New Swiss 1900 liter (500G) Build

[Laith]

After filling the tank and sump I started up the following:

1. One return pump (I hadn't finished gluing the second return line yet, last piece to glue!).
2. Rollermat
3. Heaters
4. Skimmer
5. Gyres
6. The four Tunze 6255s in the tank
7. Lighting

I'll get to the overflow/return pump in a minute.

On the above list:

2. The RE "rollermat" works perfectly. Even with an empty tank with only fresh water in it a layer of scum had developed on the surface of the water. Enough so that the filter material in the rollermat clogged enough for the mechanism to kick in and pull fresh filter material into the water. I tried filter socks once several years ago and after a month threw them away: the amount of work involved to keep them effective was not for me. A rollermat fixes all the issues associated with filter socks!

3. Heaters (2x 600w) heated the entire water volume from about 24 C to the set temperature of 26 C in about 12 hours. Excellent: I thought I may have needed more watts.

4. Skimmer. As usual with RE, the thing is so quiet. Actually, in this test it was making a very slight fizzing sound but that is because in freshwater it was just making big bubbles. I've heard these function in saltwater and they are virtually silent.

5. Gyres. My original plan was to have two Gyre 350s across the width of the end of the tank just below the surface opposite the overflow to ensure that the entire surface of the water was skimmed. However, I got my measurements wrong and two Gyre 350s do not fit levelly next to each other across the width of the glass pane on the end. And, contrary to the Gyre 300, you cannot remove one half of these Gyres. So I kept just one in the tank. Not sure what I'll do with the other one yet.

I set the Gyre to 50% flow and left it like that. I must say that these "new" Gyres exceeded my expectations in terms of how silent they are. You can't hear it running, at least at 50%. I haven't yet ramped it up to higher than 50% as at 50% the water surface in the DT is crystal clear. Later I'll play with it more and see what it does at higher flow rates. I love how close to the water surface you can place them!

6. The four Tunze 6255 run as expected. They will need slight adjusting in their mounts as well as some time breaking in for them to become Tunze quiet but I'm happy with them. Lots of good wide flow! But the two supplementary Tunze 6155s in the Tunze rocks that I also purchased will be usefull to add flow to the central area of the tank...

7. At the moment I've set up one of the Mitras as the master light and the other four as slaves. This setup went without a hitch and the slaves follow whatever the master is programmed to. Also the connectivity to the master (direct WiFi connection) was plug and play. I haven't yet installed the WiFi card in the Profilux... when I do, all the lighting will be programmed via the Profilux. One of the touch panels did not seem to work but once "calibrated" now works fine.

The light coverage from these lights is fantastic and at the moment I can't see needing more than five. This may change as this was with nothing but water in the tank. I had them at 60% during peak period. I still need to play around with these a lot more, including doing a lot of PAR tests to see what they can do in this deep of a tank.

 

[Laith]

The return pump saga ;Wideyed

...

I hooked up one of the Red Dragon 100 return pumps and started adjusting the gate valve on my main siphon drain to get the levels in the overflow where I wanted them.

On startup, the return pump started working but after a minute or so the controller started showing an F3 error, which according to the manual shows some type of pump blockage. But then after a couple of minutes it returned to normal and I set the pump to 99w (max power as I only had one of two running). I don't have a flow meter on the return pipe as at 40mm it is too large for the largest GHL flow meter but the flow seemed ok. I set the gate valve to where the water level in the overflow box was where I wanted and just tricking into the second open drain. This set the water level at about 1-2cm below the DT water level and the surface skimming was fine at this level (overflow teeth still not installed at this point). I will raise it a bit more once I get the teeth installed so that there is zero waterfall noise.

First thing I noticed is that an upside down U is necessary on the second open drain as it is noisy otherwise. Second thing is that when I put the upside down U on the air trapped in the U would prevent fine tuning a trickle of water. So I drilled a hole in the top of the U. That solved that problem.

I sat back and marveled at how silent the Red Dragon return pump was

. Now I don't mean just quiet but SILENT. Even when you put your hand on the pump you can't feel anything at all. The only way I knew it was running was the slight trickling noise I was still getting from the water falling that 1-2cm over the lip of the overflow. And this was with the cabinet doors off

. So imagine with two pumps running at 50% each...

More to come...

 

[Laith]

Oh, and by the way, forgot to say that none of my piping has any leaks whatsoever ;Happy

. The only leak detected during the wet test was a very slight (about one drop every minute or two) leak in one bottom corner of the overflow box. Stopped the system, drained the overflow and dried it and then the builder popped by and repaired it.

