chimera Posted March 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 well, conveniently the battery in the UPS doesnt work... tends to be what happens when you get mates rates. will either get my money back and buy another or see if my sparky mate can fix/source another. i bought 2 x NARVA 250W SE 14K halide bulbs today. wow what a difference over the 10K (warranted that the 10k's are a little older too) alot bluer - even than pictures i've seen on the net suggest. still, it looks WAY cooler than the yellower looking 10k's, very crisp and more specifically, the sand alot whiter. the wife says the 14k's look "deep sea looking". Im very happy with them, the more i look at it the more i dislike the 10k's. a few months down the track (or whenever the acro population gets to larger levels) I'll add a 3rd 400W into the tank. not sure if i'll go 10k or 20k for this though. i guess once my eyes adjust to the difference with 14k's i'll opt for a 20k! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I got a new pair of 16Ks 250W. I've been thinking I'd prefer something a little lower kelvin, might try 14K next time. They're much dimmer looking than the 10Ks that I had, but the coloring is a lot bluer, seems to me a bit more faded coloring though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 well, conveniently the battery in the UPS doesnt work... tends to be what happens when you get mates rates. will either get my money back and buy another or see if my sparky mate can fix/source another. well dont i feel like an idiot... the ups had been sitting under my mates place for quite sometime so the batteries were dead. the unit doesnt go to battery until it has a high enough charge - so tested it today and it works sweet, yah! now all i need to do is find a safe place to put it as its sitting near the return pump at the moment, gulp! i bought all plumbing required for closed loops on friday ($140, ouch!) and am just waiting on the OM-4-way to start my "pipe spaghetti" hopefully should be here by the end of this week so not too long and i'll get stuck in and put some pics up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 now all i need to do is find a safe place to put it as its sitting near the return pump at the moment, gulp! I suggest getting a plastic box or similar and put the UPS in that as a waterproof/splashproof case. Look foward to seeing some updated pictures. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 good idea pies, however i was thinking about creating a shelf/box and mounting the unit just outside the sump room. that way its well away from saltwater splashes and evaporation etc. question about my skimmer: when i power it on, its almost as though there is water in the airlines going to the pumps. the pump groans and gurgles and cant suck air/start producing bubbles. i have to manually "blow" into the 2 air intake lines to "prime" it. i would imagine this is not normal. i have taken it to bits and flushed with white vinegar before but it did not fix it. my work around was to hook it up to ups or have an airpump "blow" into the lines when it starts up. dont like the latter and the ups will mean less battery time for the return pump. any ideas on how to clean so it automatically primes itself when starting? its an "in-sump" deltec ts1060. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Be careful if you put the UPS into a box, they generate a lot of heat when the load goes on the batteries, plus when the batteries give off hydrogen when they charge. If you put it into a box I would install and small fan in the side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 I bought a heap of plumbing today for the closed loops. Essentially there are 4 outlets from the tank that run into a single inlet on the Dolphin Ampmaster 3000. From here, it runs to an Oceans Motions 4-way unit which outputs the water in sequence to 4 tank inlets, effectively creating a natural wave like motion. As stated before, I really wanted to have 2 outlets combined to go into the pump, but since I stuffed up on my sizing and had two extra holes redrilled, I had to design 4 pipes into one. I opted for all plumbing to be 1" (25mm) rather than a combination of 3/4" and 1". So, all 3/4" tank valves are 'enlarged' to 1". This will mean ease of plumbing as the OM unit outlets are all 1". It will also mean the two 3/4" outlets are enlarged to 1" so again, ease of plumbing. All four 1" outlets are plumbed into a single 2" pipe. The design incorporates 2 x 40mm T's and 1 x 50mm T along with a series of reducers in order for the 1" pipe to mate up with it. It looks more complex than it is - the top right 90 degree will be duplicated to the other 3 corners. Pump shown at the top. The first step was gluing the reducers (or enlargers, depending on which way you look at it) together: Then, the reducer is glued into the 40mm T's and the 40-50mm reducers into the 50mm T: I have left these bits for now so the glue can set properly. Next will be gluing the T's together then the 25mm 90 degree bends into the 4 corners of the outside T's . