42 replies to this topic

[Neakit]

some people use spade bits with success others just say use normal drill bits.

[golden_dase]

Wow, I learnt how to use a saw today and did this:




They're weir "combs" and some plastic thingies so fish don't go into the overflow box.
I'm becoming quite a handyman with this project... Not! lol!

[Mudjimba]

Nice work Kevin, looks like it should do the job well.

What's next......constructing a 'fish house'?

cheers

[golden_dase]

Thanks mate.

I'll be playing around with a drill tomorrow... putting holes in some "dead" liverock. We'll see how far I get... lol

Edited by golden_dase, 16 March 2011 - 07:01 PM.

[golden_dase]

Thanks mate.

Haha! Used a drill for the first time today! lmao!
Managed to drill some holes in some "dead" liverocks but gave up after 5 holes due to aches! sheeesh!

Anyways, what do you guys/gals think of these formations?






The tank is still empty coz I'm awaiting my sump which "should" be done in 2 weeks.

Excuse the bad photos. My DSLR is on loan to a mate.

[tranced]

looks good mate are you going to seed all that undead rock with a bit of live stuff

[convict paul]

look good kev! will look spectacular when its done! .
the combs on that over flow box look like the heat sinks on my RAM hahaha

[golden_dase]

Thanks fellas!

Nico, yes I will be adding a bit of liverock to assist with the seeding of the deadrock.
I'll be thanking Pacco for the kind donation of bits of liverock!! hahahahahha!

Edited by golden_dase, 18 March 2011 - 07:54 AM.

[golden_dase]

Here's a picture of the sump and how it is/will be set up. It's currently under-going a freshwater test:

Full shot:

Excuse my plumbing skills. ahahaha!

Right side:

Basically the first section is where water goes in from the Display Tank. An external skimmer will be placed "beside" the tank and sump.
The skimmer pump will also be housed in this section. Output water from the skimmer will be going straight to the return/refugium section.

The "black thing" is tubing from the return pump (via a T-section).

In the middle section are coral pieces and I'll also be adding liverock to assist with filtration. It'll also be useful for adding chemical filtration such as Bio Chem-Zorb etc.


Left side

This will be the refugium which will have abit of liverock with caluepa etc.

The return pump & heater are also in here. Theres a T-section on the return hose so I can adjust how much flow goes back into the main tank. You can't see it, but theres a ball valve behind the tank, on the left-hand side. Water is also plumbed to the first chamber, so if I restrict the flow from the sump-pump to the Display tank, it'll have an alternative route to flow, so theres no stress on the pump.

Can anyone see any issues with this sort of set up?

Edited by golden_dase, 25 March 2011 - 02:51 PM.

[Paddy]

Is that return pump going to be running the skimmer as well? Given the complex pipe system you will be losing some pressure and might not get the kind of turnover through the system you could hope for.

Only other thing is you might thing about using one of your renowned "fish partitions" or similar to keep the caluerpa from blocking up the return pump.

Would also recommend adding more of the crushed coral if you are using it like a DSB as you dont need that much water above

[golden_dase]

The skimmer has it's own pump.

The reason for the T-section is so I can adjust flow. When I closed the flow (for the tube which goes back to the first compartment), the water in the display went all the way to just over the bracing.. Eeeekk!
So I opened the valve abit so the water is split. Display level is now just under the bracing, and any excess water goes back to the first section. By doing this, theres no pressure on the pump due to restricted flow.

The return pump is now sitting in one of those $10 meshed frysaver... lol

I'll be adding some liverock on top of the crushed coral pieces.

Edited by golden_dase, 27 March 2011 - 03:31 PM.

[tranced]

just my humble opinion but i think a deep sand bed would be better in that section? might turn into a detritus trap over time. has that timber been sealed as well? saltwater has a way of seeping into wood and ruining it.

[golden_dase]

Thanks for the suggestion mate. Had a detailed chat to my sump builder (he doesn't want to be named coz he hates building sumps! ). Was advised that a small layer of crushed coral pieces is highly recommended. The remaining space will be some liverock.

Hence why I didn't fill up that section with crushed coral pieces.

Hmm.. sealed timber. What product to use? Also, can it be applied indoors?

[Paddy]

Update!

[golden_dase]

I will soon. Picking up 3x LED units today.
Will post up pics sometime this arvo.

[golden_dase]

A bit of an update for you guys/gals:

What's added:
Natural Saltwater
3x 120W LED lights
Liverock in the sump (and a few small pieces in the Display tank)
Skimmer

* The LEDs are 60% white and 40% blue. Comes with 2 powercords and 3 switches (2 for white LED banks, 1 for blue LED bank). All 3 units are on digital timers.

Lighting schedule:
At night, only blue LEDs are on.
At 6am in the morning, the middle white LEDs switches on,
At 9am the left and right white LEDs switches on,
At 5pm, the left and right LEDs switches off
At 7pm, the middle white LEDs switches off

I'll also be putting a timer on the refugium light. Probably for 10 hours a day.

Some pics

(with all lights on):


with only the blue LEDs


The LEDs are MUCH better/brighter than shown in the pics. When viewed in person, you can see "ripples" on the rocks which is reflected from the water surface.

Sump:



Skimmer:

* My Deltec MCE600 skimmer wouldn't fit my sump/stand so I swapped it with a friend for a Macro Aqua 350P. It is running great!. The tank is only starting to cycle so I don't expect to see "skimmate" for a few days.

Anyways, hoping the cycle will go smooth so I can start adding fish in a few weeks!

Will take better pics when Nick returns my DSLR!

[Neakit]

are you running the fuge light at the same time as the display or are you doing an opposite photo period? also you might want to bump the time to 12 hours, some people even keep it on 24hrs a day.

[golden_dase]

Not sure on the fuge lighting yet. It's currently running a 12w PL light.

[tranced]

perhaps a marine varnish? it would of course require pulling everything down, and you normally need at least 3 coats, with 12-24 hours between each coat... not a small task!