210g Reef System - Built into Wall
- Thread starter seamonkey
- Start date
- Location
- Huntington
what kind of head height were you planning from the return pump up to the highest point on the return plumbing? The Dart is like a fire hose as long as the head isn't exceeded. You might want to consider another pump like an iwaki/ magnetic drive/ blueline (besides the fact that the sequence pumps are pretty loud if it's going to be next to the living room). I love sequence pumps but not where I hang out lol.
um, if i measured correctly the total height from the pump to the highest return point should be no more that 50 inches. give or take. so i am going to have to research to see if we'll be within the recommended parameters for the head or if we are exceeding them. i don't know the specs of pumps off hand. but you just gave me something else to do today.
we figured that the noise coming from the laundry room would be increased from any tank equipment running in there, (protein skimmer, pumps, etc.) and since we already have the other stuff, (furnace, washer, dryer, well pump, etc.), there is a bit of noise being generated.
before we tore down the wall we only noticed the furnace kicking on and off in a silent room. so we decided that when we close in the wall we are going to go with sound proofing sheet rock on both the laundry room and living room sides, as well as reinsulate the wall with r19. the previous homeowner had r13 in the wall which we figured was to combat the utility room noises. i am sure that some of the insulating value will be lost in the fact that we just cut a big hole in the wall and are going to be filling it with a glass tank full of water. but we've lived with the 75g and all it's noisy equipment and it wasn't too bad. it's like white noise. and since it's quiet as hell here in the woods a little white noise is comforting when you're home alone in the dark. ;0)
okay we are definitely going to do this. if we cycle our tank with lr and ls and then later on add these cooked rocks from the 75g it won't cause another cycle in the 210g will it?
would it also stand to reason that the sand should be "cleaned out" too? i don't even know if that is something that can be done.
we were trying to think of what to do with the sand in our 75g once we break down the tank (months from now). we won't need to add it to our 210g since we will have enough in there already. perhaps using it in the refugium in our sump? does anyone recommend that? again, it would be added after the 210g is cycled....or is this bad?
i feel like the more i am learning the more confused i am getting. i am just very keen on not screwing this up. please don't think that i'm an idiot (like with the venting issue) i just use circular thought and tend to subvert my own intelligence with stuff like this. :sad2:
moving an old sand bed it tough. it often holds a lot of junk you would not want in a new tank, but has a lot of life that you do want.
I'd wait for a sand expert to chime in, i'm a SSB over a BB reefer myself.
(I would just start with new sand myself)
I'd wait for a sand expert to chime in, i'm a SSB over a BB reefer myself.
(I would just start with new sand myself)
- Location
- NY
If you want to use your sand from your 75g, I would just skim the top 1" off it for use in your 210. The top 1" is part of the benthic zone, where all the 'live' comes from in live sand. Below that it is anaerobic (lacking oxygen).
New sand seeded with the 1" top layer from your old sand will give you the live sandbed you're looking for.
No questions are dumb. Keep asking.
Russ
New sand seeded with the 1" top layer from your old sand will give you the live sandbed you're looking for.
No questions are dumb. Keep asking.
Russ
okay so if we decided to use another substrate, say play sand, we could essentially seed that with a couple of pounds of live sand. which i suppose would be significantly cheaper than filling our tank with 270lbs of live sand.
what do you recommend we use as that alternative substrate? I feel a little skeptical about going to the HomeDope and buying playsand. Can you just wash that and use it? Is the particulate fine enough?
- Location
- NY
The thread slowed to a halt, I hope the progress on your end hasn't. WE WANT UPDATED PIX!!!!!! :biggrin:
swimmer
swimmer
How did I miss this thread, I guess because it startewhen I was on vaction. I am sure there are more updates coming, they have just been busy.
I am in the same process as you are, in the middle of building a new system (220g inwall).
I took all of the old rock from my 65 gallon and have been cooking it for alittle over a month now. I have it sitting in a rubbermaid garbage can covered to keep our light, with a pump for circulation on the side of my house. You can find the science behind it on RC but the general idea is to inhibit algae growth so that bacteria can take over, using up an organics that are stored up in your live rock. Microfauna and sponges should survive the process.
Something to keep in mind, but I doubt it is much of a problem for you know, is that I cooked my rock during the summer. With a couple of 90+ degree days, I think I really ended up cooking it. The amount of die off after the first heat wave was ubelivable. When I took off the cover I could smell the foul odor. That was a couple of weeks though, and the rock is looking good now.
As far as the amount of sand and rock you need, I think that is a matter of preference. There is a sand bed calculator on RC that will tell you how much sand you need, depending on how deep you want it. I am going with a shallow sand bed, as I am tired of running a Deep Sand Bed but don't like the look of bare bottom. I am going to put in no more than 2 inches of sand, and will use alot of sand stirring creatures.
I will also be using a reeflo dart as my return pump. I forget the stats, but it is more than my overflows can handle. I will be "T"- ing it off and sending the water to my phosban reactor, a holding tank and possible a chiller. (I also may find that it is not powerfull enough for all my purposes, but will upgrade it later if needed as I am not going to pick up a chiller until next spring - or if Santa Claus should happen to bring me one)
I may have missed it (I honestly skimmed though it rather quickly and got interrupted a few times while skimming), but what are you going to do for Flow, Lights Skimmer?
I am in the same process as you are, in the middle of building a new system (220g inwall).
I took all of the old rock from my 65 gallon and have been cooking it for alittle over a month now. I have it sitting in a rubbermaid garbage can covered to keep our light, with a pump for circulation on the side of my house. You can find the science behind it on RC but the general idea is to inhibit algae growth so that bacteria can take over, using up an organics that are stored up in your live rock. Microfauna and sponges should survive the process.
Something to keep in mind, but I doubt it is much of a problem for you know, is that I cooked my rock during the summer. With a couple of 90+ degree days, I think I really ended up cooking it. The amount of die off after the first heat wave was ubelivable. When I took off the cover I could smell the foul odor. That was a couple of weeks though, and the rock is looking good now.
As far as the amount of sand and rock you need, I think that is a matter of preference. There is a sand bed calculator on RC that will tell you how much sand you need, depending on how deep you want it. I am going with a shallow sand bed, as I am tired of running a Deep Sand Bed but don't like the look of bare bottom. I am going to put in no more than 2 inches of sand, and will use alot of sand stirring creatures.
I will also be using a reeflo dart as my return pump. I forget the stats, but it is more than my overflows can handle. I will be "T"- ing it off and sending the water to my phosban reactor, a holding tank and possible a chiller. (I also may find that it is not powerfull enough for all my purposes, but will upgrade it later if needed as I am not going to pick up a chiller until next spring - or if Santa Claus should happen to bring me one)
I may have missed it (I honestly skimmed though it rather quickly and got interrupted a few times while skimming), but what are you going to do for Flow, Lights Skimmer?
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