Neptune Aquatics

Crabby's "Elite210" tank at the Romberg Tiburon Center

[quote author=sfsuphysics link=topic=5682.msg71394#msg71394 date=1230151516]
So does that mean you can't use something like an Aquacontroller? Since the controlling switch could be considered a "power strip"

[/quote]

Is it UL listed? If so then the answer is yes ;)

PFO and a few SLS are currently the only UL listed pendants. No retro kit can be UL listed though.
 
[quote author=GreshamH link=topic=5682.msg71398#msg71398 date=1230151880]
[quote author=sfsuphysics link=topic=5682.msg71394#msg71394 date=1230151516]
So does that mean you can't use something like an Aquacontroller? Since the controlling switch could be considered a "power strip"

[/quote]

Is it UL listed? If so then the answer is yes ;)

PFO and a few SLS are currently the only UL listed pendants. No retro kit can be UL listed though.
[/quote]

We can use surge suppressors, but not the cheapo power strips. We can also use timers. I have used timer-power strips and haven't gotten hands slapped. I think, though, that what we do with this tank will be scrutinized more by the Fire Marshall since it'll be the first thing he sees as he walks into the building! So, to save headache, might be better to have a UL product...Facilities guys will hopefully have the answer.

On the topic of PFO MH/PC/VHO pendants - I found them for sale at Premium Aquatics. Are there other vendors you know of? Could I order them through one of the club sponsors? Will the VHO option work with T5s, or is that only for the VHO bulbs?
 
If I where you I would contact PFO directly. That's how most public aquariums do it from what I have seen :) They are AZA members :) I'm not sure on the VHO question as my PFO 400w pendant had PC's.

If you want direct contact, email me and I will set you up with Joy :)
 
Here are some photos of the tank on its stand. My the glass looks green against that white wall! You can see my lab's pet sailfish in the background. We won it for having the best display at Discovery Day this year - that event in October none of the BAR members attended javascript:void(0);. Sorry, one pic is blurry.

After looking at the pics I'm thinking maybe the tank would look better with a canopy after all...Something to hide that black top rim. A canopy like Seminolecpa's new one might look nice...Or, if I go pendants, they'll hang from a piece of strut attached to the bottom side of the overhang holding the A/C heat exchange units (the air conditioners for the labs). Anyhow, I'll have time to decide once I get the tank plumbed up, aquascaped (I have about 400 lbs of sand and 300 lbs of rock, most of which is dead, but some from my previous tank with lots of CCA), filled with water, and cycling (I plan at least a month before adding any critters). I'm going to scrape CCA off the live rock I have, and add small chunks of iodine-dipped live rock that for sure don't have any undesirables (e.g., aiptasia, bristleworms, flatworms) to start the cycling.

The red outlet you see behind the tank is an emergency dedicated circuit on our building's generator - I'll use that for the return pump, skimmer, and heater so that if the power goes out (which only happens in the winter, mostly during holiday weekends), at least vital tank functions are held OK.

The tank is sitting about a foot from the back wall, and is under the overhang by about 15" or so. I think it would look nice if the top of the canopy was the same height as the bottom of that overhang, which would be about a 15" tall canopy.

To the right of the emergency eye wash and shower (green pipes) but not visible in the photos, is a stand to hold all of the electronics (e.g., ballasts, Tunze DC power supplies, etc..) with two separate circuits. All electrical cords will run behind the tank along the wall and behind the emergency eye wash. Underneath the tank, I am going to try and cram the sump, skimmer, Ca reactor, and a refugium.

The tank has 4 holes drilled in the bottom, but Phong covered up all but one of them. I've got a 1.5" bulkhead drain, and all other water flow besides the return pump will be from 4 Tunze Stream pumps (2X 6102, 2X 6202). I've got a 3/4" SeaSwirl that I plan to use on the tank return. I'd like to put all of the circulation devices on the back of the tank (wall side), but that might not get me enough flow in the front of the tank.

More details forthcoming...

Happy Holidays,

Crabby
 
Brief update: I've glued in a 1.5" to 2" adapter for the drain (bulkhead is 1.5", but most of the drain pipe will be 2"). Haven't quite figured out what the orientation of the sump will be yet. I sealed all wooden surfaces of the stand in minwax acrylic.

The sump I have is a bit odd - it has two chambers on each end with four baffles in the center, each spaced about an inch apart. It's 15" wide, 36 " long, andd 20" high, which I guess makes it a 46 gallon tank or so. I'm thinking of redoing the baffles so that there would be three regions, a skimmer chamber, a center refugium with sand/lr/algae, and a small chamber with the return pump and heaters. Maybe I should have a bigger sump tank, or use this one as is and add a second sump as the refugium. Opinions?

Starting this week, I hope, I'll be starting the aquascaping. I've got 280 lbs of dead and dry LR, which I'll use to make an aquascape that is viewable from 3 sides. I have no idea yet of exactly how I'll do this, but I want to make ledges and caves with a center "ridge" along the tank. Perhaps I'll use PVC and egg crate to make a skeleton and then attach the rock to this. Any suggestions?

For now, here are some recent pics of frags (all from BAR members! - THANKS!) that I'm growing for the tank. There are two pics of the montis that I got in December. Two of the frags are bleaching a bit, but hopefully they'll recover. The green monti cap I got at the last frag swap took several months before coloring up and growing, which it is doing now.
 
