I believe they keep the internal tube at the surface level. In that way looks like that tube can go up or down depending on the water level.
Am I correct ?
Tank turned 49 this year
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
I believe they keep the internal tube at the surface level. In that way looks like that tube can go up or down depending on the water level.
Am I correct ?
Paul B
Well-Known Member
The last picture was a bio pellet reactor that I built for a goof. The bio pellets almost crashed my tank so now I think of them as evil things that i will never again use. That reactor sits above my tank with just water flowing through it because it is filled with brittle stars. It's like a hotel for brittle stars so it is like a 5 star hotel. I keep it there because water from there enters my 5' skimmer and it is easy to adjust the water flow in the skimmer with that valve on the thing. Now, when I released the clingfish from there I drilled a hole in the bottom and glued in a tube so I have a source of water that I can use for my de-nitrification coil or to feed my brine shrimp hatchery/shell seperator/feeder for vacations. I now don't need a seperate pump for those things because water in that bio pellet reactor is much higher than my tank so I can get good water preasure out of this tube I put in just in case I need it for something like I stated. It is complicated I know.
The way all this works is the water goes over the top of the surface skimmer and as you said the flaots keep the top just below the water surface. More water enters the strainer at the bottom because not enough will go over the top as I just want a thin film going over that. Inside that device, in that white fitting that connects to the pump there is a screw on top that you can't see in the picture. But I can insert a screw driver while it is working and turn the screw which restricts the water coming in from the strainer on the bottom so I can adjust the water level in the device. The water is then pumped over the tank to the bio pellet chamber which does nothing but looks cool sort of like a Supermodel at Christmas dinner. From the chamber water goes to the 5' skimmer then it enters the 5' algae trough and back to the tank. Remember, I don't have a sump, they were not invented in 71. The clingfish jumped over the top of the surface skimmer and went through the pump into the bio pellet chamber. There is no exit from there because there is a screen in it near the bottom where he was stuck. I am re-designing even as we speak to keep him out.
Skimmer (yes, I know the phine is old, older than most on here) The "Brass" valve at the bottom of the skimmer is also plastic
The way all this works is the water goes over the top of the surface skimmer and as you said the flaots keep the top just below the water surface. More water enters the strainer at the bottom because not enough will go over the top as I just want a thin film going over that. Inside that device, in that white fitting that connects to the pump there is a screw on top that you can't see in the picture. But I can insert a screw driver while it is working and turn the screw which restricts the water coming in from the strainer on the bottom so I can adjust the water level in the device. The water is then pumped over the tank to the bio pellet chamber which does nothing but looks cool sort of like a Supermodel at Christmas dinner. From the chamber water goes to the 5' skimmer then it enters the 5' algae trough and back to the tank. Remember, I don't have a sump, they were not invented in 71. The clingfish jumped over the top of the surface skimmer and went through the pump into the bio pellet chamber. There is no exit from there because there is a screen in it near the bottom where he was stuck. I am re-designing even as we speak to keep him out.
Skimmer (yes, I know the phine is old, older than most on here) The "Brass" valve at the bottom of the skimmer is also plastic
cracker
Well-Known Member
I love it, true engineering genius! I'm sure there are a bunch of people out there trying to sell fancy stuff who are scratching their heads trying to figure out how You did that. May I ask about the biopellets? Did they change parameters too fast and/or too much? Thanks
Paul B
Well-Known Member
My simplified system. The large clear thing is an empty bio pellet chamber, There are just brittle stars in there, like a 5 star hotel, it is just there because I wanted to build one but I hate bio pellets as I think they are stupid and I almost crashed my system with them. The smaller acrylic thing is a chamber where I can control the water height and it controls the amount of water going through the de-nitrification chamber. As you can see, I have an acrylic fetish
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I don't even remember how many years it is but it was started in 1971 or 1972, somewhere in there. I started it, then changed it, then tweeked it, then emptied it and changed the gravel, then started it again, then tweeked it and added East River water, etc. So I don't remember the exact time it actually started running and kept running.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I was looking for my clingfish this morning before the lights came on and I noticed the blue stripe pipefish spawning. Those and the mandarins spawn just before the lights come on. Bluestripe pipefish are my favorite pipes because they can take care of themselves with no help from me. I am just here to give them something to make fun of. And of course to hatch brine shrimp every day because I feel that if you have a pair of fish and they are not spawning they are not very healthy and should be put in a nursing home. So now, as usual all my paired fish seem to be spawning. I wish I could get a copperband to do that but I only have one and I am sure my tank is way to small.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
My tank is doing great for some reason. I still have to move the entire structure to the back and break a bunch of corals to do that, but I am going to wait until after the holidays because I get a lot of visitors now and after I do that, the tank will need a little time to recover and re grow. The pistol shrimp pair are still making huge tunnels. It amazes me that they can construct tunnels so long under a heavy reef using just gravel. All my livestock is doing very well and many are still spawning. These duncans probably doubled in size in the few months since I have them
This mushroom is weird and I have seen this many times. The thing will sit there for years doing almost nothing and all of a sudden it grows to 5 times it's size. I have noticed that a number of times. Now that it grew I can feed it and it really grows when you feed it. I use clams to feed them and most of my corals and fish (the fish also get live blackworms every day) I do not use Mysis to feed corals because Mysis are mostly shell and corals do not need shell which is not even calcium. I still feel clams are the best food besides live worms that you can feed most sea creatures.
