chimera

yes all on separate dedicated 20amp RCD assigned to fish tank and sump room only. I have hole in sea swirl to stop reverse syphon but the hole must be under the water. so, only the top 5-10mm of water gets sucked back down so not completely fixed. still causes a problem hence the reason a UPS is going on there. The skimmer doesnt need to be there, was more of an after thought The UPS does make the RCD redundant - but only for the return pump and heater. RCD covers all other things like lighting, closed loops etc Cracker - a few of us opt against non-return valves as they can restrict flow rate but more so need cleaning every now and then. Nothing like a UPS on the cheap from a sparky mate to keep things running!

i use this one: http://www.aquariumproducts.co.nz/detail.asp?id=22 find it quite good.

yes, mark in glenfield. nice bloke.

does Im getting a UPS for the sump room this week. It will run the return pump and heaters only. I figure if the power is off then the halides will obviously be off so the temperature of the tank will not increase too much (since halides are main source of heat) The heater is mainly going to make a difference over winter. It also ensures the 480 odd litres in the refugium and sump keep turning over to the main tank. The other issue it resolves is when the power goes off and back on within about a 30 second window, the return pump has to pump back up against the water reverse syphoning. The impeller seems to get stuck in limbo as it cant "wind up" against the force of the water returning to the sump. The UPS will also resolve this. Depending on how long the battery lasts, I may also hook up the skimmer.

it

so

http://www.sea-swirl.com/ will show you mine when you come up tonight!

hahahaaa! only counts as 1 per subject, no matter how many posts you do!

SE screw in type, $130ish ea includes gst

radium

cheers cracker, will head to hff and have a look. no doubt they make a 500% markup btw, you know you can edit your posts rather than replying to your own post huh?! :lol:

my thoughts too re: yellow. im planning on 14k, 20k, 14k although supplier is waiting for a shipment of bulbs to come over from aussie never mind would rather wait...

ok,... steve is smart @#$ #@$!@#$ who should have his fnzas login removed and all Internet privledges revoked. he is the most unhelpful selfish person i have ever met. nobody likes him

questions was to hold rocks together was it not? dont bother with silicon, use selley's aqua knead it. it works and is non-toxic. all us salties use it all the time in established tanks!!! takes a bit of practice to hold your rocks together as it loses its stickiness as soon as you put it in water but use enough of it and it holds strong. http://www.selleys.co.nz/products/live/304/113.asp if you have designed your rock formation well enough, you wont need to fix it to the tank itself. also try taking rocks out, drill holes and cable tie them.

the guy who im getting bulbs through said there was no worries if i wanted to test different combinations. issue being that the 400W isnt in there yet,... donations to the chimera reef tank fund still valid!

yes i liked this idea too and will probably do this, say from 12pm til 3pm or something. it's also convenient for me if you take into account that 400W does not last as long as 250W bulbs, shorter photoperiod with the 400W should mean replacement times for all bulbs will be about the same

back on the subject of lighting. i have 2 x 250W 10ks over my 5 foot tank currently. They will have to remain 250W as thats all my ballast can handle. Pies recommended putting a 3rd 400W bulb in the middle. This will be the plan bearing in mind that due to cost reasons, it will be done a couple of months down the line. also bear in mind i want to replace the current 250W bulbs this week. so.... what kelvin rating does everyone recommend I go for assuming I have 3 x M/H's, outsides being 250W and middle being 400W. i am considering 20k, 10k, 20k OR 10k, 20k, 10k OR 14k, 20k, 14k what does everyone else recommend?

i just phoned the guy who made my tank. he is coming up my way on friday to drill the tank. i asked him about drilling a full tank, he said "yup, done it before plenty of times". i asked him about the risks. "about the same as drilling when making the tank". i asked him are the risks high. "no, you just have to take alot longer and use heaps of blue tack" (?) he said something about using blue tack in the well to stop it cracking? anyways, i have to go buy some tank and ball valves and some silicon for this friday. fosroc is not the stuff i use, where do you buy it? this is the stuff i've been using: http://www.selleys.co.nz/products/live/304/86.asp about half a dozen corals (mixture of acro's, shrooms and leathers) will be out of the water during the time the tank water is low. i will move as many as i can temporarily to the bottom but some are fixed to the rock and cant be moved. how long can they stay out of water for? (i will obviously turn off the lights to stop them getting 'burnt') should i just use wet newspaper over them or leave them be?

