michael1972
Member
Originally Posted by SaltyCrab
http:///forum/post/2742071
Im still working to revise this. Releasing the concrete from the mold is an issue. I have heard that soaking the mold in water helps. This is the second batch I am making. The first was a success but the plug pegs which I think are 3/8" (forgot) all broke off. I think I might have tried to release them to early though. If I get the process down well I think I might sell these on this site for cheap. The unit cost per plug is virtually zero minus labor. A 90lb bag of white cement is $20 and the 50lb bag of sand is like $4. I am also interested in how many times the mold can be reused.
YOU can use hard air line plastic and not the big plug that keeps breaking off.
this way you can drill a rock and put the hard air lind in the rock "this is called pluging" i think
http:///forum/post/2742071
Im still working to revise this. Releasing the concrete from the mold is an issue. I have heard that soaking the mold in water helps. This is the second batch I am making. The first was a success but the plug pegs which I think are 3/8" (forgot) all broke off. I think I might have tried to release them to early though. If I get the process down well I think I might sell these on this site for cheap. The unit cost per plug is virtually zero minus labor. A 90lb bag of white cement is $20 and the 50lb bag of sand is like $4. I am also interested in how many times the mold can be reused.
YOU can use hard air line plastic and not the big plug that keeps breaking off.
this way you can drill a rock and put the hard air lind in the rock "this is called pluging" i think
S
saltycrab
Guest
These are pictures of my plumbing from a week ago.
I did some more work on the tank today and filled it with fresh water. There is only one leak in the plumbing. Unfortunately its in a bad spot and I'm not sure how to fix it. I was extremely careful when gluing the plumbing so I'm not sure how it happened.
It leaks about a milliliter of water every minute when the pump is on. How can I seal this? Plumbers epoxy? I want something permanent.
This is the tank full with the pump off.
This is the sump with the pump off.
This is with the pump on. There is a good amount of flow in the tank. I am going to have to add power heads though for more flow. Im thinking two of the Korilia Magnum 8s. They are a little pricey though so I am going to get my lights first.
This is with the pump on. You can see that the overflow into the sump is quite violent. It puts a ton of air into the sump and the pump is sucking it right up and shooting it into the display. I am going to have to do something to the overflow to reduce bubbles entering the sump. I am also going to have to add baffles to the sump.
The killawatt is showing that the pump is pulling 172 watts. It should be pulling around 150 watts. I think that the air entering the pump is causing the problem. The motor also feels hotter than I think it should. Its probably cavitation. The overflow plumbing was temporary to test out the tank. I am going to build baffles into the sump and add an area for live rock, live sand, chaetomorpha, and a few mangroves. With the amount of flow moving through the sump Im thinking Im going to have to build pretty substantial baffles.
Oh ya, my secretive wrasse jumped out of my frag tank this morning and I found it dried up.
Good news is I bought a 1/2 horse chiller - PCI
I did some more work on the tank today and filled it with fresh water. There is only one leak in the plumbing. Unfortunately its in a bad spot and I'm not sure how to fix it. I was extremely careful when gluing the plumbing so I'm not sure how it happened.
It leaks about a milliliter of water every minute when the pump is on. How can I seal this? Plumbers epoxy? I want something permanent.
This is the tank full with the pump off.
This is the sump with the pump off.
This is with the pump on. There is a good amount of flow in the tank. I am going to have to add power heads though for more flow. Im thinking two of the Korilia Magnum 8s. They are a little pricey though so I am going to get my lights first.
This is with the pump on. You can see that the overflow into the sump is quite violent. It puts a ton of air into the sump and the pump is sucking it right up and shooting it into the display. I am going to have to do something to the overflow to reduce bubbles entering the sump. I am also going to have to add baffles to the sump.
The killawatt is showing that the pump is pulling 172 watts. It should be pulling around 150 watts. I think that the air entering the pump is causing the problem. The motor also feels hotter than I think it should. Its probably cavitation. The overflow plumbing was temporary to test out the tank. I am going to build baffles into the sump and add an area for live rock, live sand, chaetomorpha, and a few mangroves. With the amount of flow moving through the sump Im thinking Im going to have to build pretty substantial baffles.
Oh ya, my secretive wrasse jumped out of my frag tank this morning and I found it dried up.
Good news is I bought a 1/2 horse chiller - PCI
S
saltycrab
Guest
I fixed the leak in PVC with some epoxy.
I also picked up my chiller and cleaned it up. The heat exchanger was clogged with dust and some of the aluminum slates in the back were bent in. I cleaned off the dust and fixed the slats. I also put some egg crate over the back to protect the delicate aluminum slats.
I just drilled multiple holes in my PVC rack today so that water will not stagnate inside and cause algae.
