The Singapore Green Tank

[Duncan]

Come on over, toomin. You are welcome anytime! Haha, thanks for the birthday wishes!

 

Diane, I'm not sure whose tradition the April Fool's Day is, but heck, just make sure we don't end up the fool of the day!

 

Oh boy, friday 13th! Your son got a rebellious streak in him! Bet he's going to be a charming lad when he grows up!

 

Yes, the oyama paper is indeed, waterproof. Practically everyone stick one at the back of their tanks. Not an easy feat though, it is incredible sticky and could trap bubbles in between if you did not smooth it out properly.

 

Thanks again! I will be posting again very quickly!

 

disaster999, thanks! Perhaps there is a nutrient source lying somewhere in the tank. I found a couple of rotting snail carass at the behind of the rocks and I wondered why I got a sudden algae outbreak.

[Duncan]

At last, the skimmer is finally installed!

 

Currently the sump is not connected to the display tank but the skimmer is fired up anyway!

 

Water rushing into the skimmer chamber through the skimmer feed pump (Eheim compact 1000). Filled up really fast, Eheim just don't let me down, ever. lol. The water level is currently set just below the skimmer neck.

 

I flipped up the venturi needlewheel pump and yeah! Nope, it didn't start up in the first place, not even a humming noise. After taking out the pump, dismantling, knocking a few things then came this picture below. Bubbles! Holy bubbles!

 

The skimmed water pouring out of the skimmer output. As you can see, the output is directly next to the skimmer feed pump, which I though was rather ineffective to process the skimmed water again. Since then, I have pointed the skimmer output to the opposite side.

 

Some dry skimmate on its very first run? Fluke?

Yes, it turned out to be fluke after all. I'm not getting my brew unless I go for really wet skimming.

 

Sitting in a corner of the sump. My sump is starting to look like a sump. I don't mean the money part. Hey, I'm using the reef octopus skimmer aka the poor man's skimmer.

 

A little reveal of my scheme... heehee. It's nothing much, really. But indulge yourself in it, nevertheless.

 

The rock density is not going to be as much as previous system, maybe about slightly less than 10lbs for my 20g tank. Part of the reason for less rocks is that I got more space for coral growth. And the other part is that I still prefer the open reef look after going through a few heavy-looking rockscapes.

 

But I'm not depending so much on the biological filtration in the rock as the protein skimmer is going to be the heart of this system. The basic filtration is plainly barebottom style filtering. Keep the bottom deterius-free and heavy skims the organic nutrients/waste out before they decompose. Hence, I got a skimmer rated for 120g in my 20g tank (and 20g sump). That's about 3x bigger and it should be sufficent.

 

Okay, more to come! Tomorrow that is. It's been a rong day and I'm getting rooney.

[Duncan]

More boring stuff to add on... I hope you don't fall asleep reading all this.

 

The rocks are more or less done shredding, I believe... All right, the truth... they are still shredding (a little) but I can't wait to get things done already!

 

Dry aquascaping is a lot less messy and the rocks are fine out-of-water for a while. This is the best I can do after zillion of attempts.

 

The wet look! Not too bad...

 

So, did you notice the two big lumpy ugly seio pumps affixed on the right wall? Well, that's my gyre flow system. I'm not good at explaining technical stuff, so here's a direct quote:

 

In order to maximize the output of water flow equipment, aquarists should design water movement systems so that all the components work together to minimize resistance and move the entire water mass of the aquarium. The best way to combine the energy of moving water to produce maximum water motion for an aquarium is to encourage the formation of a circular course of water movement called a gyre. Like the wheel, a gyre takes advantage of feedback mechanisms which preserve momentum by minimizing resistance. An aquarium gyre somewhat resembles a conveyor belt of water movement and it is characterized by mostly laminar, unidirectional flow. By alternating the rotation of the gyre from one side to the other, it is possible to evenly distribute turbulence on all sides of corals and therefore increase photosynthesis and respiration. An extreme example of this technique is exemplified by a special aquarium called a gyre.

