Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread - Page 15

melev · 05/21/2006, 09:52 PM

Yep, that is exactly why it will never happen again.

danmp18 · 05/22/2006, 06:11 AM

Nice work on the light rack Marc. Your DIY skills never cease to amaze me.

Any other projects rolling around in your brain that you need us to talk you into? We can be very persuasive.

Worked with the wood work right!?! Oh wait......nevermind.

melev · 05/22/2006, 07:12 AM

I'd like to incorporate my seahorse tank into the main system, so that they share the same water. Two issues: cooler temperatures and lower salinity seem to be their preference. I've not quite figured out how to make both work well enough on their own to pull it off.

It would be nice if I had a very slow return going up to the seahorse tank that turns it over maybe 2x per hour, and a fan blowing down on the surface to cool it sufficiently. That might work, but I may end up having to heat the tank all night as the fan overcools it.

The salinity thing is tougher. I'd need a little RO/DI water added to lower it before it enters the tank, but not too much.

My goal seems to be getting more and more toward one community system instead of all these separate tanks to care for.

Travis · 05/22/2006, 03:14 PM

The temperature control would be the easy part. You could control the fan on a ranco controller with the probe in the seahorse tank.

The salinity control would also be easy but also very expensive. First, you would need a conductivity controller with the probe mounted in the seahorse tank. You could then hook this up to a dosing pump that doses RO/DI water to the seahorse tank. This wouldn't affect the salinity of the main system because this would be considered "top-off" water and would just cause your top-off system to add that much less water each day.

So it certainly is "doable". But is the extra cost worth the reduced maintenance?

original-reefland · 05/22/2006, 07:07 PM

I don't think salinity would be that simple. Since its connected to the main system, incoming water is always high and you're always feeding low salinity to the main system. It won't be long before the main system salinity drops.

grochmal · 05/23/2006, 07:06 AM

Wouldn't that apply to temperature as well?

Micki · 05/23/2006, 07:27 AM

Marc, what is the prefered salinity for the horses?

grochmal, you can control the horse tank with the fan since that is a smaller amount of water. It basically heats the new incoming water at the horse tank but the main tank stays warmer.

Micki · 05/23/2006, 07:27 AM

Marc, what is the prefered salinity for the horses?

grochmal, you can control the horse tank with the fan since that is a smaller amount of water. It basically cools the new incoming water at the horse tank but the main tank stays warmer.

Micki · 05/23/2006, 07:27 AM

Marc, what is the prefered salinity for the horses?

grochmal, you can control the horse tank with the fan since that is a smaller amount of water. It basically cools the new incoming water at the horse tank but the main tank stays warmer.

grochmal · 05/23/2006, 07:33 AM

The fan will cool the water in the seahorse tank, but that cool water will drain back to the sump and be replaced by warmer sump water eventually equalizing it all out.
Unless the flow through the seahorse tank is very very slow.
If all the water is connected together I don't see how you can vary salinity or temperature (noticeably) in one part of the system.

Micki · 05/23/2006, 07:36 AM

In my system the flow through the horse tank is VERY slow. It would be easy to regulate the temperature. To me the salinity would be a problem.

melev · 05/23/2006, 03:09 PM

Well, I had Casper's tank at reef salinity (1.026), but the seahorse experts recommended I keep it at a lower salinity like 1.021 sg.

Micki · 05/23/2006, 05:33 PM

Ok gotcha. Thanks...

Micki · 05/23/2006, 05:33 PM

Ok gotcha. Thanks...

Micki · 05/23/2006, 05:33 PM

Ok gotcha. Thanks...

Micki · 05/23/2006, 05:34 PM

Ok, this is goofy!

melev · 05/24/2006, 03:10 PM

Today I built a VHO Testing Station to figure out what is going on with my VHO lighting. I have a bunch of IceCap ballasts, and figured this would be the easiest way to determine what was faulty.

Using an extra harness, some end caps, a 2x6 and two used bulbs, I got to work.

I had a couple of IceCap 430s in the back up pile, and they both lighted the 6' bulbs. Then I took the "new" 660 that I recently tried using, and nothing. Next I got the original 430 and hooked it up, and it also didn't work.

For now, I have it working again, and will send in the bad ballasts for repair.

physicslord · 05/24/2006, 03:23 PM

Are those the real ICECAPS or the weird ones that are made in china and sold under the ICECAP label?

I heard those people are really helpful anyway.

physicslord · 05/24/2006, 03:55 PM

By the way Marc, your website was pretty helpful.

