kinetic Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 I'm getting two Vortech's, both on the back glass. I'll probably get one battery backup, since that should keep things alive if the power goes out. If I find another one for cheap, I may go for that as well. I think 2 is just enough for my tank. Even without corals, I'm going to have it blasting at full throttle. It's better to play with your flow and have it dialed in months before any livestock go in =) This will be a bare bottom, and I won't have too much LR, so I want to blow all the crap out and into the skimmer =) 6000gph / 80g = 75x turnover, not including the return pump which is 600gph after headloss, so a total of about 80x turnover. Should keep any red slime from developing I will be getting the controller when it's out, thus it won't be going at 3000gph each at all times. Gives the critters a little break. I feel that with this flow, I will have very little detritus sitting around in the display. For my sump I'm outfitting it with a few maxi jets in each chamber to turn on right after lights to out every night for about 5 minutes. That will blow all collected detritus into the water column and hopefully eaten by corals or sucked up by the skimmer. My goal is to have no detritus collecting ANYWHERE. Then I won't really need any supplemental filtration other than the minimal LR and skimmer. I'll definitely still need to use a turkey baster to blow off any detritus that may collect in the cracks of the rocks, but at 80x turnover, I think it'll be taken care of pretty well =) Quote Link to comment
mattyice Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 just be careful where you point the vortechs, pointing them towards rock will be very bad if you want to keep detritus from collecting, it will jam it in the rocks causing cyano and algae to form in those areas, the key is to keep the flowing close to the rocks without it going into the rocks, this will cause great flow throughout the tank and keep detritus from staying suspended in the tank, another recommendation is to have the skimmer plumbed right into the drain from the tank, this will cause anything going through the drain to be skimmed out and you will notice a much more clear tank and a much healthier tank, i think 2 vortechs will be plenty for your tank Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 There's no way to NOT point them towards rock. The spread is so even, and they're non-directional. Also the turbulence created by two vortechs will not pin any detritus into holes. They are not on a controller yet, but when the two are on they will create a lot of differences in turbulence, thus won't be jamming detritus into any rocks. I've never heard of that really unless you have a very concentrated flow point and one single powerhead with no turbulence. The ELOS skimmer doesn't take a drain as a gravity feed, and I actually prefer that. The drains will never be as consistent in flow rate as a dedicated pump, so you would get some strange inconsistent skim behavior. As long as the skimmer is rated well for the tank setup (as ELOS's NS is), it will do a great job skimming. As long as I can keep detritus suspended, it will be picked up. I am considering running a filter sock to collect some waste too, but that's only if I can manage to clean it out at least weekly. Quote Link to comment
mattyice Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 oo sorry i forgot you went with the elos system and not just the tank, and that is true abouyt the vortechs, ive decided though to just hold off until the controllable versions come out, im not going to get the pumps, use them, and then have to pay more money and then wait to get money back Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 yeah you should probably wait until they come with the wireless controller =) It'd probably be less of a hassle, and well tested. Maybe even a next generation driver. Quote Link to comment
msn711 Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Interesting idea about putting maxi jets in the sump. My sump isn't baffled, so I might already have enough flow there to keep detritus suspended, but I'll have to keep an eye on that. As for the wireless controller, I'm still undecided about whether it's even necessary. You plan to run 2 vortechs, so I could see the benefit of having a controller syncing both pumps. But with only 1 vortech, I'm not sure that I really need it to turn the pump up and down. If I get one, it'll be run in the lagoon mode, or whatever they're calling it. I guess I'll have to see what the price is on the next batch. Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 Interesting idea about putting maxi jets in the sump. My sump isn't baffled, so I might already have enough flow there to keep detritus suspended, but I'll have to keep an eye on that. As for the wireless controller, I'm still undecided about whether it's even necessary. You plan to run 2 vortechs, so I could see the benefit of having a controller syncing both pumps. But with only 1 vortech, I'm not sure that I really need it to turn the pump up and down. If I get one, it'll be run in the lagoon mode, or whatever they're calling it. I guess I'll have to see what the price is on the next batch. Yes, there's always talk about getting rid of dead spots in your tank, but what I see people fail to address is the dead spots in the sump. I think some people use filter socks, such that almost NO detritus goes into the sump, but it still makes it. I guess that works pretty well given you keep the sock fairly well maintained. Quote Link to comment
mattyice Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 i agree about the filter socks, in order to get the full benefit of them you need to really change them often, and by often i mean if you are running a heavily fed tank you can expect to change them out anywhere from every week to every 2 weeks as for the vortechs MSN you know that with one controller they were able to get a 2" wave, which is extremely impressive considering you can go from making a 2" wave to it just being a normal pulsating powerhead, back to a wave, so the controller is incredibly versatile and can do a ton of things i recommend the controller even though you are only going with one kinetic it sounds like a very well planned out tank and i cant wait to see it setup! even if it isnt with livestock till april lol Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) TECO SeaChill Arrives - [ 10/02/07 ] The TECO SeaChill arrived today! I was a little afraid at first, it had this crazy packaging tape that was bright yellow: (of course we're in b&w mode again, *sigh*): Opening the box... uh oh, peanuts galore. Well I guess I can tip it over and pull it out... here come the peanuts... BA!@#$!@%# peanuts everywhere! Good thing I have a dust pan: Opening the inner box: Nicely packed: Out of the box! Look at this little guy: Front View: Back View: Close up view: Maybe I'll put it inside here, or maybe on the other side, depending on how the sump will be configured. Seriously, a perfect fit: The pros so far: Looks really nice. The exterior design is very nice, rounded, and even a little "retro". The footprint is TINY, and it's very short. I may lift this up on a small shelf inside the stand so that I can put more underneath it. Amazingly great packaging too. Nice modern LED control screen. The cons so far: - The packaging came with TONS OF PEANUTS. Great packaging, but what a mess =) - The power button and power chord come straight out of the side of this thing. So weird =/ I'd prefer it to come out from underneath or behind. Edited October 3, 2007 by kinetic Quote Link to comment
