Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders Twin 65G Reefs

[JMsAquarium]

Don't know with how or what, but count me in. I will recommend beings I didn't see it mentioned, replacing the Coralife dual timer ASAP. From personal experience with 12" flames coming off one, they are a danger to anyone and everyone.

 

I am a cancer survivor, I know what a treatment room looks like. When I was done with my chemo treatments I would have nightmares that I woke up from where I could still feel them putting the chemo needle into my arm and the chemicals going into my system.

 

To all of you offering to help, bless you all, you are wonderful people.

 

Excellent point on the Coralife timer Kevin. Mike, I have a couple of individual timers you can have right away.

[DaveS]

If someone is willing to help organize it, I'd be happy to offer hosting a "Giving for Grace" event at my place. Just let me know!

[dbartco]

If someone is willing to help organize it, I'd be happy to offer hosting a "Giving for Grace" event at my place. Just let me know!

 

 

Ooh I likey this option too.

[BeltwayBandit]

As I said, it is really a bit overwhelming, although I kind of thought this might be a project that WAMAS could get behind.

 

 

I for one would like to say that I'm not surprised at the response, and in the same breath I'm humbled by the response.. We do have a very good and gracious group of folks here who want to do well, and when we can do well and reef in the process.... whoah nelly don't get in our way. Congrats to all the WAMASERS who have offered their support, I would offer but I'm 5.5 hours away from DC and it makes it a bit hard to donate... BUT... if anyone wants to organize a bluezoo gb with the donations I can kick in a $28 credit.

 

Thanks again all for making me proud to be a member of WAMAS.

 

BB

[Rascal]

A couple of things I did today. First, I contacted a few of the local LFS's to see if it would be feasible to set something up that would allow people to donate to a store account at check-out. I also set up a Paypal account in my daughter's name and added a link to my signature allow people to donate to these tanks if they want.

 

Looks like you have room for HOB fuges

I would love to, but I just don't think there is enough room for a fuge and a quality skimmer as well, unless you know of one that could fit with only 2 3/4" clearance. I really think we will need the space on the sides of the tanks for skimmers.

 

Mike,

 

You are welcome to any coral I have when ready for this tank.

 

Lighting - let me know if you want me to check with Chris and Anthony at Ice Cap and see if they can support your efforts with ballasts, bulbs, fixtures ect. If Johnny can't help on skimmer, let me know and I may have another connection for you on a mce we can try.

 

Best wishes

 

Craig:

 

Thanks. At some point down the road I would love to upgrade to T5s, probably in a canopy. No way they could do MHs on this tank b/c they just have no way to deal with the heat. But for right now I think the priority needs to be water quality. The only high-light loving organism that would thrive in these tanks currently is algae. If you have a lead on a MCE let me know. Since the tanks aren't plumbed together we will need 2 of them, which won't be easy.

 

Don't know with how or what, but count me in. I will recommend beings I didn't see it mentioned, replacing the Coralife dual timer ASAP. From personal experience with 12" flames coming off one, they are a danger to anyone and everyone.

 

I am a cancer survivor, I know what a treatment room looks like. When I was done with my chemo treatments I would have nightmares that I woke up from where I could still feel them putting the chemo needle into my arm and the chemicals going into my system.

 

To all of you offering to help, bless you all, you are wonderful people.

 

Thanks Kevin. Until I was watching my daughter go through it I had no idea what cancer and chemo really did to people. There were times when the only way I could get her to stop crying, at least for a while, was to turn the music up and dance with her in front of my tank. Of course there many times when there was nothing we could do to ease the pain, but the peace that it gave her during those moments is my motivation for this project.

 

I plan to eventually replace the coralife power strips with a DC8, but you're right, I probably should get rid of them sooner. A fire is the last thing that place needs.

 

Thanks again to all. Keep the suggestions coming.

Edited December 9, 2008 by Rascal

[jamesbuf]

Donation sent. Let me know if there's anything else I can do.

[MLazar]

Mike,

 

Are we any closer to setting a place, date and time for "Giving for Grace"?

 

Maureen

[Grav]

If this is where I think it is, I will actually be in the area on Wed and could stop by, deliver and aclimate some snails, crabs and do water tests.

 

If that helps, please EMAIL me by 9:00am Wed with address, location and let the people onsite know I am coming.

 

Phil@reefescape.net

 

Phil

[Rascal]

Donation sent. Let me know if there's anything else I can do.

Thanks.

 

Mike,

 

Are we any closer to setting a place, date and time for "Giving for Grace"?

 

Maureen

 

Maureen:

 

I talked with a couple of people at the meeting and the feeling seemed to be that it would be better to shoot for sometime in early January, since everyone will be so busy in the next few weeks. Doug mentioned maybe doing something like we did for the Waikiki aquarium - an auction for corals and maybe even used equipment - every bit will help.

 

 

If this is where I think it is, I will actually be in the area on Wed and could stop by, deliver and aclimate some snails, crabs and do water tests.

