davelin315 December 2, 2007 Author Share December 2, 2007 The arc just shot to the panel clamp and opened the wires up there. Really you should not have wire in the panel like that for that reason, the outer sleeve must be removed inside the box per code. I removed the sleeve all the way up to the clamp this time around just to make sure the wires were OK. There is probably about an inch or less of the sleeve inside the box now as I couldn't get it further up there without worrying about how it would cut off. Learn something new every day about codes! OK, no I don't, but it's certainly something I didn't know and as I do more of the wiring, I'll remove that sleeve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 3, 2007 Author Share December 3, 2007 Added another GFCI socket tonight (3 more independently tripping running into a 2nd 20 AMP arcfault breaker). This one was not adventuresome when dealing with the wiring, except that I had to cut 6 holes in my ceiling to get it done - and in the meantime discovered that the sophet (sp?) that I thought was full of air vents was actually a steel I-beam supporting my house! I also decided that I would add some sand without rinsing it since it says you can add it without rinsing it but it will take about 2 days to clear up. I turned off both pumps and then closed the valves to them and then dumped in 300 lbs of sugar sized aragonite. The water is pretty cloudy and so I only turned on one pump, the 2nd closed loop that does not go through the OM so as to not clog it. The next step is to plumb the sumps together to the tank and run one final line so that I have a total of 3 20 AMP arcfault breakers running to 3 banks of pairs of independently protected GFCI sockets. My tank room should be pretty well protected from anything that goes on as a result. Hmmm... at this rate I should be done with this tank by the end of December if the baby comes and I have time to work on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward December 3, 2007 Share December 3, 2007 Looks good, Dave. Glad you figured everything out. The outer sheath definitely has to be stripped back to the connector as Dan said. This illustrates the reason, you don't want hidden nicks in the wire. You probably saved about $500 doing this one yourself. LMK if you need any more help. On the electrocution discussion... it only takes a very few miliamps of current to kill you, so circuit breakers really don't protect against that - they protect the wires from melting due to too much current and prevent fires. 110VAC will not typically produce enough current across the high resistance of your body. There are always exceptions - if you're covered in water, for example. This would lower the overall resistance of your body and allow more current to flow. 220VAC can kill you at a "normal" body resistance - this is where you need to be especially careful. Since 220VAC in our houses is produced using 2-phase 110VAC (2 Sine waves, about 60 deg out of phase, waveforms add to 220 - happy to discuss further if anyone is genuinely interested) it's actually pretty difficult to do more than hurt yourself very badly on household electrical. Industrial electrical is another story - though when I was a laborer doing commercial electrical work, I knew a guy that got caught in the middle of a 450V line and survived. It all depends on the resistance of your body and the path to ground the electricity takes. If the current flows across your heart it can be disasterous. ~Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 7, 2007 Author Share December 7, 2007 Shoulda washed the sand... it's still cloudy after a few days, I guess that's a testament to the water movement in the tank as the water that sloshed over the overflow is clear because it's getting settled. I think I'll buy a whole house sediment filter and run a pump through it for a couple of days. That should get rid of everything in there... don't know when I'll get to it, though, as Logan Sarah was born on Wednesday morning! Looks like it's time for the tank to take a back seat again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal December 7, 2007 Share December 7, 2007 Congrats Dave (for the new baby, not the sand storm in the tank)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak December 7, 2007 Share December 7, 2007 Shoulda washed the sand... it's still cloudy after a few days, I guess that's a testament to the water movement in the tank as the water that sloshed over the overflow is clear because it's getting settled. I think I'll buy a whole house sediment filter and run a pump through it for a couple of days. That should get rid of everything in there... don't know when I'll get to it, though, as Logan Sarah was born on Wednesday morning! Looks like it's time for the tank to take a back seat again! Why not borrow some cannister filters and use floss, it works like freaking magic. a couple of cannisters filled with floss I give your water less than 24 hrs to clear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lletellier December 7, 2007 Share December 7, 2007 Why not borrow some cannister filters and use floss, it works like freaking magic. a couple of cannisters filled with floss I give your water less than 24 hrs to clear I had the same thing happen on a much smaller scale and yes the filter floss in my nano pack took the white out of the water within a day or two Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 8, 2007 Author Share December 8, 2007 I've been thinking of running it through a filter and was thinking that the sediment filter would do a fantastic job of it since it's designed to remove particulate to a certain micron rating. May just cut a hole in a bucket and use filter floss like you mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal December 8, 2007 Share December 8, 2007 I used a diatom filter and had crystal clear water within a couple of hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 9, 2007 Author Share December 9, 2007 Bought what I believe are the final pieces for this aquarium before it's hooked up and ready to go. I also bought a whole house sediment filter so I'll hook it up tonight if I get the chance and see what it accomplishes. It's got a 30 micron paper filter so I'm assuming that it will do the job on the sediment in the water. If necessary, I can switch to a smaller micron filter to finish off the job. I'm hoping that it clogs within a couple