# 180 Gallon Community/Grow Out Tank



## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

Glad to see you've started a Tank Journal and it looks like you're off to a great start! Plus I see lots of beautiful fish!


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

10x better than the first journal I ever started!


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Beautiful! What a great tank! 
Look forward to your list of fish. You knew I would say that, didnt you 
I can see some Angels in there that are pretty spectacular


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Placeholder #1

Bump:


Discusluv said:


> Beautiful! What a great tank!
> Look forward to your list of fish. You knew I would say that, didnt you
> I can see some Angels in there that are pretty spectacular


Yes. I did suspect that you would be more interested in the fish than the plants. Just for you, I will be adding my fauna before I add my flora. I know more of the fish I.D's than the plants. Lol. Going to have to do updates tomorrow though.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Placeholder #2

Bump:


burr740 said:


> 10x better than the first journal I ever started!


Wow! What a great complement from the famous burr740. I will be contacting you soon to get one of your fert packages. I may be getting a few plants as well. Your tank journals were an inspiration for me.


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## Brandon splendens (Jan 27, 2019)

Wow nice tank


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Check out that photo bombing Dojo loach! The two in your tank are my favorite and they must be at least 6" but with personalities of 6'. With your total water capacity my selfish plan is to use you as my plant bank. I'll take my interest in Manzanita.

Your menagerie make the tank alive, the plants are just fashion accessories.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

OVT said:


> Check out that photo bombing Dojo loach! The two in your tank are my favorite and they must be at least 6" but with personalities of 6'. With your total water capacity my selfish plan is to use you as my plant bank. I'll take my interest in Manzanita.
> 
> Your menagerie make the tank alive, the plants are just fashion accessories.


The Dojo's are my favorite as well. They have a tremendous amount of personality. You are always welcome to farm my tank for whatever plants are in my bank. We will work out details on the Manzanita :wink2:. There is only one piece that is off limits as you already know. I feel the same way on my tank though. The fish are the stars of the show. The plants just provide extra eye candy and make for a better environment for my fish to thrive.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Now that's the way to start a journal!

And 180G is jumping right into the deep end......I like it!!

Looking forward to seeing where this goes from here...........subscribed!


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## Botia dude (Feb 6, 2005)

Subscribed! Great start to the journal and so much room for activities! I love the SBReeflight at the center of it all. They're fantastic lights for plant growth.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

I see a couple Diamond tetras in there


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## Botia dude (Feb 6, 2005)

AguaScape said:


> Water Changes:
> - As this is a very large tank. I have it as automated as possible.
> - 2 gallon per hour (48 gallon/day) continuous drip with tap water running through a carbon filter (change filter monthly).
> - Syphon overflow that returns to a wash basin in my laundry room on the other side of the wall.
> ...


I take it chlorimines aren't an issue for you? Perhaps I remember you may be on well water from a previous post...

If you can snap a pic of a cory we can identify which species you have. Bigger school of them would look fantastic roaming that huge tank


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

Great start @AguaScape. 180 gal you have lots of potential in this set up. Especially with a guy building the ultimate co2 regulator. I cant wait to see where you take this tank. Have fun with it, I'm subscribed.


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## Vadim Shevchuk (Aug 28, 2009)

Awesome way to start the journal! I'm curious to read a more detailed description of you automated water change system. =D


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Botia dude said:


> I take it chlorimines aren't an issue for you? Perhaps I remember you may be on well water from a previous post...
> 
> If you can snap a pic of a cory we can identify which species you have. Bigger school of them would look fantastic roaming that huge tank


I use a regular 1/4" quick connect carbon filter just like you would use on an RO filter or refrigerator. They are rated for 2000 gallons and I change them out at about half that. Never had a problem with chlorine or chloramines.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Vadim Shevchuk said:


> Awesome way to start the journal! I'm curious to read a more detailed description of you automated water change system. =D


I was fortunate enough to have my laundry room directly behind my tank location (coincidence?). I put a "Y" with shut off valves (shut off valve is necessary to change filters and rinse them) on the cold water supply for my washing machine and screwed a 25 psi pressure reducer with an adapter from standard hose fitting to 1/4" drip line. I used clear poly tubing and in-line carbon filter with 1/4" quick connect fittings. Comes to $4.50 each when you get 10. They last me about 3 weeks with about a 2:1 safety margin. From there I passed a 1/4" tube through the wall to my tank and used a 2 gph pressure compensating emitter on the line feeding into my tank. This give me 48 gallons of water each day. I would estimate the actual water change amount is less as some of the diluted clean water is removed with the older tank water. 
For my syphon overflow, I did a modified version of this. 



.

The changes I made were these
- 1/2 inch PVC with clear pvc fittings and pipe coming over the back of my tank so I can see the syphon level and whether any air is getting in which could cause it to lose syphon. 
- The weir is 1" PVC with drill holes for overflow. I also added a 1/8 npt to barbed fitting on the top of the syphon (had to silicone this part since the curved surface did not want to seal with pipe tape alone) connected to a hose with in-line check valve and it hangs into my tank water. This way I can remove any air that might accumulate. 
- I did not put any suction cups drilled in. I do not trust that they will not leak.
- Really never had a problem with air, but it makes me feel better to see and be able to remove air.
- The water from the overflow runs through a 1/2" hose and runs through the same hole as the supply line and drains into my wash basin.

Sorry about the poor photo quality. I am running out of upload space. And of course one of my Dojo Loaches had to photobomb.


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## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

How do you handle chlorine in the auto change water?


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

ChrisX said:


> How do you handle chlorine in the auto change water?


Carbon filter removes chlorine. Just have to be sure to not let the carbon get depleted. I choose to replace my filter at about 1/2 of the rated gallons just to be safe.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

New FTS. Everything seems to be growing well besides my Dwarf Baby Tears. They are covered with diatoms and do not seem to be growing well. It could be lack of light, CO2, or the diatoms reducing light and or CO2 absorption. Many of my other plants are showing a lot of diatoms as well. I have been fighting this battle for awhile. My city water is sourced from wells and has tons of silicates. Got it under control (momentarily) by adding a bag of Phosguard in a media basket of my 404. I underestimated the life of the Phosguard and I did not change it out on my filter cleaning. In hindsight that was a mistake. I alternate filter cleanings (between the two filters on this tank) on a 2 week cycle so each filter goes a month without a cleaning (it seems to be an appropriate cycle based upon the accumulated mulm in the filters). Apparently that amount of Phosguard lasts 1 month or less with my water conditions.

As I see it, I have 4 options.

