JC Pollman

Something to think about: you want redundancy. If you only have one pump and it dies (for what ever reason) you could have a very bad day. I am in the planning stage for my next tank, and it will have 2 return pumps with each being on a separate circuit.

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I have done full setups of both, and have settled on VHO for actinics, and T5s for day/par. Note: T5s are only better than VHOs when they have individual reflectors. Eventually I will be going to LEDs, but they have to come down in price a bit before I go that route.

I have given up on closed loop systems as they never seem to hold up for very long. In the tank I am building, I will use a Tunze pump with a DIY wavemaker controller. Here is a video And here is a link to building the controller: DIY Controller If you have LPSes, or softees, I think this is the way to go. Plus, the Tunze pumps are very low power users. JC

DSBs do not need to be an all-or-nothing issue. Make a remote DSB. I am planning my new sump to have a large DSB which can be taken off-line and replaced every so often. I should add that I had a DSB in my last tank - 6 inches deep. Even after 5 years it was never a problem. But one day I scooped out some sand with my hand, and boy, did it sink! I can not imagine what my fish and corals must of thought.

And at 4 feet head pressure - which is probably what the average sump will need - what are the differences? Reeflo makes great equipment, but not everything they make is for every situation. This intro price is also great, but if you do not need the head pressure, you are going to be paying a bit more for electricity.

I think when I was looking at the 2500 model, it was running about 200 watts, versus a regular DART at 100 watts.

Yes, I know we should not post links to other DIY sites, but this is a first rate setup and description of how put use LEDs as your primary (even sole) lighting for your tank - now, if I only had a tank.... DIY LEDs

Be sure to read the specs carefully - they are drawing twice the juice compared to the regular pumps, but they have much better head pressure.

Redundancy and safety should go hand-in-hand. Your power should be split into two lines, so if one goes down the other still works. Example: put your main pump on one line and your closed-loop pump on the other. Also, put half your lights on one line, and the other half on the other. When I say "split", this is not complicated: just split the wire when it gets to your sump (or fishroom) you do not have to run two wires from the main fuse box. Then, you should have multiple GFCIs (come on, they are on $10 a piece at the hardware store). If you only have one GFCI protecting each line, then when something goes wrong, and entire line is shut down - which also makes trouble shooting much harder.

As I plan my next tank, the wheels are moving (or perhaps grinding) at full speed, and I have tentatively come up with several key parts that I think will make a difference from the last tank. This one will be 84x30x24 and be a plywood tank again. I had a DSB in my last one, and it gave me problems, plus, at the 5 year mark, when I pulled a handful out, it really stank, so I want to avoid that again. But I also think barebottoms have problems too, and in the end, getting the gunk out of the tank is most important to a long term happy aquarium. I am thinking of doing the following: 1.Running the return water through pipes in the bottom. I will probably have 4 3/4inch pipes running the length of the tank. The idea is to have a vertical flow of water from the bottom to the overflows. I am planning on using a dart pump on this. The biggest issue I have with this right now is what to put between the pipes. Cement, like the kind used for DIY live rocks, would be ideal, but seems like an awful lot of work. I will put some plastic tubing in the holes in the pipes to keep the cement out

This is what it looked like before the wall went up, and looks the same today: Picture of aquarium

I have decided to build a new tank, so my old one has to go - your only cost is the gas to come and pick it up. The tank: plywood, glass front, 6 coats of epoxy paint. No issues with it. It is 5 years old. Measures: 96x24x19high. Might be a really nice grow-out tank. The stand: 2x4s - you are more than welcome to it as well. In the interest of making sure you know what you will be getting: if I were to set it up again, I would give the inside and outside another coat of epoxy paint - the tank does not leak, but moving it might stress things. The sand has been cleaned out of the tank, but that is about it as far as my cleanin efforts have gone - it needs a good scubbing. The stand is just 2x4s, I would recommend a piece of plywood or styrafoam between the tank and the stand. Also, I would put a couple more 2x4s in the stand as this is a heavy tank. The tank weighs about 200 lbs, I can help with the lift, but it really is a 4 man lift and my back is not going to let me do it with just one other person. I live in Burke and will be out and about the rest of today (Sat) but will be in all day tomorrow. If the tank is not gone by next Sunday, it is going to the dump. You can call me at 7 0 3 4 5 5 1 0 8 7

Few things get me as angry as heaters! I have posted this before, but it makes me feel better to post it again <rant> My opinion - based on my experience: Never trust the controller on a heater. Never! Spend the money to get a Ranco controller - you can get one for about $80 plus shipping. Rancos are industrial strength and I have never heard of one failing. I think heaters are the poorest quality piece of equipment we use in our tanks - and the controllers are the worst part of the heaters. They ALL suck! In the past two years I have gone through 6 heaters (four different brands - glass and titanium) - and only by sheer luck did I not loose any carbon based lifeform. Well, actually not quite luck: I have a thermometer mounted on the front side of my tank so I noticed the problems fairly quickly. I also use a grounding probe which was truely life saving during one of the heater problems. The worst problem I had was a heater that was always on, but its d@mn light was off! After getting the Ranco I sleep much easier. O, and getting a spare heater is also essential - though they will stick in the "on" position sometimes, they can also stick in the off position, so a spare heater, this time of the year, can be a life saver. Did I mention: I really hate heaters! </rant> JC

I built a plywood tank years ago, and now want to remove it to build a new one. The front glass is siliconed in, and I was wondering if there is any easy way to take it off. Not only would I like to save the glass, but the tank would be much lighter without it, and hence, easier to remove. Note: this is inside, and fumes can be an issue.