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Question. I assume the black thing at the back is the pump? My question, I see you have a union, how would you disconnect the pump without draining the tank? Shouldn't this be a union/tap combo? OK I have another question Why all the spigits to reduce the pipe size? Why not just use one pip size (say 40mm, I think thats whats pictured) and just do the conversion right at the end of the pipe (the tank inlet)? Maximum flow everywhere and then just reduction right at the end of the plumbing? Look foward to seeing it finished. Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 I can disconnect the pump without draining the tank as all ball valves are situated at the "tank end" - sure, it means turning ALL 8 x ball valves off but not a major. Only downside I see is the water that sits in the pipes is going to go everywhere... hmmm, I will see what the price of 50mm ball valve is - I would imagine EXPENSIVE! All pipes reduce size because 4 x 25mm is exactly the same surface area as a single 50mm pipe so maximum flow rate of pump would be achieved. it was also done this way because of room - 40 or 50mm pipes are LARGE and having them around the tank limits the room i have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Sweet, just though i'd prompt you incase you hadn't fully thought things through, but looks like its all go. When will it be up and running? I paied about $60 for the 40mm union tap from memory Pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Thanks Pies - that price seems about right. I will order one today. The other reason I forgot to mention about not going 40mm pipes to it is it's restricted by the smaller tank valves anyway. Still waiting on Oceans Motions before I can hook this up. A few delays means it should arrive end of or early next week. Then theres HEAPS of plumbing and testing to do. Fingers crossed it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 I am sure it will be sweet, the OM have a pretty good reputation not widly used but many who do use them rate them with only minor niggles. I looked at it seriously for my own tank before discounting it. Any pics of the tank at the moment? I havn't seen pictures of anyones stuff other than my own. Pics! Pies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 No pic's yet - nothing much has changed as Im waiting on doing the loops before the "inners" of the tank. I am seriously thinking when I get around to putting the 3rd light in the middle, I go 10K. The 14ks I have make the tank TOO blue. The 10k should pull this back a bit. Just going back to the closed loops, what is bizzare about the pump is that it actually has a 1.5" inlet and outlet on it (40mm) However I had to get a 2" (50mm) adaptor to fit over the thread. In other words the hole is 1.5" but the 'thread thickness' is so much that it requires a 50mm thread. The 50mm female threaded adaptor I have fits over it but the thread type is different which is something I will have to sort out today. Because of this however, it meant I needed to get 50mm plumbing for the centre T then reduce to 2 x 40mm T's that hang off the outside (as shown in the first 'T' pic on previous page) Not a major - just means I will have to get a 50mm ball valve instead of 40mm = more expensive again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 Picked up my 50mm (2") ball valve today - it's the king kong of ball valves! Got a good price through Mico at $60 + gst. I even went direct to the importer (Plastic Systems) and their retail price was $63 + gst so happy enough. The valve is bigger than my forearm! It's certainly going to have some mega-flow going through it soon. OM is on it's way and due here shortly then the fun begins. Valve is similar to this: In the meantime, I have been watching one particular acro's growth - plenty of extended polyps and loving the new bulbs. I would gather once it gets some decent water movement it's going to be even happier. Going to do a kH and Calcium test tonight - I suspect with the calcium reactor running 24x7 and kalkwasser getting stirred up properly prior to dosing now that it should be better than before. Post tank pic's tonight. (Outside of reefing, I went to Snow Planet (http://www.snowplanet.co.nz) for a board the other night, way cool! If you haven't been, go and support them (silverdale, auckland). Only downside is the limited size - but they have some really cool jumps ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 15, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2005 a few more pic's I took tonight. tank, bottom left: My Blennie looking guilty after chasing a blue damsel around the tank!!! Blue Tang decided to come say Hi: Clown giving me a look from his anemone: Shrimp under BTA: The OM has arrived in NZL (at JoeBlog's ) now just waiting for that to be sent up and the plumbing for the loops can be completed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted March 15, 2005 Report Share Posted March 15, 2005 Tank is looking very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 15, 2005 Report Share Posted March 15, 2005 Nice pics Chimera, good to