FutureInterest
03-01-2008, 1:03 PM
March 2008 Tank of the Month - Shwaggs
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/Untitled_Panorama1.jpg
Introduction
Welcome to Schwaggs Reef! I am honored that ARC would even consider my tank for Tank of the Month honors. Like many of you, I don’t consider my system complete, but rather a work in progress. My system consists of a 210 gallon All-Glass display in-wall tank configuration with fish room directly behind the display in the unfinished lower level of my family’s home. The tank is an eclectic collection of soft, SPS and LPS corals.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2279_1.jpg
My interest in aquariums began with an old, stainless steel framed, slate bottom 29 gallon fresh water tank that my father kept in our family room. I kept various fresh water tanks as a kid and young adult. In the early 80s, I stopped at one of my favorite fish stores for some supplies and noticed a saltwater tank with a pile of rock and a Mandarin Goby. I was mesmerized by its color and ability to effortlessly hover over the rocks on its everlasting search for food. Suddenly, fresh water fish would not cut it, I had to try a salt water tank. I setup a 20 gallon tank with crushed coral substrate with an under gravel filter and a couple damsels. The tank was a complete failure within a few weeks.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2285_1.jpg http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2231.jpg
In the late 80s, I gave it another go. I used the same 20 gallon tank and took it a little slower and was more careful. I set it up again with an under gravel filter with crushed coral but I ran it with reverse flow (common in those days) this time. I started with a single damsel, then added a few pounds of beautiful live rock. The rock I got was so colorful it looked like it was painted with poster paint in primary colors. Everything was rolling along very well, I added my first coral, a small rock with Green Star Polyps. I was horrified when they didn’t open like they were in the store. I went back to the LFS a few days later and was told that a typical fluorescent strip light with an “aquarium bulb” wouldn’t work for my new acquisition, I needed an expensive (for a guy with fresh water experience) 50/50 bulb. It was all down hill from there. J
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2233.jpg
My next tank was a 90 gallon reef tank with VHO lighting, sump and skimmer. I ran the 90 gallon tank with various upgrades and modifications from about 1991 until moving all its inhabitants into the current tank in late 2005.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2235.jpg
Construction
My job brought me and my family to the Atlanta area in early 2003. At that time, I moved the 90 gallon reef and a 55 gallon tank I was running at the time into the lower level and maintained them best I could while we settled into our new home. As it turned out, the unfinished lower level of our new home was perfectly suited to be a finished space. My wife granted me permission to build my dream tank, GAMEON!
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2293.jpg
I have run tanks on the main floor and in the lower levels of each of my homes over the years. I much prefer the lower level location for two reasons, the temperature is more stable and water spills are less traumatic. One end of my lower level does not have any windows, perfect for a fish room. I jack-hammered the concrete floor to install a floor drain and plumbing for a wet sink. I erected a wall to form the 6 foot by 14 foot fish room with a cutout large enough for an 8 foot wide tank. Installed plumbing and electrical into the walls, dry-walled, painted, tiled and finished the fish room over the next year. I intended to use an 8X2X2 foot tank but in the end, I decided to go with the largest commercially made tank I could get at the time, the All-Glass 210. The frame of the display stand was built with laminated veneer lumber (LVL) since it starts and stays much straighter than dimensional lumber. The stands for the other tanks in my fish room were constructed of typical 2X4 and 2X6 lumber.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2206-2.jpg
The Fish Room
The width of the fish room provides just enough space for the 2 foot wide display tank on one side and a countertop and single row of tanks on the other. There is enough room for one person to work in this space, 2 would be a crowd. As you enter the fish room, there is a 55 gallon fresh water storage tank and RODI filter on your left. Straight ahead into the room are a couple ready-to-assemble type cabinets for the sink base and a couple wall cabinets for storage of supplies. A stock 8 foot piece of counter top is installed on the base cabinets into which is installed a laundry type sink which is perfect for filling 5 gallon buckets, cleaning the skimmer or just rinsing/washing your hands. On the countertop are a couple 15 gallon tanks with T5 strip lights that are used as pseudo-quarantine tanks. Above these tanks is a custom made 70 gallon frag tank. To the right of the counter top is a rack of two 15 gallon and a 20 gallon tank used for various projects. At the end of the fish room is my original 90 gallon reef tank, now doing duty as the refugium for the system. Below the refugium is a Rubbermaid 100 gallon trough, used as the common sump.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2208.jpg