Now zero leaks.

 

[Laith]

About four or five hours after having put the return pump into operation, it suddenly started fluctuating in flow rate. It would go down and the water level in the overflow box would drop to the point where air would be drawn into the main siphon. Then it would go up slightly. Then down.

Then it would surge and show the F3 message on the controller meaning a blockage of the pump. When it did this, it seemed like the impeller would spin in the opposite direction pushing water out of the inlet of the pump... maybe to unblock any blockage? At this point the pump would stop pumping water up the return line.

Along with the help of RE, who were very helpful, we tried the following:

- power off and on. Pump would work but with barely any flow and then varied flow, even though the controller showed a constant wattage.

- checked to make sure impeller spun freely. It did.

- checked return piping to ensure no blockage. None found.

- "Primed" pump by pouring water down the return line and then turning it on. No change.

- Switched it to the second controller. No change.

At one point RE questioned whether the configuration of my return piping was causing problems. This is not the case as the piping is straightforward: up from the pump about 30cm, horizontal run of 40cm to back of stand, horizontal run of 150 cm to right edge of stand, vertical run of 120cm to edge of tank and then a horizontal run to right corner of tank where it goes into the water to a depth of about 2cm.

Total vertical head height of about 170cm. For a pump rated at 12,000 lph and a max head height of 500cm this height should not have been a problem. According to the pumps flow rate graphs, with this head height at 100% the flow should be around 8,000 lph.

Then I replaced the pump with the second one. This seemed to do the trick as it started up right away no problem. Then it too started to experience unreliable flow rates after several hours of operation.

In the meantime RE rushed me a new pump and controller. I installed the new pump and controller and started it up:

- Immediate strong flow into the DT. In fact, the flow was visibly stronger than either of the first set of pumps even at lower watt settings. I had to re-adjust my gate valve considerably!
- No variation in flow rate.
- Tried on both return lines (by this time second return was glued) with no hitches at all.
- Steady flow rate for days.

So I have sent both of the original pumps back to RE and they are sending me a new second pump and controller.

It is an amazing coincidence that BOTH of the original pumps had problems, one more serious than the other but with similar symptoms. The only link between the two pumps is that they have sequential serial numbers, one digit apart so they were manufactured/assembled at the same time and probably with the same batch of components...

Royal Exclusiv has been professional and fast reacting in their customer service and I couldn't have asked for better. They make amazing equipment and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase more from them. Customer service is what makes or breaks a reputation and they are top quality!

 

[Laith]

And to anyone that had doubts about a 4omm pipe's ability to handle huge amounts of flow on a full siphon, my main siphon drain easily handles the full 8,000 or so lph that one return pump sends up at 100% power. I don't know the exact amount but the gate valve on that drain is at least half closed, if not more, to keep the water level where I want it in the overflow!

 

[Laith]

First replacement pump sent by RE... packaging as an art: box within a box! ;Joyful

 

[Laith]

Love the flow...

Pump silently doing its thing!

 

[Laith]

Both my main siphon drain and the open drain are not glued into the bulkheads inside the overflow box. However, the ends don't fit snugly into the bulkheads and tend to wobble a bit and water must flow through there as well. After looking around for a solution that did not involve gluing them (I want the flexibility of changing the lengths etc.) I decided on teflon plumber's tape:

Seems to do the trick! ;Happy

This should be safe for use in the tank no?

 

[Laith]

The pipe in the previous picture is for my open drain. It allows me to put different pipe lengths into it to vary the height I want in the overflow while just maintaining a trickle of water going down them. These are the different pipe lengths I'm going to be playing around with:

Not much difference but allows me to test different heights to get the overflow level as close to the overflow teeth as possible while maintaining excellent skimming of the DT surface water.

 

[najer]

Not sure about the tape.
Great write up of the set up, glad RE lived up to their reputation.

 

[Laith]

Once the return pump solved, I drained the tank and sump of the tap water.

Then I spend hours cleaning the inside of the tank, overflow and sump: our tap water here is pretty hard and a layer of white was deposited on everything! ;Rage

 

[Laith]

I've decided on the following plan to move forward with the tank. I will be away for two weeks so...