- Option one - Add Phosguard to both my filters (possibly the most expensive long term, but it would ensure that I would be able to stay ahead of my silicates).
- Option two - Refill my Phosguard bag in my 404 every cleaning (Less continuing expense. But, I am not sure that it would keep up with the high levels of silicates in my tap water). 
- Option three - Set up a RO system and remineralize. (This would be a higher initial expense and there is the cost of remineralizing). Additionally, I would have to combine my remineralization with either my Micro or Macro doses as I have a 2 channel doser (if I choose to keep my current DIY continuous water change).
- Option four - Completely abandon my DIY continuous water change system and go with RO into a tank and automate water changes from that tank (This option would be the highest initial expense but it would allow me to remineralize in the tank and potentially allow me to front load macros with water changes if I choose to). This would also allow me to go with a EI type dosing scheme because I would have more regular fixed water changes.

I will eventually be switching to dry ferts which will free up dosing pumps unless I decide to go with fert solutions.

Any and all advice is appreciated on any of these ideas or any other ideas I have overlooked.


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## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

My first tank had silicates for nine months, I was convinced there were silicates in the water. I used Phosguard and got them under control. 

When I set up my second and third tanks, there was no problem with diatoms. Huge bottle of Phosguard goes unused. Is it possible the county water changed in some way? More likely it was a change in my fertilizers and more mature filtration.

Unless you have a water test showing silicates in your tap water, I wouldn't assume that.

Maybe you could modify your auto change system so that it doesn't run continuously. Do standard weekly water changes. 
You could then assess the impact of Phosguard on the diatoms. It acts quite quickly ime, so if you don't have a constant source of new silicates, diatoms should disappear in short order.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

When I got the tank it was already mature. I was doing weekly water changes and battling Diatoms for several months. This was before I discovered Phosguard though. 

Weekly 90 gallon water changes using 5 gallon buckets was just too much work. My hobby had become a dreaded chore. 

This is when I had to be creative, flex my DIY skills, and come up with a solution to bring it back to something I enjoy. I still do water changes, but I can go for longer stretches between changes. 

I still had Diatoms and learned that they can feed on silicates in the water column. I tried Phosguard and noticed an immediate improvement. I just underestimated how long it would last. I will be refilling my bag this weekend and I expect things to get better again.


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

Regarding the Diatoms, how long are the lights on?


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Peak lighting on my Fluval Plant 3.0s and my Fluval Aquasky 2.0 is 4 hours and 2 hour ramps. I have my center light set for 6 hours across the middle of the peak. My really weak lights stay on longer though.


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## annabel1066 (Sep 11, 2013)

Botia dude said:


> I take it chlorimines aren't an issue for you? Perhaps I remember you may be on well water from a previous post...
> 
> If you can snap a pic of a cory we can identify which species you have. Bigger school of them would look fantastic roaming that huge tank


Hi AquaScape! Wow, I really applaud all the effort you've put into this tank! I bought a used 180 gallon in order to combine my fish from 5 tanks into one, so mine is first a fish tank also, but I'm getting into the planted side as well now after months of practice and many changes  and read, read, reading on this site
Heartily agree with Botia dude about the corys. They're one of my favorite fish. I have 9 albinos and 7 peppered corys dashing about in a 6x2x2 area, and they are terrific to watch if you like an active tank, which I do, and they do a great job of keeping the floor clean by getting into the nooks and cranies around the plants and hardscape.
I'm enjoying your journal (subscribed), and although my tank is currently low tech, I'm checking out your set up for future reference  

Thanks for sharing!
annabel


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

So.. I cleaned my 404 today and re-filled the bag of PhosGuard. Looking at my plants afterwards and noticing that the diatoms have gotten quite a bit worse. Looking closer and....

NOOO!! BBA on my Rotala Macrandra!!

I immediately removed it and dissected it down to 4 stems with established roots that do not have any visible BBA (did not stop to take pics, but I am certain it is BBA). Searching further, I notice more BBA on a couple leaves of one of my Buces. Immediately cut those leaves off and removed them as well. 

I am thinking that my light level is too high for my CO2 and fert levels. So I decide to start with increasing my CO2, then tackle increasing dosing amount at my dosing pumps. I notice that the flow meter is not showing any flow. My first thought was that the crappy little timer is not working properly. I switch to a smart outlet, link to my wifi, and turn it on manually with the app. Still nothing. Then I notice my gauges are reading 0... 

Long story short, I refilled my second CO2 tank two weeks ago when I first noticed pressure dropping on the primary gauge and in my mind I swapped it out as soon as I got home. Well, apparently I did not swap it. Best guess is that I have been running for at least a week with no CO2.

I am looking forward to having the pressure switch buzzer on the regulator build I am working on so this cannot happen again.

This does explain a lot though. My recently slow plant growth. My struggling dwarf baby tears. The rapid increase in diatoms. And of course the BBA. 

Rookie mistake.


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

When the CO2 goes off, especially with family and life moving forward, it's easy to miss. About a week after I received a pH meter, I notice the pH was not dropping. Sure enough, the CO2 system was not working. If I didn't have the meter, no telling how long it would of taken for me to notice!


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Tank and plants are recovering after correcting the no CO2 issue. Things are looking better and I am getting nice pearling on my plants and they are growing again, but I will have to do a lot of cleaning, topping, and replanting to try to reduce or eliminate the buildup of diatoms. On the plus side, after removing everything I could find with BBA, I have not seen any new outbreaks. <Knocks on Wood>


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Diatoms are generally bio-filter related. Its common for a new set up to go through a diatom phase during the first month or two. It usually runs its course and goes away on its own.

Personally I would stay away from Phosguard. Its going to strip essential PO4 from the water column which will bring its own set of problems


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

burr740 said:


> Diatoms are generally bio-filter related. Its common for a new set up to go through a diatom phase during the first month or two. It usually runs its course and goes away on its own.
> 
> Personally I would stay away from Phosguard. Its going to strip essential PO4 from the water column which will bring its own set of problems


I don't think the daitoms are new tank related since I have had this tank for almost a year and it was well established before I got it. I do think the problems were more related to the lack of CO2 than the silicates. I will be removing the PhosGuard on the next cleaning to see if they come back. I would rather not remove PO4.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Oh I see, didnt know the tank had been set up that long. Yeah co2 could cause it too, any shock to the system that the plants dont like


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

I noticed that one of my Dojo loaches was acting very weird last night. When I came home from work it appeared that it might be dead. It was kind of laying in the plants on it's side. TBH, I panicked a bit and reached in to touch it. To my relief it responded to my touch and started swimming. It still acted odd though. It did not respond to feeding time (I like to hand feed my fish and the dojos are particularly fond of eating from my hands). It was bracing itself against anything it could find to position itself near the surface. It also did a couple roll-overs which really worried me. It trying to position itself near the surface led me to check my CO2 flow. I powered up my solenoid and discovered that my Fabco needle valve had crept up to 50 cc/min. I had it set to 30 cc/min previously. My regulated output was still at 30 psi. I immediately dialed it down to 20 cc/min and when I came home from work today he seems fine. He is happily swimming and eating out of my hand again. I have many high quality needle valves but I am still running the Fabco on my main tank. I guess I figured that since it is such a large tank (180 gallon) I would not really need the precision of a more expensive needle valve. I really should be checking flow every day or two, so I cannot completely blame the valve. It would break my heart to lose one of my dojos. They are not the most colorful or pretty fish, but their personality is incredible. They are my favorite fish. I need to get my regulator assembly fully operational soon.