mattyice Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 damn that thing looks very nice, im not too sure how California weather is but i bet with the fixture you are getting that the chiller will barely have to work Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 damn that thing looks very nice, im not too sure how California weather is but i bet with the fixture you are getting that the chiller will barely have to work Well it gets pretty darn hot in California. 80's 90's this past summer. But that's only around noontime, otherwise it's pretty mellow at 70's. It'll probably kick in a bit during the daytime, but my lights turn on at 7:30pm anyway, so it shouldn't have to work too hard =) Quote Link to comment
msn711 Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) HaHa! I grew up in LA, started keeping reefs when I lived in TX, so trust me, it's not HOT until the temp starts hovering around 100*, if not higher, all day! Edited October 3, 2007 by msn711 Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 HaHa! I grew up in LA, started keeping reefs when I lived in TX, so trust me, it's not HOT until the temp starts hovering around 100*, if not hire, all day! LOL. Hot for me in the San Francisco Bay Area is like 80's and 90's. It's only gotten over 100 degrees here once in my lifetime. Quote Link to comment
adinsxq Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 i wear the same socks chiller needs breathing room!! Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 i wear the same socks chiller needs breathing room!! those socks are really good for sports I find. I usually get some nasty blisters after 3-4 hours of basketball in other kinds of socks. Only gripe is, the opening is really tight so it makes a indent around my ankle, and it gets damn annoying, so I can only wear it for sports and not the entire day =P GO COSTCO! Otherwise I wear the low cut regular socks from foot locker, they're pretty thin but comfortable. I think the chiller might suffocate in there too. I'll probably end up putting it to the side / behind under a shelf. Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) I'm considering only adding a few corals to this tank, and letting them grow out in all their glory. After seeing Leonard's Formosa Forest, I've realized that few corals that grow into big colonies are much cooler than hundreds of frags bonzai'd by frequent fragging. So I'm going to be extremely selective in my corals and only add the best to my display. Here's what I'm planning so far: California Acropora Tortuosa (have) Leng Sy Montipora Capricornis (have) Super Orange Montipora Capricornis (have) Apple Berry Montipora Palawenensis Candlelight Acropora Sp. Pink Lemenade Acropora Sp. Neon Green Toadstool (have) ATL Red and Green Christmas Acropora Mirabilis ATL Skyblue Hoeksemai ATL Ocean Blue Polyp Stylo (have) Crayola Plana Table ... on second thought, that's a whole bunch of corals... =X Any suggestions of corals I don't have on the list? I should probably narrow down the list eventually. Edited October 3, 2007 by kinetic Quote Link to comment
ezcompany Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 why are your pics b/w. i enjoy staring at your sparkly hardwood floors Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 why are your pics b/w. i enjoy staring at your sparkly hardwood floors The color balance was all off, and I was too lazy to do white balancing last night, so I just shoot in black and white mode. =P Yeah I love my hardwood floor, it's a redwood, and some pieces are REALLY freakin long since this was put in so long ago... the dog is killing them though with the peel outs... Quote Link to comment
ezcompany Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 The color balance was all off, and I was too lazy to do white balancing last night, so I just shoot in black and white mode. =P Yeah I love my hardwood floor, it's a redwood, and some pieces are REALLY freakin long since this was put in so long ago... the dog is killing them though with the peel outs... take out the stylo, it won't branch out as nicely as the other ones in ur list Quote Link to comment
Cesar Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Man this tank is gonna be killer dude. Can't wait to see it arrive. I'm tagging along. Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 take out the stylo, it won't branch out as nicely as the other ones in ur list That is true, it may eventually get shadowed out by the others. If I can find a spot for it at like the peak of one of the rocks, I may stick it there. I just have a tiny nub of it right now, so I'll probably just keep it in my frag tank. Man this tank is gonna be killer dude. Can't wait to see it arrive. I'm tagging along. Hopefully! The corals will be hard to get. I'll probably have to pay a buttload and wait months to get some pieces. Thankfully I know sources (multiple ones) for all these pieces within 30 miles of me, so I think I'm good to go =) I'm going to sign up on some waiting lists and save up in the bank. I'll camp out at Atlantis Aquarium, and some other local frag farmers' places for their shipments Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 Tank has arrived at the ELOS warehouse. I'm getting everything ready to head out to pick it up!! Quote Link to comment
NanoClown Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 are you still going to keep the rest of your frags (hammer or idaho monit for example) also (like to fill in or not?) Quote Link to comment
kinetic Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 I may keep a frag of everything, but otherwise it's all being sold. I'm keeping frags of my zoas, but the SPS and such will probably go out. I may put an idaho grape in my display though, not sure yet. Quote Link to comment
NanoClown Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 hmm LMK i would like some frags, (ill buy when ready....) im real mad because the frag of idaho grape you gave me was attacked by diatoms(i guess my sis overfed while i was gone on vacation), and my nitrates can never get below 10, so i think that sps is a no no for me untill i get a good skimmer and change my habbits, but hey im up for a few frags if you let me know what you will have later Quote Link to comment
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