A 750g SPS system is born

[geshields]

We want updates!!! hehe

 

[tompalmbeach]

Hey Doc!

Awesome, talk to you about it when I see you next in the trauma room!!!!

 

[mojoreef]

Come on Alberto lets keep up with the maintence on this thread hey???? lol



Mike

 

[NaH2O]

geshields and tompalmbeach - Welcome to Reef Frontiers!

 

[Angelscrx]

geshields and tompalmbeach - Welcome to Reef Frontiers!

Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!!

 

[dgasmd]

Sorry it has taken me so long for updates. I will update sunday night likely with some pictures, but I guess I can give a verbal run down of what has happened since the last update.

*Lighting: So far the radiums have worked out well. These lumenarc reflectors are worth their weight in gold. After using them now, I can't possibly understand why I ever used anything else.

*Tank: having a glass tank is the best thing I ever did. It is so easy and fast to clean with little to no effort. I run the magnet on each side and in one pass it takes everything out. Just awesome.

*Reactors/dosing: The media reactors I got custom made from GEO worked like a charm. Too good in fact as some of my acros have considerably lighten up in color in the last 2 weeks since replacing the carbon. I got a little heavy handed and used 4 Lb of carbon I am going to cut back on that next time around to maybe 2 Lb monthly instead. The phosban is doing its job well. The kalk reactor is amazing. this thing is set and that is it. The only problem I have had is that about 4 weeks ago the impeller int he MJ1200 that drives it broke off and had no kalk for a couple of days. Replaced it and back to business. The Ca reactor has given me a bit of a headache lately. My old regulator and needle valve were so rusted and old that I tossed them and decided to get a new one. I got this piece of crap from aquatic ecosystems called Azoo. For weeks I could not set it to bubble constantly. It would be going great and after 30-45 min., it would die out. Turns out it was the solenoid that was getting stuck. Hopefully that is over with. I am not so sure I like the schuran media at all. It takes so much CO2 to mantain a 6.2-6.5 pH (proper working pH for it) in the chamber that lots of bubbles accumulate between the media. I may be replacing some if not much of the media for the Korallin media later down the road.

Skimmer: it has been working OK, but skimmate production has not been great. I take out about 1g of dark skimmate every 1.5-2 weeks :shock: :shock: Not much volume really. A different skimmer is still in the drawing board.

Flow: Well, replaced the ABV for 2 more sequence hammerheads. I was surprised to see the flow had decreased some from each end. I think it was because even though I up sized the pipes, 2 pumps with a single intake source are going to get a little choked up. Also, I have been plagued with micro bubbles and small leaks at the pump sites. MDM sent me some new seals to replace a couple and also new volutes for the pumps to hopefully resolve the leaks. I will be up sizing those pipes again and replacing the volutes and seals this weekend. We'll see what happens.

Livestock: Stuff is growing very well. Some much slower than I would like, but everything is growing and coloring well. Fish are all eating well, including the school of 12 squamipinis and 9 Barlett anthias along with all the fairy wrasses.

Cabinet covering: The company that I had hired to do the canopy and stand cover work back in Nov had not showed up yet after 5 months. I fired them and after having to nearly sue them I am slowly getting my money back. I hired the guy that actually built the stand to come do the work and he should begin work in about a week or two hopefully. I can hardly wait for it to be all done........................

Pictures sunday.

 

[bc_slc]

can't wait to see the pics. What makes the lumenarcs so great?

 

[Travis]

This is what makes them so great: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...7&perpage=25&highlight=luminarcs&pagenumber=1
Check out Leishman's pic 1/2 way down the first page.

And here is Sanjay's test results: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/feature.htm

I'm going in on a group buy for 3 LA3's to replace my spider reflectors and can't wait until I get them.

 

[Travis]

Alberto, sorry to hear you keep having problems with the Sequence pumps. Are they fixing everything for free? Are you getting the new black wet ends to replace the cheap clear ones? Is your tank currently covered or at least the perimeter around the top? The one problem I have had with my school of barlett's is that they like to jump. I noticed you have a lot of wrasses in there that like to jump too. What I did was lowered my canopy so it is right on top of the bracing so if any fish try to jump they will hit the canopy wall and fall back in the tank.

 

[Travis]

This is the cheapest place I know of: http://www.aquariausa.com/scripts/

I'm going on a group buy with this club for even cheaper prices: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=361033
The club is not local to me so I will have to have them ship the reflectors to me once they get them in but still a hard to pass up deal.




EDIT Ok Scooterman, I think you are playing tricks on me.:lol: I was just responding to your post about where to get them but by the time I submitted it your post was gone.

 

[mojoreef]

Yea its hard to beat those reflectors for their out put, some pretty impressive numbers.

I have a bunch on order and plan on swaping out mine for them next week. I have a couple left over to for nayone that may be looking for them.


Mike

 

[Scooterman]

EDIT Ok Scooterman, I think you are playing tricks on me.:lol: I was just responding to your post about where to get them but by the time I submitted it your post was gone.

Yes I did, I had a call while I was editing then left so I didn't get to finish, sorry but thanks for the links.

 

[dgasmd]

Travis:

MDM has sent me so far 2 seals and the new black wet ends (volutes) for the pumps for free. But, I have to say that for the amount of good reputation their pumps have, this has been more aggravation I would wish anyone. Now I have 4 pumps with the same 1/3 HP motors, 2 of which have a dark blue (clear) back wet end and a new black front end. The other 2 have a soft blue/purple (clear) back end and a new black end. It is like a freaking rainbow there.

