Hello everyone,
Last Sunday I was able to visit dz6t's place with my family, and I must say it was awesome, he had many more tanks than I was expecting, and everything looked clean and healthy.
We also did some chatting of course, at least until my 5-year-old got impatient. I feel really lucky to have a source of corals so close by.
So, here is an update both based on some of the advice he gave me and some follow-up research I have been doing this week.
- Automatic roll Pre-filter
The Klir from CoralVue we both agree is really cool, definitely putting one in the build
- Lighting
We are in consensus that the lighting I have will not be sufficient if I want to get the kinds of results he is getting. I actually just posted my lights to the marketplace, and I am going to go with a pair of AP700's instead.
- Algae scrubber
He is very skeptical of the ARID algae scrubber, mainly due to the price compared to his method of just using refugiums's with algae in them. He has definitely renewed my skepticism on the device, but I won't say it is off the table yet. I sent a very in-depth e-mail of questions to Pax-Bellum and am waiting to hear back, I may share this here later.
- Calcium reactor
We are in agreement that the DaStaCo is a luxury item, but probably worth it, and that I should definitely steer clear of some of the imitators that have come along. So this is probably going into my build. Also, he is using Reborn arogonite media from two little fishes in his reactors, and explained that this is hard to get because they have a special license to sell crushed coral like this, and people in Europe may not be able to legally get it. Since this is actual coral, dissolving it in a reactor should theoretically release calcium as well as other minerals in the exact same proportions the new growing coral needs, so it can potentially negate the need to dose anything else, at least that is what he is doing currently. So that is probably what I will do as well. He also had some good food that he recommended.
So, it was a very worthwhile visit I must say.
Aside from that, here are some additional updates:
- Main pump
After discussing my design and calculations with Iwaki, I think I can get the 55RLT up to about 850GPH using 1-1/4 or 1-1/3" PVC pipes.
- Overflows
The overflows on my tank are only rated for 600GPH each, and I am worried that if one were to fail the remaining one could not handle the entire flow.
So, I could just dial down the pump, but realistically I would have to bring it down to 500GPH or so... not sure I want to go that low, although maybe I could divert some of the flow and eliminate a pump in that case.
Alternatively, I am considering what might happen if I converted it to one of these full-siphon "herbie" setups, and use both holes for drain, and run the return over the side, kind of like in this video here:
I am a little concerned that some people have said that such a setup can be sensitive to barometric pressure changes, and I can't seem to find anywhere how much actual flow these are capable of (ballpark figure, obviously lots of variables).
The other thing I was wondering is, what if I simply put TWO megaflow durso's into the same overflow box? Looks like they would fit... but I don't know if that would actually double the flow it could handle. I can't see to find anyone who has tried this.
- Sump
I am researching ideal sumps for the basement setup. Currently considering a PVC insulated configuration, such as the one's available here:
https://aqualogicinc.com/products/tanks/
The guy that I am working with on this project feels strongly about PVC-PVC bonds, using Sched 80 instead of 40, and so forth due to reliability, durability, and reducing salt creep. So I may consult with these guys on an ideal setup, need to figure out how many chambers and whatever I need. He mentioned something made by a company called Neptune (not the apex) that also made a top of the line sump, but I haven't found a website for that anywhere. I may go with a custom size, but I will get one as large as possible.
Looking forward to feedback on this.
Thanks
-JCL
Last Sunday I was able to visit dz6t's place with my family, and I must say it was awesome, he had many more tanks than I was expecting, and everything looked clean and healthy.
We also did some chatting of course, at least until my 5-year-old got impatient. I feel really lucky to have a source of corals so close by.
So, here is an update both based on some of the advice he gave me and some follow-up research I have been doing this week.
- Automatic roll Pre-filter
The Klir from CoralVue we both agree is really cool, definitely putting one in the build
- Lighting
We are in consensus that the lighting I have will not be sufficient if I want to get the kinds of results he is getting. I actually just posted my lights to the marketplace, and I am going to go with a pair of AP700's instead.
- Algae scrubber
He is very skeptical of the ARID algae scrubber, mainly due to the price compared to his method of just using refugiums's with algae in them. He has definitely renewed my skepticism on the device, but I won't say it is off the table yet. I sent a very in-depth e-mail of questions to Pax-Bellum and am waiting to hear back, I may share this here later.
- Calcium reactor
We are in agreement that the DaStaCo is a luxury item, but probably worth it, and that I should definitely steer clear of some of the imitators that have come along. So this is probably going into my build. Also, he is using Reborn arogonite media from two little fishes in his reactors, and explained that this is hard to get because they have a special license to sell crushed coral like this, and people in Europe may not be able to legally get it. Since this is actual coral, dissolving it in a reactor should theoretically release calcium as well as other minerals in the exact same proportions the new growing coral needs, so it can potentially negate the need to dose anything else, at least that is what he is doing currently. So that is probably what I will do as well. He also had some good food that he recommended.
So, it was a very worthwhile visit I must say.
Aside from that, here are some additional updates:
- Main pump
After discussing my design and calculations with Iwaki, I think I can get the 55RLT up to about 850GPH using 1-1/4 or 1-1/3" PVC pipes.
- Overflows
The overflows on my tank are only rated for 600GPH each, and I am worried that if one were to fail the remaining one could not handle the entire flow.
So, I could just dial down the pump, but realistically I would have to bring it down to 500GPH or so... not sure I want to go that low, although maybe I could divert some of the flow and eliminate a pump in that case.
Alternatively, I am considering what might happen if I converted it to one of these full-siphon "herbie" setups, and use both holes for drain, and run the return over the side, kind of like in this video here:
I am a little concerned that some people have said that such a setup can be sensitive to barometric pressure changes, and I can't seem to find anywhere how much actual flow these are capable of (ballpark figure, obviously lots of variables).
The other thing I was wondering is, what if I simply put TWO megaflow durso's into the same overflow box? Looks like they would fit... but I don't know if that would actually double the flow it could handle. I can't see to find anyone who has tried this.
- Sump
I am researching ideal sumps for the basement setup. Currently considering a PVC insulated configuration, such as the one's available here:
https://aqualogicinc.com/products/tanks/
The guy that I am working with on this project feels strongly about PVC-PVC bonds, using Sched 80 instead of 40, and so forth due to reliability, durability, and reducing salt creep. So I may consult with these guys on an ideal setup, need to figure out how many chambers and whatever I need. He mentioned something made by a company called Neptune (not the apex) that also made a top of the line sump, but I haven't found a website for that anywhere. I may go with a custom size, but I will get one as large as possible.
Looking forward to feedback on this.
Thanks
-JCL