About a week or two ago I bought this staghorn. Tomorrow I am going back to get some more of them as it seems to like my tank so far and expands nicely. When I dove in Tahiti these things were like weeds with miles of them growing in shallow water. I love this stuff.
This mushroom is weird and I have seen this many times. The thing will sit there for years doing almost nothing and all of a sudden it grows to 5 times it's size. I have noticed that a number of times. Now that it grew I can feed it and it really grows when you feed it. I use clams to feed them and most of my corals and fish (the fish also get live blackworms every day) I do not use Mysis to feed corals because Mysis are mostly shell and corals do not need shell which is not even calcium. I still feel clams are the best food besides live worms that you can feed most sea creatures.
About a week or two ago I bought this staghorn. Tomorrow I am going back to get some more of them as it seems to like my tank so far and expands nicely. When I dove in Tahiti these things were like weeds with miles of them growing in shallow water. I love this stuff.
cracker
Well-Known Member
Paul B, Iv'e got thru pg 65 of your thread ,just skimming looking for interesting bits of info. May I ask how You introduce mud into Your system? I mean how do You actually get it in there? Here in North East FL there are huge areas of marsh all acting like a huge bio sponge, Mother Nature's way of cleaning the waters. Now I have taken a flat shovel and removed a vertical slice. The layers are very distinct. You go too deep and the stuff is down right nasty. I'm not ready to add natural mud to my tank ! Just very curious as how You came up with this over the years. How much do You put into the tank? Is it more about the bacterial life or bugs? Do You say for instance put a small chunk into a corner so as not to dissolve? Now I get a shot of live sand from the keys every year, that's about as adventurous I will go! Thanks for any insight.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
Cracker, nice to meet you. I take a handful of mud from a tide pool and put it in a dish in my tank. I just need the bacteria and other life. I also "shoot" some of it into my UG filter. The tank was started with New York water and I have always added some mud and plenty of amphipods. I think it keeps it natural and I like the bacterial diversity and the pods. I never had a problem doing this and my tank never gets any diseases. After a week or so, I can remove the remainder of the mud
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I am having so much fun writing this book and I am going to have all sorts of extra stuff that I can't fit in my tank like bottles and DIY rock because I am making this stuff again because when I normally built all these things it was for my own tank and I didn't take detailed pictures of the process. I am also drawing sketches for the more complicated things like chillers, shrimp hatcheries and stuff like that. I didn't realize I built so many things because I just feel it is normal stuff but then realize, most people don't do this as I am kind of weird. I am excited as to how it is coming out because it is not anywhere like any book out there as I read them all. I may even read it myself 
Paul B
Well-Known Member
It breaks my heart but I finally had to remove a couple of bottles as I just can't fit them in any place. They have been in there for many years but between the corals growing and buying new corals, I just don't have room for them.
Also this blue sponge has grown in five years to about 14" from a tiny 1/2" piece. I would like to give some of it away if anyone wants some. It's kind of nice but I want to put some corals there. I want to keep most of it but there are pieces just growing up away from the main sponge that I would like to cut off so if anyone wants some, let me know. Pick up only so if you are in Wisconsin, it may not be worth it
Also this blue sponge has grown in five years to about 14" from a tiny 1/2" piece. I would like to give some of it away if anyone wants some. It's kind of nice but I want to put some corals there. I want to keep most of it but there are pieces just growing up away from the main sponge that I would like to cut off so if anyone wants some, let me know. Pick up only so if you are in Wisconsin, it may not be worth it
I'd say those bottles are real collectors items now. They got provenance now, and people that might own one in the future might note that it's ex PaulB's tank.
I'd love to have a piece of the blue sponge. Although I'm going away on vacation soon and couldn't pick it up until about early March.
I'd love to have a piece of the blue sponge. Although I'm going away on vacation soon and couldn't pick it up until about early March.