The flow issues I would not attribute to their pumps, but rather my lack of a bit more thinking. These pumps have 1.5" intake and discharges and are low RPM high flow pumps. I up sized all the plumbing before and after to 2". However, each set of 2 pumps are drawing their intake from a single 2" pipe, which on top of it is a bit long. I should have known better that they are going to restrict the intake some. Hopefully going to the 3" common intake will take care of it. I'll post about it when I get it all done this weekend. I have to make my weekly pilgrimage to Lowes today.

 

[Travis]

Alberto, I think we are the "minority" as far as all the issues we had with our pumps. Unfortunately, you had even more problems than me. I'm glad they are taking care of everything for you free of charge.

I suppose the 2" intake would be slightly restrictive. But since the pumps run on the same frequencies (the way the impeller is rotating... hard to explain) I wouldn't think it would hurt too much. FWIW, I have had no problems with a single 3" intake for my 2 5800's. I used to have each of them on their own 3" intake. Then I changed them to both being on the same intake. I didn't notice any change in flow. Do build an eggcrate box or something to go over the intake though. I killed 2 fish and injured a few others running a single 3" intake for the 2 pumps with nothing except a regular strainer.

 

[dgasmd]

Thanks for the tip on the strainer Travis. The way my close loop is going to end up is very similar to now except for the bigger piping in 2 sections. It starts at three 2" intakes that merge onto two 2" T. The single end of each T will go from 2" to 3" and all the way to another 3" T. On each side of the T, there will be a reducer to 2" and from there to the pumps (one on each end of the T. From each pump is 2" all the way to the tank until the very end where each of the 4 outlets have a reducer to 1". You can see what I am talking about in the pictures.
By the way, I also changed the 1" pipe that was the intake to the yellow pump (return) because I was getting so much cavitation from the pump. Aparently these pumps are so strong that the long 1" pipe acted as a strong restriction to it

 

[Travis]

Ahhh, I see. For some unknown reason I was thinking you were going to be going with 3" from the tank but that would mean drilling a glass tank while it is up and running. I guess I wasn't thinking.

 

[dgasmd]

Is your tank currently covered or at least the perimeter around the top? The one problem I have had with my school of barlett's is that they like to jump. I noticed you have a lot of wrasses in there that like to jump too. What I did was lowered my canopy so it is right on top of the bracing so if any fish try to jump they will hit the canopy wall and fall back in the tank.

Travis:

Sorry I missed this part of your question. My tank's top is completely open. I have a 6" glass eurobrace and that is it. No cross braces either. The lights hang from above as you ahve seen in the pictures here and the only thing above the opened surface of the tank are the reflectors. Before I put any fish in the tank, I corresponded with a lot of people about wrasses and such. Saxby has more wrasses in his big tank than you, me, and mojo's total fish count. He says he has never covered the tank, but he has put lots of padding around the edge of the tank so that when fish jump they hit that instead of a hard surface. I decided to leave mine be for the time being and have not put on anything. I doubt I will either. So far, and it has been very little time to judge, nobody has jumped out. I think the main reason is that I still ahve very little fish for the size of the tank and that there is such a huge covered space under the rocks. It also helps to have a 30" tall tank instead of the 24" I had before. I also think that if I ever get a fish to jump, I would never know because my two little dogs would make a snack out of them before I knew it.

All the fish seem very happy so far, but I still cannot keep a mandarin in this tank despite the size. Someone in my current fish population is killing it and I suspect it is either a nasty sebae clown or the the yellow fin fairy wrasse. Likely the latter. I have already gone through 2 large adults and both were found dead the very next day with significant body damage. I will likely try again in a few weeks after I remove the clown. Luckily he sleeps in a corner of the bottom that has nothing around it, so I may be able to just net him when he goes to sleep.

 

[AquariumObsesse]

Hey Alberto...Awesome thread. I am finally ready to assemble my 1250 gallon tank. Im curious to hear some of your thoughts as I get ready for assembly, drilling etc of my beast...

What would you change?
Holes in different locations or more holes?
What do you wish you hadnt done?
Do you like the dimensions? Hard to clean?
How do you like the Diamante glass?
Carbon/Phosphate reactors- Worth running?
Sequence Pumps- Good choice outside of the problems youve had?
Any dead spots?

thanks!
Will

 

[dgasmd]

What would you change?

Given my location in the house and me wanting to see it fron 2 different rooms, I would not change anything. Well, maybe. I would have drilled the holes for close loops for 3" bulkheads instead.

Holes in different locations or more holes?

Not really

What do you wish you hadnt done?

I wished I had done a custom chiller instead with the heat exchanger next tot he sump and the compressor and such outsie. It would allow me to keep it at 110v for controller purposes and would allow me to be controlled by an aquacontroller later on.

Do you like the dimensions? Hard to clean?

Loved them. Wished I had gone 12' long and 5' wide instead Not hard to clean because I can access from both sides of the long panes. Otherwise it would be a killer.

How do you like the Diamante glass?

Very very nice. But as you probably know, you do get some minor distortion with glass 3/4" or bigger. This is only noticeable if you try to take macro shoots.

Carbon/Phosphate reactors- Worth running?

They serve their purpose very well.

Sequence Pumps- Good choice outside of the problems youve had?
Any dead spots?

I seem to have 80% of the problems sequence claims they've had reported in the last year or so from a very large number of pumps sold. I have to think I need a jamaican spiritual voodoo cleansing though. This is a very long story, but these pumps are very quiet, produce no heat virtually, and do move a ton of water. Buy the sequence 1000 series and save yourself some mysery. There are a couple of dead spots here and there, but I am yet to see a tank that does not have any It is minimal though.

 

[AquariumObsesse]

Thanks,

Hows the humidity in the house? What exhaust system are you using?