The Oceanarium Project: Imaginarium

[jedimasterben]

Whoa dude, that's a giant amount of light over that thing!

 

I would do four clusters of:

 

5x XM-L @ 3A (like you are running)

20x Rebel ES Royals (440nm) @ 1A

4x HVTV 420nm @ 500mA (Milad's new one that isn't out yet)

4x Ocean Coral White @ 500mA

 

 

So your total # of LEDs would be:

20x XM-L @ $6.89/ea = $137.80

80x Rebel ES Royals @ $3.49/ea = 279.20

16x HVTV @ ~$13.50/ea = $216

16x OCW @ $6.88/ea = $110.08

 

 

Total forward voltages (for figuring out driver number):

3.35v x 20 = 67v

3.1v x 80 = 248v

11.1v x 16 = 177.6v

8.6v x 16 = 137.6v

 

 

Number of buckpucks needed @ 24v:

3x for white @ 3A

11x for royals @ 1A

8x for HVTV @ 500ma

8x for OCW @ 500ma

 

Need 24v power supplies that equal to 28A, so say 8A each, so four PSUs.

 

 

I'm at work or else I'd come up with an Illustrator design for it all.

 

The whites at 3A combined with the HVTV will give you incredible PAR over the entire tank, even on the sandbed. The 440nm royals would give you the purple cast you want, along with putting out quite a bit more light than an XT-E. Using the larger HVTV and OCW for exotics would reduce complexity, too, which is a wonderful thing in a build this size.

 

 

As for water movement, dual MP40s may be enough, especially if you keep them going full-blast (maybe long pulse?) and make a circular flow in the tank. Where in the tank are you planning on keeping SPS?

[Deckoz2302]

Yes lights will be hung from the ceiling and the wires will be routed through the overflow. Closed loop does have other problems but would be the most viable in keeping the display COMPLETELY free of equipment to give the ocean in a box look I'm going for. The overflow is going to be floating like below and hidden in a V of rock scape. The other holes are what I'm thinking about as far as closed loop. If I were to do mp40s I would want to do a sealed section on the overflow box for 3 40s but that would cause the box to be huge. Or I could use my mp10s which are smaller and run them at 100% which is close to 2100gph direct laminar(1590gph spread) which would be close to 4500-6kgph in 160 gallons. But once again would take up more real estate as a floating overflow. I guess I need to find something similar to OCEAN Motions flow diverters.

 

Also....radioactive green water? Mmmmm yummy

 

Jedi - thanks for the ideas. I still would end up adding an extra turquoise for every OCW as I like the 2 turq to 1 red ratio better then 1:1. As far as the violets I could do the HVTV - however I was looking for more of a spread you know? It still may be a possibility. And the Rebel Royals - I did take a look at them and they provide significantly most flux St 1000mA then the XTE so that will likely be my choice for the royals.

 

I may stay away from buckpucks this build however I also really like the fact that it localizes a few LEDs vs a few hand fulls of LEDs - essentially buckpucks will close more on a build of this magnatude however they are an added insurance making sure everything isn't all on one strand or split in parallels.

 

This only thing I want to make sure of is that this tank is completely lit EVENLY across unlike my current tank dimmer on the outside because I used optics.

 

The lights haven't been ordered yet and I will be continuing to think about this for a while longer. While I tackle some other things on the list such as skimmer. Return pump. Circulation pumps sect ect

[21093r53]

Yes lights will be hung from the ceiling and the wires will be routed through the overflow. Closed loop does have other problems but would be the most viable in keeping the display COMPLETELY free of equipment to give the ocean in a box look I'm going for. The overflow is going to be floating like below and hidden in a V of rock scape. The other holes are what I'm thinking about as far as closed loop. If I were to do mp40s I would want to do a sealed section on the overflow box for 3 40s but that would cause the box to be huge. Or I could use my mp10s which are smaller and run them at 100% which is close to 2100gph direct laminar(1590gph spread) which would be close to 4500-6kgph in 160 gallons. But once again would take up more real estate as a floating overflow. I guess I need to find something similar to OCEAN Motions flow diverters.

 

Also....radioactive green water? Mmmmm yummy

 

 

Hope all is well dude, the tank looks good!

[jedimasterben]

How high off the water's surface are you estimating the lights will be?

[Deckoz2302]

Hope all is well dude, the tank looks good!

 

Staying positive! Thanks man!

 

 

How high off the water's surface are you estimating the lights will be?

 

Anywhere from 8-12 inches. Sps will be my current scape moved over in the top right corner of that tank drawing. All other corals will be relocated and some spa will be thinly spread around. But the current scape will be a dominated sps island. Also read the edit above

[jedimasterben]

OK, gotcha. At that height, I would still use some optics - maybe 80-90 degrees. This way you don't have a crapload of light just spilling out aimlessly into the room.

 

What would you go with instead of buckpucks? What kind of controller are you using?