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

I am glad your Dojo survived. I had gased all my fish before with a faulty regulator. Not the best thing to come home to after a long days work. After that I ended up giving up co2 for a couple years. But now I'm back on the train.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Ouch. Lesson learned - take co2 seriously and don't skimp on the related equipment.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

AguaScape said:


> I powered up my solenoid and discovered that my Fabco needle valve had crept up to 50 cc/min. I had it set to 30 cc/min previously. My regulated output was still at 30 psi. I immediately dialed it down to 20 cc/min and when I came home from work today he seems fine.


Use the flow meter valve to control the flow. 

Mind stays rock steady.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Flow meter and a ph controller...one of the best investments and peace of mind!


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

OreoP said:


> Flow meter and a ph controller...one of the best investments and peace of mind!


Yeah. A ph controller is in my future. Just need to squeeze it into the budget.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

My own mistake of today: I was setting the co2 flow by slowly cranking it up every 2 - 3 hours. Took me a while to realize that the needle valve on the new set-up opens counter-clockwise, not clockwise like the rest of my old valves. I use drop checkers when I set up a new tank and the color going blue is what caught my eye. Lesson: check and double-check. The fish are ok, the plants not so much.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

So... I went out and bought another tank. I now have three project tanks in addition to my 180. I could not resist the price ($40) and the unusual size and shape. Best description I can come up with is a 50 gallon long. It is 15 inches wide, 17 inches tall, and 48 inches long. I can't find any information on this tank, so I think it may be a one off or a short run. It has a wide glass brace across the center, so I feel more comfortable about removing the plastic trim on the top to have a cleaner look. I might do an in wall install with the viewing side in my bedroom. The second option would be on my (very strong) antique dresser (they don't build dressers like this anymore) with the plumbing in the adjacent room (for noise reduction in my bedroom). It is a bit rough (dirty) in it's current state but I cannot see any scratches. Just what I need. Another tank. Lol.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Oh, sounds like a great tank! Perfect for some larger schooling fish like African tetras 
Where did you find such an unusual tank?


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Discusluv said:


> Oh, sounds like a great tank! Perfect for some larger schooling fish like African tetras
> Where did you find such an unusual tank?


Facebook Marketplace. It was on there for awhile. They described it as a 50 gallon, but I could not find any 50s that looked like the photo. I figured it was a 33 or 40 long. Lo and behold, it actually is a 50. I am not a huge fan of Facebook, but I have found some great deals on their marketplace. I am actually thinking of making it a schooling tank. The dimensions allow for a lot of roaming.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

15" would fit on my wife's dresser. When in doubt, just get another tank.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

I decided to take the plunge into Ph controllers. I purchased a used American Marine Pinpoint controller on Fleabay and a new Probe kit from Amazon. I was debating going cheaper. But I do not want to go cheap on such an important thing. I got the controller for $60 shipped and the probe kit cost $50. Relatively inexpensive when you consider that my fish are much more important to me than their financial cost. As @allexx46 recently said "Living things under my control are part of my family and it is my responsibility to care for them." These words struck a chord with me. I agree 100% and I consider this a wise investment. I do not want to take the chance of losing fish due to lack of being able to control my CO2. Almost losing one of my Dojo Loaches was a bit of a wake up call for me.


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## conklech (Jun 15, 2014)

AguaScape said:


> - Option three - Set up a RO system and remineralize. (This would be a higher initial expense and there is the cost of remineralizing). Additionally, I would have to combine my remineralization with either my Micro or Macro doses as I have a 2 channel doser (if I choose to keep my current DIY continuous water change).
> - Option four - Completely abandon my DIY continuous water change system and go with RO into a tank and automate water changes from that tank (This option would be the highest initial expense but it would allow me to remineralize in the tank and potentially allow me to front load macros with water changes if I choose to). This would also allow me to go with a EI type dosing scheme because I would have more regular fixed water changes.


Are you still inclining towards adding RO to your system? I've been looking into a setup pretty similar to yours. I found various suggestions that it's best to produce several gallons at a time with the RO filter, rather than trying to "trickle" from it, otherwise the membrane life is greatly decreased. For my system, I'm planning to use a controller to turn on the filter (and turn off the flow to the aquarium) only when the reservoir is almost empty. The RO filter will then refill the reservoir with a roughly fixed amount of water, making it easy to dose minerals. I'm also planning to dose macros at the same time, rather than dosing into the tank itself. Assuming the water changes are the main factor in changing macro levels, dosing the new water should be equivalent to dosing the tank, and is a bit more stable if the water change rate varies.

(On the other hand, if your sillicates problem seems to be under control and your tap water is otherwise good, maybe it's best to stick with tap water!)


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

@conklech I may eventually go with either a RO blend or remineralized RO. If I do, that project will be down the road some. I will probably have to use at least two 55 gallon tanks to have enough water to do my change in one shot. It could not be continuous drip as I would have to mix and or remineralize before doing water change. One thought that just came to me is that I could do one tank of RO and one tank of aged tap water (I may have just had a AHA! moment). Oh crap. Every time I have an AHA! moment I start headlong down a rabbit hole. Must.. resist.. the urge.. to project!! Too many projects lined up before this one. As it stands, I have my crazy reg build with CO2 cabinet and display (including VV Reactors ala Ken Keating), one stand to reinforce, one stand to build from scratch, two scapes to complete (just waiting on the stands). Then there is my other CO2 regulator builds and my 50 long project that I have not even decided on a location for. So.. Yeah, RO is a little ways down the road. If I do it, I want to do it right. More than likely I will end up with something like the setups that @Ken Keating1 and @chayos00 have going. Probably going to try to steal the best ideas from each one. The whole idea behind my continuous drip water change is so that I only have to do major water changes every month or two instead of weekly. So, I would want to automate as much as possible if I go into RO. Once all my tanks are setup we are talking about around 400 gallons of total water volume across 4 tanks. It is going to have to be either continuous drip with syphon overflows, or a highly automated system.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Looks like the BBA is under control. The Diatoms as well. A combination of decreasing light durations and increasing ferts (as well as a lot of elbow grease in trimming and treating plants) has helped with both. One thing to note though. Spiral vals do not like H2O2 dips. The ones that I dipped melted away completely. I had to cut off all the melt. Hoping that the ones I treated recover. I am happy that I did not dip all of them.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Been working part of the day dissecting a cabinet to serve as my CO2 cabinet. I needed it to be ~48" tall (to accommodate the reactors), 24" deep and 12-18" wide. The width is important because I will have it between my 180 and my 60 cube. There is limited space along that wall without crowding the front door. 

