Is This Logical.

[Subsea]

I don’t normally burn wood in fireplace after February. I live in Austin, Texas. Our winters are mild with fewer than 10 days that saw 32 degrees. Today is different/difficult. I returned home last night after a 10 day visit/family reunion for 20 Cajuns. It was a blast and I was exhausted from entertaining and lack of sleep.

While I was away, Austin received 16” of rain in one week. I had just buried a 1200G tank to be a geothermal heat sink and before leaving had mixed $500 of Instant Ocean into this tank. Because the tank was not 100% full, the buoyancy from the inground water floated the tank thereby ruining 12 hours of backbreaking hand dug at 5’ deep into the Caliche & limestone. This happened 4 days into family reunion so I had already processed those things. All my indoor tanks were ugly but healthy. I waited until early this morning to do tooo many things at the same time. I ended with 50G of mature reef tank water on hard wood floors. I was surfing the internet when I heard water running over 10’ from my chair. Every towel in my home was spread in front of advancing water to contain it as much as possible.

I have a dry Lazy Boy, with a warm fire and a 2 ton heat pump on dry mode as I remove towels to run thru spin cycle to soak up water. I also have a 1/2 ton dehumidifier which adds warm air and removed condensate. None of these sources of heat are able to raise temperature above 75 degrees.

I have done all I can. Time to rest in Lazy Boy with “comfort food” in easy reach. I added a virgin “Bloody Mary” as I have been dry 6 months.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Wow! I have so many questions I want to ask about 'Is this logical' based on your situation and photos... but all I'll say is, Good Luck.

 

[jtl]

WOW!!;Wideyed

 

[Subsea]

Wow! I have so many questions I want to ask about 'Is this logical' based on your situation and photos... but all I'll say is, Good Luck.

Ask questions. It helps me to refocus. Everything is very fresh. The crisis is past. Solutions have been implemented both short term & long term. I am on my front porch streaming music and enjoying life as I dance with my dog to George Jones.

In 2 more hours, I will not be focused on this because Austin music friends are arriving for grill & fun, including acoustic jam session into the night.

 

[Subsea]

This is the jewel. A reef tank outdoors under an oak tree in the Texas Hill Country during the Texas Summer. Inhabitants include sponges, deep water gorgonions considered NPS, XENIA, GSP, GREEN SINULARIA, YELLOW POLYPS considered colonial anemonea. Numerous macro algae including a tumbling red bush of Gracilaria Hayi. Fish in tank include 5 Royal Gramma, 5 Pajama Cardinals, 2 Drawf Angels (Flame & Yellow) 3 Scopas Tangs.



I have not cleaned glass in any tanks in 16 days nor has any feed added to any tanks in the past 16 days until last night.

 

[jtl]

How warm does the water get?

 

[Subsea]

It has not gotten > 81. At present, it is 73 degrees.

 

[Subsea]

This 20G tank on my front porch has been set up since February 14. During a bright April day when direct sun was on glass for 3 hours. During my rounds I use a thermal gun to get immediate temperature readings on a walking scan of numerous systems. This tank read 92 degrees. Withinin 10 minutes, it read 104/degrees. Within 3 hours, it was cooled down down to 73 degrees. I used every bit of evaporative cooling to geothermal tube & shell cooling and I even thru ice cubes into the mix to control temperature.

This tank has the same Scopas Tang that I introduced 60 days ago.

 

[Subsea]

Wow! I have so many questions I want to ask about 'Is this logical' based on your situation and photos... but all I'll say is, Good Luck.

I don’t believe in luck, except when I am winning at poker with “Lady Luck” at my side.

Ron,
I am going to grab the serenity prayer on this one. While I can’t control all things that happen to me, I can control 100% of how I respond to those events.

When the going gets tuff, the tuff get going.
A Cajun Aggie in Austin,
Patrick

 

[Rybren]

While I can’t control all things that happen to me, I can control 100% of how I respond to those events.

Best statement ever! How I live my life.

 

[Subsea]

I am like a kid in the candy store when it comes to impulse buying on line. Early today, I received
12 urchins & 24 Emerald Crabs and added half to the “Jewel of AQR”. Also today, I should receive two different tangs (blue / yellow) and two drawf angels.

55G tank with 150G Rubbermaid tub buried 2’ in ground for sump/refugium.

Picture taken in real time at 3:35pm Austin, Tx.

 

[cracker]

Sorry about your run of problems ! Hope all works out for You . On a side, I'm most curious about your out door setups wish I could take a tour .

 

[Subsea]

I have three separate outdoor systems. The original system is three 150G Rubbermade tubs buried in the ground. Coupled to this system are three more 150G tanks on back patio. Evaporative cooling maintains temperatures < 81 degrees with some passive geothermal cooling

Newest outdoor systems is a 55G display tank with 150G Rubbermaid tub buried in ground for passive geothermal heat sink. This pilot system is under an oak tree that evaporates 100G a day.

Thermodynamics 101: heat energy of pound of water going thru phase change from water to vapor equals
1000 BTU. Therefore one oak tree provides 834,000 BTU of cooling per day.

*Greenhouse system at 10,000G is shutdown.

 

[Subsea]

Sorry about your run of problems ! Hope all works out for You . On a side, I'm most curious about your out door setups wish I could take a tour .

I should be able to provide you with a raw cut video for a tour of AQR (AquacultureRanch). Video making is not my strong point. To that end, I have allocated $500/month to train a mariculture apprentice and at the same time develop a marketing & sales manager for AQR.. I think Tom can hadle video posting.

What do you want to see?

 

[Subsea]

This is a standard 55G glass tank. Livestock is provided from numerous tanks on site. Gulf Coast EcoSystems & Reeftopia are the largest source of sponges & deepwater gorgonions.

This tank was set up 6 weeks ago and it will be the one signature that defines Aquaculture Ranch. I will operate this system using evaporative and passive geothermal heat sink to maintain operating temperature. My operating temperatures are much lower than reef tank parameters plus temperatures swing 12 degrees in a 24 hour cycle.

At 0715 hours, water temperature is 73 degrees.

 

[Subsea]

Morning sun will soon be over the roof of house. Picture taking for me is difficult under those conditions. However, this tank thrives on 3 hours of direct morning sun until 11AM.

 

[lapin]

16" of rain. Good thing the hot tub is not buried in the ground. Looks like you worked that dog too long. They are not used to digging such large holes.
I have one of these if you ever need more fans for such wonderful events
https://www.airmovers.com/air-movers/axial-flood-dryers/dri-eaz-ace-turbo-dryer.html

 

[Subsea]

16" of rain. Good thing the hot tub is not buried in the ground. Looks like you worked that dog too long. They are not used to digging such large holes.
I have one of these if you ever need more fans for such wonderful events
https://www.airmovers.com/air-movers/axial-flood-dryers/dri-eaz-ace-turbo-dryer.html

The day laborer that dug the original hole dug this same hole 7 years later. The Universe is telling me not to dig there considering it sent two floods to test my fortitude and pocket book.

I will remove 12K tank from its mud puddle and bring it back to higher ground in the shade by the greenhouse. Discretion is the better part of valor. I can still use this tank to dampen out temperature fluctuations during hot sunny days by keeping it in the shade which will maintain air temperature < 85 degrees. It would also be a cryptic refugium.!

 

[cracker]

Thankdsfor the offer Subsea but no, Don't want ya to go that far out .

 

[clm65]

Curious how you maintain salinity with your tanks and refugiums exposed to the weather? Especially with 16" of rain. I assume they are sheltered somehow?