Yikes! I guess it is normal for the water to go cloudy with that fine sand. It will take a few days to settle down. Since you can't see anything, here are some pics of the materials.
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| Fiji rock |
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| Aragonite sand |
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Added Live Rock and Sand
I purchased 60lbs of live rock (Fiji and Branchy), and 60lbs of live Aragonite sand. These products contain beneficial bacteria which are important for bio-filtration. It took me hours to position the rocks so they look nice, and so that they are well supported. I added the sand, and this is the result.
Yikes! I guess it is normal for the water to go cloudy with that fine sand. It will take a few days to settle down. Since you can't see anything, here are some pics of the materials.
Yikes! I guess it is normal for the water to go cloudy with that fine sand. It will take a few days to settle down. Since you can't see anything, here are some pics of the materials.
Added Water...and it Leaks!
After installing the overflow and the sump, I added some water in the black overflow box to test for leaks. It leaked around the bulkhead, which required a little tightening. I highly recommend doing this leak test before filling the tank! As extra insurance, I used cable ties to secure the slip-on hose fittings.
Dialysis for the Tank
I am hoping the caption will grab my sister's attention :)
Anyway, that is basically how the Sump filtration works. Inside the cabinet is a sump (an overpriced plastic box) and a pump (another overpriced piece of equipment). Water flows down the drainage pipe, into the sump where it is filtered and heated, and then pumped back into the tank.
I really like this system for a number of reasons:
1) All the equipment, pump, hose, heater, thermometer are hidden away.
2) It uses bio-filtration. For my EShopps brand sump, water flows into a micron mesh bag where accumulated beneficial bacteria turn toxic ammonia into nitrites, then nitrates, and finally nitrogen and oxygen gas. This bacteria is introduced when Live Rock and Live Sand are added to the tank. I will have a posting on this subject at a later date.
3) There is room to add some additional items such as small pieces of Live Rock, or a Protein Skimmer. Protein Skimmers remove waste from the water using air bubbles. The proteins attach to air bubbles which are carried into a collection cup for removal. The benefit is that wastes are removed before they even have a chance to break down into ammonia.
4) Some people add other items such as sand, mini Mangrove trees (I'm not kidding), etc. to enhance filtration. These are called Refugiums, but my sump model isn't big enough to house a refugium.
This is is the sump when I removed it from the box.
I was dismayed to find that the 1 1/4" gray hose did not fit over the bulkhead for my drainage pipe. It turns out that Eshopps inserted an extra white PVC piece inside the hose rendering the inside diameter too small! The PVC piece is not removable. I visited my local fish store (Dolphin Pet Village), where the nice people there showed me a replacement hose. The new hose fit over the bulkhead.
Then to my dismay, I found that the other end of the hose did not fit properly into the sump end without the PVC piece. That required the purchase of a 3/4" PVC coupling at the local Home Depot. EShopps really should include the loose PVC pieces, which gives the customer the option to use them or not. To top it all off, there were no instructions! I needed to look at the picture on the box to figure out how to connect everything.
Here is the final setup (with a a 9.5 GPH Mag drive pump). I placed the sump in a plastic bin in case of leaks.
I added a shutoff valve and a quick release joint to the pump. That sprinkler plumbing experience came in handy after all :)
I mounted a power bar inside the cabinet. It is placed high enough so that the cords loop down and then back up to the sockets. This allows any water to drip down. I also replaced the wall socket with a GFI outlet.
Anyway, that is basically how the Sump filtration works. Inside the cabinet is a sump (an overpriced plastic box) and a pump (another overpriced piece of equipment). Water flows down the drainage pipe, into the sump where it is filtered and heated, and then pumped back into the tank.
I really like this system for a number of reasons:
1) All the equipment, pump, hose, heater, thermometer are hidden away.
2) It uses bio-filtration. For my EShopps brand sump, water flows into a micron mesh bag where accumulated beneficial bacteria turn toxic ammonia into nitrites, then nitrates, and finally nitrogen and oxygen gas. This bacteria is introduced when Live Rock and Live Sand are added to the tank. I will have a posting on this subject at a later date.
3) There is room to add some additional items such as small pieces of Live Rock, or a Protein Skimmer. Protein Skimmers remove waste from the water using air bubbles. The proteins attach to air bubbles which are carried into a collection cup for removal. The benefit is that wastes are removed before they even have a chance to break down into ammonia.
4) Some people add other items such as sand, mini Mangrove trees (I'm not kidding), etc. to enhance filtration. These are called Refugiums, but my sump model isn't big enough to house a refugium.