48" tall cabinets are difficult to find. Happened to find a well built cabinet at my local Habitat for Humanity re-store (it looks like it came from a hospital or medical office). It was 24x48x48 WxHxL with two sliding panels on the left two thirds and a concealed hinge door on the right third. 

I cut the top to keep the overhangs matching. Then I removed the top and then systematically cut everything else down. Rebuilding the toe kick portion was a bit tricky, but it is super solid. 

Really surprised at how well built it was. I could have easily used it as a tank stand (too tall for my taste though). I ended up with 24" deep, 15.5" wide, and 48" tall for the cabinet body. The only place I really have to band is the cut edge of the top. I am not worried about the side of the toe kick since it is going to be wedged between two tank stands and will likely never be seen.

Really pleased that it came out as good as it did. It is no work of art, but it should serve it's purpose well. It even has a handy little flap door on the side to run hoses and wires through. Plan to have my regulator assembly, dosing pumps, and PH controllers on top for easy access to controls. Inside will be reactors (2), CO2 tank, dosing bottles, and related plumbing and electrical. All filtration will stay in the cabinets under the tanks.

Please forgive the clutter. This room has become a storage room for misc aquarium related projects and some of my daughter's things. 

Oh yeah. Almost forgot. I got my American Marine Pinpoint PH controller today. Now I just need to calibrate and get that operational. Tomorrow's project.

Edit: Every time I take a vertical photo I have issues with it posting sideways.

Deleted photo


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## Botia dude (Feb 6, 2005)

AguaScape said:


> Been working part of the day dissecting a cabinet to serve as my CO2 cabinet. I needed it to be ~48" tall (to accommodate the reactors), 24" deep and 12-18" wide. The width is important because I will have it between my 180 and my 60 cube. There is limited space along that wall without crowding the front door.
> 
> 48" tall cabinets are difficult to find. Happened to find a well built cabinet at my local Habitat for Humanity re-store (it looks like it came from a hospital or medical office). It was 24x48x48 WxHxL with two sliding panels on the left two thirds and a concealed hinge door on the right third.
> 
> ...



Nice work on that cabinet. You are very much going to love that PH controller. I wish I could afford one for each of my tanks.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

OK. I got my PH controller calibrated, adjusted, and operational. I was reading 6.80 PH when I installed it this afternoon, so I figured that would be a good starting point. I have it set to turn off at 6.81. Measured my degassed water and it reads 7.98. This results in a 1.17 PH drop. I increased the flow on my CO2 to about double what it was running before and it is working like a charm. I assume that since it has analog adjustments it will retain it's settings when power is interrupted. Should I still have my smart outlet timer on it? or just let it run overnight?


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

AguaScape said:


> Should I still have my smart outlet timer on it? or just let it run overnight?


I plug my smart outlet into the controlled outlet from the pH controller. That way the pH controller itself is always on and I can always see the pH of the tank.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Grobbins48 said:


> I plug my smart outlet into the controlled outlet from the pH controller. That way the pH controller itself is always on and I can always see the pH of the tank.


Losing power to the smart outlet every time it cycles is not a problem? My outlets are connected to my WiFi so I can remotely set timers and override them. There is quite a long lag reacquiring the WiFi signal when they lose power.


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## Botia dude (Feb 6, 2005)

AguaScape said:


> OK. I got my PH controller calibrated, adjusted, and operational. I was reading 6.80 PH when I installed it this afternoon, so I figured that would be a good starting point. I have it set to turn off at 6.81. Measured my degassed water and it reads 7.98. This results in a 1.17 PH drop. I increased the flow on my CO2 to about double what it was running before and it is working like a charm. I assume that since it has analog adjustments it will retain it's settings when power is interrupted. Should I still have my smart outlet timer on it? or just let it run overnight?


I just let mine run overnight. Have plenty of flow in the big tank and never see any fish gasping overnight or in the morning. 20# tank lasts at least 2-3 months even when running 24/7. I am curious how much CO2 that adds to my room at night. A CO2 ppm detector costs around $100. I'm not that curious.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Botia dude said:


> I just let mine run overnight. Have plenty of flow in the big tank and never see any fish gasping overnight or in the morning. 20# tank lasts at least 2-3 months even when running 24/7. I am curious how much CO2 that adds to my room at night. A CO2 ppm detector costs around $100. I'm not that curious.


I was thinking along the same lines. Since it shuts off when PH reaches a certain level, I do not think it would matter if I left it on. Additionally, my fish would not have to endure PH swings anymore. Not worried about gassing off affecting my home environment. My house was built in the early 50s and I doubt that it is sealed well enough to make a difference. Frees up a smart outlet for another use.


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

AguaScape said:


> Losing power to the smart outlet every time it cycles is not a problem? My outlets are connected to my WiFi so I can remotely set timers and override them. There is quite a long lag reacquiring the WiFi signal when they lose power.


You are 100% correct- I have mine backwards, which is why a routine failed two nights ago!

Plug the smart outlet into the wall, then the pH controlled outlet into the smart outlet. This way the CO2 controller will always be on giving readings, then you can cut the power to CO2 at night time, saving gas.

I suppose you can go 24/7 CO2 as well with the controller- never really read into that too much.

Thanks for bringing this up- it helped me catch a flaw in my system!


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Had a close call with my CO2. Happened to take the day off work and glanced at my PH controller and noticed the PH had risen to almost 7.0. The controller was set at 6.8. Sure enough. My tank was empty. I had my new regulator build on the other tank, so I swapped the whole thing out. CO2 was back down to 6.8 within the hour. Last thing I want to do is start battling BBA again. If I did not have the PH controller, I probably would not have noticed until it was too late. 

Then I decided to take a machete to the jungle in my tank. Cut out a huge amount of plants. If I had planned ahead better, I would have set up a ROAK. However, my work schedule may not allow it. I threw the plants into a bucket of tank water just in case I can make time to run a ROAK this weekend.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Some new shots of the current state of my tank. Starting to get some nice color in there. Yeah.. My hardware in back needs cleaning.


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

The plants are looking good AS!

What did you end up building for the CO2 Reactor?


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Ken Keating1 said:


> The plants are looking good AS!
> 
> What did you end up building for the CO2 Reactor?


A pale shadow of your tank. 

I still have not built the reactors yet. Overthinking my design and shopping list. Plus my other projects. Still running an in-line diffuser. I will be sure to post up as soon as I have that part done.


