jeremai Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I got bored, thought I'd run something by everyone. I have an acrylic 5g hex lying around. Here's the plan: The water would overflow on the left to a built-in sump. It would end up flowing under the Iceprobe (in its own acrylic box, and vented at the top), and into the other side of the cabinet, and be pumped back into the tank. Coolworks says one Iceprobe can chill 10 gallons of fully insulated water 20 degrees. I need it to drop 15 degrees (to 65 from an ambient temperature of 80). The cabinet would be insulated on three sides and the bottom. Would one Iceprobe work for this, or would I need two? Let me know if something doesn't make sense, or if you have a better idea for the design. Cheers! Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 Bumpity. I'm impatient. Link to comment
brent-konieczny Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Sounds like one will work. Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 Sounds like one will work. Awesome. brent, I was just reading that DIY skimmer thread of yours, I think I'll try one of those for this. Think the colder water will effect the skimmer any? Link to comment
yardie Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 put your tank in the refrigerator. Sorry, could'nt help myself. Anywayz, sounds like a good plan, you should only need one iceprobe. Just buy one and test it and get another if need be. P.S. go ahead do it u= me= Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 put your tank in the refrigerator. Sorry, could'nt help myself. Anywayz, sounds like a good plan, you should only need one iceprobe. Just buy one and test it and get another if need be.P.S. go ahead do it u= me= Hehe. Crazy. I am going to do it, just need to figure some things out first. The entire thing is going to be surrounded by an insulated wood cabinet. Is there anyway to waterproof the inside of a wooden box, and still have it be reef-safe? I'd rather not line the entire inside of this thing with acrylic if I don't have to. Link to comment
andykee Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 where do you plan on getting livestock??? Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 La Jolla. Shh, don't tell anyone. Link to comment
andykee Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 grrrrr..... i'm looking for someplace on the east coast. i don't think such a place exists though. oh well. no pacific northwest tank for me Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 I imagine MD and points North would have a lot of the same livestock as the UK. There's a Yahoo! group for col-water UK reefers out there somewhere, may give you some ideas. Link to comment
andykee Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 blah, the "real ocean" stuff out here sucks. it would probably be interesting up towards ME, but i am really wanting some coldwater pacific anemones. perhaps a trip to washington or oregon is in order Link to comment
brent-konieczny Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I'm not sure if the colder water will make a skimmer work better/worse. I'll try to look it up. BTW make the skimmer tube long as possible (you probably knew that already). Link to comment
corvica Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Your design in flawed in that you do not want the iceprobe housed inside like that. The probe is the only part that gets cold, the rest of it gets very hot, the fan helps dissapate the hot air. Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 I'm not sure if the colder water will make a skimmer work better/worse. I'll try to look it up. BTW make the skimmer tube long as possible (you probably knew that already). How long would you recommend? The tank is 16" High, so I figure the entire setup would run around 22" top to bottom. High enough? Also, anyone know if there is anyway to waterproof the inside of a wooden box, and still have it be reef-safe? I'd rather not line the entire inside of this thing with acrylic if I don't have to. Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 no... i dont think so... maybe like pond liner for like koi ponds or something... but IMHO it would be a Better idea to just use the acrylic.. then u know it will be safe... and also.. i dont know how well pond liners would hold up under saltwater.. Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 I was thinking the same thing with the pond liner. What about covering the inside surfaces with a layer or four of silicone? Your design in flawed in that you do not want the iceprobe housed inside like that. The probe is the only part that gets cold, the rest of it gets very hot, the fan helps dissapate the hot air. It will be vented from above, and surrounded with a thicker acrylic to help with thermal insulation. Do you think there is a better place to put the Iceprobe, while still keeping the finished product looking sleek? Link to comment
rickjg Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 La Jolla. Shh, don't tell anyone. If you’re in La Jolla, you’ve got to check out some of the cold water setups at Steven Birch Aquarium, if you haven’t already. They have some sweet setups. My favorite is the one with a bunch of Catalina Gobies. For an insulated tank you could take a regular aquarium of about any size and build a three sided plywood box slightly bigger than the aquarium. Fill in the gap between the glass & the plywood with styrofoam insulation or spray-in expanding foam. Link to comment
ReefApprentice Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 You can use plywood and use marine epoxy resin from your LBS (local boating store heheh). 3 sides plywood and one side acrlic Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 11, 2006 Author Share Posted April 11, 2006 Thanks guys. A friend of mine is an aquarist at Birch, so I'm very familiar with the aquarium I was looking for an all-in-one design, hence the use of the hex and the space in the back as a sump, but a box with one acrylic viewing panel and a false back is a simpler option, I guess. The epoxy is OK to use in a reef setup, right? Not harmful to anything? Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 15, 2006 Author Share Posted April 15, 2006 Bumbity bumb. Anyone know about the epoxy? I've done some searching and found it is inert once cured; anyone have any experience? Link to comment
RayWhisperer Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 All's I can say is I've got a buddy who builds wood tanks. He uses pool epoxy, it's a two part mix. He then mixes in dye to get whatever backgound color he desires. Although, I think that stuff is pretty pricey, and only comes in gallon buckets. Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 How humid is it where you live? Think you'll have to worry about condensation on the glass? Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 16, 2006 Author Share Posted April 16, 2006 Ray: Awesome, that's what I was leaning toward. A gallon would probably be all I need - but I need the insulation factor of wood, so I don't have to get two Ice Probes with controllers. Mr. Fosi: it's an acrylic tank. But there will be almost no measurable humidity in Las Vegas for the next eight months, so it wouldn't really be a problem. Link to comment
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