I am getting close to finishing the tank. I need to order my lights. I am going to use a 12K Reeflux bulb on a Icecap 400 watt ballast with a Lumenmax reflector (22"x22")
I need to install a blower in the attic to turn over airflow in the garage to control humidity. I need to get live rock, live sand, and salt. I need to plumb the chiller into the system and buy a couple of Koralia Magnum 8s to get more flow in the tank.
Here are a couple of frags I just bought.
I also picked up my chiller and cleaned it up. The heat exchanger was clogged with dust and some of the aluminum slates in the back were bent in. I cleaned off the dust and fixed the slats. I also put some egg crate over the back to protect the delicate aluminum slats.
I just drilled multiple holes in my PVC rack today so that water will not stagnate inside and cause algae.
I am getting close to finishing the tank. I need to order my lights. I am going to use a 12K Reeflux bulb on a Icecap 400 watt ballast with a Lumenmax reflector (22"x22")
I need to install a blower in the attic to turn over airflow in the garage to control humidity. I need to get live rock, live sand, and salt. I need to plumb the chiller into the system and buy a couple of Koralia Magnum 8s to get more flow in the tank.
Here are a couple of frags I just bought.
privatejoker
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greenreefer
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saltycrab
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saltycrab
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greenreefer
Active Member
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alexmir
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saltycrab
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privatejoker
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kilted reefer
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saltycrab
Guest
I ordered my lights today- I ordered a 400 watt Icecap Ballast, a 12K Reeflux Bulb, and a LumenMax Reflector (22.25"x22.25"x8').
I am going to work on the sump soon. This is a picture I just drew up in paint.
The two overflows will go into the 9" square bubble tower that will rise above the sump and hold live rock rubble. The overflows will go directly into a 7" 200 micron filter sock then flow through the rock rubble before flowing out the bottom of the tower. There will be live rock in the area surrounding the bubble tower. The water will then flow through the three baffles (bubble traps). The water will go over the first baffle, under the second baffle, and over the third. The water will then flow through more live rock and towards the return and refugium area. There will be two more baffles before the return intake. The water will flow over the first and under the second baffle before entering the intake to the return pump. The black line that separates the right half of the sump will be a 5 inch high baffle that will hold in 4" of sand. There will be some mangroves planted in this area. There will be Chaetomorpha in all areas that have live rock and live sand after the bubble trap. There will be a 36" twin bulb T5 fixture above the sump. One bulb will be 10K, one will be 6500K.
Im thinking for flow in the main tank I will use 2 Koralia 4s (controllable) and 2 Koralia Magnum 8s. The 2 Magnums will be below the eggcrate racks and angled down at 10 degrees to keep any detritus from settling on the tank bottom. The 2 Koralia 4s will be above the egg crate pointed 5 degrees up to create a choppy surface and keep flow over the frags. I want to build a controller to control all four Koralias.
I am going to work on the sump soon. This is a picture I just drew up in paint.
The two overflows will go into the 9" square bubble tower that will rise above the sump and hold live rock rubble. The overflows will go directly into a 7" 200 micron filter sock then flow through the rock rubble before flowing out the bottom of the tower. There will be live rock in the area surrounding the bubble tower. The water will then flow through the three baffles (bubble traps). The water will go over the first baffle, under the second baffle, and over the third. The water will then flow through more live rock and towards the return and refugium area. There will be two more baffles before the return intake. The water will flow over the first and under the second baffle before entering the intake to the return pump. The black line that separates the right half of the sump will be a 5 inch high baffle that will hold in 4" of sand. There will be some mangroves planted in this area. There will be Chaetomorpha in all areas that have live rock and live sand after the bubble trap. There will be a 36" twin bulb T5 fixture above the sump. One bulb will be 10K, one will be 6500K.
Im thinking for flow in the main tank I will use 2 Koralia 4s (controllable) and 2 Koralia Magnum 8s. The 2 Magnums will be below the eggcrate racks and angled down at 10 degrees to keep any detritus from settling on the tank bottom. The 2 Koralia 4s will be above the egg crate pointed 5 degrees up to create a choppy surface and keep flow over the frags. I want to build a controller to control all four Koralias.
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saltycrab
Guest
Maybe I will just buy one at first to see how I like it. Its going to go under the egg crate so space or aesthetics is not a problem. Thanks for the heads up though.
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saltycrab
Guest
My LumenMax reflector from sunlight supply arrived today and I hung it above the tank. The ballast and bulb are rescheduled to arrive Tuesday. I need to take some time and get my sump finished.
netimreefer
Member
can't wait to see this thing up and running, looks sweet
S
saltycrab
Guest
I have the lights running and the 12k Reeflux on the 400 watt Icecap looks AWESOME! I couldn't be happier. The light spread looks very good also. I will have to borrow a lux meter to know for sure. The Killawatt meter reads 3.66 amps.
Don't pay attention to the junk on the bottom of the tank. It is all ready cleaned up.
Don't pay attention to the junk on the bottom of the tank. It is all ready cleaned up.