This is is the sump when I removed it from the box.
 |
| Notice extra white PVC piece inside the gray hose |
I was dismayed to find that the 1 1/4" gray hose did not fit over the bulkhead for my drainage pipe. It turns out that Eshopps inserted an extra white PVC piece inside the hose rendering the inside diameter too small! The PVC piece is not removable. I visited my local fish store (Dolphin Pet Village), where the nice people there showed me a replacement hose. The new hose fit over the bulkhead.
 |
| New hose |
Then to my dismay, I found that the other end of the hose did not fit properly into the sump end without the PVC piece. That required the purchase of a 3/4" PVC coupling at the local Home Depot. EShopps really should include the loose PVC pieces, which gives the customer the option to use them or not. To top it all off, there were no instructions! I needed to look at the picture on the box to figure out how to connect everything.
Here is the final setup (with a a 9.5 GPH Mag drive pump). I placed the sump in a plastic bin in case of leaks.
I added a shutoff valve and a quick release joint to the pump. That sprinkler plumbing experience came in handy after all :)
I mounted a power bar inside the cabinet. It is placed high enough so that the cords loop down and then back up to the sockets. This allows any water to drip down. I also replaced the wall socket with a GFI outlet.
Overflow Installation
The first thing I needed to do was install the drainage and return pipes. These go inside the black overflow box. The pipes comprise of various pieces of PVC fitted together. When I saw the price for the "Megaflow Overflow Kit", I was shocked! $70!! For PVC?! I thought about going to Home Depot and buying the PVC pieces myself. Having done sprinkler plumbing work before, I thought... how hard could it be? But then I remembered...it's okay to have leaks and accidents out on the lawn, but it's not okay inside the house...not on hardwood flooring. So I shelled out for the kit.
This is what $70 buys:
There is a piece of paper with assembly "instructions", and I use that term loosely.
The pieces fit together easily, but getting both the drainage and return pipe to fit in that small overflow box took some work and small hands. I noticed some strategically drilled holes in some of the pieces, which I think helps to reduce gurgling. I wouldn't have known that. So, I think it was $70 well spent. No leaks yet...but I haven't put any water in. Stay tuned.
This is what $70 buys:
There is a piece of paper with assembly "instructions", and I use that term loosely.
The pieces fit together easily, but getting both the drainage and return pipe to fit in that small overflow box took some work and small hands. I noticed some strategically drilled holes in some of the pieces, which I think helps to reduce gurgling. I wouldn't have known that. So, I think it was $70 well spent. No leaks yet...but I haven't put any water in. Stay tuned.
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| Overflow pipes inserted into tank |
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| Bulkhead popping through top of cabinet |
Monday, February 14, 2011
Perhaps One Day
I was looking for some ideas on aquascaping, and I came across this picture. Wow! What an inspiration! Perhaps one day...mine will look this.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Got My Lights!
My first shock was how tricky lighting is. In order to successfully grow corals, I will need 10-12 hours of lighting each day. I think the rule of thumb is 4-6 watts per gallon, but it depends on what is in the tank. Harder corals will require more light than softer corals. I looked at lighting systems and considered: Metal Halide, T5 HO compact fluorescent, and LED.
I ruled out Metal Halide pretty quickly. Although they produce nice, bright light, and create the shimmering reef effect, they consume too much energy! Easily 250-400 watts for my tank size. They also produce a lot of heat, and I would probably need to buy a chiller/fan to cool down the tank.
I like the idea of T5 HO fluorescent bulbs. They are energy efficient (20-60 watts), and come in a range of light spectrum (more on that later). However, they do not create the shimmering reef effect.
Finally, there are LEDs. I like LEDs the best because of the low energy consumptions, and shimmering effect. They are long lasting and run cool. However, I would require many high output LEDs to create enough light, and they are still very expensive. I'm sure this will change in the future.
Okay, so this is my basic understanding of the Light Spectrum. When light penetrates water, red light is first to be filtered out. As light penetrates deeper, orange and yellow are lost. It is blue light that penetrates the deepest. In addition, corals require blue light for photosynthesis. They call these Actinic bulbs which have a wavelength of 420-460nm.
I figured that I will need a combination of actinic and daylight bulbs.
My second shock was the cost of lighting fixtures. At the local pet store, T5 fluroscent fixtures will run $200+. They had LED's for more than $1000! Geez.