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

AguaScape said:


> A pale shadow of your tank.
> 
> I still have not built the reactors yet. Overthinking my design and shopping list. Plus my other projects. Still running an in-line diffuser. I will be sure to post up as soon as I have that part done.


I wouldn't say a pale shadow, your tank is looking just as good as mine, if not better, at the same initial stages of development. Give it a few more weeks, you'll be surprised with how good it'll look.

"Overthinking my design and shopping list". I hear you, but that's also one of the fun parts of the hobby! If folks saw the sketches I developed before I go into fabrication stage they'd think I'm crazy. But for me it's fun doing the research and thinking about the options during the design phase.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Ken Keating1 said:


> I wouldn't say a pale shadow, your tank is looking just as good as mine, if not better, at the same initial stages of development. Give it a few more weeks, you'll be surprised with how good it'll look.


Thank You for the kind words. My tank would be nowhere near this level without all the help from yourself and many other great contributors on this site.



Ken Keating1 said:


> "Overthinking my design and shopping list". I hear you, but that's also one of the fun parts of the hobby! If folks saw the sketches I developed before I go into fabrication stage they'd think I'm crazy. But for me it's fun doing the research and thinking about the options during the design phase.


Haha. It is the fun part. I showed a person at work a diagram of the flow paths in my regulator manifold and he asked me "Can't you have a machinist do that for you?". My answer was "Where is the fun in that?". Sure, I had to do it twice.. But, I can do most anything that I put my mind to. 

I am hoping to finalize my design and shopping list tonight. We shall see. No huge rush. I don't want to miss a piece and have to spend an additional shipping charge.


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## Edward (Apr 11, 2005)

AguaScape said:


> - 2 gallon per hour (48 gallon/day) continuous drip with tap water running through a carbon filter (change filter monthly).


Do you happen to know TDS difference between tap and water column?


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Edward said:


> Do you happen to know TDS difference between tap and water column?


TBH, I do not know. I should have gotten a TDS pen along time ago. Always seems to be something more important.

I just ordered one. Should be here in a couple days.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Edward said:


> Do you happen to know TDS difference between tap and water column?


TDS of tap water is 161 and tank water is 204. It is actually less than I thought it was going to be.


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## Edward (Apr 11, 2005)

Tap 161 ppm, ~ 322 µS
Aquarium 204 ppm, ~ 408 µS
Difference 43 ppm, ~ 86 µS

Typical tap water reading. The conductivity difference is surprisingly high considering the volume of water being changed. I have continuous water change systems built in also and it is the least effective way but the least work and minimal fish stress. Another nice thing is it can be synchronized with fertilizer additions and easy TDS monitoring.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Edward said:


> Tap 161 ppm, ~ 322 µS
> Aquarium 204 ppm, ~ 408 µS
> Difference 43 ppm, ~ 86 µS
> 
> Typical tap water reading. The conductivity difference is surprisingly high considering the volume of water being changed. I have continuous water change systems built in also and it is the least effective way but the least work and minimal fish stress. Another nice thing is it can be synchronized with fertilizer additions and easy TDS monitoring.


What raises the TDS from tap to the aquarium?


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## Edward (Apr 11, 2005)

TDS will go up with fertilizers, and also from leaching and dissolving some substrates and rocks due to carbonic acid created by CO2 injection. If it is from substrate or rocks then GH and KH increases as well.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

I am upping my lighting. I have an older SB Reef Lights 16" freshwater basic over the center of the tank and I get nice par and color center tank. The menagerie of other lights on both ends are just not cutting it by comparison. Decided to get two of the newer SB Reef Lights 18" Freshwater Basic lights to cover the ends better. Planning to do a barnwood trim box to tie them all together. Then I can move the other lights to another tank.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Getting fed up with the inefficiency of my inline diffuser. I am going through way too much CO2. It just bubbles out my tank return. I finally ordered all the parts for my two VVRs (Variable Venturi Reactors). Thank You for all your help @Ken Keating1. Came to a touch over $175 for both (not including bleed valves). Pretty cheap really. I did decide to skip the integrated heaters. I can always add that later since I am using the Fernco rubber fittings on the bottom. I will post some pictures of everything in my CO2 cabinet once I get everything assembled and arranged. Now I just need to find a couple containers that can easily hang inside my cabinet to use as fert reservoirs.


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

Post photos of the fabrication process. You do realize you'll be one of only two people in the world to have a VVR!


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Ken Keating1 said:


> Post photos of the fabrication process. You do realize you'll be one of only two people in the world to have a VVR!


Yep. Exclusive club! I have a feeling that there will be more members in the future. I will be sure to get some good pics.


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## chayos00 (Sep 22, 2013)

AguaScape said:


> So.. Yeah, RO is a little ways down the road. If I do it, I want to do it right. More than likely I will end up with something like the setups that @Ken Keating1 and @chayos00 have going. Probably going to try to steal the best ideas from each one.


Not sure why I never noticed this mention before....

Just read over the journal, looking good sir! I want to swap my 125g out for a 180-200+ (no taller than 30") tank! I've got the overbuilt stand to handle it! Can't wait to see where you go with this rabbit hole journey you keep getting yourself into!


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

chayos00 said:


> Not sure why I never noticed this mention before....
> 
> Just read over the journal, looking good sir! I want to swap my 125g out for a 180-200+ (no taller than 30") tank! I've got the overbuilt stand to handle it! Can't wait to see where you go with this rabbit hole journey you keep getting yourself into!


 Which rabbit hole? I have many. lol. I know you are no stranger to rabbit holes as well. I suspect you are talking about the flow controller or possibly the VVR. I am looking forward to seeing where both lead. Either one or both could be game changers for our hobby.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

New FTS. Removed a lot in anticipation of my new lights. Did some major cleanup on the left side. Nymphoides hydrophylla 'Taiwan' was taking over that side so I picked a few rooted branches and removed the rest. I am also trying my hand at cultivating some species that other members have expressed an interest in though PM's. Right side was mostly just mass removal. Hoping to clean that side up more this week. Learning a lot from this grow out tank. Seems a lot of plants are pretty happy here.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

@ipkiss sent me some rotala macrandra and rotala colorata in addition to some moss and MC out of pure kindness. They seem to be doing very well after adjustment. Huge surprise. Some really cool floaters and a couple stems of R.A. Variegated were put in as well. RA Variegated is probably my favorite plant. Can never get enough of that crazy deep red. The color really stands out.


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

The tank is looking good @aquascape, I really like to colors, great job!


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## chayos00 (Sep 22, 2013)

AguaScape said:


> Which rabbit hole? I have many. lol. I know you are no stranger to rabbit holes as well. I suspect you are talking about the flow controller or possibly the VVR. I am looking forward to seeing where both lead. Either one or both could be game changers for our hobby.