I was able to convince my GF that a sump and a refugium could fit snugly under a 55G fish tank stand, and there would be no ugliness (like previous setups).

-Eddie

melev · 05/24/2006, 04:34 PM

These are IceCap ballasts as far as I know.

Eddie, did you see the latest webpage I put up last night about installing a sump? It is in my Personal Log.

veasna · 05/24/2006, 05:05 PM

Marc,

Great page on the installing a sump! Very educational and as usualy your work is very professional.

-Veasna

Micki · 05/24/2006, 05:45 PM

Just saw your sqwd wavemaker page. I would love to have some more movement in my tank, but I don't want to add any power heads to the main tank.

vanmo92 · 05/24/2006, 06:52 PM

Beautiful tank marc

melev · 05/24/2006, 07:12 PM

Thank you.

Micki, that SCWD page has been up for years. You've been slackin' off.

LoneStarSA · 05/24/2006, 07:31 PM

*gasp* *gasp*.......I need visine!!!!

I made it to the LAST page finally. This thread started before I even started in the hobby, but just stumbled into it 2 weeks ago. Funny to see all the SAME trials and errors in it. lol Just wish I found it a little over 1 year ago when started reefing.

Great write up. A definite must for anyone setting up any tank, let alone a large one.

And I keep getting this strange feeling you have a website or something Melev......hahaha

05/22/2006, 03:14 PM	#354
Travis 10 and over club Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 5,525	The temperature control would be the easy part. You could control the fan on a ranco controller with the probe in the seahorse tank. The salinity control would also be easy but also very expensive. First, you would need a conductivity controller with the probe mounted in the seahorse tank. You could then hook this up to a dosing pump that doses RO/DI water to the seahorse tank. This wouldn't affect the salinity of the main system because this would be considered "top-off" water and would just cause your top-off system to add that much less water each day. So it certainly is "doable". But is the extra cost worth the reduced maintenance? __________________ TOTM August 08 An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Current Tank Info: 280 sps w/ 75 LPS, 75 refugium, 120 sump

05/22/2006, 07:07 PM	#355
original-reefland Reefer Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: New York Posts: 2,177	I don't think salinity would be that simple. Since its connected to the main system, incoming water is always high and you're always feeding low salinity to the main system. It won't be long before the main system salinity drops. __________________ Rich Durso Visit My Chunk of the Ocean, click the Red House above. Current Tank Info: 180G Oceanic SPS/Clams/LPS, AB Aquaspace Light 3x250w AB 14K HQI with 4x24w PC Actinic, 2x80w T5, Dual Tunze 6100 and Vortec (10,000 GPH), Euro Reef RC-500 Skimmer.

05/23/2006, 07:06 AM	#356
grochmal Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 647	Wouldn't that apply to temperature as well? __________________ Jeff Current Tank Info: 125 gallon bare-bottom reef, 6' Maristar light, Tunze streams, 55 gallon sump, ASM G3 skimmer, RDSB

05/23/2006, 07:27 AM	#357
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Marc, what is the prefered salinity for the horses? grochmal, you can control the horse tank with the fan since that is a smaller amount of water. It basically heats the new incoming water at the horse tank but the main tank stays warmer. __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

05/23/2006, 07:27 AM	#358
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Marc, what is the prefered salinity for the horses? grochmal, you can control the horse tank with the fan since that is a smaller amount of water. It basically cools the new incoming water at the horse tank but the main tank stays warmer. __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

05/21/2006, 09:52 PM	#351
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Yep, that is exactly why it will never happen again.

05/22/2006, 06:11 AM	#352
danmp18 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Warsaw IN Posts: 13	Nice work on the light rack Marc. Your DIY skills never cease to amaze me. Any other projects rolling around in your brain that you need us to talk you into? We can be very persuasive. Worked with the wood work right!?! Oh wait......nevermind.

05/22/2006, 07:12 AM	#353
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	I'd like to incorporate my seahorse tank into the main system, so that they share the same water. Two issues: cooler temperatures and lower salinity seem to be their preference. I've not quite figured out how to make both work well enough on their own to pull it off. It would be nice if I had a very slow return going up to the seahorse tank that turns it over maybe 2x per hour, and a fan blowing down on the surface to cool it sufficiently. That might work, but I may end up having to heat the tank all night as the fan overcools it. The salinity thing is tougher. I'd need a little RO/DI water added to lower it before it enters the tank, but not too much. My goal seems to be getting more and more toward one community system instead of all these separate tanks to care for.