1. Clean the tank thoroughly. Done.
2. Install the D&D overflow comb. I couldn't have planned this fit any better!
3. First run at the aquascape in the tank.
4. Fill with RO/DI water. Turn a couple of the Tunze flow pumps on.
5. Leave for the two weeks and let the new rock soak in the RO/DI water with some flow. Should help with any dust or any silicates that may be on it...
6. When I return, drain the tank completely again.
7. Finalize the aquascape.
8. Refill with RO/DI water.
9. Add salt, run entire system, heat on etc.
10. Move current tank inhabitants to new home!

In between the above I need to reinstall the Profilux and all it's attached bits and pieces, hook up the air extractor, continue cable arrangement etc etc. Seems never ending!

If anyone is wondering, the RO/DI fill takes about four full days. My RO/DI system puts out about 490 liters of water a day...

 

[Laith]

How's that for a good fit?

 

[Laith]

And aquascape! The two Tunze 6155s can just be seen in their rocks...

Suggestions and comments very welcome! I've already decided to lower the high column on the right side...

 

[Laith]

And we have RO/DI flow! ;Happy

 

[Ashir Parekh]

I've decided on the following plan to move forward with the tank. I will be away for two weeks so...

1. Clean the tank thoroughly. Done.
2. Install the D&D overflow comb. I couldn't have planned this fit any better!
3. First run at the aquascape in the tank.
4. Fill with RO/DI water. Turn a couple of the Tunze flow pumps on.
5. Leave for the two weeks and let the new rock soak in the RO/DI water with some flow. Should help with any dust or any silicates that may be on it...
6. When I return, drain the tank completely again.
7. Finalize the aquascape.
8. Refill with RO/DI water.
9. Add salt, run entire system, heat on etc.
10. Move current tank inhabitants to new home!

In between the above I need to reinstall the Profilux and all it's attached bits and pieces, hook up the air extractor, continue cable arrangement etc etc. Seems never ending!

If anyone is wondering, the RO/DI fill takes about four full days. My RO/DI system puts out about 490 liters of water a day...

Nice plan, however i would leave rodi in there. Just have your filter roller working and that will clear it up just fine. No need to waste water.

I started my tank last week, it was cloudy as hell because i did not rinse my dry rocks either. But within 3 days it cleared the dust up. Still cloudy now because i am dosing AF bio s.

Add salts 1 time, get tank up to desired temp and begin your cycle. 2 weeks plus water saved.

 

[kpl_creations]

Amazing build!

 

[Laith]

Nice plan, however i would leave rodi in there. Just have your filter roller working and that will clear it up just fine. No need to waste water.

I started my tank last week, it was cloudy as hell because i did not rinse my dry rocks either. But within 3 days it cleared the dust up. Still cloudy now because i am dosing AF bio s.

Add salts 1 time, get tank up to desired temp and begin your cycle. 2 weeks plus water saved.

Yes, I seriously thought about doing it that way.

However, it is not the dust I am worried about. In fact, the tank is now about 80% full and four of the Tunze pumps have been running: the water is crystal clear and none of the water has gotten to the rollermat in the sump yet. These rocks are not dusty at all! ;Happy

I just wanted to soak everything in RO/DI water because:

- In case the ceramic rocks leach silicates, which are not visible. Though reviews of these specific rocks have been positive and no mention was made of silicate (or other chemicals) leaching, I prefer to err on the side of caution.

- After I drained the tank of tap water, everything was coated in a thin layer of white. Most of this is probably calcium from the water hardness but mixed in with that may be residual phosphates found in tap water.

- To remove the layer of white, I used window cleaner, which contains ammonia. Though I wiped everything down afterwards, and ammonia tends to evaporate anyway, once again my preference is to err on the side of caution.

So because of all of the above, I prefer to let everything soak in RO/DI for a couple of weeks, especially since I'm away anyway. RO/DI is excellent for pulling invisible nasties out of everything ;Joyful. Then when I drain and refill with fresh RO/DI I'm as close to a clean start as I can get!

And here in Switzerland water availability and cost is not really a factor compared with the hassle of trying to fix any problem arising from not doing this.

And I don't really expect to see a cycle: initially all my current livestock and live rock will go into the new tank with no extra bioload for at least a month or two...

 

[Laith]

Amazing build!

Thank you! ;Happy

 

[Laith]

Time for an update... ;Happy

We had to unexpectedly cancel our two weeks away. So the timing changed a bit.

First, my backup doorstop purchased and installed. In case the stop hinge I installed fails, this will stop the door handle banging into the tank glass. ;Wideyed

Doesn't look too bad screwed into the bottom wood panel on the end of the tank...

;Happy