Plumbing
All the tanks in the fish room are plumbed together. No mechanical filtration is employed on this system. Dual IwakiMD-20RLXT pumps powered by separate electrical circuits are the main display return pumps providing approximately 5X display turnover per hour. They are fed by a 2” spa-flex pipe from the Rubbermaid sump. The display overflows lead through Durso style standpipes into a custom made 18”X18” acrylic box where the Euroreef 8-3 PLUS skimmer sits. Another set of Durso standpipes maintain a consistent level in the skimmer box to achieve hands-off skimming. The skimmer box overflows into a 55 gallon acrylic tank that was originally designed to be a cryptic zone filter but limited access to the tank prevents this function. As it turns out, the water speed through this tank is slow enough that it is an effective settling zone for detritus which is siphoned out at water changes. It has 2 bubble traps before returning the water to the Rubbermaid sump. The other side of the fish room is fed by an IwakiMD-40RLXT pump. This pump feeds each of the remaining tanks, including the refugium which overflows into the main display allowing safe passage for critters. The pseudo-quarantine tanks are also fed by this pump however the output of these tanks is run through a UV sterilizer preventing any new pathogens from being introduced into the main system.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2207.jpg
Flow
My earlier tanks used Maxi-jet power heads for flow. While they were very reliable and cost effective, they would not be powerful enough for a tank this large. I considered a closed loop for this system but decided on the Tunze Streams with a Tunze 7095 controller. They are quite expensive initially but will pay for themselves in electricity savings over the years. They move a ton of water. With just 2 6100 Streams Pumps, there is movement all through my tank. They are quite large but with some planning, they can be hidden fairly well. They have proven to be very reliable over the years.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2067.jpg
Lighting
Each of my previous tanks had fluorescent lighting, either NO or VHO. I had a problem with keeping up on bulb changes with them plus I wanted to be able to keep SPS corals in this new tank, something I didn’t have good luck with under VHO lighting. I decided on the Maristar MH/T5 light fixture. It has three 250W double ended (HQI) metal halide bulbs and four 39W HO T5 actinics. I am using three Bluewave 3 HQI ballasts which are magnetic and overdrive the 250W bulb somewhat. The fixture originally came with 10K bulbs which didn’t provide much color for the corals in the tank. I switched to Phoenix 14K bulbs and am very happy with the balance between color and the blue look of the tank. The frag tank is lit with dual 250W double ended 10K bulbs with dual 54W HO T5 actinics. The refugium is lit with a double 54W T5 strip light. The other tanks in the fish room are lit with various T5 strip lights.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2203.jpg
Temperature Control
A Prime Commercial 1HP chiller fed by an IwakiMD-40RLXT is used to cool the tank. The chiller and pump are controlled by the Aquacontroller. The chillers internal thermostat is set to 75 to prevent over-cooling in the event of a controller failure. In the summer time, the chiller is placed outdoors so the tank heat can be transferred directly out of the house. In the winter, I bring the chiller indoors so the heat removed from the tank can heat the house. I have three 200W heaters at various locations in the system all controlled by the Aquacontroller. The internal thermostats on the heaters are set to 80 to prevent cooking the tank in the event of a controller failure.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2294.jpg
Automation
I use an Aquacontroller III with a PX-1000 expansion module to control all aspects of my system. I use it to perform the following functions:
Monitor and record tank temperature, pH and ORP
Heater and chiller control
Sump fan as a backup when temperature get too high
Power off halides if temperature gets too high
Seasonal adjustment of tank temperature (~75-81 degrees through the year)
Sequencing lighting
Actinics on first
East halide on an hour later
Center halide on 30 minutes after the East
West halide on 30 minutes after center
Similar sequence at sunset
Seasonal photoperiod adjustment
Calcium Reactor pH control
Disable CO2 to CA reactor when chamber pH gets too low
Disable calcium reactor CO2 when tank pH gets too low
Alarm and send an email to my personal and office email when conditions get out of range
Feed timer to turn off skimmer for 60 minutes after feeding
Remote tank monitoring through the ACIII web interfaceFuture automation projects include: building an automatic top-off, flow sensors on the return pumps, high level alarm on the skimate collection container.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2232.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/Untitled_Panorama1.jpg
