*~DOW~* DIY reefing projects - Page 2

Pro_builder · 02-07-2004, 09:59 AM

Well here ya go. These are just pics of what I can get to.

Hope that you enjoy.

Nautilus · 02-07-2004, 02:54 PM

Dang dgasmd and probuilder you guys take it to the edge.

One question The flex PVC pipe, How do you get it to attach to the fittings etc...?

Pro_builder · 02-07-2004, 03:02 PM

Flex pipe, you can just glue it to the fitting with PVC glue.

wooddood · 02-07-2004, 05:19 PM

great job troy your setup looks great.im going to pm you soon when i move and resetup my 120-55 and 35 im gonna need some help and i want it from you if thats ok.

Pro_builder · 02-07-2004, 06:10 PM

Wood- That is fine, just give me a holler and I will help anyway I can.

Gina · 02-09-2004, 06:21 AM

Great pictures guys! We bought all of our stuff except the sump. So, we don't really have any DIY stuff to show.

Maybe, someday! Can't wait to see all of your projects though!

Hooked · 02-09-2004, 09:38 AM

I built my own stand, canopy, side cabinet and refugium. My favorite part of my system is the auto top off. The line off my DI is split between a reservoir and the sump. Both connections go into manual floats. The level in my sump never varies, which I think contributes significantly to the stability of the system.

Electrobes · 02-12-2004, 09:41 AM

Hey guys what are your evaporation rates??? I have a 45G with a 29G refugium losing about a gallon a day and want to build an auto top-off... but I think I am losing too much water per day...

I took out the culerpa in the pic and left the chaeto, which is now growing faster than ever. I had 24/7 lighting so the culerpa wouldn't go sexual, but since then wanted to cut back on lighting as I tought it promoted to the added water loss due to evaporation, and Chaeto is much less messier, more pretty, and hasn't died off at all. It keeps releasing frags of itself which then grows on their own. I now have the light on 18 hrs a day (reduced-light acclimation).

Hooked · 02-12-2004, 09:59 AM

I'm not really sure electrobes, as my auto top-off comes directly from my RO/DI line. I'm guessing it's about 4 gal per day, but I have 2 250 watt MH lights. I've recently set up a 46 gal and during the cycle (with no lighting) evap was a little less than a gallon a day.

HTH

Electrobes · 02-12-2004, 10:05 AM

hmm.. okay then I don't feel as jipped

- I've got a 250 watt 10k MH with two 55 watt actinics. Plus the 30 watt PC refugium lighting... so a gallon a day can't be that bad.. especially in a 45G tall tank

thanks

dwall174 · 02-12-2004, 05:59 PM

RO/DI, Water Change, & Top-off System

dwall174 · 02-12-2004, 06:01 PM

Valve 1 Main valve, Controls water to my sumps float valve, & water change valve (valve #3)
Valve 2 Storage tank drain, Used to drain the storage/water change tank for cleaning.
Valve 3 Water change, Used along with main valve to drain new water from storage tank into the sump.
Valve 4 Sump overflow, Runs to floor drain incase of sump overflow
Valve 5 Sump drain, Drains sump to its minimum operating level of 3”

To do a water change I fill the 20gal storage tank up with RO/DI water. Once the storage tank is full I close off the main valve #1 , then mix my salt with the RO/DI water. I have a small powerhead & heater in the storage tank so after the newly mixed salt has aerated & heated overnight & I have checked that it matches my tanks water it’s ready to be transferred to the sump. Now this is the hard part LOL. I open up valve 5 which drains the sump to 3” (which is still enough to keep my pumps & heater running) after the sump has drained I close valve 5! Then open valves 1 & 3 which transfers the new water to the sump thanks to good old gravity. This just happens to be my sumps running level also! Then I close valve #3, refill the storage tank with RO/DI water & I’m all set for my top-off.

dwall174 · 02-12-2004, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Electrobes
Hey guys what are your evaporation rates???

My system is about 140 gallons total! My evaporation is between 1-1/2 ~ 2 gallons per day. With my 20 gallon top-off I usually make it just over a week.

dwall174 · 02-13-2004, 05:39 PM

I’m looking for ideas on a large DIY skimmer. I'm looking into building a 6" x 5' Counter Current Skimmer

Pro_builder · 02-13-2004, 10:04 PM

Here is a couple of links that might help out too:
http://www.krob.com/aquarium/skimmer.htm

http://bluechunks.net/reef/skimmer2/

http://www.bluechunks.net/reef/skimmer/

02-07-2004, 09:59 AM	#16 (permalink)
Pro_builder DIY Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Oxford, Iowa Posts: 1,746 View Gallery Karma Komment	Well here ya go. These are just pics of what I can get to. Hope that you enjoy. __________________ -Troy 180 gallon Reef, 3- 250 XM 15K MH Electronic ballast, 380 watts VHO Actinics, 2- 5 watt LED Moon lights, 100 gal rubbermaid sump, 75 gallon Fuge, ETSS 600 Skimmer, 4700-5400 gph pump for return, Octopus 3000 controller, Iwaki 40 RL skimmer pump, 2- 65w PC 10K fuge lights, 2 55 gallon barrels, Custom light oak stand and hood, misc pumps, extra 600 gallon rated tank size protein skimmer. Purple tang, yellow tang, pacific blue tang, 2 green chromis, 1 Sand sifting star, snails, hermit crabs, 2 mated perculas, pulsing Xenia, Anenome, mushrooms, ricordia, zoanthids, kenya tree 1 1/2" tall, misc other hitchhiker stuff. DIY is my dream... ...well OK the only way I can afford this Addiction!! Just as the light goes on in my head... ... I break the bulb!!