Which rabbit hole?! I have to pick one?! LOL Just the rabbit hole of aquarium keeping that we are all buried in! LOL This VVR thing is interesting me, will be interesting to see what this is.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

The tank is coming along nicely but I still see a lot of room for more plants. And then some more. Is that a new stand or did you just painted it? Looking sharp.

Please look after that AR verigated as I need a local supplier. I never had a chance to try it and yours just "Boom!".


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

@OVT
That room was created by doing a severe hack job. It was getting close to being solid plants. Almost all that space you see is due to drastic removal and replanting. I expect it to start filling in quickly. 

I did not paint the stand. It is still the same as when I got it. Really want to put some barnwood doors on it though to carry the theme from my overhead shelf and the wrap I am putting on my lights when the other two come. 

Most of the AR variegated came from @burr740 in a little side trade we set up. They are happy now, but that was not always the case. They were getting kind of dull when I first put them in. Putting it in the center under my main light and clearing space above made all the difference. They definitely love high light. 

I am looking for a splash of yellow to create some more contrast.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

First dry fit on my VVRs. Still need to cut 8-2" segments of 1" pvc to complete the connections for each one. I used 6" segments for the 1", 1.5", and 2" sections. The 3" section is 10" long. Test fitted it in my cabinet and everything will fit. I like the layout. Should allow me to bleed excess gas from the top if needed and I can isolate and remove the whole assembly for cleaning. I chose 1" minimum diameter for the whole assembly so that I get minimum restriction. The narrowest parts are the barb connectors at 5/8" inside diameter. Going to go with clear PVC glue with sanded surfaces. I don't want to use purple primer because it is very thin and wants to get all over the place.

My needy cat insisted on photo-bombing.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

chayos00 said:


> Which rabbit hole?! I have to pick one?! LOL Just the rabbit hole of aquarium keeping that we are all buried in! LOL This VVR interesting me, will be interesting to see what this is.


The concept of a Variable Velocity Reactor was first dreamed up and created by @Ken Keating1. The idea is that various bubble sizes will settle to different levels based upon the velocity of water flow. Larger bubbles will want to rise more and at each transition of diameters they will get broken down further until all CO2 is eventually dissolved. The limitation of this design as shown is that it does require vertical height. I chose a 48" cabinet to accommodate this height. I think that a similar design could be made more compact though.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

I have Grigg's and Cerges, both unused, now I just need the VVR. My biggest issue with them is re-priming the connected cannister filter.

I *should* have some (emersed grown) Nesaea pedicellata 'Golden' for @AguaScape and @Ken Keating1 the weekend after next. Let you guys transition it so that I can rip the fruits of your labors. Hopefully my tank will get closer to flooding then.


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## chayos00 (Sep 22, 2013)

AguaScape said:


> The concept of a Variable Velocity Reactor was first dreamed up and created by @Ken Keating1. The idea is that various bubble sizes will settle to different levels based upon the velocity of water flow. Larger bubbles will want to rise more and at each transition of diameters they will get broken down further until all CO2 is eventually dissolved. The limitation of this design as shown is that it does require vertical height. I chose a 48" cabinet to accommodate this height. I think that a similar design could be made more compact though.


That is an interesting idea! Im curious for sure to see how it works! I have a bit of gurgling sound going on with my large 4" diameter reactor, which I have wondered about redoing to make the incoming line larger vs the 3/4" setup I am using. Granted my UV reactor is also on the incoming side and is only 3/4", so that's stopped me from thinking much more about the idea of a rebuild. Granted I could plumb a bypass or even plumb in the second identical AquaUV sterilizer too. 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

chayos00 said:


> That is an interesting idea! Im curious for sure to see how it works!



I cover the design in Post # 1 of my 55 gallon tank journal.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

OVT said:


> I *should* have some (emersed grown) Nesaea pedicellata 'Golden' for @AguaScape and @Ken Keating1 the weekend after next. Let you guys transition it so that I can rip the fruits of your labors. Hopefully my tank will get closer to flooding then.



I’ll start to make room in my tank right now!

Are you growing it currently in an emersed state? From my research transitioning to submersed can be tricky.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Ken Keating1 said:


> Are you growing it currently in an emersed state? From my research transitioning to submersed can be tricky.


No, I only have a single submerged stem that is unlikely to grow anytime soon. Instead, learning from the King of Side Deals, aka @AguaScape, and making a side deal with a farm I know in FL that grows it emersed only. I'll keep some stems for myself, just to hedge my bet . But seriously, it's not that hard but it is a substantial plant emersed and will need a larger tank for the transition. I'll include instructions, if I get the plant.

I was thinking of a bunch of various swords for my new low tech 140 and Pedicellata would be just a tack-on. Most of the stems are not that hard to find, but rosette plants in bulk not so much. If you need anything else, free to PM, who knows what they grow down South?


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## ipkiss (Aug 9, 2011)

OVT said:


> I have Grigg's and Cerges, both unused, now I just need the VVR. My biggest issue with them is re-priming the connected cannister filter.


Why? Because of air/gas lock? if you modify your cerges to a "dwell time" version, you can still have use of your pressure relief button.


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## Daemon554 (Mar 16, 2019)

Your tank is amazing


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

ipkiss said:


> Why? Because of air/gas lock? if you modify your cerges to a "dwell time" version, you can still have use of your pressure relief button.


You've got my curiosity. 

I always end up draining my Cerges when I clean the filter, as I can't create enough siphon to push the water out when it's full.

Are you using the pressure relief valve so that you don't have to drain it? If so, would be curious as to how you are doing that?


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Daemon554 said:


> Your tank is amazing


Thank you!


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

Greggz said:


> You've got my curiosity.
> 
> I always end up draining my Cerges when I clean the filter, as I can't create enough siphon to push the water out when it's full.
> 
> Are you using the pressure relief valve so that you don't have to drain it? If so, would be curious as to how you are doing that?


I have the same setup- I use the pressure relief valve when cleaning the canisters, and have never lost siphon. When everything is hooked back up and tank is filled, I simply hit the valve, the air releases, letting the water rush back in and BOOM, all good to go!

I do not remember the picture of yours Gregg, no siphon button thought? You are running a 20", right? Mine is a 10".


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Grobbins48 said:


> I have the same setup- I use the pressure relief valve when cleaning the canisters, and have never lost siphon. When everything is hooked back up and tank is filled, I simply hit the valve, the air releases, letting the water rush back in and BOOM, all good to go!
> 
> I do not remember the picture of yours Gregg, no siphon button thought? You are running a 20", right? Mine is a 10".


Yeah mine is a 20".

The unit is full of water, and the siphon is not enough to push the water through.

Oh well, it's a small bother.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

FWIW, my reactor has basically the same thing (button), except the top of mine turns to let out the air. 
Something I have learned on my setup when servicing the filter - fill the canister up with water before putting the top back on. Then I use a syringe (turkey baster?) to add water into the output side of where the hoses connect. When I connect the hoses, I simply need to turn on the power to the filter and it primes just fine. Kinda something that has taken many failed other ideas before this one actually worked well.