[metrokat]

 

There is a setting called nutrient transport. If you have three vortechs like me you'll get the full effect but anyway. Nutrient transport mode is short pulse mode on side side vortechs with a long ramp on the rear vortech then all followed by a surge of flow. The undercurrent picks up detritus bring it toward the surface of the water then pulled out of the overflow. And to answer your question no no other power head has this feature, however tunze wave boxes could be programmed to do the same thing via a controller. The picture above shows what three vortechs do white being main. Orange other side blue rear

 

And thanks kat - I think shell be fine

 

That sounds all kinds of awesome Brad. AIOs like my RSM could not use this feature because the back has the chamber full of water. Perhaps ecotech can come up with a submersible design one day.

[Deckoz2302]

It would work in your RSM you would just have to get a larger return pump or lower your water level so your chambers were lower then the surface skimmer intake

 

OK, gotcha. At that height, I would still use some optics - maybe 80-90 degrees. This way you don't have a crapload of light just spilling out aimlessly into the room.

 

What would you go with instead of buckpucks? What kind of controller are you using?

 

I might go with inventronics. I use a Reef angel arduino controller. And yea I would be using 80 degree optics instead of 60 to kill the spill

[metrokat]

Hmmm.....

[Deckoz2302]

if the levels in your chambers aren't lower then the surface skimmer take some water out...otherwise your built in surface skimmer isn't doing anything to help out with filtration

[twan]

This thread has helped me tons, tyvm!

[metrokat]

Skimmer has been offline for a week, and given Rehypes readings about oxygen, the skimmer really is not needed, plus with macros in my tank, the skimmer is barely pulling anything. So yes it will come out, I already have tubes inserted in the return pumps to allow for a lower water level. The problem, now that I think about it from memory, is that the Back chamber has baffles, so the water level has to be rather high to flow over the baffle in question and into the chamber that holds the heater, then under and into the chamber for the return.. I haven't read any mods where the first baffle was removed so not sure this can work.

 

Sorry, forgot to add, even with the skimmer removed, the surface skimmer level is still pretty high and so is the baffle.

[Deckoz2302]

Man I do what I can Twan . Your getting close too! Lol I need to find a reference thread for a closed loop system with DIY flow modulators and then modify it to be controlled by arduino

[metrokat]

Read your suggestion wrong.

 

Here is a cross section of the back.

 

The surface skimmer is at the same level as that first baffle looks like so with a lower water level, the vortech would be chopping up air.

[Deckoz2302]

Nah. Vetech is in the display where as your chambers are like a sump. Water level in display stays constant unlike in the chambers. When your water evaporates you notice the water level changes within the chambers - not the display. Also the first baffle isn't supposed to have water go.over it but instead under it through the media rack

[metrokat]

First baffle is that #6 thing. It's siliconed to the floor. Water flows from area 4 up and over into 6, then down and under to the ceramic bagged media you see, #7.

 

Returns are number 9. Surface skimmer is #1

[FlCandy]

First baffle is that #6 thing. It's siliconed to the floor. Water flows from area 4 up and over into 6, then down and under to the ceramic bagged media you see, #7.

 

Returns are number 9. Surface skimmer is #1

 

Look at your diagram, there is one before #6 that only goes from the top to about 1" from the bottom. That is baffle #1.

 

7 and 8 are in the first chamber, and the water flows through them into the baffle area and then over #6 into the skimmer chamber.

[surgicalsense]

Nah. Vetech is in the display where as your chambers are like a sump. Water level in display stays constant unlike in the chambers. When your water evaporates you notice the water level changes within the chambers - not the display. Also the first baffle isn't supposed to have water go.over it but instead under it through the media rack

 

Which makes plenty sense, because I have noticed that when I have evaporation in the rear chambers my pump then begins to spit out the microbubbles. But, I do notice just a slight change in the level of my main tank. I just top that off a tad from time to time. I purchased a new pump because I assumed it was completely my old stock pump. It really wasn't that, but I needed a new/extra pump anyways

[Deckoz2302]

Yea? Your water level could go as low as 1cm above the intake for The returns which if I'm not mistaken are on the bottom side of the pumps - significantly lower then the surface skimmer by probably 1.5-2.5 inches. Either way vortech won't suck air because the display is held constant level and the sump is variable level. Its the same principle as a sump if you turn off the pump water will drain from display to chambers until the water level falls below the surface skimmers teeth where it will stops.

[metrokat]

Intake on the RSM is right to left. 1 to 9. Not left to right.

[FlCandy]

Intake on the RSM is right to left. 1 to 9. Not left to right.

 

 

Okay so reverse what I said, either way there are 2 baffles in that #6 area and it has to go over one and under the other.

 

Cripes.

[metrokat]

Yes. Making water level high, making a vortech installation for nutrient transport not possible in the back chamber. I can dream though.

[FlCandy]

Yes. Making water level high, making a vortech installation for nutrient transport not possible in the back chamber. I can dream though.

 

Unless you can dream bigger rear chambers it won't fit. Why not put it IN the tank?

[Deckoz2302]

Lol I know....but you couldn't anyway...the dry side isnt water proof X-D.

[metrokat]

Brad was explaining the benefit of 3 vortexes for nutrient transport, the 3 rd would be on the back wall, however not possible in the RSM as they don't make a submersible model. It would fit, it's not waterproof is the issue.