Introduction
Welcome to Schwaggs Reef! I am honored that ARC would even consider my tank for Tank of the Month honors. Like many of you, I don’t consider my system complete, but rather a work in progress. My system consists of a 210 gallon All-Glass display in-wall tank configuration with fish room directly behind the display in the unfinished lower level of my family’s home. The tank is an eclectic collection of soft, SPS and LPS corals.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2279_1.jpg
My interest in aquariums began with an old, stainless steel framed, slate bottom 29 gallon fresh water tank that my father kept in our family room. I kept various fresh water tanks as a kid and young adult. In the early 80s, I stopped at one of my favorite fish stores for some supplies and noticed a saltwater tank with a pile of rock and a Mandarin Goby. I was mesmerized by its color and ability to effortlessly hover over the rocks on its everlasting search for food. Suddenly, fresh water fish would not cut it, I had to try a salt water tank. I setup a 20 gallon tank with crushed coral substrate with an under gravel filter and a couple damsels. The tank was a complete failure within a few weeks.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2285_1.jpg http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2231.jpg
In the late 80s, I gave it another go. I used the same 20 gallon tank and took it a little slower and was more careful. I set it up again with an under gravel filter with crushed coral but I ran it with reverse flow (common in those days) this time. I started with a single damsel, then added a few pounds of beautiful live rock. The rock I got was so colorful it looked like it was painted with poster paint in primary colors. Everything was rolling along very well, I added my first coral, a small rock with Green Star Polyps. I was horrified when they didn’t open like they were in the store. I went back to the LFS a few days later and was told that a typical fluorescent strip light with an “aquarium bulb” wouldn’t work for my new acquisition, I needed an expensive (for a guy with fresh water experience) 50/50 bulb. It was all down hill from there. J
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2233.jpg
My next tank was a 90 gallon reef tank with VHO lighting, sump and skimmer. I ran the 90 gallon tank with various upgrades and modifications from about 1991 until moving all its inhabitants into the current tank in late 2005.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2235.jpg
Construction
My job brought me and my family to the Atlanta area in early 2003. At that time, I moved the 90 gallon reef and a 55 gallon tank I was running at the time into the lower level and maintained them best I could while we settled into our new home. As it turned out, the unfinished lower level of our new home was perfectly suited to be a finished space. My wife granted me permission to build my dream tank, GAMEON!
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2293.jpg
I have run tanks on the main floor and in the lower levels of each of my homes over the years. I much prefer the lower level location for two reasons, the temperature is more stable and water spills are less traumatic. One end of my lower level does not have any windows, perfect for a fish room. I jack-hammered the concrete floor to install a floor drain and plumbing for a wet sink. I erected a wall to form the 6 foot by 14 foot fish room with a cutout large enough for an 8 foot wide tank. Installed plumbing and electrical into the walls, dry-walled, painted, tiled and finished the fish room over the next year. I intended to use an 8X2X2 foot tank but in the end, I decided to go with the largest commercially made tank I could get at the time, the All-Glass 210. The frame of the display stand was built with laminated veneer lumber (LVL) since it starts and stays much straighter than dimensional lumber. The stands for the other tanks in my fish room were constructed of typical 2X4 and 2X6 lumber.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2206-2.jpg
The Fish Room
The width of the fish room provides just enough space for the 2 foot wide display tank on one side and a countertop and single row of tanks on the other. There is enough room for one person to work in this space, 2 would be a crowd. As you enter the fish room, there is a 55 gallon fresh water storage tank and RODI filter on your left. Straight ahead into the room are a couple ready-to-assemble type cabinets for the sink base and a couple wall cabinets for storage of supplies. A stock 8 foot piece of counter top is installed on the base cabinets into which is installed a laundry type sink which is perfect for filling 5 gallon buckets, cleaning the skimmer or just rinsing/washing your hands. On the countertop are a couple 15 gallon tanks with T5 strip lights that are used as pseudo-quarantine tanks. Above these tanks is a custom made 70 gallon frag tank. To the right of the counter top is a rack of two 15 gallon and a 20 gallon tank used for various projects. At the end of the fish room is my original 90 gallon reef tank, now doing duty as the refugium for the system. Below the refugium is a Rubbermaid 100 gallon trough, used as the common sump.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2208.jpg