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## Wobblebonk (Feb 13, 2018)

Pfft weak pump problems :/
Though I just use diffusers if using less than a sump or fx6. Sometimes with the sumps if I let enough water evaporate that the pump starts sucking in air (it gets caught mostly in the reactor) I just topoff a bit and unplug it for a second, when the flow reverses it blasts the air backwards out the pump real quick :/ doesn't work on a canister though and I've never tried it with a cerges.


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## ipkiss (Aug 9, 2011)

Greggz said:


> You've got my curiosity.
> 
> I always end up draining my Cerges when I clean the filter, as I can't create enough siphon to push the water out when it's full.
> 
> Are you using the pressure relief valve so that you don't have to drain it? If so, would be curious as to how you are doing that?


 @Greggz, sorry for the delayed reply, was indisposed. Anyway, I got the idea of the 'dwell time' from the main cerges thread but further along -- not the first page: 

https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/20-diy/110100-cerges-reactor-diy-inline-co2-reactor.html

and also a dude named 'gerry' that used to be here but more on barreport. Forgot his forum name. 
https://barrreport.com/threads/cerges-dwell-time-reactor-build-video-part-1.11798/

What some people did for this 'dwell time' idea was to prepump in the co2 as I have and let the "mixture" spin in the housing INSTEAD of pumping the co2 directly into the housing via the pressure relief (priming button) valve.

Not sure why I chose this design at the time, but I felt it made more sense.. maybe because I felt that a co2 tube into the button area felt weak -- much like how people don't like a simple co2 tube into the side of a griggs. But it worked out for the better as you can see now. 

If you watch gerry's video, my flow is reversed from his design -- which is a reversed flow, so reverse + reverse = proper .. uno cards! This was discussed also a lot in the main cerges thread. Anyway, I digress. 



Onto the main question, perhaps it helps to have a priming filter as well, such as a fluval 206 in my case. When I do filter maintenance and/or water changes, inevitably, there will be some water lost and a pretty sizeable air pocket stuck in the reactor right? This prevents even the priming feature from working on the 206 as the air pocket stops the backflow of water from the outflow and it prevents the forwardflow from the inflow. Also, this is most likely preventing you from powering a filled filter from pushing properly through as well. See where I'm going? It's not so much the filled reactor, it's ... the air pressure "in front" of the filled reactor. I guess true, if you had a strong enough pump as @Wobblebonk said, it wouldn't care. But we don't all run sumps with huge pumps do we? 

So, I fill up the tank (or its already filled) to the point plus a little extra above the outflow. I press my "button" and the air pocket escapes. What's gonna happen? It's gotta suck in water somewhere. Usually from the outflow side as that water in the tank is really high and would love a place to go to. I essentially sucked at the bottom of the outflow tube. Voila, vacuum restored. This has gotten so good that sometimes I don't even fill my canister back after maintenance. I just reassemble, open the priming tube on the filter, press the button on the reactor and water rushes in all the way in and onwards(backflows) through the reactor, through the filter, and pushing all the air back out via the inflow! Again, vacuum restored. Now I can start my pump happily. Sometimes there's some residual air pockets in the canister filter but nothing a few pulls of the primer won't solve. 

Sorry I got so wordy, a lot of words to say what @Wobblebonk and @Grobbins48 described but hope it helps draw the right picture as I had no picture of it all to post.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

@ipkiss, thanks for the pointers. My problem is slightly different and suckling on the outflow gets a bit akward after a while.
I'm (was) using an Eheim 2075 and their priming could be better, especially with 8++ year ones that need their gaskets lubed / replaced. The mechanics are a bit different also: as per manual, outflow above the water line, empty filter (they weight a ton full) - pumping the primer creates vacume on the intake, gets the water from flowing over the tank's rim into the filter, expelling air through the outflow. Start the filter once it's full. The problem is getting the water flowing over the rim and, under gravity into the filter.
(Suckling on the outflow gets the water over the top). Even without anything on the outflow side, can make this a long process. If there are any tiny air leaks in the connectors, this can take me hours, install, fail, take appart, lube, re-connect, repeat. With the reactor on the outflow, I could be suckling even longer. It's bad enough with an in line heater.

The reactor does have the air bleed button (I inject into the body), but the air has no inscentive to leave without any pressure on the other side.

To get the whole thing going, I would fill the can to the top, fill both hoses with water (not easy to do with single piece inflow / outflow), release the air button untill I get water into my face, pump the primer, pray.

Yes I could improve the process, but it's still a lot of (wet) work. Therefore, I've been using in tank diffusers instead (in line atomizers have their own set of issues).

With a larger tank I'm setting up now, I will have to re-wist the subject.

Thanks for reading and advise.


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## ipkiss (Aug 9, 2011)

@OVT,

Just to be clear *I* am not doing any sucking! . 

By releasing the priming button on the water filter, IT is doing the sucking for me. Much like how you described. So you're kinda doing what we're doing. 

Maybe you just dont have an empty enough reactor to convince enough of the water to rush through. 

You're filling everything up. Too little air to pull off what grobbins, wobblebonk and I are doing. I probably also take it for granted that I dont always remove my hoses for maintenance so there's probably water still in there. But then again, you did say you filled your hoses back up. 

As I dont have an inline heater, theoretically that's the only difference. But if it lets water through, it should let water through. Unless it has a reverse check valve. Or unless the eheim has a reverse check valve somewhere. 

So it's like this. If your canister and or reactor is empty, and BOTH your outflow and inflow is under water, and you open up that priming button, there is your entire tank's water surface of incentive to push along with the pull of the hose water down into the now empty space. It'll probably prefer the outflow since that's the closest one. And once that siphon starts, it's what pushes all the way through in reverse.


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## cl3537 (Jan 28, 2019)

Immortal1 said:


> FWIW, my reactor has basically the same thing (button), except the top of mine turns to let out the air.
> Something I have learned on my setup when servicing the filter - fill the canister up with water before putting the top back on. Then I use a syringe (turkey baster?) to add water into the output side of where the hoses connect. When I connect the hoses, I simply need to turn on the power to the filter and it primes just fine. Kinda something that has taken many failed other ideas before this one actually worked well.


Nice idea I will try that next time I have prime problems. Much better than having to suck on my lily pipe


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Productive weekend!

I managed to get two completed projects done. 

First Project:
*VVR 2.0*

Less than $100 total.

Disclaimer: This is Ken Keating's design. I cannot take credit for coming up with such a revolutionary concept by myself. Yes, I said revolutionary. I honestly believe this is the future of reactors for CO2 injection. 