 

If that helps, please EMAIL me by 9:00am Wed with address, location and let the people onsite know I am coming.

 

Phil@reefescape.net

 

Phil

 

It is on Rte 50 b/n Annandale Rd and 7 Corners. I'll talk with them today and to make sure that will be OK.

[DaveS]

Since the tanks aren't plumbed together we will need 2 of them, which won't be easy.

 

How difficult would it be to plumb them together? I noticed that they seem to be side-by-side. Maybe drill a hole on each side that lines up and use some bulkheads? By making them one system, that would allow better utilization of the space and equipment. For example, 2 skimmers that handle 65G each probably cost more and take up more space than 1 that handles 130G. Just a thought.

 

Doug mentioned maybe doing something like we did for the Waikiki aquarium - an auction for corals and maybe even used equipment - every bit will help.

 

Doug is following up with me on my offer with a great idea and I'm going to run it by the wife. Hopefully we can help make this happen!

[davidk]

Count me in as well. I would love to assist in any way I can - financially and time. I have a bunch of frags and equipment that I would love to donate as well. PM me when ready.

[Kevin Garrison]

If combinging the plumbing on the tanks, which is a good idea, is the route that is decided on. I will be happy to lend a hand doing the plumbing work as long as someone else does the drilling I haven't drilled a tank yet, I'd rather not experiment on someone else's tanks and especially not these tanks.

 

Again I say to all those pitching in, donating and offering to help host an event I say bless you all. As a cancer survivor I can honestly say you are an amazing group of people and I am proud to be part of the group.

[Rascal]

How difficult would it be to plumb them together? I noticed that they seem to be side-by-side. Maybe drill a hole on each side that lines up and use some bulkheads? By making them one system, that would allow better utilization of the space and equipment. For example, 2 skimmers that handle 65G each probably cost more and take up more space than 1 that handles 130G. Just a thought.

 

I had the same thought initially, but I am not sure if it would work. Even with low profile bulkheads the tanks would have to moved farther apart to accommodate the plumbing (they are about 1" apart now), and there isn't that much room on the sides as it is. Given how close the tanks would be, I would be concerned with placing undue stress on the glass unless the holes line up exactly. All things considered, I would probably still go for it if this was my home system, but I'm not so willing to take the chance on someone else's tanks, especially given the location. I have found that I am a lot more conservative in what I am willing to try on a system that I can't spend hours observing and tinkering with each night.

 

Your right that it would be a lot easier if we could figure out a way to plumb them together. A unified sump would solve a lot of problems and open up a lot of possibilities, but they just don't have the set-up for it.

[jason the filter freak]

The problem I see with them plumed together is that if something goes wrong with one... equipment failure, ick, leak, ect. It goes wrong with both, like conjoined twins. I'd say it's probably better to keep them separate.

Edited December 10, 2008 by jason the filter freak

[dschflier]

Well I haven't had any time to add any input but now that I do I wanted to ask if you have considered just working with one tank? If the reason to have 2 is so everyone can see the tanks then that is understandable but without really having any more information I would think having one really nice tank would give you more options with the space. It would also be easier to take care of. Just my 2 cents.

 

From someone who has drilled dozens of tanks I would not recomend drilling the two tanks together. I just think it is asking for trouble.

Edited December 10, 2008 by dschflier

[Grav]

I love how WAMAS people are always thinking of new ideals, but sometimes the creativity is too much. Putting the two togeather with a bulkhead scares the heck out of me. If you want to have a single water system, just plumb the two togeather into the same sump. Taking them down to drill em... ugh... nothing ruines the long term chance of having an aquarium in a public place like water on the floor.

[SteveD]

I *may* be losing my tank and my participation in the hobby is sort of in limbo at the moment (long story), but I'll help however I can. I might have a ton of left over used equipment to donate to this cause. Dave, I can help with logistics of whatever is planned at your place if you need it.

 

QQ: How is evaporation handled?

[ctenophore]

A simpler solution that involves no plumbing or drilling is to just put a U-tube (i.e., for hang-on overflows) to join the two tanks, but just let passive diffusion keep the water chemistry consistent. No need to actively pump water from one tank to the other. That way, if the U-tube gets filled with air bubbles and the siphon breaks, there is no risk of one tank overflowing. Alternatively, you could put an aqualifter on the U-tube to keep bubbles from accumulating, and that would create a slight active flow between the systems with little room for disaster.

[Rascal]

Sorry for not responding to all the ideas and pms for a few days. Unfortunately my daughter spent the better part of 2 days at the center this week but didn't even get to see the tanks. She spiked a fever early Monday morning and her immune levels were dropping so they kept her in one of the isolation "sick rooms" and gave her 2 huge doses of IV anti-biotics and an immunoglobin cocktail, all of which has other side effects. Needless to say it has been a tough week.