 

And the link...

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature

 

For my setup, the rocks are going to be the divider for the flow circuit. The pumps are positioned side by side, providing alternating flow in 30minutes interval time. A nr folk told me that it is best to set the seio pimp vertical or else it might not start up due to rotor alignment problem.

 

From the picture below, you can see the 'race track' marked by the black tape under the tank. This track, including the vertical space above, is cleared of rocks and anything else (except the corals!) that can hinder the flow.

 

The pumps are controlled by these timers. The timer on top is currently on (note the red LED) and the other is off.

 

And lights on!

 

As far as I can see from now, the gyre system does provide strong and steady unidirectional flow. But due to the fact that the pumps' outputs are positioned at the lower part of the tank, I'm not getting much flow near the top of the tank. That is for now, as I haven't yet add in my return line from the sump. The return output will be positioned just under the water surface for maximum shimmer effect.

 

Thanks for looking!

[Lalani]

Definitely looks like progress!

[divecj5]

Wow....looks awesome to me. I really really like how open and clean looking the aquascaping is. The whole tank full of rock look never really did it for me. I could just never come up with something that interesting as yours or others with an open feel. Very nice selection of rock you have.

 

That skimmer looks like it is going to be a beast once you get it all plumbed up to the main....love all of those tiny tiny bubbles. Should make for a great skimmer.

 

I have read about the gyre tank flow theory many times but this is the first time I've seen one in action. So do you have the pump outputs pointing in the same direction? I thought that for the gyre to work you basically want to make the tank into a sort of whirlpool if you are looking from above. So looking from the top the water would make either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation around the tank? Very unique idea for flow and I'm sure it will be successful for you. I've thought about trying it out myself.

 

Look forward to seeing more pictures of your corals...

[c est ma]

I sure learn a lot from you, Duncan! You are quite good at explaining what is rather complex engineering (to me, anyway! ) with words and pics.

 

That last pic is beautiful! What a pleasing arrangement.

 

--Diane

[Duncan]

Lalani, thanks for the 'thread stalking'. I appreciated it very much!

 

divecj5, aww... you are definitely making my head bigger now, and a lot lighter. Thanks!

 

I suspected the skimmer has broken-in but has nothing else to skim now. The tank is pretty much squeezed dry. Opss, I forgot to mention I had linked up the sump to the main tank about a day ago. The skimmate was coming, but the skimmer neck is too wide for that little amount of skimmate produced, to push over and into the collection cup. My only solution is to tune the water level higher, but that is for now. When I commence full-blown feeding, this baby is going to work just right... *fingers crossed*

 

Although the pumps are mounted pointing in the same direction, they are actually pointing in opposite directions, when in references to the 'flow track', Confusing eh?

 

My gyre flow is a bit unorthodox as the true gyre employs a false wall as the circuit divider. So in that sense, I don't know how effective my semi-gyre (can I call it this?) is when compared to the real thing. Nevertheless, the water flows like formula one machines racing on the circuit.

 

I'm sure you can and will have an open reef scape. For me, I woke up one day, the mind blanked and my hands start scaping automatically and then! there was this rock formation right in front of me, much like the encounter with the third kind! Okay, just kidding!!!

 

The truth is I got a lot of ideas from the freshwater plant tanks, especially from Amano Takashi. Anyway, I always apply the golden ratio, 1:1.6180339887 whenever possible.

 

There are many fw tanks submissions for the ada competition 2007 in the link below. And there are also tonnes of Amano's tank pictures as well.

http://www.adaeuro.com/gallery.asp?g_id=11#

 

Diane, thank you for your continuous support and kind words!

As mentioned earlier, something put that aquascape into my head! omg, I think I see a similar rock formation on the news now!

 

I'm lagging in the updates as the tank is at a further stage now. Kinda busy busy these days... but I will update as soon as possible. Byeeee!

[c est ma]

OMG, those planted tanks are unbelievable! I have no idea how they could chose a winner. Thanks for the link!

 

--Diane

[travisurfer]

wow duncan. awesome, just awesome.

