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TD375 - New Build
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- Thread starter David29price
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David29price
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I’m actually plumbing it this weekend. My apologies I got a little behind. This project is never ending but getting close to the end.
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David29price
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Got all the lights mounted to the rack I built today, the chiller setup and some electric outlets installed. I ended up needing to put the chiller in the utility room next to the filter room for heat reasons. So I mounted a platform to the wall and used chains to support the weight. Not the prettiest but it will work fine and avoid any additional head pressure on the line I ran to it as it’s at the same height as the manifold.
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David29price
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More progress. Got the protein skimmer plumbed in last night and the reactors and chiller fully connected. The protein skimmer was connected with purple PVC. More color for my connections! Lol
Have discovered the pumps are way to powerful and keep heating the water way up. The chiller can’t even keep up. So I’m downsizing the pumps to a hammerhead to see if that’s the suite spot. Hoping for less heat, less power consumption and hoping the chiller can run efficiently otherwise I’ll be upgrading from a 1/3 HP chiller to a 1HP.
At any rate, goal is to start adding fish in two weeks!!!
I just have to finish hanging lights over the aquarium and paint the new office so I don’t risk getting any plaster dust or paint in the water and kill off anything. All the cabinetry will be built over the next few months and then installed in sections to encase the aquarium.
Have discovered the pumps are way to powerful and keep heating the water way up. The chiller can’t even keep up. So I’m downsizing the pumps to a hammerhead to see if that’s the suite spot. Hoping for less heat, less power consumption and hoping the chiller can run efficiently otherwise I’ll be upgrading from a 1/3 HP chiller to a 1HP.
At any rate, goal is to start adding fish in two weeks!!!
I just have to finish hanging lights over the aquarium and paint the new office so I don’t risk getting any plaster dust or paint in the water and kill off anything. All the cabinetry will be built over the next few months and then installed in sections to encase the aquarium.
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David29price
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Me too! As soon as I get salt in it and a bio load I’ll be able too. Should be just a few more weeks. So sorry for the delay. This project is just way bigger than I ever imagined.
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David29price
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Good progress. Got the office painted, shutters installed, ceiling fan installed and lights hung. You can raise and lower them using a winch on the side and a power drill.
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David29price
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Finally got 5 little fish in the tank!!!
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David29price
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So I have the skimmer going for 5 days now. So far no skimmate but the manufacturer says it can take up to two weeks to start producing. I’ll update next week. If I don’t see anything by then I’ll contact them for advice. I’m guessing I just don’t have enough in the water column yet to create much of a reaction.
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David29price
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Ok so I’ve been asked by a few people to review the protein skimmer I got. It’s a brand I’ve never seen before and they seem to focus on massive aquariums as opposed to the home hobbyist. I actually won it at MACNA two years ago and it was rated exactly for my size tank. I got super lucky on that as these run around $600. That being said, they indicate they can pull more out of the water with a smaller than average unit.
So, the skimmer has been running for one week now on a brand new tank. I’ve been adjusting my water flow and air a few times each day. Yesterday I found the sweet spot after increasing the flow by roughly 25% more and now it’s producing skimmate. The manufacturer advises that the best skimmate coming out of this unit will look like tea and they advise NOT to produce it too thick as you won’t pull as much out. The attached video shows it running and this is after 24 hours with 15 fish in 400 total gallons of water.
2nd in the video you will see the Pax Bellum A.R.I.D C30 Algae Scrubber. It is plumbed inline with the chiller but no chaeto loaded yet. Manufacturer advises to wait one month on a new tank otherwise it won’t have anything to consume which of course makes sense.... As I’ve not found a ton of reviews on these I’ll post a review in one month as well as an update on everything. Hopefully by then I will be through the ugly algae phase. Every review I have seen though indicates a best in class algae scrubber capable of eliminating a host of filtration equipment with minimal maintenance.
So, the skimmer has been running for one week now on a brand new tank. I’ve been adjusting my water flow and air a few times each day. Yesterday I found the sweet spot after increasing the flow by roughly 25% more and now it’s producing skimmate. The manufacturer advises that the best skimmate coming out of this unit will look like tea and they advise NOT to produce it too thick as you won’t pull as much out. The attached video shows it running and this is after 24 hours with 15 fish in 400 total gallons of water.
2nd in the video you will see the Pax Bellum A.R.I.D C30 Algae Scrubber. It is plumbed inline with the chiller but no chaeto loaded yet. Manufacturer advises to wait one month on a new tank otherwise it won’t have anything to consume which of course makes sense.... As I’ve not found a ton of reviews on these I’ll post a review in one month as well as an update on everything. Hopefully by then I will be through the ugly algae phase. Every review I have seen though indicates a best in class algae scrubber capable of eliminating a host of filtration equipment with minimal maintenance.
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David29price
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So it seems the only way I think to get a movie to work is you have to post it on YouTube and link it so I’ll need to get an account setup and then try again. Apologies, makes no sense why you can’t post it direct and have it work. Will try to fix later.
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David29price
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The sump loaded up with MarinePure bricks, blocks and plates. Plenty of room for more if need be.
I read a lot of complaints online about these leaching aluminum and killing coral. Independent tests found the blocks leached more than the bricks or plates which is odd since it’s all the same material.
I spoke with several vendors who did their own tests and they found either aluminum or strontium. The recommendation was to soak in RO/DI water for two weeks. I did so and after 24 hours found a ton of junk on the surface of the water in all 4 buckets. What was alarming was the buckets holding the blocks I found what looked like an oil or gasoline slick. I flushed all water out every day and added new water until the water was running clear. This took 16 days! So my advice is rinse the **** out of these and you will be fine. I have them now in the main sump and the frag tank sump with no issues. Coral frags are fine.
I read a lot of complaints online about these leaching aluminum and killing coral. Independent tests found the blocks leached more than the bricks or plates which is odd since it’s all the same material.
I spoke with several vendors who did their own tests and they found either aluminum or strontium. The recommendation was to soak in RO/DI water for two weeks. I did so and after 24 hours found a ton of junk on the surface of the water in all 4 buckets. What was alarming was the buckets holding the blocks I found what looked like an oil or gasoline slick. I flushed all water out every day and added new water until the water was running clear. This took 16 days! So my advice is rinse the **** out of these and you will be fine. I have them now in the main sump and the frag tank sump with no issues. Coral frags are fine.
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David29price
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David29price
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Yep I seemed to get it dialed in pretty good now.
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