Some more progress today - I plumbed up the main return pump to the sump. The photos aren't great, but you can see the sump and it's center baffles. I still haven't decided which chamber I'll put the skimmer in (presently is in the tank "drain" chamber - the 2" pipe is the drain from the display. There will be a refugium in a separate chamber.

The main return (1") also has a 3/4" T branched off with 2X 3/4" lines. The 3/4" lines are not yet glued in place. One of these will branch again and feed the Ca reactor and the refugium. The other will feed the chiller. At present, my main return pump is an IwakiMD 30 RLXT. I plan to upgrade this in the future to a higher flow pump, but for now this one will suffice for cycling the tank. I've added quick disconnects to make swapping to a different pump relatively easy.

Next week I'll start aquascaping the rock. Pic shows about 280 lbs dead dry rock and 200 lbs of dry sand. Have another 200 lbs or so of wet live sand as well.

Happy new year to all (yeah, having an infant and a toddler means I am doing a club posting instead of clubbing tonight!).
 
Looking good. Let me know if you need help setting it up. My tank is stable again so if you still want to come by and see it let me know.
 
[quote author=Apon link=topic=5682.msg72880#msg72880 date=1231193225]
Looking good. Let me know if you need help setting it up. My tank is stable again so if you still want to come by and see it let me know.
[/quote]

Thanks Arnold! We're planning aquascaping on Wednesday - feel free to come by if you want to. Glad to hear about your tank.
 
Here are some pics of todays adventures in aquascaping and filling the tank. I also included a shot of the overflow, which will have an egg-crate fish guard added, and the finished plumbing. A great success - no leaks, no mess, and we only used half the rock and about 1/3 of the sand that I had planned on using! One Tunze 6202 stream pump and the main return were providing a lot of flow. More pics of the rockwork once the water clears.
 
A quick update with pics to follow in a subsequent post:

Tank has fully cycled with Ammonia and Nitrite at zero, and nitrate at about 5 and dropping. I'll start testing Ca, Alk, PO4 and Mg next.

I installed an autotopoff system (autotopoff.com) and it's working great. I keep DI in a 30G glass tank that sits between the display and the wall. The autotopoff turns on a pump that pumps DI water into the sump. I've rigged it so that there's no possibility for back-siphon.

I've had my first fish, a clown tang (Acanthurus lineatus) in the tank since monday and it's doing great. More fish will be added next week.

I also added black plastic to the overflow with "teeth" to keep the fish from escaping, and I've added a durso standpipe to the overflow. The standpipe is 2" PVC that is narrowed down to 1.5" at the bottom of the overflow, and then 2" again from the overflow to the sump. The durso has a valve at the top to adjust inflow air, but I found wide open (~1/4") worked great.

Next I'll be making a canopy to hold the lights, and installing a light to the sump return chamber refugium to grow chaeto. Also will be getting the Ca reactor and carbon chamber going.

I've also installed a "cord rail" to hide the long cords I have from the outlets to the tank.

More pics this weekend or next week.
 
Here are pics:
1) tank shot - see how the electical cords vanish?
2) where the electrical cords end up - away from tank.
3) The sump now has a lit refugium section. A 250W AquaMedic DE HQI pendant provides the light.
4) The durso standpipe and overflow
5) The Acanthurus lineatus (clown / lined tang)
 
[quote author=Elite link=topic=5682.msg83485#msg83485 date=1235358802]
Looking good Jonathon.. I wished I kept the tank and all the equipment instead of sold everything :( ..
[/quote]

Thanks Phong. You can come visit anytime...
 
Wow, is the tank located right in the atrium of bldg 36? What kinda fish is going into this tank? Btw, awesome article in RHM!
 
[quote author=pslee link=topic=5682.msg84342#msg84342 date=1235547586]
Wow, is the tank located right in the atrium of bldg 36? What kinda fish is going into this tank? Btw, awesome article in RHM!
[/quote]

Thanks for your comments about the article Patrick! Yes, the tank is in the atrium, right outside my lab. Are you visiting RTC these days? Besides the clown tang, I've got a yellow tang, a naso tang, and a pair of clarkii clowns that I could put in. For sure the tangs are going in, but I'm on the fence regarding the clowns.
 
I havn't been to RTC for awhile. I am making trouble else where nowadays ;D Do you still have that tank inside your lab? With a reef tank of that size... I bet you are gonna win the D-day prize every year ;)
 
The tank is looking great! I look forward to seeing its progress. Wouldn't it be nice if we could make all the wiring for our tanks disappear too! :D

It was great talking with you at the tank tour. And your daughter was quite the trooper, considering her age. :D
 
[quote author=pslee link=topic=5682.msg86199#msg86199 date=1236146554]
I havn't been to RTC for awhile. I am making trouble else where nowadays ;D Do you still have that tank inside your lab? With a reef tank of that size... I bet you are gonna win the D-day prize every year ;)
[/quote]

No, this tank is to replace the one that was inside the lab. Now everyone who comes to RTC will be able to enjoy it without crowding inside my lab.
 
[quote author=Lyn link=topic=5682.msg86248#msg86248 date=1236173963]
The tank is looking great! I look forward to seeing its progress. Wouldn't it be nice if we could make all the wiring for our tanks disappear too! :D

It was great talking with you at the tank tour. And your daughter was quite the trooper, considering her age. :D
[/quote]

Thanks, on both fronts! nice to talk with you too and I hope you come out to see the tanks at my lab sometime.
 
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