Hello everyone,
I just posted to introductions, and here is the start of my build thread. Sorry if this is a long read.
This will be my first saltwater / reef tank but I have been doing fresh water for a long time. I am an engineer and love technology, and probably am more interested in the filters and related design than I am the inhabitants. I am going for a high-tech build with the goals of lowering maintenance and even eliminating water changes. I would not have even thought it would be possible to run any aquarium without water changes, much less a reef tank. But, I have been researching for a few months now, and apparently people have done it, and it looks really interesting.
I actually just got back from a visit to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. I always wanted to go there, and I used a solar eclipse viewing trip as an excuse to do it. Well, I paid for the $15 "back stage" tour (yes I have pictures), which was great and I highly recommend it. But the tour was given by a marine biologist who could not really answer filter questions, so I asked if I could talk to one of their filter people. So he asked and sent someone down, and we ended up talking for a good hour and a half. The Georgia Aquarium is land-locked, and the local water and sewer department can not handle water changes on a 6.3 million gallon tank (plus all the other tanks). So by necessity they have a system that runs without water changes per-se, mainly through the use of multiple two-story tall protein skimmers, allot of ozone, sulfur de-nitrators, and a few other things. There is a little bit dated but interesting article about it here:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-03/feature/index.php
Other no-water-change (or low water change) systems:
DSR (Dutch Synthetic Reefing)
- http://www.dsrreefing.nl/
- Really complicated, but really interesting
Triton Method
- https://www.triton.de/en/
- Really interested in this, should make things allot easier
So, here is what I have so far:
- 135G Oceanic, RR + black back + Starphire glass
- Oceanic solid oak stand I bought used and re-furbished
- LED lighting with four Kessil A160WE Tuna Blue's
- LifeReef LF2 W/D filter / sump
- LifeReef protein skimmer Model VS3-24
- Blue Line HD40 to run skimmer
- Iwaki WMD55RLT main pump
- Iwaki 30RLT that will probably run lifeguard filters
- Lifeguard mechanical, chemical, and 25W UV
- 500W blue line titanium heater with controller
- I have a plastics fabricator building me a custom ABS canopy to add to aesthetics and cut down on light wash into the room
Here is what I am planning to add: (so far)
- Automatic roll Pre-filter, Klir from CoralVue
- http://www.coralvue.com/klir-fleece-filter
-
- These things look really great, was going to go with socks, but this idea is much better
- Algae scrubber
- Pax Bellum ARID N24 macro algae reactor
- http://uniquecorals.com/pax-bellum-arid-n24-macroalgae-based-bio-absorption-filtration-system.html
- https://www.marineaquariumsa.com/th...-most-intense-way-to-grow-chaetomorpha.63330/
- It looks to me like these guys came up with something really special here that took years of research
- Going to do this instead of things like GFO reactor, Sulfur de-nitrator, and similar things
- When you get to the point where you are actually dosing nitrate and phosphate, that is amazing
- I actually have prior experience in aquaculture, and this idea basically gives you an aquaponics based system, which are well proven in both fresh and salt water.
- Calcium reactor
- DaStaCo automatic calcium reactor
- http://uniquecorals.com/dry-goods/dastaco/desataco-xtrema-model-a-2-calcium-reactor-6172.html
- These things are expensive, but it looks to me like most calcium reactors are relatively finicky, so I am interested in this type of automated calcium reactor, and it can work together with the algae reactor
- Water movement, Two Ecotech VorTech MP40 power heads
Things I am still researching:
- Apex controller (figuring out all the modules and parts I need)
- RODI setup, mainly for automatic top-off (will probably use Apex)
- Test kits - leaning toward electronic one's such as Hanna, looks easier than matching colors
- Peristaltic dosing systems, just starting to research which one of these I will need
- PVC reservoir, looking for something large 180G+
- I really wanted to use ozone, but the algae reactor documentation recommends against it, I may contact them to find out why. I really like the idea due to the ability to make the water very clear.
- Coral knowledge, need to get to the point where I can understand better, right now it still sounds a bit like another language. My current thinking is stay with all things marked best for "beginners" until I feel confident enough to go further.
Progress notes:
Putting everything in basement
- There is no way all of this is going to fit under the tank in the stand, so recently I decided to switch to putting all the filters in the basement. This will have added advantages of reducing noise, controlling temperature, reducing mess in the living room, and I can go with a much larger reservoir
Wet/dry filter
- I know the current trend in not to use these due to nitrate production. However, I think part of the reason people have this problem is because they are taking raw or just pre-filtered water and putting it over the bio-balls, which will cause them to collect detritus and thus nitrate. The algae scrubber I am looking to use can in theory reduce nitrates so low, people resort to dosing. So, since I already have one of these with the Lifereef, my idea is to put already-filtered water over it so that it does not clog (see diagram in pictures), and run is specifically so that I can feed the needed nitrate to the algae reactor, as well as helping support a higher fish load. Using the belt automatic pre-filter and protein skimmer should maximize nutrient export in general.
Aquascaping
- Looks like I will need around 135 lbs of live rock and live sand, although I am concerned about having areas in the tank that you cannot reach to clean.
Here are some pictures as well as a diagram of the current filter concept:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KyptATpuMeDP0PSf1
I am very interested to see what all of you experienced reefers think of this idea.