Plumbing
All the tanks in the fish room are plumbed together. No mechanical filtration is employed on this system. Dual IwakiMD-20RLXT pumps powered by separate electrical circuits are the main display return pumps providing approximately 5X display turnover per hour. They are fed by a 2” spa-flex pipe from the Rubbermaid sump. The display overflows lead through Durso style standpipes into a custom made 18”X18” acrylic box where the Euroreef 8-3 PLUS skimmer sits. Another set of Durso standpipes maintain a consistent level in the skimmer box to achieve hands-off skimming. The skimmer box overflows into a 55 gallon acrylic tank that was originally designed to be a cryptic zone filter but limited access to the tank prevents this function. As it turns out, the water speed through this tank is slow enough that it is an effective settling zone for detritus which is siphoned out at water changes. It has 2 bubble traps before returning the water to the Rubbermaid sump. The other side of the fish room is fed by an IwakiMD-40RLXT pump. This pump feeds each of the remaining tanks, including the refugium which overflows into the main display allowing safe passage for critters. The pseudo-quarantine tanks are also fed by this pump however the output of these tanks is run through a UV sterilizer preventing any new pathogens from being introduced into the main system.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2207.jpg
Flow
My earlier tanks used Maxi-jet power heads for flow. While they were very reliable and cost effective, they would not be powerful enough for a tank this large. I considered a closed loop for this system but decided on the Tunze Streams with a Tunze 7095 controller. They are quite expensive initially but will pay for themselves in electricity savings over the years. They move a ton of water. With just 2 6100 Streams Pumps, there is movement all through my tank. They are quite large but with some planning, they can be hidden fairly well. They have proven to be very reliable over the years.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2067.jpg
Lighting
Each of my previous tanks had fluorescent lighting, either NO or VHO. I had a problem with keeping up on bulb changes with them plus I wanted to be able to keep SPS corals in this new tank, something I didn’t have good luck with under VHO lighting. I decided on the Maristar MH/T5 light fixture. It has three 250W double ended (HQI) metal halide bulbs and four 39W HO T5 actinics. I am using three Bluewave 3 HQI ballasts which are magnetic and overdrive the 250W bulb somewhat. The fixture originally came with 10K bulbs which didn’t provide much color for the corals in the tank. I switched to Phoenix 14K bulbs and am very happy with the balance between color and the blue look of the tank. The frag tank is lit with dual 250W double ended 10K bulbs with dual 54W HO T5 actinics. The refugium is lit with a double 54W T5 strip light. The other tanks in the fish room are lit with various T5 strip lights.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2203.jpg
Temperature Control
A Prime Commercial 1HP chiller fed by an IwakiMD-40RLXT is used to cool the tank. The chiller and pump are controlled by the Aquacontroller. The chillers internal thermostat is set to 75 to prevent over-cooling in the event of a controller failure. In the summer time, the chiller is placed outdoors so the tank heat can be transferred directly out of the house. In the winter, I bring the chiller indoors so the heat removed from the tank can heat the house. I have three 200W heaters at various locations in the system all controlled by the Aquacontroller. The internal thermostats on the heaters are set to 80 to prevent cooking the tank in the event of a controller failure.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2294.jpg
Automation
I use an Aquacontroller III with a PX-1000 expansion module to control all aspects of my system. I use it to perform the following functions:
Monitor and record tank temperature, pH and ORP
Heater and chiller control
Sump fan as a backup when temperature get too high
Power off halides if temperature gets too high
Seasonal adjustment of tank temperature (~75-81 degrees through the year)
Sequencing lighting
Actinics on first
East halide on an hour later
Center halide on 30 minutes after the East
West halide on 30 minutes after center
Similar sequence at sunset
Seasonal photoperiod adjustment
Calcium Reactor pH control
Disable CO2 to CA reactor when chamber pH gets too low
Disable calcium reactor CO2 when tank pH gets too low
Alarm and send an email to my personal and office email when conditions get out of range
Feed timer to turn off skimmer for 60 minutes after feeding
Remote tank monitoring through the ACIII web interfaceFuture automation projects include: building an automatic top-off, flow sensors on the return pumps, high level alarm on the skimate collection container.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/FutureInterest/DSC_2232.jpg