 

EDIT: duncan, check out my thread. i think i have something that you might like

[Duncan]

I got no idea too, Diane! But I can't imagine the amount of effort put into each of those tanks!

 

Thanks, travisurfer! That was a sweet piece in your tank thread, Awesome! I need to get my moai back in the tank.

 

Flashback to a few days ago just before the weekend approached, I finally completed my long overdue overflow plumbing. *phew* The animals would be happy to know a drain gutter is installed on the overflow box. Of course, unless they are thrill-ride lovers.

 

The obese miniature pinscher decided to nap in the tank construction area. Shoo!

 

What???

 

I made the plumbing too tight and almost couldn't hook the overflow box onto the tank wall. There we go!

 

And a couples of cable ties to hold the heavy pipes' weight, so that the pressure is taken off from the joints at the overflow box.

 

Countdown to the first on-site leak test...

 

And blast off!

 

Another view of the drain outlet. Oh dear, I think I'm going to get huge salt creeps everywhere!

 

The overflow drain is surprisingly quiet, due to the silencer.

 

To kick-start the siphon, you got to be prepared to have a mouth full of fishpoo-filled salty pee.

My biggest concern... You can see the bubbles gathered in the 'water flow over the wall' chamber and that is worrying me. When the water goes through the gutter and down the 1st chamber and 'climbes up' the wall, some of the bubbles escaped over as well.

 

A close look at the 'might-cause-siphon-break-and-hence-flood-the-bedroom' bubbles. They don't look too friendly either, I can see menacing smirks on the bubbles... oops, that's my reflections!

 

To encounter the problem, I have added a black filterfloss in the 1st chamber to trap all the bubbles. Problem now is that I got to rinse this filterfloss regularly to prevent deterius buildup.

 

And the fts...! Look at that wall of equipments... ghetto-styled!

 

Finally, a corner tank shot...

 

The skimmer works really well, check out the swirling bubbles... but the pump is a huge drawback. It is boiling my water to 31 degree celcius, which is 87.8F!!!

[c est ma]

". . .thrill ride lovers..." ". . .fishpoo-filled salty pee. . ." ". . .menacing smirks. . ."

 

 

Duncan, I'm glad you're so active now because I just love to read your posts. And I really appreciate your thorough picture log, as I've still got a lot to learn about plumbing and the pics and legends are most helpful. Those cable ties seem like a great idea.

 

What exactly is the "silencer" on the overflow drain?

 

You're really making progress! What if anything is left to do?

 

--Diane

 

PS: Cute doggie!

[Duncan]

The sauna days are finally over! I swore I saw the fishes nodded approvingly.

 

The specs...

Hailea HC-150A

Current: 1.1A

Power: 1/10 HP

Refrigerant: R134a

Flowrate: 66-317gph

Weight: 33lbs

Size: 420x248x365mm

Maximum aquarium size: 80g

 

The cooling coils are pure titanium alloy, btw! I am rather glad cuz' I have heard how some chillers' coils are titanium coated copper.

 

I bulldozed some furnitures aside to make room for this baby. It has a pretty huge footprint despite being only 1/10 hp which is the smallest horsepower available in the market. Can't imagine those guys with a 1 hp chiller! And their electricity bills as well!

 

The hookup was easy but I ran out of flexible tubes midway and wasted some time visiting the hardware shop. That was called, Fail to plan, plan to fail! I used a Eheim compact 1000 as the chiller feed pump and placed it in the refugium. The chilled sw is then pumped into the main return pump area.

 

Okay! Now the chiller is online, I set the desired temperature to 26 degree celcius which is 78.8F. The chiller would cool the tank after one degree celcius difference (80.6F). The average time taken to chill the tank from 80.6F to 78.8F is about 40 minutes but it really depends on the ambient temperature. The hotter days are yet to come, so it might just take about double the time and double the bills!

