JoeBlog

For those interested, here is a thread that I found in the Deltec forum on RC that addresses my concerns with the Dorso. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=736465&perpage=25&pagenumber=1 This is a direct link to the embedded thread on how I am going to try to plumb my gravity feed. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=727683

Thanks Chimera- That sounds like an excellent plan and something that I was considering for a gravity feed as well. One problem that forgot to mention previously when I was running a gravity feed (and probably the biggest problem that I faced), was that I didn't get a constant flow through my overflows. I would get surges from time to time (not the loud gargle surge, but a subtle surge that you wouldn’t even notice unless it was running through the skimmer) and it wreaks havoc on the water level in the skimmer, thus greatly reducing the efficiency. This is probably the main reason for my leaning towards the skimmer feed pump in the “bucket†alternative. A few others that I have talked to recently have had this problem as well. I don’t know if this is a function of how I’ve set up my Dorsos (dual 1â€), but they seem to work fine in every other regard. Do others have this problem as well? If so, how have they remedied it?

I just bought a new skimmer (Deltec AP902) and before I plumb it up, I wanted to ask how others are feeding their skimmers? In Anthony Calfo’s Reef Central skimmer performance thread, he suggests to direct feed from the overflow. I’ve done this before, but it can be a PITA with (1) trying to match the overflow to the optimal skimmer flow, (2) adding extra turbulence within the skimmer and (3) adding relatively larger bubbles to the skimmer when we just paid all that money trying to achieve as tiny bubbles as possible. On the up side, I like this idea since there is one less pump and all the surface skimmed water is going through the skimmer. An alternative is to run the overflows into a specific reservoir for the skimmer pump so that as much of the protein/nutrients as possible are getting to the skimmer. I am leaning towards the latter since my return pump is a Laguna 7 and the optimal flow rate for the ap902 is something like half of its output. The skimmer should get here soon and I would like to hear other’s experiences on plumbing their skimmers before I make my final decision. Cheers, Steve

Man, what a bonus. I think those fish are pretty cool AND they eat your aiptasias?! Score! 8) They get quite large, don't they?

Ebay

Why even bring it up if you aren't going to talk about it? Ohhh, I've got something really, really cool, but don't ask me about it because it is my little secret!! :roll: :roll: :roll: Patent pending?!?!

I feed the effluent into my skimmer.

I have two that I've been trying to get rid of for ages. Nothing for them to eat in my BB!

Is this a new addition to your tank or something?

Where at Uni are you getting the water? I work there, so it would be very convenient for me to tap into this source as well.

Granted, this may be true per capita, but a far cry from the frequency and extent of violence in the States. I'm from the Los Angeles area and this is nothing. I've had guns in my face more than once from gangbangers growing up and personally seen a few people blown away at high school parties. The main reason that I'm staying in NZ is to raise my daughter in a "safe" environment.

Damn Layton… With all this interest in seeing your tank, I hope you’re not going to charge me a viewing fee the next time I’m over to your place. Maybe I should sneak in a spy camera and sell the picture!! 8) Let's get an auction going. What’s the first bid going to be???? :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Sounds good. Where did you get them and how much?

Yup, got three fish in now waiting to hit the display. A bit of a PITA, but worth it in the long run, I think.

AWESOME!! Can't wait to see pictures of those babies over the tank!

Most needlewheel skimmers use a venturi to pull the air through, e.g. ASM, EuroReef, Deltec, etc... The venturi is just on the intake side of the pump in a needlewheel setup as opposed to straight venturi that is on the output side.

This is not necessarily true for needlewheel (venturi) type skimmers. You can make the needlewheel recirculating with the feed from the overflow and have an air pump to overcome the head pressure due to the skimmer height. This is what I've done and it works great although a bit more finicky to find the sweet spot.

Wow, that is a very nice SPS tank (regardless of what substrate is implemented). Wasp, is it stated in the thread how old it is with that sand bed and what his/her maintenance routine is? As for personal preference, I do agree with Layton that the thick band of sand across the bottom is an eyesore. If I were to set up a DSB tank, I would certainly have that hidden.