I decided to look at Craigslist ads, and try to find a used fixture to try out. I ended up buying a 36" quad light fixture. It has two T5 bulbs (39 watts each) and two Actinic LED bulbs (for each bulb there are 55 LEDs at ~11 total watts). The T5 and LEDs are on two separate switches. It is manufactured by a company called "SHKERRY AQUA". I believe it is a Chinese brand, but I've never heard of them. I got a great deal, and I'm excited to try it out. We'll see if it meets my need.
I ruled out Metal Halide pretty quickly. Although they produce nice, bright light, and create the shimmering reef effect, they consume too much energy! Easily 250-400 watts for my tank size. They also produce a lot of heat, and I would probably need to buy a chiller/fan to cool down the tank.
I like the idea of T5 HO fluorescent bulbs. They are energy efficient (20-60 watts), and come in a range of light spectrum (more on that later). However, they do not create the shimmering reef effect.
Finally, there are LEDs. I like LEDs the best because of the low energy consumptions, and shimmering effect. They are long lasting and run cool. However, I would require many high output LEDs to create enough light, and they are still very expensive. I'm sure this will change in the future.
Okay, so this is my basic understanding of the Light Spectrum. When light penetrates water, red light is first to be filtered out. As light penetrates deeper, orange and yellow are lost. It is blue light that penetrates the deepest. In addition, corals require blue light for photosynthesis. They call these Actinic bulbs which have a wavelength of 420-460nm.
I figured that I will need a combination of actinic and daylight bulbs.
My second shock was the cost of lighting fixtures. At the local pet store, T5 fluroscent fixtures will run $200+. They had LED's for more than $1000! Geez.
I decided to look at Craigslist ads, and try to find a used fixture to try out. I ended up buying a 36" quad light fixture. It has two T5 bulbs (39 watts each) and two Actinic LED bulbs (for each bulb there are 55 LEDs at ~11 total watts). The T5 and LEDs are on two separate switches. It is manufactured by a company called "SHKERRY AQUA". I believe it is a Chinese brand, but I've never heard of them. I got a great deal, and I'm excited to try it out. We'll see if it meets my need.
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| Just LEDs ON |
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| LEDs and T5 ON |
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| LEDs and T5 ON and fixture placed inside canopy |
Friday, February 11, 2011
Got My Tank!
I'm not sure what happened :{ I knew I needed a tank that's at least 40 gallons to house what I plan to keep, and to provide enough buffer in case something goes wrong. Basically, the more water there is, the more buffer there is for temperature fluctuations, water quality issues, etc. One thing led to another, and somehow I ended up with this purchase. It's nice...very nice. But a huge splurge!
Anyway, it is a 65 gallon glass tank. I also purchased the nice cherry wood stand and matching canopy. What I really liked about the tank is the built in overflow (the black plastic piece inside the tank). All the tubing will be hidden behind the plastic. The tank and stand have also been pre-drilled to allow water to flow down into the filtration system housed in the cabinet, and then back up into the tank. The canopy has a hinged top which will house the lights. The clean look is nice. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
Anyway, it is a 65 gallon glass tank. I also purchased the nice cherry wood stand and matching canopy. What I really liked about the tank is the built in overflow (the black plastic piece inside the tank). All the tubing will be hidden behind the plastic. The tank and stand have also been pre-drilled to allow water to flow down into the filtration system housed in the cabinet, and then back up into the tank. The canopy has a hinged top which will house the lights. The clean look is nice. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
Just Starting Out
I finally decided to set up a saltwater aquarium in my home. I have always had an interest in fish, and have kept freshwater aquariums in the past. But I have always had a fascination for the ocean. My other reason is to give my daughter an opportunity to see fish up close and personal. I decided on a reef aquarium which will house corals, colorful fish, snails, and hermit crabs.
My first step was to get books on saltwater aquariums. My problem with the books is that they provide an overview, but do not provide enough detail on equipment choices, or how to install the equipment. I have already found myself making frequent trips to the local fish store to get advice. So I decided to blog about this journey. I am sure I will make mistakes along the way, but I hope that my blogs will help others who have similar aspirations. Or at the very least, be entertaining.
My first step was to get books on saltwater aquariums. My problem with the books is that they provide an overview, but do not provide enough detail on equipment choices, or how to install the equipment. I have already found myself making frequent trips to the local fish store to get advice. So I decided to blog about this journey. I am sure I will make mistakes along the way, but I hope that my blogs will help others who have similar aspirations. Or at the very least, be entertaining.
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