Scooties Project "X"

[mojoreef]

Right on Scotty it looks real tight.


Mike

 

[Damsel13]

Wow looks great! It's so fun to see the progress. I never was that crazy about Tonga branch till I saw yours. It's fantastic!!!!!!! Way cool. Your whole tank/stand is really fantastic looking. Thanks for sharing all the pictures.

 

[Scooterman]

New power strip, I figured I better make something safer than the cheapy power strip I was using. These are very easy to make & worth having. it should last a real long time. all outlets are Mid-duty 15A rated, all 12awg wire, I plan on not over using this one as I will eventually make another for the other side of the tank, for more power hungry devices like lights & a chiller. I have room to add another few boxes & power cord if necessary, It is plugged into a GFCI! Not painted yet, not the prettiest thing but well worth having IMO!

 

[Scooterman]

I will add one more showing that I did close off the bottom!

 

[class clown]

Cool Scooty - was waiting for some pics. Hey, so are these hard wired to your circuit breaker or is it like an actual powerstrip where you have a plug that plugs into an outlet?

 

[Scooterman]

Yea, I have it plugged into a dedicated GFCI outlet, that is why I rated it 15A even though I used 12g wire.

 

[Frankie]

Just finished reading this thread and i have to say great job Scooterman! I really like the coast to coast and the look of the 14k on that rock. Very sweet. I look forward to seeing this reef grow.

 

[james734]

Scooter,

This has came a long way.. Looking good..

 

[Krish]

Where's the chiller???? Hurry up with the pics!!!

 

[Scooterman]

Had a chiller bug
No went to try & get it online tonight & found out my PVC glue was all dried up
Hey Frankie & James thanks for the the kind words!

 

[Damsel13]

What's up with the tank? Hope all is well.

 

[Scooterman]

Well been lots of negative problems lately, so let me explain some, not much to show otherwise. Well after issues with the MBV a while back I had to take it down again, it started squeaking really bad, so I tried it a few weeks with no Teflon seats (These are used to seal the ball internally when switching ports)! This lasted a while with good results but without the seats it left too much play & the ball stated a knock after every other rotation, so I had to take it down again. The last set of Teflon seats were twisted & ruined but thankfully I had an extra set from when I had to return the original ball, didn't need then at the time. So this last time I installed the seats but adjusted the inner seal as loose as I could & still mount the valve in place, it was a tight fit but knock on wood been very quite for at least a week now. If this still gives me problems I have a back-up plan!! Last week I called Paul @ OM, we had a very long talk & found a few interesting things going on with him & the OM units, he is building some that allow PLC or some sort of controller to control the unit. This is great news, I can get a custom 4-way to replace the three way ball valve & use it like the three way LOL If that makes sense. He will add a high end proximity switch so I can use the unit with my PLC & just simplify the program & even add a feeding function, speed it up & down throughout the day etc & this unit was designed for continual use unlike the 25% duty cycle of the MBV. If you already have a controller the modified unit would cost close to the same as the Hayward MBV & should preform flawlessly for a longer time. I find the mechanical portion of the MBV too problematic under dirtier conditions as any build-up will result in failure or noise problems as I have pre-maturely IMO LOL:evil: the results are very costly on my part & will slow down my progress as this hasn't been the only issue I've recently encountered.
The chiller!!
I first ordered a chiller months ago, well the company had issues & long story short I have to get my money back after a very long & timely process with my credit card company. So I finally get the go to make another on-line purchase, (remember to always check with the BBB, It is worth it) so I get the chiller finally, only slight shipping delays but never the less I got it. Timing was bad so it sat a while before I got a chance to get it installed, guess what?? :doubt: Yes chiller had a freon leak during shipping! The good news is the service at Aqua-Logic is super awesome! They sent a replacement out that day & on top of that arrange pick-up of the defective unit, get this NO Charge on freight, nothing! The new unit works but I don't have it running, I need to order a custom water storage tank so I can relocate it up top the stand or maybe inside the stand so I can allow plenty of air circulation for the chiller, it needs free air to really work well, also I found that returning the water to the main display works much better than trying to return it back into the sump, this reduces the cooling a good bit from what I've seen. So yes not much to show but there is some progress I hope, Financially this tank is a strain on my pocket book, with all of the other costly problems I've been encountering lately It will not progress as quickly as I would like, so for the time being It is a simple FO tank! I have to get ironed out things that aren't reliable, If your going to stay in this hobby you need to have equipment made well, easy to maintain, long lasting & most of all reliable under normal conditions of a brutal reef tank full of hot lighting, saltwater everywhere not to mention the slimy gunk that tends to build up when plumbing & pumps aren't cleaned as often as we would like.

 

[Maxx]

Forward progress is still moving forward, even if its just baby steps...

Besides, if everything worked perfectly, and went as planned.....would this hobby be as rewarding?

A friend of mine from the Marines had just spent a long arduous weekend with his girlfriend. She lived in another state, and they didnt get to see each other as often as they wanted to, and this weekend had been spent arguing and bickering. At the end of it, (over a couple of beers) he told me something that struck a chord in me...
He compared relationships to riding a see saw....its not nearly as fun staying level then it is to go up and down...

Reefkeeping is kinda like that...

Not to sound like a Zen Pollyanna or anything like that....but its that mindset that keeps me going when things get me bundged up and annoyed with this hobby...

Nothing good comes easy. Everything in this world I value and hold dear, I've had to work for...