02-07-2004, 03:02 PM	#18 (permalink)
Pro_builder DIY Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Oxford, Iowa Posts: 1,746 View Gallery Karma Komment	Flex pipe, you can just glue it to the fitting with PVC glue. __________________ -Troy 180 gallon Reef, 3- 250 XM 15K MH Electronic ballast, 380 watts VHO Actinics, 2- 5 watt LED Moon lights, 100 gal rubbermaid sump, 75 gallon Fuge, ETSS 600 Skimmer, 4700-5400 gph pump for return, Octopus 3000 controller, Iwaki 40 RL skimmer pump, 2- 65w PC 10K fuge lights, 2 55 gallon barrels, Custom light oak stand and hood, misc pumps, extra 600 gallon rated tank size protein skimmer. Purple tang, yellow tang, pacific blue tang, 2 green chromis, 1 Sand sifting star, snails, hermit crabs, 2 mated perculas, pulsing Xenia, Anenome, mushrooms, ricordia, zoanthids, kenya tree 1 1/2" tall, misc other hitchhiker stuff. DIY is my dream... ...well OK the only way I can afford this Addiction!! Just as the light goes on in my head... ... I break the bulb!!

02-07-2004, 05:19 PM	#19 (permalink)
wooddood the wood dude Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CARMEL. INDIANA Posts: 3,450 View Gallery Karma Komment	great job troy your setup looks great.im going to pm you soon when i move and resetup my 120-55 and 35 im gonna need some help and i want it from you if thats ok. __________________ 120 gal/in wall tank/starboard substraight/2 250 watt 10k xm metal halides/ 4 55watt 03 actinics/150lbs lr/scwd on return/scwd on a closed loop/aquaclear aquatics 200 pro wetdry w/skimmer. ask all the questions you have if we cant answer it we'll make up some thing. remember patience is the key to a kick ass reef. dave.

02-07-2004, 06:10 PM	#20 (permalink)
Pro_builder DIY Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Oxford, Iowa Posts: 1,746 View Gallery Karma Komment	Wood- That is fine, just give me a holler and I will help anyway I can. __________________ -Troy 180 gallon Reef, 3- 250 XM 15K MH Electronic ballast, 380 watts VHO Actinics, 2- 5 watt LED Moon lights, 100 gal rubbermaid sump, 75 gallon Fuge, ETSS 600 Skimmer, 4700-5400 gph pump for return, Octopus 3000 controller, Iwaki 40 RL skimmer pump, 2- 65w PC 10K fuge lights, 2 55 gallon barrels, Custom light oak stand and hood, misc pumps, extra 600 gallon rated tank size protein skimmer. Purple tang, yellow tang, pacific blue tang, 2 green chromis, 1 Sand sifting star, snails, hermit crabs, 2 mated perculas, pulsing Xenia, Anenome, mushrooms, ricordia, zoanthids, kenya tree 1 1/2" tall, misc other hitchhiker stuff. DIY is my dream... ...well OK the only way I can afford this Addiction!! Just as the light goes on in my head... ... I break the bulb!!

02-09-2004, 06:21 AM	#21 (permalink)
Gina Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,823 View Gallery Karma Komment	Great pictures guys! We bought all of our stuff except the sump. So, we don't really have any DIY stuff to show. Maybe, someday! Can't wait to see all of your projects though! __________________ Gina and Mark's 75 Visit Our Sponsors Gina's Cube Gina

02-07-2004, 02:54 PM	#17 (permalink)
Nautilus Midas Blenny Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 108 View Gallery Karma Komment	Dang dgasmd and probuilder you guys take it to the edge. One question The flex PVC pipe, How do you get it to attach to the fittings etc...?

02-09-2004, 09:38 AM	#22 (permalink)
Hooked Tuxedo Urchin Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 287 View Gallery Karma Komment	I built my own stand, canopy, side cabinet and refugium. My favorite part of my system is the auto top off. The line off my DI is split between a reservoir and the sump. Both connections go into manual floats. The level in my sump never varies, which I think contributes significantly to the stability of the system. __________________ Katrina 90 Gal AGA with 2-250W 10k AB DE MH, 220W VHO, Turboflotor 1000, GEO calcium reactor, Pacific Coast chiller, DIY phosphate reactor and nilsen kalk reactor, sps, clams, zoanthids, rose BTA, ocellaris clown, 2 green mandarins, royal gramma, purple tang, sargassum trigger, flame hawkfish, coral beauty, neon dottyback, purple and blue linckia star, brittlestars, snails, snails, snails

02-12-2004, 09:41 AM	#23 (permalink)
Electrobes Midas Blenny Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 116 View Gallery Karma Komment	Hey guys what are your evaporation rates??? I have a 45G with a 29G refugium losing about a gallon a day and want to build an auto top-off... but I think I am losing too much water per day... I took out the culerpa in the pic and left the chaeto, which is now growing faster than ever. I had 24/7 lighting so the culerpa wouldn't go sexual, but since then wanted to cut back on lighting as I tought it promoted to the added water loss due to evaporation, and Chaeto is much less messier, more pretty, and hasn't died off at all. It keeps releasing frags of itself which then grows on their own. I now have the light on 18 hrs a day (reduced-light acclimation).