 

Overall, I am quite impressed with the chiller performance and it runs silent! That is one of the more important factor. Okay... I admit that there is a slight hum but which chiller doesn't? And moreover, the tank is in my bedroom, not mentioning that I'm a light sleeper. You guys should know that this is the cheapest 1/10 hp chiller on the market cuz I always go for the cheapest stuff!

 

So, 2 thumbs' up for this baby!

[Duncan]

". . .thrill ride lovers..." ". . .fishpoo-filled salty pee. . ." ". . .menacing smirks. . ."

 

 

Duncan, I'm glad you're so active now because I just love to read your posts. And I really appreciate your thorough picture log, as I've still got a lot to learn about plumbing and the pics and legends are most helpful. Those cable ties seem like a great idea.

 

What exactly is the "silencer" on the overflow drain?

 

You're really making progress! What if anything is left to do?

 

--Diane

 

PS: Cute doggie!

 

Thank you for reading everything that I wrote! I am the luckiest guy to pass the leak test first time on my first diy plumbing. It would go really bad if anything leak as I don't have Plan-B. Kelly (the dog) is a big girl and she is twice and almost triple the weight of an average min-pin.

 

Well... I hope you can understand my pathetic attempt to explain the silencer...

 

First, look at my lousy drawing.

 

The silencer is to take out the toilet flushing noise from the overflow drain. It is a tube (air chamber) with 2 holes on either end. Both holes are extended with a inner tube. One of the holes is connected to the overflow and the other hole would be ... to your ears.

 

I'm not sure what's happening in the chamber, but something in there believes silence is golden and hence the noise is gone. Please ask someone with technical knowledge.

 

This is the silencer used in my overflow box. The top part is shown in the picture below. That hole is pointing out of the box.

 

This is the bottom part and the hole is pointing to the enclosed overflow drain.

 

And here's the inside look of the silencer. The two holes are extended with a acrylic tube. I'm not sure if the length of the tube matters...

 

Finally, the silencer is slotted into a pre-drilled hole above the overflow drain. The hole on the top of silencer is the only opening in the overflow drain chamber.

 

I hope I explained well...

[Toomin]

i think i shall hire you for making a sump!

that is .... after NS though.haha.

remember to call me when you go for your sps hunt!

[Duncan]

i think i shall hire you for making a sump!

that is .... after NS though.haha.

remember to call me when you go for your sps hunt!

 

And you shall pay in coralz!

 

I will most definitely get you for the farmway trip!

[c est ma]

Thank you for reading everything that I wrote! I am the luckiest guy to pass the leak test first time on my first diy plumbing. It would go really bad if anything leak as I don't have Plan-B. Kelly (the dog) is a big girl and she is twice and almost triple the weight of an average min-pin.

 

 

It gives her "presence."

 

 

 

Well... I hope you can understand my pathetic attempt to explain the silencer...

 

First, look at my lousy drawing.

 

The silencer is to take out the toilet flushing noise from the overflow drain. It is a tube (air chamber) with 2 holes on either end. Both holes are extended with a inner tube. One of the holes is connected to the overflow and the other hole would be ... to your ears.

 

I'm not sure what's happening in the chamber, but something in there believes silence is golden and hence the noise is gone. Please ask someone with technical knowledge.

 

This is the silencer used in my overflow box. The top part is shown in the picture below. That hole is pointing out of the box.

 

This is the bottom part and the hole is pointing to the enclosed overflow drain.

 

And here's the inside look of the silencer. The two holes are extended with a acrylic tube. I'm not sure if the length of the tube matters...

 

Finally, the silencer is slotted into a pre-drilled hole above the overflow drain. The hole on the top of silencer is the only opening in the overflow drain chamber.

 

I hope I explained well...

 

 

You explained very well! I almost understand it now. Did you make that drawing & take those pics just for me?! Your thread is a wonderful tutorial!

 

So did the silencer come with the overflow box, then?

 

I had no idea chillers were that big. Looks like you should be able to keep beer in it or something.

 

You must have everything you could possibly need now. . .right? We've come a long way from the original "Singapore Green Tank."