 

In the space they have, I agree that the best solution would have been to put in one tank (probably a 125) with a sump, and the second best would have been to join the 2 tanks with a common sump. But the tanks they have were donated and the space is just not configured for a sump, so we have to work with what is there. If the tanks were in my house I would probably do a lot more tinkering and take a lot more chances (like drilling them) - but that's because I could stay up late at night fixing any problems like I do on my own tank (a lot of my stuff is DIY or heavily modded). At the center I feel like I need to be a lot more conservative with what I do.

 

The U-tube option is interesting and might just work. My only concern would be making absolutely sure that the water levels would self-equalize if I had an aqualifter drawing water from one side to the other. In theory it should work just fine (water seeks its own level right?) but I'd like to try it out on a couple of 5 gallon buckets for a while first. If anyone has an extra one lying around let me know. Alternatively, could I just make one out of PVC?

 

Evaporation loss is replaced with distilled water. The Nurse Manager, Mary Chandler, is an experienced hobbyist herself and has taken responsibility for top off, feeding etc. . . .

 

The skimmer situation is really pressing right now. My attempt to mod my old CPR bak-pak is just not working out. It is noisy, ineffective, spraying the wall around the tank with a fine mist of scum somehow, and fills the tank with microbubbles. I need to pull it and tinker with it some more at home to try to work the kinks out, but there is only so much you can do. Good news though (hopefully) on this front - as long he still has it and it works as he says this should be a pretty good deal:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...ghlight=mce+600.

[jamesbuf]

Yes, $300 +/- shipping is about the going rate for those skimmers. I bought mine off of RC for that much. If you can find some way to link the tanks, that skimmer will do just fine for that size water column.

[jason the filter freak]

what about a HOB sump like steve had/the bow front displays (70-80) gallons that almost all petsmarts have?

[Rascal]

what about a HOB sump like steve had/the bow front displays (70-80) gallons that almost all petsmarts have?

 

With only 2 3/4" clearance in the back, I don't think it would work. You made a good point earlier about keeping the systems separate to isolate problems, but being able to get 1 good skimmer instead of having to get two might override this concern. I am still intrigued with the U-tube w/ or w/o aqualifter idea to equalize water quality through diffusion. I also have some new ideas on how to fine tune my already modded cpr bak pak, so I am going to pull it offline tomorrow and fiddle with it a bit more.

 

Also, I meant to ask about your recommendation of the bi-color over the coral beauty angel. Having never had either, why do you prefer the one over the other? Personality?

 

 

James: Thanks so much for the Paypal donation. It just went to help defray the cost of a great skimmer.

[dbartco]

look soone for an announcement of a little get together to raise some $$ for this in early Jan!!!

[Coral Hind]

At some point down the road I would love to upgrade to T5s, probably in a canopy.

 

If you are going to do a DIY hood w/ T5's let me know. I will donate four T5HO ballasts. Each ballast will light 1 or 2 54w lamp(s).

 

I also have a 4" queen conch snail you can have. She loves to eat hair algae.

 

Send me a PM if interested.

[Rascal]

Update:

 

It has been a bit of a roller coaster the last couple of weeks. On the morning of 15th I got a call and email saying the left tank was leaking. Turns out the Bak-Pak had overflowed due to my attempt to solve the micro-bubble problem with a strategically placed filter pad. Dumped about 5-6 gallons on the floor. Very bad. Too make it worse the tank water had turned a putrid yellow-green color. I cleaned up the mess, pulled the Bak-Pak offline, and came back later with some fresh saltwater to replace what was lost. I also ran some carbon in a Phos Reactor to see if that helped. By Wednesday the yellow tint was gone but the water was practically lime green. We had done probably 4 or 5 8-gallon water changes in the last ten days, and the nitrate readings weren't bad (5-15), but it looked like . . . then it hit me -- phytoplankton! We had succeeded in growing greenwater! With that revelation the fix was easy - 2 days of a Gamma 25W UV and the water cleared up. That Friday I put the Deltec online and pulled the UV and carbon. And by Monday the 22nd the tank looked great! I took advantage of a sale at BRK to add a few fish and also added some premium live rock donated by dshnarw. I also cut some acrylic pieces to replace the glass tops - figuring the acrylic will let more light through and be easier to take off and clean. As of the end of last week everything looked pretty good.

 

I am holding off adding anything to the right tank for now. It has the two Prizm skimmers on there, which actually do a surprising good job when they are working -- it just seems like more often than not they are not working. I put the Bak-Pak on that tank as well. To solve the microbubble problem without risking a clogged overflow, I crafted a new venturi with more of a restricted intake. This had the effect of slowing down the flow while still allowing a decent amount of air into it. I also attached an upturned elbow to the intake of the pump so it now draws water from 1" below the surface. That way even if something does go wrong, the pump will run dry before a significant amount of water gets on the floor. It works, . . . but still not very well.

 

So, as you can see I've been pretty busy over there. I will try to take some updated pics when I stop by tomorrow.

Edited December 29, 2008 by Rascal