Yeah Mark I know exactly what you're saying - and please stay objectionable. Im looking for a "yeah it's been done and its not too bad" reply!!! If I had any reservations I would seriously not even contemplate it. However, if I want it done properly (same motto as you) I HAVE to drill it. As you say, I will never be happy with it done any other way. Only question is "Do I empty half way" or "do I completely empty it". If it cracks, so be it. I start again. If it doesnt, cool, I continue. A risk Im willing to take to get it right (pending recommendations from a glazier that is!!!) BTW, didnt say it wont cure, said it is difficult to do - uncured silicon and water I've found is difficult to perform. But perhaps thats the difference is the brands of silicon we are using?

Pies, why not have a twice as grunty pump, less power to run, for the same price and same flow rate as 2 x iwaki's (and thats same flow rate when its restricted) if i drill the additional holes, then I more than double the flow rate of the two iwaki's. have you ever tried siliconing under water? a great big sticky mess - unless there is a specific silicon made for this? risky yes, hence why i'd empty it half way. only risk would be the crack going downwards below water surface. i will talk to some glazier's and see what they say/recommend. jetski - isnt that the one pies is buying?!!! or did you get two?

pies, a risk i know. the pump swap was an idea, but an idea that involves massively high flow rates coming into the tank with a single sea-swirl so there would need to be a 2nd swirl to accomodate it (1,800gph even at 11 ft head!!!) too much changing here, would rather just stick with the 'slower' flow rate. also, i like the 'turnover rate' through refugium and sump as it is now. changing pumps over would double it. steve, tank holes to go half way down or lower. silicone wont dry under water. as you say, far too sketchy. however, it would not be a difficult thing to make. the water pressure is holding it in place, just a water tight seal would be required. even so, i would rather empty half the tank than risk anything like that. just thought there might be a common contraption that is in use to do this. ira, smart thinking the simplest and safest plan i think is empty as much as possible then drill half way down in the back. it is still a risk but the time factor is huge stripping it down and (essentially) starting again. i would plan to get a glazier to perform the drilling - i have drilled and cut glass before but someone with experience is my preference here!

Arghhh i knew you would ask that question as I asked myself it. Put the bulkhead (tank valve) inside the box prior to sealing it on there you could then reach in with pliers, pull the threaded end through and screw it all up tight! oh, and theres no way i'll be selling the dolphin, it's just too cool

question: while this is potentially a risk (depends on 'device' - if it exists) is there a device you can buy/hire that is a box shape that suctions onto the glass inside the tank that creates a water tight seal? if so, then i could mount this inside the tank then drill the holes without emptying the tank. risky but time saving and less stress with moving the fishies!!! if there is i would do 2 more 1" holes near the bottom/back for inlets and another 3/4" hole for a fourth inlet as steve says. steve, post some pic's of your tank!!! or more specifically your plumbing.

I already have the dolphin Points for: - The website does state that it can run with a 1" inlet. Two 3/4" inlet's is still larger than a 1" inlet. - The flow rate is pretty much exactly the same as the 2 x Iwaki 30RXT's I previously had - The power consumption of the Dolphin is much less than 2 x Iwakis. - Plumbing will be simpler with one pump rather than two pumps - The Dolphin can second as a return pump later or incase of emergency should my Iwaki 55RLT die a sudden death (if that happened, I would buy a 2nd sea-swirl) - I can use it to empty my neighbours pool in 5 minutes flat should they piss me off 8) Points against: - Flow rate is reduced (yes, this does seem a waste) however issue here being the size of the tank outlets, not the pump. - Ummmm....?

Ira, it isnt my math, it's what i've quoted from the Marine Depot web site. Thats why i say I think they mean decrease TO 40% (which would be 227LPM to 98LPM - which is what they quoted (ok, thats 43% but pretty close) rather than BY 40% (which would be 227LPM to 136LPM) Either that or they did mean BY 40% but just quoted their 227LPM to 96LPM decrease incorrectly!!! I would say they meant TO 40% of the maximum flow rate. If this is the case, then my 2 x 3/4" pipes would be 50% of the maximum flow so 113LPM or 6800LPH. Question is, do I retain my plan at this flow rate or redesign? Pies, cant change tank holes Im just getting shitty with changing stuff around, just want it finished, reduced flow rate or not. Another question, is the restriction at the tank hole outlet's? In other words, if the 3/4" valve comes out then immediately increased to 1" then Y'd to a 1.5" (or even larger) is that going to help by having more water volume in the pipes prior to the pump inlet?