Pretty standard pricing strategy actually for goods in which there are no close substitutes, no resale option and the consumers can be broken up into high and low demanders. In other words, second degree price discrimination. Sweet if you are a high demander, but not so sweet if you are on the low end of the spectrum.

Nope. Calfo recommends not to since we can't come close to replicating the amount of flow in the oceans anyway, so why reduce it from an already reduced amount. Also, quite a few corals feed at night in which the flow will be most beneficial.

Sweet!! I will be in Atlanta for a month next April. Can't wait to check it out!! :bounce:

I run two Laguna 7's for my return pumps and pretty stoked so far. I also have quite a few Eheim pumps running since the start and NEVER had a problem with those. It's not that I've had any problems with the Lagunas either, but they are relatively new additions.

Whoa... I was just confused about the date. I assumed you meant a reference to Sept. 11th (since us yanks do reverse the dates), but wasn’t sure if I was missing something from Nov. 9th (since that is the ordering here). If that was the case, I was not offended anyway. Really, I had no intention of stirring the pot. (At least in this occasion. ) Truly an innocent question. Sorry for the confusion Wasp. With that being said, may I offer a word of advice. Upon writing your initial pissed off response, it is usually wise to delete it (possibly many to follow depending on the level of irritation) and follow with a non-inflammatory intelligent comment. Is it really appropriate to compare suffering, even if it be from over eating? You must have watched Super Size Me the other night?!

I assume the date is November 9th? What is there to like about this date?

I have been a rather small player in this whole BB argument, but I guess I would probably be considered a “bomber groupie†by others. I’m sorry Pies (and others) if we have come off with some sort of attitude, which given yours and others' reaction (not only here, but in many other forums), I assume attitude that you are referring to is that “Bomber groupies†think that BB is the only way to go, or that anyone that doesn’t go BB must be stupid, etc… This is not the case at all. I don’t believe that anyone has said that it “can’t†be done with a SB since it obviously can, e.g. many RC TOTM and even very nice tanks by this forum’s members. Bomber, and now his groupies, has just been trying to explain to aquarists that there are inherent risks with SBs given the typical level of husbandry of the average aquarist. Steve Weast has a gorgeous SPS dominant tank with a SB, but also has a maintenance regiment that I am just not willing to do: From http://oregonreef.com/sub_maintenance.htm: “I vacuum the sand at least once a weekâ€â€¦ “The vacuumed sand, along with the waste, is then discarded. As the sand gets too thin in the main display tank, new sand is added. It takes about three months of sand vacuuming to completely replace all the sand.†I personally don’t know why the “SB people†(especially you, Pies) get so uptight. Sharing this information is really just altruistic behavior. I don’t think that any aquarist would want to see a fellow aquarist’s tank “crashâ€. As for posting pictures, I don’t believe that anyone is afraid . I don’t have a digital camera at the moment, but if I did, I probably wouldn’t post them in this forum anyway. I personally am very happy with my tank and frequently have friends over (people who I respect and vise versa) to check out what I am doing. I just don't have any desire to get into a pissing contest, which seems to be the way things go on this forum especially when people disagree. Lastly, I don't believe that I have ever criticized yours or anyone else's tank. I like the look of both, but would probably prefer the look of a nice clean white sand bed. It just doesn't suit my needs, husbandry threshold, etc... for my SPS tank. I will probably have a DSB in my LPS/softy tank that I would like to have in the future. Benefits are arguable... A comparison that Bomber has made many times in relation to critters: If we kept our houses in the same state as many of our tanks, we would be calling the exterminator immediately to deal with the "beneficial" critters. Just as a cockroach has its place in eating the rotting food on some people's floors, these "critters" do the same for some peoples tanks. The problem is that they poo just as the fish do in our tanks. Some people claim that they like these critters for diversity, but they don't typically have cockroaches as pets along side their dogs and cats. The fish I keep don't care about a sandbed. I do plan on getting some wrasses for which I will have a small box of sand "for their comfort" that I can replace regularly. What do SPS care about sand??? Sandbed filtration... this has already been a beaten horse.