Rygh's 250 gallon upgrade
- Thread starter rygh
- Start date
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
Jim
Please post pic of the 70gal Rubbermaid
Please post pic of the 70gal Rubbermaid
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
Thanks for that speedy pic. Wow that would be an awesome cheatomorpha refugium!
Coral reefer
Past President
I want it
rygh
Guest
Final flow plan:
Above in the thread there were some recent discussions about my tank flow issues.
I had hoped to use a couple of MP60s, but no clearance next to the tank, and not so
easy to make holes in the wall in the right spots.
I had hoped to use sea-swirls, but the way my lights are mounted made it really hard to put
them in the right spot.
SO: I am using 4 x Magnum 7 powerheads on a controller.
They will be on 2 circuits (L1+L2) and (R1+R2) controlled by a micro-controller.
The powerheads can be turned on/off only. They are not variable speed.
The left and right sets will alternate, probably every 10 minutes, to create an alternating Gyre.
So on average, only 2 of the power heads are really on at a time.
During the day, I will have some random overlap when all powerheads are on, for extra turbulence.
At night, there will be a gap when no powerheads are on, to reduce current.
I tested it a bit by hand with 2, and it seems like it has good potential.
Above in the thread there were some recent discussions about my tank flow issues.
I had hoped to use a couple of MP60s, but no clearance next to the tank, and not so
easy to make holes in the wall in the right spots.
I had hoped to use sea-swirls, but the way my lights are mounted made it really hard to put
them in the right spot.
SO: I am using 4 x Magnum 7 powerheads on a controller.
They will be on 2 circuits (L1+L2) and (R1+R2) controlled by a micro-controller.
The powerheads can be turned on/off only. They are not variable speed.
The left and right sets will alternate, probably every 10 minutes, to create an alternating Gyre.
So on average, only 2 of the power heads are really on at a time.
During the day, I will have some random overlap when all powerheads are on, for extra turbulence.
At night, there will be a gap when no powerheads are on, to reduce current.
I tested it a bit by hand with 2, and it seems like it has good potential.
rygh
Guest
Finally got it out!!! :~
I had a concrete-constructed rock structure, that was fairly nice at one point.
But for some reason, the concrete came apart, so structure fell apart.
On the other hand, the sand under it turned into a very solid block.
It took me 4 weeks to get it out without destroying my tank.
Slow going. Did not want to stir up too much at once.
I even used an aluminum rod + hammer to chip away at some sections.
Before:
Last indestructible bottom chunk:
Nice place for future rock work: (That will use epoxy, not concrete)
I had a concrete-constructed rock structure, that was fairly nice at one point.
But for some reason, the concrete came apart, so structure fell apart.
On the other hand, the sand under it turned into a very solid block.
It took me 4 weeks to get it out without destroying my tank.
Slow going. Did not want to stir up too much at once.
I even used an aluminum rod + hammer to chip away at some sections.
Before:
Last indestructible bottom chunk:
Nice place for future rock work: (That will use epoxy, not concrete)
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
How's the alternating gyre working?
rygh
Guest
Kensington Reefer said:
I am very happy - after some tweaking.
A) Even though the pumps do not click when they go on, the surge of water scares the fish a little bit.
So switching every few minutes is not so great.
B) I like both the alternating gyre, and the mass turbulence when all 4 are on.
So my new programming:
During the day, it changes every hour:
. Left On
. Right On
. Both On
At night, only one is on, no alternating.
And which one (left/right) changes each day.
rygh
Guest
NO MORE CONCRETE!
I have been working on new rocks lately.
I had really bad luck with concrete before. Some pieces basically fell apart completely.
I am pretty sure it is partly user error. I mixed it a bit wet, since set time was so fast.
But not that wet.
And while I used Sakrete hydrailic cement, I also had a piece made by someone else with Emaco,
and it did not hold all that well either. The concrete did not stick to the fiberglass rod well.
The real key : The problem was in building using a lot of tiny pieces.
If you have a couple of big pieces, drilled with a fiberglass rod, concrete will be just fine.
In that case, the strength is not important.
But if you are making some intricate structure out of rubble - I would advise reconsidering.
SO: Instead I used epoxy.
(And real epoxy - not that cheap crumbly stuff in a tube)
I have been working on new rocks lately.
I had really bad luck with concrete before. Some pieces basically fell apart completely.
I am pretty sure it is partly user error. I mixed it a bit wet, since set time was so fast.
But not that wet.
And while I used Sakrete hydrailic cement, I also had a piece made by someone else with Emaco,
and it did not hold all that well either. The concrete did not stick to the fiberglass rod well.
The real key : The problem was in building using a lot of tiny pieces.
If you have a couple of big pieces, drilled with a fiberglass rod, concrete will be just fine.
In that case, the strength is not important.
But if you are making some intricate structure out of rubble - I would advise reconsidering.
SO: Instead I used epoxy.
(And real epoxy - not that cheap crumbly stuff in a tube)
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
Mark
Very cool. But may I recommend not making the structures too tall, maybe no more than 2/3 of tank height.
Very cool. But may I recommend not making the structures too tall, maybe no more than 2/3 of tank height.