rbaby's 20g Project

[rbaby]

So the time has come when you want a new setup for more real estate, more fish and MH's. My shopping list has been:

 

SCWD

Aqua C Remora Pro or Urchin (haven't decided yet)

Outer Orbit 150w HQI + 2x65w Actinics = 280 watts

14k Phoenix Bulbs

20 Gallon Clear For Life Regular

10 Gallon Clear For Life Show

Quiet One Pump 3000

 

Tigahboy has been kind enough to do my plumbing. I have space restrictions and he will be plumbing the 10g show for a sump/fuge with the 20r right in front of it...the setup will still be on my desk so we've decided to put the 20 gallon in front and the 10g right behind it.

[marthafocker]

good luck with that, post pictures cause the plan sounds beautiful. I am sure with tigah boy helping your setup will be very nice.

[Kogut]

w/ Pipe Master Dennis in charge, the plumbing's bound to be good. Wonder how many trips to Home Depot this one will take. lmao. Good luck w/ it and be sure to post pics!

 

~Connor

[rbaby]

More reason for him to sniff PVC Glue ...it's very cool of him to help, I'm psyched . I'm already planning the fishy and clam . For 30 gallons of total water space, if my fishes don't require much swimming space I can have about 4-5 fishes right?

[Kogut]

I'd think so. Especially w/ the type of skimmer you're looking at.

[Cesar]

I think a good amount in that 20 would be about 4. I have 4 in my 20 I think they are just perfect. Tigahboy is a cool guy man.

[Tigahboy]

when exactly did I agree to do this? :|

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

hahah. j/k. =P. the 10g show fits perfectly behind the 20g...and there seems to be enough vertical distance from the top of 20g down to the top of the 10g to plumb external durso-type plumbing directly from back of 20g into the 10g show (or something similar to that). hopefully we can pull this off.

[rbaby]

...and there seems to be enough vertical distance from the top of 20g down to the top of the 10g to plumb external durso-type plumbing directly from back of 20g into the 10g show (or something similar to that).

 

...yeah, what he said...

[Cesar]

Originally posted by rbaby

...yeah, what he said...

 

Yeah I was about to say that but I couldn't say that better.

[Tigahboy]

I'll post a diagram soon.

[Tigahboy]

So rbaby wanted to upgrade to a 20g but didn't have room below the main display for a sump. And she had to work w/in a 24x21" footprint area on her desk and still have room for her mousepad and such. AND wanted to use already available tanks out there to put together this upgrade project.

 

So I proposed this idea to allow for the addition of a sump (basically to serve the purpose of hiding equipment rather than adding a ton of volume or having a crazy fuge) and still work w/in the space available (and of course avoiding having to purchase a more pricy custom-made tank).

 

 

The tank is a 20g R and there is just enough space on the desk to squeeze a 10g S behind it. It should fit almost perfectly w/in the 24x21" footprint. The pic above only shows direction of flow (not the plumbing configuration per se). And considering, among other factors, the drop from overflow to 10g being rather short and direct, the microbubble problem shouldn't be a big deal since it will have the full length of the 10g show to traverse before returning back to the main display. Also very minimal head loss, so I figured an in-sump Quiet One 3000 would be a cost effective means of achieving the desired flow.

 

I still have to work out plumbing details and such, but that's the basic idea behind the potential set-up.

[Tigahboy]

This might be a bit overkill, but if possible, I'd like to do 2 mini manifolds run via a SCWD. so 2 inlets will be on at a time and they switch back and forth between the left and right sides.

 

but we'll see. just a tentative idea.

 

 

Other options:

 

1. just do one big manifold w/ 2 inlets, and no scwd.

2. do a scwd w/ 2 inlets and ditch manifolds.

[Kogut]

I'd say go w/ the 2 manifold plan... Or... Even better... You could go w/ a OM squirt and have 4 outputs. The sps would go nuts. The sqwd should work great, though. Are you making the back part just a sump? Or a fuge, also? You going to have the 20 drilled for an overflow, or just buy a CPR?

[Tigahboy]

gonna try to make an overflow box that sits on the outside. like this...

 

 

[Cesar]

Wow Tigahboy they are all good ideas. You just came up with those too huh? Hehehe. That's pretty good dude.

[Tigahboy]

Maybe I'm being a little overly ambitious w/ this tho. It might not even work. I have to actually get the 2 tanks to see.

[rbaby]

The new Outer Orbit fixture came in--and I also picked up the new Phoenix 14k bulb. These pics aren't very accurate--but you get the idea...

 

Here's my old lighting with the nanocustoms upgrade:

 

 

Here's the 10k's alone (came default with the fixture)...was too yellow for me:

 

 

These are Actinics only--blasted...you can imagine why these are so darn blue--130 watts over a 12 gallon lol...

 

 

These are the 10k's + actinics:

 

Now...I went to meet Greg earlier today from www.reefgeek.com and I purchased the 14k Phoenix bulbs--recommended by Tigah...when I told him the 10k's were too yellow for me...the pics' coloration isn't accurate, but in person, I LOVED them...and I reckon that the more I burn them in the whiter they will get...the crisper it will be.

 

Here's the 14k's only...it looks really blue here in the pic but it's really more whitish in real life...kinda like those zenon headlights--so white it's practically almost blue:

 

 

And here's the 14k's with actinics:

 

 

I put the fixture on top of my tank just to see what my corals would look like--it's amazing how different they look under 10k's and 14k...I love the new bulb!!!

[Travis]

Yeah, I have a 14K Hamnilton bulb and it has beem running for alittle over 3 weeks now. So at 8 hours aday that's like...168+ hours of on time. When I first fired it up it was realy blue, and now it's a nice balance between white and blue.

[rbaby]

I hope it does get a bit whiter--coz now I feel the actinics are a little redundant now...I feel the 14k's are perfect alone, but it still looks really nice with actinics on.

 

One great thing I'm liking about this fixture is that the 4 built in moonlights look more like the moon--it's not blue at all, it's like whitish and looks great.

[Travis]

Yeah, I've had moon lights like that before, but they just don't flores the corals like the blue ones do.

 

I am running my tank with only the MH no Actinic Supplimintation. What you could do is have the moonlights on during the night, of couse, and then run the Actinics one our before and after the Metal Halide then just have the Metal Halide on with out the actinics. kinda makes a dawn to dusk affect.

[Friskaburger]

hey rbaby, I wanted to know where u got the 14k bulb and what company it is?

[Travis]

www.reefgeek.com

[rbaby]

Phoenix 14k 150 watt DE HQI ...

[Tigahboy]

Glad you like the lights. Phoenix brand 14k bulbs are awesome...not as yellow as other brands in 14k.

 

I got the 2 tanks. will post pics later tonight. probably get started on making holes for bulkhead as well.

[rbaby]

I'm starting to have doubts about the 150w, maybe I shoulda gone 250? Then again I have no plans of keeping SPS though, except maybe really really easy keep ones like digitata...I figured it might be overkill...my acans are going to hate these lights as it is ...

 

If with the actinics on it's a bit too blue for me, I might replace the 2 actinic bulbs with 10k's...thoughts?