of hours because it's done such a bang up job. On another note, the temperature in the main display is very high, the water feels almost like a bath. I'm a little disappointed in the heat output through the two pumps, I would have thought it would be much less considering they are external pumps with a good reputation. I am wondering, though, if this might be because I added an ocean runner to surface agitate while I tried to clear out the sediment. I'll remove that one after I hook up the sediment filter and go from there. As far as electrical, I bought supplies to put in electrical for under the tank - I'll run some waterproof conduit across the ceiling from the wall and then down into the stand. This will give me access to plugs from 3 different places. Should be enough to tide me over power-wise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 9, 2007 Author Share December 9, 2007 Wired the final set of sockets, these are under the tank and are all in weatherproof housings to protect them from splashing. They run the closed loop pumps, the OM 8 way (which I need to take apart and clean now that it's completely filled with sediment), the chiller (which I hooked up tonight with the newly available amps!), and possibly one other thing. I also rigged up a whole house sediment filter to try and clear up the water. It's visibly cleaner already after running for about 5-6 hours as I did plumbing and electrical work tonight. The only thing left now is to hook up the sumps. I put a bulkhead into one of the sumps and then will need to drill another one with a couple of holes for a return, other than that, it's good to go once I hook up the return. I'm hoping that the water is clear in the morning and then if I get a chance, I'll transfer over a few pieces of rock and maybe some snails or crabs to see how they do. Oh, and I still need to hook the lights up. Anyone know where I can get some heavy duty curtain tracks? I was looking at the vertical blind rails, but this is too weak. I want to be able to slide all of the lights over to the open area next to the tank so I can have easy access to it and I was thinking that this type of railing can do the trick. I took some more pictures and will post them when they are done uploading tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 9, 2007 Author Share December 9, 2007 This is the result of my not washing the sand, even after a few days. So, I bought this and put in a 30 micron pleated paper filter. After a few hours, the visibility is improved. Closed Loop #1 Closed Loop #2 Temperature Controller for Chiller The 3rd set of electrical sockets, this is the one under the tank in the grey waterproof conduit and in the rain shields. Here's the sub panel with all 3 breakers installed. Here's the first set of plugs. It's located next to the utility closet and is where I will most likely plug in the lights and return pump from the sumps. Also, anything that is going to be run in the sump by the return (UV, second heater?) will be plugged in here. The frag system will also be plugged in here. This is the 2nd plug bank, located above the sink. This is the power source for the skimmer and anything that will be in the first sump, such as the heater, the calcium reactor, and the kalk stirrer. This last one really showcases my skills with finding a good place to pull the wire through... the blue tape is where I simply covered one of my mistakes until I get around to putting the drywall back in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rioreef December 9, 2007 Share December 9, 2007 You forgot to show us a picture of the electric bill that monster has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak December 9, 2007 Share December 9, 2007 You forgot to show us a picture of the electric bill that monster has. I hear he's going to be using hydro electic power in combination with solar cells Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal December 9, 2007 Share December 9, 2007 I hear he's going to be using hydro electic power in combination with solar cells Funny... I heard he was splicing into the neighbor's electric main. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 9, 2007 Author Share December 9, 2007 All wrong. I bought some used plutonium off of e-bay and I'm going to make an atomic generator for my tank. The lights will be slightly overdriven, but I think that the glow in the dark effect will be well worth my efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay December 9, 2007 Share December 9, 2007 All wrong. I bought some used plutonium off of e-bay and I'm going to make an atomic generator for my tank. The lights will be slightly overdriven, but I think that the glow in the dark effect will be well worth my efforts. Hope you aren't planning to have any more kids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 10, 2007 Author Share December 10, 2007 I figured I won't have to since my daughters are already reaping the benefits and two of them have grown a second head already! On a side note, the tank is crystal clear tonight and I even realized that there was a piece of garbage in one of the bags of sand that I'll have to somehow get out of the bottom of the tank (32" down!). I'm going to try and take apart the 8 way tonight and then plumb the tank a bit so that I can turn it on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 11, 2007 Author Share December 11, 2007 About a year later... I have finally put together the calcium reactor. I will be hooking it up today possibly and will try and post some pictures. Most likely it won't be hooked up, though, until the tank is ready to take corals, as I am using the feed pump (maxi-jet 1200) in the frag tray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 12, 2007 Author Share December 12, 2007 Installed the calcium reactor tonight and also worked on plumbing the sumps. I still have to connect the first sump to the next sump and then move one overflow from sump 1 to sump 2, but then I'm set to go. All I have to do then is move the rock and then hook up the lights and the UV. Two questions, though... #1 - anyone want to come by and give me a quick calcium reactor lesson? I have it hooked up but it looks like the solenoid is letting it run when it's not supposed to... I also had a couple of "whoops!" moments when I turned the CO2 on too much and blasted it into the calcium reactor which in turn created a pH of 6.5 so I was quickly running