Thanks
-JCL
I just posted to introductions, and here is the start of my build thread. Sorry if this is a long read.
This will be my first saltwater / reef tank but I have been doing fresh water for a long time. I am an engineer and love technology, and probably am more interested in the filters and related design than I am the inhabitants. I am going for a high-tech build with the goals of lowering maintenance and even eliminating water changes. I would not have even thought it would be possible to run any aquarium without water changes, much less a reef tank. But, I have been researching for a few months now, and apparently people have done it, and it looks really interesting.
I actually just got back from a visit to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. I always wanted to go there, and I used a solar eclipse viewing trip as an excuse to do it. Well, I paid for the $15 "back stage" tour (yes I have pictures), which was great and I highly recommend it. But the tour was given by a marine biologist who could not really answer filter questions, so I asked if I could talk to one of their filter people. So he asked and sent someone down, and we ended up talking for a good hour and a half. The Georgia Aquarium is land-locked, and the local water and sewer department can not handle water changes on a 6.3 million gallon tank (plus all the other tanks). So by necessity they have a system that runs without water changes per-se, mainly through the use of multiple two-story tall protein skimmers, allot of ozone, sulfur de-nitrators, and a few other things. There is a little bit dated but interesting article about it here:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-03/feature/index.php
Other no-water-change (or low water change) systems:
DSR (Dutch Synthetic Reefing)
- http://www.dsrreefing.nl/
- Really complicated, but really interesting
Triton Method
- https://www.triton.de/en/
- Really interested in this, should make things allot easier
So, here is what I have so far:
- 135G Oceanic, RR + black back + Starphire glass
- Oceanic solid oak stand I bought used and re-furbished
- LED lighting with four Kessil A160WE Tuna Blue's
- LifeReef LF2 W/D filter / sump
- LifeReef protein skimmer Model VS3-24
- Blue Line HD40 to run skimmer
- Iwaki WMD55RLT main pump
- Iwaki 30RLT that will probably run lifeguard filters
- Lifeguard mechanical, chemical, and 25W UV
- 500W blue line titanium heater with controller
- I have a plastics fabricator building me a custom ABS canopy to add to aesthetics and cut down on light wash into the room
Here is what I am planning to add: (so far)
- Automatic roll Pre-filter, Klir from CoralVue
- http://www.coralvue.com/klir-fleece-filter
-
- These things look really great, was going to go with socks, but this idea is much better
- Algae scrubber
- Pax Bellum ARID N24 macro algae reactor
- http://uniquecorals.com/pax-bellum-arid-n24-macroalgae-based-bio-absorption-filtration-system.html
- https://www.marineaquariumsa.com/th...-most-intense-way-to-grow-chaetomorpha.63330/
- It looks to me like these guys came up with something really special here that took years of research
- Going to do this instead of things like GFO reactor, Sulfur de-nitrator, and similar things
- When you get to the point where you are actually dosing nitrate and phosphate, that is amazing
- I actually have prior experience in aquaculture, and this idea basically gives you an aquaponics based system, which are well proven in both fresh and salt water.
- Calcium reactor
- DaStaCo automatic calcium reactor
- http://uniquecorals.com/dry-goods/dastaco/desataco-xtrema-model-a-2-calcium-reactor-6172.html
- These things are expensive, but it looks to me like most calcium reactors are relatively finicky, so I am interested in this type of automated calcium reactor, and it can work together with the algae reactor
- Water movement, Two Ecotech VorTech MP40 power heads
Things I am still researching:
- Apex controller (figuring out all the modules and parts I need)
- RODI setup, mainly for automatic top-off (will probably use Apex)
- Test kits - leaning toward electronic one's such as Hanna, looks easier than matching colors
- Peristaltic dosing systems, just starting to research which one of these I will need
- PVC reservoir, looking for something large 180G+
- I really wanted to use ozone, but the algae reactor documentation recommends against it, I may contact them to find out why. I really like the idea due to the ability to make the water very clear.
- Coral knowledge, need to get to the point where I can understand better, right now it still sounds a bit like another language. My current thinking is stay with all things marked best for "beginners" until I feel confident enough to go further.
Progress notes:
Putting everything in basement
- There is no way all of this is going to fit under the tank in the stand, so recently I decided to switch to putting all the filters in the basement. This will have added advantages of reducing noise, controlling temperature, reducing mess in the living room, and I can go with a much larger reservoir
Wet/dry filter
- I know the current trend in not to use these due to nitrate production. However, I think part of the reason people have this problem is because they are taking raw or just pre-filtered water and putting it over the bio-balls, which will cause them to collect detritus and thus nitrate. The algae scrubber I am looking to use can in theory reduce nitrates so low, people resort to dosing. So, since I already have one of these with the Lifereef, my idea is to put already-filtered water over it so that it does not clog (see diagram in pictures), and run is specifically so that I can feed the needed nitrate to the algae reactor, as well as helping support a higher fish load. Using the belt automatic pre-filter and protein skimmer should maximize nutrient export in general.
Aquascaping
- Looks like I will need around 135 lbs of live rock and live sand, although I am concerned about having areas in the tank that you cannot reach to clean.
Here are some pictures as well as a diagram of the current filter concept:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KyptATpuMeDP0PSf1
I am very interested to see what all of you experienced reefers think of this idea.
Thanks
-JCL