see some shots of something other than plumbing Is that cyno on the sand in the bottom photo or just the light/angle? Would love to see a 'portrait' shot of the whole lot. You must be looking foward to the OM comming? I can't wait to see how it will work out. Looks like its all comming together nicely, can't wait to see more. Pieman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 15, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2005 yeah i believe it is a very small layer of cyano. it doesnt come on anywhere near as strong as it used too at least - i believe the biggest problem is lack of water movement currently (none whatsoever near the bottom) powerheads are just aimed around the corals for now til i get the OM plumbed in. i think once the closed loops are done, i will probably still leave a couple of powerheads in their until i can save up for streams. it's a cost issue for now. will do a full tank shot once i have the closed loop finished and aquascaping on the right is complete. not really much to see zoomed all out at the moment as rocks on right side are just placed there randomly for now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 oceans motions 4-way unit arrived last night. i picked up the last of the plumbing for the setup today - that was certainly NOT an easy job - american's always want to be unique having their own thread types and plumbing fittings. the threaded pressure fittings were a very tight fit into the OM 4-way (probably more a good thing than bad!!!) anyways i have done a 'mock' plumb up on the lounge floor to check the overall footprint (and height) of the pump and OM. it fits very snuggly under the tank. i've taken some photo's but left my usb camera cable at work so wont be able to post til monday (unless i go pick it up) fingers crossed i have all my plumbing and the new closed loop should be running by the end of the weekend. looking at it, it looks quite crazy to be honest. massive piping and ball valves. cant wait til get this up and running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 Bugger,... the OM 4-way was shipped with a wrong size capacitor so it turns on but doesn't rotate (i suspect wrong frequency - another typical problem I wouldnt have if it werent for the yanks having to be different) They had to put 240 volt motors in them so got shipped a heap from the UK but 50 pieces were missing a specific capacitor so the US version capacitor went in instead. So, I will either source the part locally or wait for it to ship from the US. I still managed to get most of the bits hooked up and all ready for connecting. All I need to do is 'flush' the plumbing bits with water to rid of any excess glue first. What annoys me (a screw up in the planning) is that I have 25mm (1") tank valves/bulkheads in the bottom of the tank however I put hansen 25mm-20mm converters with 20mm ball valves. If only I had put 25mm ball valves on there I would be much better off (essentially it's 25mm hole down to 20mm ball valve then back to 25mm plumbing - what an idiot!!!) Oh well live and learn. Only way would be to drain entire tank and change OR somehow temporarily seal those holes inside the tank then replace the ball valves with 25mm's. I think there are many mistakes I have made so far that I hope others can at least learn off. Anyways, it wont make too much difference on the flow due to the extra holes that were drilled. Just a bit untidy is all. Photo's of the closed loop system so far will go up tomorrow night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 here's a pic roughly of how the closed loop will look (taken at night with no flash so a poor picture!) The 'Y' connector after the pump outlet splits the spray bar and OM 4-way. The 'T' connector on the right also has another two 'T' connectors going into each side (so 4 inputs total) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 and, because it's always good to have a before-hand photo to show progress, here is the current temporary closed loop setup! rough as Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 i just went out to get a 'couple of bits of plumbing' today and it ended up costing $106 (and that was trade price). dont EVER underestimate this area of cost - i've spent around $1k on plumbing alone! no wonder trade's people charge so much these days!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 If you read some of my early posts I have said this before, don't under estimate the cost of the plumbing. I too have spend in excess of $1000.00 and I am not finished yet. I can see another $250.00 when I move the sump, maybee a little more I also buy at trade prices. Looks good, more photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 If you read some of my early posts I have said this before, don't under estimate the cost of the plumbing. I too have spend in excess of $1000.00 and I am not finished yet. I can see another $250.00 when I move the sump, maybee a little more I also buy at trade prices. Looks good, more photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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