02-12-2004, 09:59 AM	#24 (permalink)
Hooked Tuxedo Urchin Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 287 View Gallery Karma Komment	I'm not really sure electrobes, as my auto top-off comes directly from my RO/DI line. I'm guessing it's about 4 gal per day, but I have 2 250 watt MH lights. I've recently set up a 46 gal and during the cycle (with no lighting) evap was a little less than a gallon a day. HTH __________________ Katrina 90 Gal AGA with 2-250W 10k AB DE MH, 220W VHO, Turboflotor 1000, GEO calcium reactor, Pacific Coast chiller, DIY phosphate reactor and nilsen kalk reactor, sps, clams, zoanthids, rose BTA, ocellaris clown, 2 green mandarins, royal gramma, purple tang, sargassum trigger, flame hawkfish, coral beauty, neon dottyback, purple and blue linckia star, brittlestars, snails, snails, snails

02-12-2004, 10:05 AM	#25 (permalink)
Electrobes Midas Blenny Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 116 View Gallery Karma Komment	hmm.. okay then I don't feel as jipped - I've got a 250 watt 10k MH with two 55 watt actinics. Plus the 30 watt PC refugium lighting... so a gallon a day can't be that bad.. especially in a 45G tall tank thanks

02-12-2004, 05:59 PM	#26 (permalink)
dwall174 Cabbage Leather Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Southeast MI. Posts: 382 View Gallery Karma Komment	My best DIY I feel is my RO/DI, Water Change, & Top-off System

02-12-2004, 06:01 PM	#27 (permalink)
dwall174 Cabbage Leather Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Southeast MI. Posts: 382 View Gallery Karma Komment	Water Change Valves Valve 1 Main valve, Controls water to my sumps float valve, & water change valve (valve #3) Valve 2 Storage tank drain, Used to drain the storage/water change tank for cleaning. Valve 3 Water change, Used along with main valve to drain new water from storage tank into the sump. Valve 4 Sump overflow, Runs to floor drain incase of sump overflow Valve 5 Sump drain, Drains sump to its minimum operating level of 3” To do a water change I fill the 20gal storage tank up with RO/DI water. Once the storage tank is full I close off the main valve #1 , then mix my salt with the RO/DI water. I have a small powerhead & heater in the storage tank so after the newly mixed salt has aerated & heated overnight & I have checked that it matches my tanks water it’s ready to be transferred to the sump. Now this is the hard part LOL. I open up valve 5 which drains the sump to 3” (which is still enough to keep my pumps & heater running) after the sump has drained I close valve 5! Then open valves 1 & 3 which transfers the new water to the sump thanks to good old gravity. This just happens to be my sumps running level also! Then I close valve #3, refill the storage tank with RO/DI water & I’m all set for my top-off.

02-13-2004, 05:39 PM	#29 (permalink)
dwall174 Cabbage Leather Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Southeast MI. Posts: 382 View Gallery Karma Komment	Any large DIY skimmers? I’m looking for ideas on a large DIY skimmer. I'm looking into building a 6" x 5' Counter Current Skimmer

02-13-2004, 10:04 PM	#30 (permalink)
Pro_builder DIY Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Oxford, Iowa Posts: 1,746 View Gallery Karma Komment	Here is a couple of links that might help out too: http://www.krob.com/aquarium/skimmer.htm http://bluechunks.net/reef/skimmer2/ http://www.bluechunks.net/reef/skimmer/ __________________ -Troy 180 gallon Reef, 3- 250 XM 15K MH Electronic ballast, 380 watts VHO Actinics, 2- 5 watt LED Moon lights, 100 gal rubbermaid sump, 75 gallon Fuge, ETSS 600 Skimmer, 4700-5400 gph pump for return, Octopus 3000 controller, Iwaki 40 RL skimmer pump, 2- 65w PC 10K fuge lights, 2 55 gallon barrels, Custom light oak stand and hood, misc pumps, extra 600 gallon rated tank size protein skimmer. Purple tang, yellow tang, pacific blue tang, 2 green chromis, 1 Sand sifting star, snails, hermit crabs, 2 mated perculas, pulsing Xenia, Anenome, mushrooms, ricordia, zoanthids, kenya tree 1 1/2" tall, misc other hitchhiker stuff. DIY is my dream... ...well OK the only way I can afford this Addiction!! Just as the light goes on in my head... ... I break the bulb!!

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