 

--Diane

[Duncan]

Yup, the silencer came with the overflow box. And yes, I drew that diagram and took the pictures just for you. I doubted I can explain the whole thing without some graphical aid.

 

I know I diverted from my original simple tank concept wayyyyyy off, but considering the delicate nature of sps, I think I can't possibly shortcut any corner this time.

 

 

Hey, I think my fuge area is large enough for a 6-pack!

 

The 1/10 hp chiller performance is just all right for my tank size (35ish gallon in total). If your summer heat becomes too unbearable, you might want to consider this chiller.

 

I still go for the cheapest equipment I can find and some of these stuff are hand-me-down 2nd hands. So, <personal announcement> honey baby, if you are reading this thread, this tank is the cheapest i-got-everything tank</personal announcement>

[Duncan]

This is flashback update as well...

 

So, the drain output to the sump isn't really operating as well as I thought it would be. There are tonnes of bubbles squeezing out from the drain output, splash-popping all over the place. This is a receipe for major salt creep!

 

I made a splash cover board using the coroplast plastic board. It was very easy to work with and I cut it with a rusty dull penknife. I cut a hole in the middle of the board, for ease of access. I don't want to remove the board everytime when I want to mess with the sump.

 

And to reduce the splash-popping, I extended the drain pipe and cut several holes on it. The small holes will release the bubbles over the length of the pipe, resulting in a de-centralized (I think there is a better word for it...?) bubble popping.

 

Well, after a day or two of testing this de-centralized splash popping method, I figured that this is just a band-aid solution. I'm still getting splashes, but instead of 1 big salt creep spot, I would have multiple mini salt creep areas!

 

And here's solution number two. I took the bubble diffuser pipe out and added two elbows to the drain output. These elbows would extend out of the water and act as the air outlets. This way, the bubbles are forced to go up the pipes. Then the bubbles will pop inside the elbow and hence no more salt creep!

 

Actually, I am still getting splashes but a lot lesser now with this new design. The splashes come from the airlets, when the water flows out of them. But it is a gentle flow, so it is not big splashing.

 

So, erm, anyone else got a better idea to totally eliminate the splashing? Please tell me if you got one!

 

Thanks for reading the babbling!

[Sushi]

Loving the tank build... nice tank!

[crrichey]

I would go back to the way you originally installed it and place a filter sock over the outlet. Not really to catch debrit but to reduce bubbles.

[Duncan]

Loving the tank build... nice tank!

 

Thank you, Sushi. Sushi is one of my favorite food!

 

I would go back to the way you originally installed it and place a filter sock over the outlet. Not really to catch debrit but to reduce bubbles.

 

Yup, I thought of the filter sock before, but the debrit catching is there no matter if I want it or not. I dread washing the sock every 3 days. Thanks for the idea, crrichey!

[Duncan]

These will be the final touches to the tank revamp and I think I have covered everything need for my new system.

 

As I was saying earlier, this is a barebottom tank and the debris is supposely to be suspend in the water column for the skimmer to pick 'em up. Well, things ain't going as planned and I got quite a bit of detritus settled on the bottom. Some were in areas that I could not siphon and so... more powerhead!

 

I sandwiched a seio 620 between my gyro flow seios and have it pointing downwards to the bottom. Now I got 3 powerheads mounted in a line on the same wall. On top of them, I have my overflow box hanging over the wall. And not mentioning the sump return outlet that is hiding behind the overflow box.

Anyhow, the pump only managed to push all the debris to a easy-to-reach spot, but still, I'd prefer to have all of dirt off the floor.

 

And now, I got something else to show everyone... tada! My fuge light fixture, mounted with a 6500K 11W screw-in bulb. It is a clip-on lamp that I found in a Japanese "Home Depot". I didn't really like the yellow coat on it but being the last piece and the only clip-on lamp, I didn't have any choice.

 

After a bout of wrestling the lamp into a tight corner under the display tank, I pinned it down with my trust-worthy zip ties. Zip tie is really one of the top ten inventions of 20th century, I can't imagine how I would build this tank without it.

