Custom fuge -- do your worst

[jgt246]

OK, here's one you can all sink your teeth info. I'm getting a custom fuge for my 10-gallon from Acryliccity/Fuge Guy. Below is a rough diagram I made; everyone please try to overcome your natural shyness and tell me what I'm doing wrong.

 

As indicated, I plan to put a skimmer (probably Berlin Air Lift) in the intake chamber, and a heater and an IceProbe chiller (if needed) in the return chamber. The front side (next to the tank) will be black acrylic, and the whole unit is sized so that it will serve as a background for the tank (20" x 12"). I'll use a CPR Bak-Pak pre-skimmer for the intake pump (Rio 600).

 

The diagram is not to scale, but hopefully you get the idea. Acryliccity has been super-responsive with replies, but the plans are mine so blame me for anything dimwitted.

 

Right, fire away.

 

JT

 

PS This is the first time I've tried to post an image, so sorry if I screwed it up.

[john76]

Why is the bulkhead so low going from the fuge chamber to the return chamber?

[jgt246]

John, sorry about my half-assed diagram. I actually didn't try to depict any of the openings for water flow between chambers. The bulkhead at lower left is for the chiller probe, entering from the rear of the return chamber.

 

JT

[jgt246]

OK, I'll try to be more specific; any problem with:

[*]having the skimmer in the intake chamber?

[*]having the heater and (maybe) chiller in the return chamber?

[*]having the bottom of the fuge as low as the tank itself? (actually, the tank is on a "molded base" that raises it almost 3"; I'm plumbing-challenged, but could the fuge even be that much LOWER than the tank, so they rest on the same surface? the volume of the fuge will be over 6 gallons, so that would eliminate concerns about tipping over...and allow a really DDSB )

[*]flow rate with the Rio 600 for a fuge this large?

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Thanks for any ideas.

 

JT

[DAP]

What did you use to draw that, I am trying t make a diagram of some plumbing for someone and I have no way to post it on line.

 

That design looks like a CPR aquafuge, minus the 1-1/4" hole for the ice-probe. It may be cheaper to buy that one? Drilling acrylic is mad easy, just remember to go slow so the acrylic doesn't melt.

You could always paint the back of your tank, or the fuge.

 

I would build a support of some type for the bak-pak skimmer, a block of wood would even work, just to reduce the weight it is applying to your fuge.

[john76]

If you skim the nutrients out of the water before the water enters the fuge your macro might not be able to sustain itslef. But on a nano you might have no other option as far as space constraints. So having the skimmer in the intake is way better than stripping the phtyo out of the water after it leaves the fuge. And it might actually make the skimmed water even clearer since whatever the skimmer leaves behind will be quickly utilized by the macro.

 

You could add a better baffle system to help with micro bubbles leaving the skimmer. But that would take up more fuge space.

[jgt246]

DAP, I just used MS PowerPoint and saved as a JPG. I'm having the fuge custom-built by acryliccity (on eBay), AKA Fuge Guy on these boards. It's tweaking his standard design, which I think was originally modeled on the AquaFuge. He's actually a bit cheaper than CPR, even for the custom order Sorry if I was confusing on the skimmer; I'm just using the Bak Pak pre-skimmer (to break up surface gunk); the skimmer itself, which will be inside the intake chamber of the fuge, will be a Red Sea Berlin Air Lift. I will, however, probably end up putting a block of wood (maybe wrapped in neoprene to dull any vibration?) under the fuge, which will weigh over half as much as the tank.

 

John76, yes, I wrestled with the skimmer placement and ended up pretty much where you did -- better not to skim the phyto! Good point on the baffles; I'll check about adding something.

 

Many thanks guys.

 

JT

[john76]

BTW I got my fuge from the same guy on Ebay. Definitely worth the money, quality stuff.

[DAP]

Actually I mis-read the first post about the skimmer. My fault.

Thanks for the info.

I have always wondered about placing the chiller near the heater.

I am sure the water immediately surrounding the chiller would be colder than the rest of the tank. I wonder would it be cold enough to turn the heater on, which would counter act with anything the chiller is trying to do.

 

Am I thinking right?

[jgt246]

DAP,

 

Hopefully the chiller and the heater won't do battle! I'll set the heater to kick in below 78 degrees and the chiller above 80, so the 2 degrees in between will be "no man's land." That's the theory anyway. I do worry about the accuracy and dependability of the heater thermostat, though, and wonder if a dual controller would be a good investment. The many stories I've read on these boards about runaway heaters are pretty scary :*(

 

JT

[wetworx101]

To be on the safe side I would try to space out the chiller and heater since they could do battle not just by having their settings so close to one another, but from catching a draft from each other...kinda like this: I had a 180 with both 250watt heaters next to each other, but one of them never turned on because it kept getting cought in the updraft of warm water that the other produced. The heater/ chiller combo needs to be spread out so that they are both taking accurate readings with their thermostats, or your chiller could be prematurely setting off the heater, or visa-versa, with neither one being able to take an accurate reading of the main tank...say hello to rollercoaster temperatures!!

[jgt246]

Good advice, wetworx. The chiller has a separate controller and I'll put the probe in the intake or fuge chamber.

 

Thanks,

 

JT

[dickwayne]

Two thoughts, neither from personal experience, just things I've read you may want to consider. Plus, I may have missed something

 

First, I've heard that CPR overflows suck. You may want to look into a company called lifereef. They supposedly make a nice overflow.

 

Second, the Berlin Air Lift is garbage. Go with something better. It may be more expensive, but you will have a better quality skimmer, and you won't have to waste more money later.

[jgt246]

Dick,

 

Actually it's not an overflow, it's a pre-skimmer -- the one used for the CPR Bak-Pak (see http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...d=6&pCatId=4423 ). The fuge is fed by a Rio 600, which goes inside the pre-skimmer, so no siphon issues like you get with the overflow.

 

On the Berlin Air Lift, see an earlier thread on Minoflotor vs Piccolo . I haven't purchased the skimmer yet and welcome any feedback. I just need something that will fit in the intake chamber of the fuge, which is 3" wide, 5" long (less the intake pipe), and about 14" deep.

 

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

JT