Reed's new start

[reedman]

Penductor.....wasn't I the one that pointed you in that direction for the same reason?

Here's the hitch John.....I have no holes in my sump. I would need a pressure rated submersible pump....tough to come by (though not impossible). I'll look at that a little though. You just need to come over and look at the tank and give me some ideas I think.

 

[jlehigh]

"No holes in sump" I think thats a clinical reef condition "NHIS"
So with submersibles just make sure it has a 3/4" output or greater and is a performer with over 10' of head. Eheim 1262 could work well, but i digress.

If I must stop by I must

 

[reedman]

Lots of ideas to think about. First thing I plan to do is to re-aquascape the tank to try to improve the flow though it. I think I can gain a lot of ground this way, though I am not entirely convinced this will fix all my ails. Maybe a few ales while I aqua scape will help

I'll post the results when I get it there. Thanks again to all for the inputs.

 

[CarlaW]

Lots of ideas to think about. First thing I plan to do is to re-aquascape the tank to try to improve the flow though it. I think I can gain a lot of ground this way, though I am not entirely convinced this will fix all my ails. Maybe a few ales while I aqua scape will help

I'll post the results when I get it there. Thanks again to all for the inputs.

Hey Reed, I hear you on the Tunze!!! Have you tried the Korallia 4's, I hear they do pretty well too. I look forward to seeing the results though, it should be interesting. I will have a ale for you while you think about it.

 

[Blazer88]

I will say that you would probably be very happy with at least one Vortech in there. One thing that not many people talk about is the undertow that these pumps can create. Before I added sand to my tank, I had a few small frags of frogspawn there were near the front of the glass. I turned on the vortech's and noticed the frag started to move across the bottom from the undertow. Stuff just gets "sucked" from the bottom of the tank which is great. You may be able to get away with one but that all depends on how your rock is setup and where the pump is placed. I went with two so I can have them tucked out of the way and get all of the flow that I would ever need. You are more than welcome to stop by and check them out if you are ever in the Bellevue area.

 

[reedman]

Update time....I re-scaped the tank and took out a big rock and that has helped considerably. Also, I have a vortech on the way to hopefully solve my flow issues. I will let you all know how it goes when I get it in the tank. I have to say....I am quite excited to see this thing work. Hopefully this will result in a new thread of powerheads for sale from me

 

[Skimmy]

hey how'd that meshed qo3000 work for the skimmer??
were you able to dial it down enough?? or did it just blow foam out the top...lol

 

[reedman]

hey how'd that meshed qo3000 work for the skimmer??
were you able to dial it down enough?? or did it just blow foam out the top...lol

Actually getting it dialed down wasn't a problem at all. Getting consistent foam was a little more of a challenge. The mesh modded pump seems to be a lot more sensitive to changes in water chemistry (i.e. hand in tank, food, etc.) and the foam tower collapses quickly as a result. I am still dialing it in to get the right consistency in the skimmate, but so far it looks promising. Thanks!

 

[trido]

Well? When do I get to come over to see it in person?

 

[reedman]

Well? When do I get to come over to see it in person?

When the hair algae dies back :badgrin:

 

[CarlaW]

Never sell off your old powerheads Reed!!!! You may need them sometime, and the price ain't gonna get cheaper!!
You aren't gonna rescape and not show pictures, are you.

 

[returnofsid]

Hiya Reed, cube looks great!! For flow, have you considered the MJMods? Based on the reliable MJ1200 but drastically increase and spread out flow. They take up about the same amount of room as a Koralia 3. I have a K3 and MJmod in my 75 and creating LOTS of random flow.

A question...what's the chances of getting a couple pics of mainly the stand, open and closed...and the canopy, open and closed?? I'm going to be setting up a 113 cube, although a strange dimensioned cube...lol, and will be building my own stand and canopy. Like the looks of yours!!

 

[reedman]

Hey Sid, Here's a couple pics of the stand/canopy for you. The canopy is open top as I have learned that trying to vent heat is not fun unless you can use what heat does (rise). I don't have any heat issues in the canopy on this one. This also makes it considerably lighter. Also the lights are all connected to a drawer slide so I can slide them back out of the way when I need in the tank (like to aquascape). I love it so far.

The stand is basically a 4x4 stand with 1/2" ply skin. The skin is purely for looks. The front and left side come off completely to allow full access to the sump and all other equipment. They attach with magnets so there is no external hardware showing when it is all buttoned up. Since it is a 4x4 stand frame I was able to install from shelves like you would in the framing of a wall. Works out nice to hold things like my hydrometer, supplements, test kits and other odds and ends. I am probably going to add some insulation on the doors to lower noise levels more (I am a fanatic about noise....I want silence). If you have other specific questions just let me know.

As a side note...I am by no means a carpenter. This stand/canopy could be made my anyone who has some level of experience running a chop saw, circular saw, drill and sander.

 

[returnofsid]

Well, I am a carpenter and am impressed!! Magnets and drawer slides....BRILLIANT!!! Looks like the actinics are simply strapped to the MH reflector? Does the lighting slide sideways? Can't tell from your pic of the canopy if it's a side shot or not? So top is open and sides are removable?

 

[reedman]

Well Sid, Thank you! That means a lot.

The actinics are held on the reflector using the metal u straps used to hold PVC pipe in place. Lighting slides front to back, you are looking at a pic of the front. For the canopy I only made the front open as I have full access from there. On a bigger tank where you might need side access I would simply make the sides open too. For the stand the front and left side open (in hind site probably should have made the right side open too, but it's OK).

 

[Skimmy]

Actually getting it dialed down wasn't a problem at all. Getting consistent foam was a little more of a challenge. The mesh modded pump seems to be a lot more sensitive to changes in water chemistry (i.e. hand in tank, food, etc.) and the foam tower collapses quickly as a result. I am still dialing it in to get the right consistency in the skimmate, but so far it looks promising. Thanks!

yep, it's a little much for that 2.5" neck, hence your sensitivity issues, i would suggest mabye putting a valve on the air line to adjust it.
and the pump probably went through a "break in" period too, after which it will usually increase in performance as it gets slimmed with bacteria.

 

[tigerarmy40]

I may have missed it but I was wondering what the dims are on yoru tank....I really like yoiur setup so far!

 

[reedman]

dimensions are 34" wide by 31" front to back and 18" tall

 

[jlehigh]

Excellent work getting all of the "crap" aka prized reef keeping stuff in the stand.. I really like how you have the shelves for the tests/additives in there.

 

[reedman]

Excellent work getting all of the "crap" aka prized reef keeping stuff in the stand.. I really like how you have the shelves for the tests/additives in there.

Thanks John. Yeah, it's a little tighter in there than I thought it would be, but that's OK. The shelves were a nice surprise....not planned, but I will take 'em.