550G Display + Fish Room Frag Tanks = 900G of Fun

[TylerC]

we need to go on strike for Neptune jerks need to make reagents great build bro my tank is the same dimensions

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

It’s making me pretty mad that I can’t choose to test only one thing. My full bottle of Reagent A is useless because Reagents B and C are too low. Throwing out a completely new Reagent A bottle seems nuts.

I’m tempted to add RODI water to the empty B and C bottles so the Trident has something to “test.”

What do you guys think could go wrong with that plan?

 

[vetteguy53081]

It’s making me pretty mad that I can’t choose to test only one thing. My full bottle of Reagent A is useless because Reagents B and C are too low. Throwing out a completely new Reagent A bottle seems nuts.

I’m tempted to add RODI water to the empty B and C bottles so the Trident has something to “test.”

What do you guys think could go wrong with that plan?

You have nothing to lose.

 

[Daveobrien]

I personally wouldn't do it on my Trident. Once you put in new/fresh reagents, how much will you have to use to flush out the RODI that's been in tubes/sensors/? I'd hate to use the calibration solution with the last trace of RODI still lingering. When it eventually gets flushed out and then calibration shifts and would be off.

I like what Trident does. In my case, it's been stable and reliable. I'd like to keep it stable and reliable - thus I'm not messing with it.

Just my view.

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

I decided to just keep the extra Reagent A on hand and refill the others so I'm starting fresh with three bottles. Hopefully Neptune starts producing more reagent so we can all buy it...

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

New fish are ordered!

• 5 Yellow Tangs
• Desjardini Sailfin Tang
• Unicorn Tang
• Flame Angel
• Diamond Goby

Time to get serious about QT and pre-treatments! What's in your medicine cabinet?

 

[emvanburen]

I decided to just keep the extra Reagent A on hand and refill the others so I'm starting fresh with three bottles. Hopefully Neptune starts producing more reagent so we can all buy it...

BRS has in stock...

 

[Yanos]

New fish are ordered!

• 5 Yellow Tangs
• Desjardini Sailfin Tang
• Unicorn Tang
• Flame Angel
• Diamond Goby

Time to get serious about QT and pre-treatments! What's in your medicine cabinet?

Jesus Christ. mad scientist laboratory?

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Jesus Christ. mad scientist laboratory?

In some ways, running a successful QT tank can be more challenging than a display, but I need to get the methodology right if I’m going to stock this tank with a ton of tangs.

I’ve done the “dump and pray” method for too many years!

 

[TylerC]

Let’s see some pictures of your plumbing!!

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

• Display Tank: standard bean-animal out
• Refugium tank and Frag tank: I used to merge (through a tee) the two 1" drains into a 1.5" drain, but that caused issues with trapped air. It was a pretty design, but not the best for functionality. Each of those two drains is now plumbed with flexible tubing and rigid PVC - utilizing 1" drains and 1" emergency overflow drains for each tank. Both now drain into the "return" side of the sump, which means it won't go through the socks/skimmer, but the plumbing is a heck of a lot easier.
• The red pipe with valve pointing toward the floor drain is for water changes. It gravity feeds from the Fuge tank and will let me change water at a 1" gravity rate (or less). I saw no reason to plumb a pump to get water out of the tank
• Return lines (two of them) are plumbed using 1.5" PVC throughout. One return feeds the Fuge/frag tanks, and the other goes through a Lifegard Aquatics 120W UV sterilizer. Long-term plan is to get another one so everything that goes into the display tank gets zapped.

 

[TylerC]

Did you get the drain noise figured out?

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Did you get the drain noise figured out?

Yep, dirtier socks help and using some sock silencers distribute the water more evenly. There is still a drop in height, but adding a filter pad keeps the splashing down

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Cell phone shot at "dusk" in the aquarium. It's hard to see but the top clownfish is resting on an anemone that is unknowingly attached to a slow-moving Mexican turbo snail!

 

[Schnizzle]

That's got to be one of my favorite photos!

 

[TylerC]

Are your returns 3/4 or 1in

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Are your returns 3/4 or 1in

Returns on the frag and refugium tanks are 3/4” and the returns on the display are dual 1.5”

 

[TylerC]

Are your returns 3/4 or 1

Returns on the frag and refugium tanks are 3/4” and the returns on the display are dual 1.5”

your running 2 1.5 pressure lines to display?

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Are your returns 3/4 or 1

your running 2 1.5 pressure lines to display?

Yep, by the time they make it up 6 feet of vertical, and then over either 8 feet or 21 feet (depending on the left or right nozzle) there is enough loss that having 1.5" piping made sense. I could probably have gone with 1" for the returns, but I was buying so many 1.5" plumbing fittings that it was just easier to stick with one size. Plus, I found a heck of a deal on 1.5" ball valve unions ($14/each) that are silky smooth, and not available in other sizes.

Both return pipes aren't running at full tilt. One Reef Octopus Varios 8 pump runs at 3/5 speed, and then other runs at 2/5 speed but routes through the UV sterilizer. I need to keep that return line at a specific flow rate to zap all the nasties. The other return (not through the UV) is so that I get enough turnover in the overall system.

 

[Blue Tang Clan]

Actually, the two returns to the display terminate the last 10-12 inches as a 1" pipe. The 1.5" beforehand just keeps the water flow loose