Well, I'm starting to like the yellow color now. It adds a splash of life to my otherwise gloomy black stand.

 

The lamphead is positioned over the peek-a-boo directly above the refugium. And now let's do a light test.

Oh ah, that bag sitting in the refugium is my carbon. I never run my tank without it.

 

And the fuge plan? Here it is!

Chaeto, what else?

 

And the final look of my sump with lights on. I hope this IS the final look. My wallet has dried up.

 

Thanks for looking!

[c est ma]

Yup, the silencer came with the overflow box. And yes, I drew that diagram and took the pictures just for you. I doubted I can explain the whole thing without some graphical aid.

 

 

Thank you! They were quite enlightening!

 

Hey, I think my fuge area is large enough for a 6-pack!

 

 

 

This is flashback update as well...

 

So, the drain output to the sump isn't really operating as well as I thought it would be. There are tonnes of bubbles squeezing out from the drain output, splash-popping all over the place. This is a receipe for major salt creep!

 

I made a splash cover board using the coroplast plastic board. It was very easy to work with and I cut it with a rusty dull penknife. I cut a hole in the middle of the board, for ease of access. I don't want to remove the board everytime when I want to mess with the sump.

 

 

Nice job--very neatly done.

 

And to reduce the splash-popping, I extended the drain pipe and cut several holes on it. The small holes will release the bubbles over the length of the pipe, resulting in a de-centralized (I think there is a better word for it...?) bubble popping.

 

Well, after a day or two of testing this de-centralized splash popping method, I figured that this is just a band-aid solution. I'm still getting splashes, but instead of 1 big salt creep spot, I would have multiple mini salt creep areas!

 

And here's solution number two. I took the bubble diffuser pipe out and added two elbows to the drain output. These elbows would extend out of the water and act as the air outlets. This way, the bubbles are forced to go up the pipes. Then the bubbles will pop inside the elbow and hence no more salt creep!

 

Actually, I am still getting splashes but a lot lesser now with this new design. The splashes come from the airlets, when the water flows out of them. But it is a gentle flow, so it is not big splashing.

 

 

I think you are most ingenious!

 

 

These will be the final touches to the tank revamp and I think I have covered everything need for my new system.

 

And now, I got something else to show everyone... tada! My fuge light fixture, mounted with a 6500K 11W screw-in bulb. It is a clip-on lamp that I found in a Japanese "Home Depot". I didn't really like the yellow coat on it but being the last piece and the only clip-on lamp, I didn't have any choice.

 

After a bout of wrestling the lamp into a tight corner under the display tank, I pinned it down with my trust-worthy zip ties. Zip tie is really one of the top ten inventions of 20th century, I can't imagine how I would build this tank without it.

Well, I'm starting to like the yellow color now. It adds a splash of life to my otherwise gloomy black stand.

 

 

I agree!

 

The lamphead is positioned over the peek-a-boo directly above the refugium. And now let's do a light test.

Oh ah, that bag sitting in the refugium is my carbon. I never run my tank without it.

 

And the fuge plan? Here it is!

Chaeto, what else?

 

And the final look of my sump with lights on. I hope this IS the final look. My wallet has dried up.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Very nice! Sure looks complete to me. (But what do I know?) Good job getting the work & the money to run out at the same time!

 

--Diane

[Duncan]

Thanks, Diane! I will be running the fuge light on the same schedule as the the display light period, which is same as yours. I hope the chaeto will florish like yours.

 

I guess I won't be getting any new livestock since the wallet is flat now. But just as well, the tank is currently undergoing on a mini cycle due to all these changes and I getting diatom bloom right now.

[divecj5]

As Diane mentioned, you are quite ingenious with your design and getting everything to fit together nicely. I guess this is why I have never run a tank with a sump....just could not imagine trying to piece everything together. I imagine some day when I set up a larger tank it will be necessary but I am content not to try it now

 

I really like the design of your sump and the refugium with the chaeto and the light looks great.

 

Can't wait to see more pictures of the display as it comes along.