd be glad to write it up.

[GlassReef]

Originally posted by reefrubble
Tom , you got me thinking about chucking my calcium reactor, and building a set up like your's.

Hi Ted. I'm not really trying to get anyone to change from their method to mine. That said, if you're one of the many people that have trouble with reactors (and many don't), supplement dosing is a great way to go, IMHO.

[Lightsluvr]

Originally posted by GlassReef
As I mentioned earlier, I never really felt that any reactor gave me stable parameters. With dosing, you can get very stable results. My Alk sticks at 8.0 dKH -every once in a while it may test at 7.9 or 8.1, but thats it. The next day it's back to 8.0

BTW - if anyone is interested in what I dose, amounts, etc. Let me know - I'd be glad to write it up.

I'd like to know more...how you established the need (trial and error), your doing system, etc.

Thanks.

LL

[GlassReef]

Originally posted by Lightsluvr
I'd like to know more...how you established the need (trial and error), your doing system, etc.

My experience with dosing originated in Germany in the mid 90's. The Balling Method of dosing was becoming popular. The "full" Balling Method is complex and can be rather expensive. Simplified (and cheaper) versions of the method were quickly developed - that is what I use. Basically the method entails the dosing of:

1. Alk in the form of sodium hydrogen carbonate (soda ash)
2. Calcium in the form of calcium chloride dihydrate
3. Magnesium in the form of a mixture of magnesium chloride hexahydrate and magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (Epsom Salts) in a ratio of approx. 5 to 3
4. If desired trace elements, such as strontium, iodide, potassium, etc. can be dosed - mixed with the main supplements.

As you can see, the simplified Balling Dosing Method is almost exactly what is normally called 2-part supplementation +Mg, here in the States. Randy Holmes-Farley has written many articles in the ReefKeeping Mag. about the 2-part method. As a matter of fact, I think he is generally credited with developing it.

Dosing of the 3 main supplements (Alk, Ca, Mg) is based on the system's need for ALK. Once the Alk level has been stabilized, at the desired level, and assuming the supplement solutions have been mixed correctly, the levels of Ca and Mg will automatically range around the needed values.

The original formulas I learned in Germany required that 1 gram of chemical be added to 16mL of RO water. This is for Alk and Ca. Mg was a little different - the correct formula was 1 gram of the magnesium chloride-magnesium sulfate mix to 26mL of RO water.

That's the way I learned it. Using those formulas dosing was accomplished by supplying .025 grams of the Alk and Ca per day per gallon of system water. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? It was. It can all be done much simpler. Read the articles by Randy or check out one of RC's sponsor sites like BRS - they have the whole thing described in detail and in very simple terms.

As for my system, here are the formulas I use:

Alk - 4 cups (32oz) sodium hydrogen carbonate in 2gals RO/DI water.
Ca - 4 cups (32oz) calcium chloride dihydrate in 2gals RO/DI water.
Mg - 1.6 cups (12.8oz) magnesium chloride hexahydrate and 1 cup (8oz) magnesium sulfate heptahydrate in 2gals RO/DI water.

I started dosing at a rate of .4mL per gallon of EACH solution per day. As my frag and fuge tanks are not yet on-line that means .4 X 330gals = 132mL of each solution per day.

Before I started dosing I made sure my Alk, Ca, and Mg params were in line by first testing - then I added supplements in an amount necessary to get the values to my desired level (Alk 8.0, Ca 440, Mg 1350). I used one of the various on-line calculators to determine how much I needed to dose to get the params where they were supposed to be. Important Note - you should not raise Alk etc. too quickly. Probably 1 dKH per day should be the max - but don't take my word for it. Read the great articles by Randy on the subject. You can find them in the RKM archives.

When I started dosing I performed an Alk test every day until I got a feel for where the value was going. In my case it was perfect, I didn't have to make any adjustments. If the value is going up or down, it's a simple matter of adjusting the electronic timers to raise or lower the dosing times, as the case may be. If you raise (or lower)the Alk dosing times, then you should raise Ca and Mg also.

Right now each of my three dosers is on for 10 minutes at a time 8 times a day. One quickly gets to the point where their params are totally stable.

Hoped this helped.

[Lightsluvr]

Thanks, Tom

[mseepman]

So glad to have you back Tom...this is one of my favorite threads!

[Jhardain]

Welcome back Tom!!!

[Jhardain]

Bah laggy connection I guess caused this double post.

[H20ENG]

Thanks Tom,
I stopped short of using epoxy on the PVC sheet, once I used the pocket screws. Regular PVC glue would melt the inner "foamed" layer, but not the compressed outer skin. Speaking with James (Acrylics), straight THF would have worked, but it would be hard to get, and frankly too darned toxic to have around IMO.

Installation cleanliness is something I always strive for in my projects. You have done an excellent job on yours, as well as your writing style and amount if useful information. Great project and great thread!

Thanks,
Chris

[GlassReef]

mseepman, Jhardain - thanks guys. Feels good posting again. I should have started earlier.

[GlassReef]

Originally posted by H20ENG
Installation cleanliness is something I always strive for in my projects. You have done an excellent job on yours, as well as your writing style and amount if useful information. Great project and great thread!

Chris, when I first started visiting Reef Central I quickly discovered that H2OENG was a handle to watch for. Always good information, always great ideas and practical solutions. Compliments coming from you are especially appreciated. Thanks so much!