Steve175

Bumpski. Update on this beautiful tank?

Spot on. I am stuck in Salt Lake on a business trip. Was supposed to fly back this evening, but BWI cancelled all flights 36h ago. Just talked to my wife: we got less than an inch. Delayed 24h. We need to hire the guy from Anchorman and/or flip a coin to predict storms in order to improve accuracy.

Can you pleasr come touch some of the mushrooms in my frag tank? You can charge money for those magic hands!

Sounds like another flash to a judgement when you know nothing of the system nor the specifics involved . . . Back to helping the OP.

The Bean Animal approach is too new to use the fact that many existing tanks don't have them as a sign that it does not represent an optimal design. I too believe that the efficiency of surface skimming is directly proportional to the linear length of the weir. I think that your plans are sound. I would really avoid relying upon either a long siphon tube (very likely to get clogged over time) or check valves (I had a Sch 80 2" Hayward check valve [installed vertically and in proper direction] stick closed and rain upon 2 EB4s ~ 3 months ago [after running only 9 months] and now feel that I have to soak them in vinegar/acid every 6 months which is a PIA). Not totally I understand where you plan to place the 4th BH for the return: I would place it high in the back into the coast-to-coast and then use a 90 to have the loc-line run out of the bottom of the coast-to-coast. That 90 would be pretty close to the surface and you could drill the siphon breaks directly into it. The amount of water shunting directly into the coast to coast when the pump is operating would be minimal and during power loss your return line would siphon break quickly (after the coast to coast drained). This would work well from a plumbing perspective, would not rely on a siphon tube nor a check valve, and cosmetically would be invisible.

Hard to go wrong with the advice above. I agree that, at this stage, I would skip any starfish. Urchins are helpful if you are confident in how secure your frags are glued and if you don't mind regluing them on occasion.

I'd love to help, but live pretty far. I found this very helpful: http://www.vividaqua...om/fragging.asp "Check out mounting frags: using glue and putty" I do this almost identically and it works very well.

I would strongly consider a closed loop with a waveline DC-5000 if I were setting up a 60G (I wish they made a DC-30000 for my 250Gs).

I have a "sterilize" mode on my washer which takes 90min. I wash once with bleach and 2 with nothing. I have 8 filter socka so that the eye poke is spread out to abouy every other month

I'm with Yauger: I do the exact same regimen. You are skimming residual soap

Make sure nothing is picking at them. Any Angels in the tank?

Not convinced. I be tempted to add some flow if it were me.

Honestly, if I were to do it over again, I would skip the closed loops. I have, effectively, a 500G with 2 closed loops (each pushed with a hammerhead), 2 large koralias, and 4 very large tunzes. The PHs push way better flow/random flow (granted I did not use a OM4) and use WAY less electricity. I put the inlets low to hid them (through the bottom): although they extend ~ 6" above the sandbed, they frequently get clogged with sand which is a PIA and the inlet screens are hard to get to to clean through the SPS. The inlet recently shredded a large hadoni which managed to migrate into it (it made it but is half the size and only made it because I realized the problem quickly). The only thing I like about the CLs is that I think it is a much more efficient way to run a chiller and UV from the DT in a large system. If I were to do it again, I would load up the tank with concealed large tunzes or Vortech's and skip the CL altogether. Also, 8 extra BHs in a tank gives me the heeby-jeebies (really 10 for the 2 inlets) unless you are planning to run them up an over which, IMO, would look less good than several carefully planned Tunzes.

My apex with a water sensor as well as a loss of power sensor (both texted to my phone when tripped) has saved my tank (and my marriage) many times.

Above 40 and I think you are fine. I have mine hooked to a large container with a float as well. Get 2 large containers and use the 2nd to mix SW (small pump to pump the fresh RODI from the float valve one to the SW one).

I can give you a key, and you can come pick up my skimmate once a week. And I won't even charge you. I know, I am a giver . . .

Some very nice chalices there! Congrats! Could be worse: my bank account is reeling from a big GFO purchase: I'd rather look at chalices than bloody GFO (but I'd rather look at GFO than algae).

Although they are 1.25", the bulkheads that come with the rubbermaid sump are pretty thin-walled. I would measure the OD of the BH or the hole size and go to a site to determine the correct BH: SCH 40 1" requires 1 3/4" hole and standard SCH80 1" requires 1 7/8" hole: http://www.marinedep...rainers-ap.html Here is a SCH 80 that requires a 2" hole - go to page 2 on link): http://premiumaquati..._code=Bulkheads My guess is that either a standard (SCH 40) or a heavy duty (SCH 80) BH might fit the hole perfectly with no need to mod. $0.02.

I would consider circling back to the basics before doing a total change of substrate. "Old Tank Syndrome" from a DSB, if even real, is not usually raised until the 10+ year mark. More specifics about your system would be helpful: skimmer type/size, amount of LR, total water volume, +/- refugium, +/- GFO, food type and frequency. Nitrate reduction is a mass balance problem: you need to ensure that you are exporting (through the skimmer, denitrification in LR, export through algae in either a refugium or scrubber, etc.) more than you are importing (often the easiest is to halve your current feeding (I feed every other day only).

A picture of the issue would be helpful.

+1! This club is awesome!

I would go for a 36" width in addition to length (as recommended above) if that would work for the space. No more than 30" depth (standard reef is 24").

Charles: the key benefit I find in the Apex is the internet capability which I don't remember the ACIII having (or if it had it, I wasn't aware of it at the time and hadn't set it up). If any of my (7) EB4s or (3) EB8s lose power, I get an e-mail and a text warning through the cell. Same thing if my pH (on either my tank or Ca reactor [CO2 tank empty]), temp, or Orp fall out of ranges I have set. I have an app on the iphone that I can check my parameters anywhere in the world and toggle any outlet (I use the phone to change the outlets at home when working on the tank instead of the display unit as it is much faster). As above, you can program default settings for each outlet if communication is lost so you'd have no worries about your heater regardless of into which outlet it is plugged.

Hilarious as always. Thanks for the laugh. I can't seem to shake the mental image of you with the perpetual teaspoon.

Something snacking on it (crabs or large bristle worm)? "How did 1500G of saltwater cost THAT much?"