05/23/2006, 07:27 AM	#359
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Marc, what is the prefered salinity for the horses? grochmal, you can control the horse tank with the fan since that is a smaller amount of water. It basically cools the new incoming water at the horse tank but the main tank stays warmer. __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

05/23/2006, 07:33 AM	#360
grochmal Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 647	The fan will cool the water in the seahorse tank, but that cool water will drain back to the sump and be replaced by warmer sump water eventually equalizing it all out. Unless the flow through the seahorse tank is very very slow. If all the water is connected together I don't see how you can vary salinity or temperature (noticeably) in one part of the system. __________________ Jeff Current Tank Info: 125 gallon bare-bottom reef, 6' Maristar light, Tunze streams, 55 gallon sump, ASM G3 skimmer, RDSB

05/23/2006, 07:36 AM	#361
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	In my system the flow through the horse tank is VERY slow. It would be easy to regulate the temperature. To me the salinity would be a problem. __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

05/23/2006, 03:09 PM	#362
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Well, I had Casper's tank at reef salinity (1.026), but the seahorse experts recommended I keep it at a lower salinity like 1.021 sg.

05/23/2006, 05:33 PM	#363
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Ok gotcha. Thanks... __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

05/23/2006, 05:33 PM	#364
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Ok gotcha. Thanks... __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

05/23/2006, 05:33 PM	#365
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Ok gotcha. Thanks... __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

05/23/2006, 05:34 PM	#366
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Ok, this is goofy! __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

05/24/2006, 03:10 PM	#367
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Today I built a VHO Testing Station to figure out what is going on with my VHO lighting. I have a bunch of IceCap ballasts, and figured this would be the easiest way to determine what was faulty. Using an extra harness, some end caps, a 2x6 and two used bulbs, I got to work. I had a couple of IceCap 430s in the back up pile, and they both lighted the 6' bulbs. Then I took the "new" 660 that I recently tried using, and nothing. Next I got the original 430 and hooked it up, and it also didn't work. For now, I have it working again, and will send in the bad ballasts for repair.

05/24/2006, 03:23 PM	#368
physicslord Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Santa Cruz Posts: 469	Are those the real ICECAPS or the weird ones that are made in china and sold under the ICECAP label? I heard those people are really helpful anyway. __________________ a border collie is my pilot animal Current Tank Info: 12 gal. JBJ nanoDX, BB, 2x24W PC lighting, JBJ ballast, Maxijet 400 powerhead, Hagen Tronic 100W heater, Red Sea 60 skimmer with Hagen Elite 802 pump.

05/24/2006, 03:55 PM	#369
physicslord Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Santa Cruz Posts: 469	By the way Marc, your website was pretty helpful. I was able to convince my GF that a sump and a refugium could fit snugly under a 55G fish tank stand, and there would be no ugliness (like previous setups). -Eddie __________________ a border collie is my pilot animal Current Tank Info: 12 gal. JBJ nanoDX, BB, 2x24W PC lighting, JBJ ballast, Maxijet 400 powerhead, Hagen Tronic 100W heater, Red Sea 60 skimmer with Hagen Elite 802 pump.

05/24/2006, 04:34 PM	#370
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	These are IceCap ballasts as far as I know. Eddie, did you see the latest webpage I put up last night about installing a sump? It is in my Personal Log.

05/24/2006, 05:05 PM	#371
veasna Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 21	Marc, Great page on the installing a sump! Very educational and as usualy your work is very professional. -Veasna

05/24/2006, 05:45 PM	#372
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Just saw your sqwd wavemaker page. I would love to have some more movement in my tank, but I don't want to add any power heads to the main tank. __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

05/24/2006, 06:52 PM	#373
vanmo92 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Silverthorne, CO. Posts: 2,045	Beautiful tank marc __________________ PBITAWA Current Tank Info: 72 gallon bow Mixed Reef 1 fw tank

05/24/2006, 07:12 PM	#374
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Thank you. Micki, that SCWD page has been up for years. You've been slackin' off.

05/24/2006, 07:31 PM	#375
LoneStarSA Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Neither here nor there Posts: 160	gasp gasp.......I need visine!!!! I made it to the LAST page finally. This thread started before I even started in the hobby, but just stumbled into it 2 weeks ago. Funny to see all the SAME trials and errors in it. lol Just wish I found it a little over 1 year ago when started reefing. Great write up. A definite must for anyone setting up any tank, let alone a large one. And I keep getting this strange feeling you have a website or something Melev......hahaha