aerated water into it instead so that the pH would climb back up and not melt all of the aragonite I had in there. Also, I'm not sure what the 2nd part of the pH controller should be used for. It says that it's supposed to have an air pump hooked up to it, but I can't imagine that it would be of any use when I'm using it to control a CA reactor only as I certainly will not bubble air into it. #2 - anyone know where to get some heavy duty sliding tracks that I can suspend my lights from? Oh, and since Bob/Lanman has occupants and has only been working on his tank for a couple of months, I decided that tonight was the night to add a hermit crab so that I could keep up. He's gotten lost in the massive sand dunes of my tank already (it clouded up a bit when I hooked up the 1st closed loop again - I had to turn it off because I had clogged my OM 8 Way so I had to open it up and clean it out). I also cleaned out the sediment filter and hooked it up again to continue to clean out the water. In order to not stir up the sand as much I have the overflow going in reverse - I'm pumping the water from the closed loop into the overflow so it's flowing out of there instead of into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward December 12, 2007 Share December 12, 2007 Installed the calcium reactor tonight and also worked on plumbing the sumps. I still have to connect the first sump to the next sump and then move one overflow from sump 1 to sump 2, but then I'm set to go. All I have to do then is move the rock and then hook up the lights and the UV. Two questions, though... #1 - anyone want to come by and give me a quick calcium reactor lesson? I have it hooked up but it looks like the solenoid is letting it run when it's not supposed to... I also had a couple of "whoops!" moments when I turned the CO2 on too much and blasted it into the calcium reactor which in turn created a pH of 6.5 so I was quickly running aerated water into it instead so that the pH would climb back up and not melt all of the aragonite I had in there. Also, I'm not sure what the 2nd part of the pH controller should be used for. It says that it's supposed to have an air pump hooked up to it, but I can't imagine that it would be of any use when I'm using it to control a CA reactor only as I certainly will not bubble air into it. #2 - anyone know where to get some heavy duty sliding tracks that I can suspend my lights from? Oh, and since Bob/Lanman has occupants and has only been working on his tank for a couple of months, I decided that tonight was the night to add a hermit crab so that I could keep up. He's gotten lost in the massive sand dunes of my tank already (it clouded up a bit when I hooked up the 1st closed loop again - I had to turn it off because I had clogged my OM 8 Way so I had to open it up and clean it out). I also cleaned out the sediment filter and hooked it up again to continue to clean out the water. In order to not stir up the sand as much I have the overflow going in reverse - I'm pumping the water from the closed loop into the overflow so it's flowing out of there instead of into it. What kind of sliding tracks are you looking for? I bought some AccuRide drawer slides to build a slide-out for my frag tank. AccuRide slides are very durable, just look for the weight rating you need: http://www.accuride.com/products/industrial/category.php I have 3 sets of the heavy-duty ones rated for 500lbs at full extension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward December 12, 2007 Share December 12, 2007 Dave, I'm having suspended sediment issues in my tank creating cloudiness. I hadn't seen the pre-filter thing before, but looks like it'll do what I need. They're not too expensive so I'm thinking I'll give it a shot. Which one did you buy and how did you decide on the filter size? ~Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 12, 2007 Author Share December 12, 2007 Dave, I'm having suspended sediment issues in my tank creating cloudiness. I hadn't seen the pre-filter thing before, but looks like it'll do what I need. They're not too expensive so I'm thinking I'll give it a shot. Which one did you buy and how did you decide on the filter size? ~Brian Hey Brian, I bought the whole house filter with the clear housing at Lowes. You could actually use any regular RO housing, but this one has a 1" inlet and outlet so it made hooking it up with high flow very easy. They only had 2 filters for this, the 30 micron pleated filter that I bought and a 25 micron filter that had carbon in it as well. I opted for the 30 micron as that will accomplish everything that I want it to. I believe that this will also fit any 10" filter out there but I'll double check. I may toss one of my sediment pre-filters on there as well after I finish off with this round. I wouldn't go down too low, however, as it will clog very quickly. If you want, when I'm done with this one, you can borrow it for your tank. It's rigged for 1" and uses a true union ball valve (the type they sell at Lowes so you'd need to get something to hook it up or simply sub out the 1" screw in fitting). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 13, 2007 Author Share December 13, 2007 OK, sumps are all plumbed together but I don't have enough water right now to run it so I'm going to mix up about 40 gallons of extra water and dump it in and see if that's enough. I also have to drill another bulkhead into the bracing on the tank for the return line, what I was thinking of won't work too well, and then I have to hang the lights and hook the UV into the system somewhere and then I'm good to go. I can also start dismantling some of the extra pumps that are in the system and see how I want to use them. The "tank room" has much less room behind the tank because of all of the plumbing, but I think that the additional plumbing is worth while because it's all able to be unhooked without compromising the water level of the tank. I also might give moving some of the rock over a try. It will be pretty difficult, though, as I can't see from the back of the tank unless I'm above it so I won't know how the arrangement is from the front view until I'm done. Hopefully it works out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller December 13, 2007 Share December 13, 2007 What kind of sand is causing this much heartache? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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