Nick

 

[Frankie]

Good stuff Nick! I have also been through a lot with my reef keeping hobby, yet i strive on knowing one day i will have a thriving reef to be proud of. I am proud of what i have accomplished so far. All the stuff i go through just makes me stronger. Hang in there Scooter! your tank is awesome and never give up hope on your dreams. Man the chiller thing you went through stinks! i remember going through the same thing when my drop in snapped at the point where the titanium meets the copper line. that chiller cost me $16k. I still have it in the garage but have a $600 one now on the tank. Not as good but dose the job. I have come to learn to say, "it is what it is" in this hobby.

 

[Scooterman]

Well I know how that See Saw thing goes, It hits me at times & I wonder why am I doing this, then after a cooling period I think about what would I do If I didn't have a tank. LOL I'd be dreaming of what I wanted again in no time, after 28 or so years of keeping some sort of a glass box full of water It would be difficult to ever go without, thanks guys for the kind words, It helps!

 

[Scooterman]

Thought I'd give a tank update, Don't have any drastic picks of things changed or added, so I'll save them for next update. This past rainy weekend, I was able to add a 24" florescent in the sump area, it is a great help as I've been blind all this time. I also added another small light in the side cabinet where I keep all of the controls, ATO, chiller controller & mis. equipment, also another big help. I've also drilled a few good size holes in the side cabinet to allow power cords to be run shorter, neater & easier access, I find adding certain things after the fact is difficult, any task over the sump is difficult, even though the main outlet is central as designed I should of relocated it on one side & then added another on the opposite end because of easier access. I do plan on adding another 2 gang outlet on the far right later if necessary, still in debate right now. I was able to drill yet another hole behind the tank & add another 3/4" PVC pipe for the chiller return, then I ran it out to the side of the stand with clamps for support, this came out nice. I need to make a minor change & shorten the outlet but it will work out nicely, another thing I would of planned better next time I guess would of been to run those lines way ahead of time. Ok, I woke up Monday for work & heard something funny from the tank, well the ATO top off switch failed, the back up top-off did work but I filled the sump with 3" of water. I called Oceanaus & they are sending replacement level switches free, I think what happened is that one switch the silicone seal was broken & water got inside it, as you may or may not know these switches aren't designed to be submerged, water can ruin these. I plan on upgrading them to optical switches at a later date, stay tuned! Ok back to the chiller, after lots of reading, tinkering etc, I find like they say, you must have a lot of air space for them to run efficiently, it makes a big difference in cooling & run time, mine required 6" of space for the suction part & 12" or air space behind to blow that heat out, anything in the way promotes bad air flow & causes the cooling efficiency to go way down. Well my 30g Rubbermaid RO/DI holding tank even though is 12" behind it, still blocks too much air flow, so I need to relocate it. What I plan is building a 2x4 framed stand to put the chiller in that will be open front, back & side next to the stand. The RO tub will sit on top of this framed stand, the only sad thing is this reduces my side access, which is nice to have at times, I'll still be able to get there if I move the stand but it will be a lot to do, I could crawl in the box probably, not much choice when your limited on space. Ok last update for now, I called the filter guys & questioned about my RO/DI unit, told them I needed more water but was having issues going through many carbon blocks & this reducing water out after a few thousand gallons processed. These guys are great service, he looked up my cities yearly water statements & with that information we changed the pre-filter & the carbon block filter because of what was founds, this should last a lot longer now & thus not necessary to replace as much carbon blocks as I was. I also got another RO unit to piggy back the other & convert my system from 2.5 gallons per hour to slightly over 7 gallons per hour, less waste more water shorter amount of time, I need the extra water. I also got a few adapters & plan on relocating the RO/DI unit to the wash room, this will allow me later run a line to the tub from this room. I'll fish the line in the attic, over to the 30g tub & be able to fill it without moving a thing, this will be a later project. I need to figure out how to protect the line from mice, at times I get one up in the attic, even though I plugged up every possible hole around the house usually one or two may sneak in during the winter, they love plastic to chew on, I don't need water in the walls etc. so Ideas are welcomed. One thing I forgot to mention, I have one peppermint shrimp, one hippo tang & one true perk, been doing great for some time, I have added 4 giant snails & still have the 5 hermits I've added when the tank was first cycled, all doing well & now I've changed foods & feedings habits thanks to Lee. I need to post the foods I'm using & what I do at another time, as I don't have the list here at work.
Ok that's long & boring I know but that is my update

 

[DonW]

Good to see some progress. The air space for the chiller can be a real pain. You can use a booster fan or redirector type fans. If the air hot air is hiting the wall a circling back around to the intake as you stated its going to cut back efficiency. Cheap 12vdc fans are good for redirecting that hot air. Also if the hot air is hitting your holding tank the ato water is going to be warmer than need be. If your evap is high like mine the evap can play a pretty good roll in keeping the tank cool.

Don

 

[Frankie]

Sounds like you have been busy Scooty.
I used a ac duct and 90degree angle to pipe my hot air from the chiller up and over the whole aquarium. It works great and i found the temp behind the tank to be room temp now. I will get some pic's up on my thread this weekend for you.
I am curious about the food types you are now using. I feed mysis and some pellets by sera. Pellets in the am mysis in the pm. Also nori when i think of it. Even the clowns tear into the nori.
Its good to read about your system. Can't wait to see some pictures.

 

[Scooterman]

Well thanks for the ideas, I need to work that out for sure, I also still having MBV problems, dam thing is squeaking again, I hate them, never again would I recommend their use, the OM can do the exact thing, Paul said he would even add the proximity switch for my PLC & this would work out much better, less moving parts to squeak I can't afford it now though, I have major dental work coming up, busting my wallet

 

[Krish]

Just don't worry about the teeth Scooty...The tank's more important! Soon time for some new pics huh??