Got my first VVR completed and operational. It is amazing. I am running it with a very slight restriction on the output. Outside of the cabinet is 100% silent. I can barely hear a gurgle when I stick my head inside the cabinet. 

I had planned on putting a drain on a tee at the bottom, but I completely forgot during assembly and put an elbow in it's place. We all know how PVC is. One and done. Not options for re-do's. Not the end of the world as I can remove the whole thing filled and then drain it in my laundry sink when doing cleanings. I did use a longer pipe coming up to the output valves in case I wanted to do an inline heater sub-assembly in the future. 

The concept is that various bubble sizes will settle at different levels based upon the velocity of the descending water. Expanding the diameter reduces velocity at each section providing a range for further absorption. It is working exactly as expected. 

There is a very clearly defined separation of bubble sizes. The top section has very big bubbles, the second has smaller bubbles, the third section has very small bubbles, and the last section has micro bubbles that can hardly be seen. The water coming out my output is crystal clear. Complete absorption. 

I am absolutely thrilled with it's performance. Many thanks to @Ken Keating1 for coming up with such an amazing design and helping me work out details and modifications as well as sourcing the parts.


Second Project:
*Rustic Insanity Light*

Cost to reproduce this light assembly ~$500

I was pleased with my center light, which is a SB Reef Lights Freshwater Basic 16. The menagerie of other lights on each end were not cutting it. I purchased two of the newer SB Reef Lights Freshwater Basic 18 lights and set to work.

My first plan was to use some old 1" thick fence boards that are part of my stock of old wood. I ripped some pieces down and I was able to scrape off the paint on the exposure side and it was really looking great. The problem is the back side is rough sawn. There was no way to scrape off the paint and I would probably have to do a complete seal on it to prevent the paint chips (likely lead paint) from dropping into the tank and contaminating my water. I understand that lead will not dissolve in water, but I am not taking a chance that leaded paint will react differently than solid lead.

I do not want a sealed look, so I decided to get some Home Depot "faux" weathered wood. It is circle sawn with a rustic colored stain. Not as good a look as real barnwood, but it will have to do. I did mitred corners with 1"x1"x3" hardwood blocks glued and screwed with Deckmate brown composite screws in each corner. They have very small heads and are almost invisible

I used stainless steel screws with nylon spacers to ensure that the vents have enough clearance for the fans to draw air through the lights. The newer FW Basic 18's are 3/4" wider than the FW Basic 16 so I used 3/8" spacers for the 18's and 3/4" spacers for the 16. Planning on putting dabs of brown paint on the screws to blend them in some. I will be securing the power cords and cleaning up the look. will probably be two cleaner trunks with 3 cables each. Each light has two power cables. I would put a 6 way power strip on the back and shorten cords, but it would throw things out of balance since it is a hanging light. 

I used the cable hanging kits from the two new lights to hang the whole assembly. I have three small cables on each end in a triangular configuration (front, back, and end) looped onto the screws that are holding the lights in the trim box. They converge on eye screws in my "Real" barnwood shelf over my tank. 

Each light is capable of running at 165 watts for a total of 495 watts. Complete and total overkill. The fixture is 8" above my water line (1" below rim) and the lights themselves are at 9". My tank is 24" deep with 2" substrate, so I am at ~30" to substrate. Currently have them set at 50%. I may still have to dial it back some more. It completely blows away the lights I previously had over the ends of my tank. 

I will dig out my par meter and get some measurements tomorrow if I get home early enough. If not, I will get some readings the following day. 

OK! Photo time!

Grr. Might have to delete some previous photos.


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## ipkiss (Aug 9, 2011)

Time for fts with light assembly! Kudos to being able to dress up those lights and making that vvr. I would try it if it wasn't complete overkill for my tank


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

Glad to hear the VVR fabrication worked out well. Funny about the PVC part, believe me, that's happen to me more than once! Now I try to leave enough pipe length off the end of the fitting such that if I need to make changes, I have enough to pipe length to cut and add a fitting. For cleaning, it looks like you could cut one of the sections in half and add a union, that's what I ended up doing and it works out well.

Yes, post a FTS photo including the fixture. Nice looking work. But watch out with that much light, it may cause some algae issues, but it'll depend on how long you leave the lights on. It'll be interesting to see what the PAR readings are.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Ken Keating1 said:


> Glad to hear the VVR fabrication worked out well. Funny about the PVC part, believe me, that's happen to me more than once! Now I try to leave enough pipe length off the end of the fitting such that if I need to make changes, I have enough to pipe length to cut and add a fitting. For cleaning, it looks like you could cut one of the sections in half and add a union, that's what I ended up doing and it works out well.
> 
> Yes, post a FTS photo including the fixture. Nice looking work. But watch out with that much light, it may cause some algae issues, but it'll depend on how long you leave the lights on. It'll be interesting to see what the PAR readings are.


Yeah, I would have left room for cuts, but I have limited space in my cabinet and wanted it to be as compact as possible. Especially the footprint. Still waiting on my fire extinguisher straps to secure it properly. Right now it is leaning in the corner. I should be able to clean it pretty easily since I have a clamp on rubber fitting at the base. I may add a union on the top segment if I need to. FTS will get posted when I get home from work.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

As promised. FTS with my new light. This shot is at 50% across the board. I will play around with warmer and cooler adjustments when I get a chance. Neglected to trim the right side in my fervor getting both projects finished.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Nice loach photo bomb, I'm itching to get some loaches again.

I like the nicer spread / combination of colors and the right to left plant slope, the blue background adding even more color and contrast. The spray bar in the back could use some loving thogh and the number of the visible equipment distracts from otherwise cohesive look. Could you possibly run the cannister filters off the sump or do you feel that they aid with flow and circulation?

The new lights, man. Epic. Do you really need the strip LEDs at the ends? The fun part now is light intencity vs fertilizers. The brighter tank appearance aside (which I personally like a lot) I would start more frequent water testing for a bit, to make sure you are not bottoming out on macros. Calculating yor daily uptake will come in so handy if you ever decide to bump the lights up. The overall "spectrum" is looking pretty sharp to my eyes, with good contrast of colors between the various plants.

Leaps and bounds. Just don't hit your head on the new lights. Easy does it. Well done.


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

Great FTS, the tank's looking good. That must be one large loach, it looks large in the photo, and that's in a 180 gallon tank. That loach would be a monster in my tank!


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Ken Keating1 said:


> Great FTS, the tank's looking good. That must be one large loach, it looks large in the photo, and that's in a 180 gallon tank. That loach would be a monster in my tank!


Haha. Yeah, they are about 8" long. The other one is laying low on the right side. They are very friendly, and have no fear.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Well... It appears I have created a monster. I got a reading of 190 par at 2 inches off substrate on full power and that was with some light shadowing from nearby plants. I really don't have any wide open spaces. At 50% I am showing between 80 and 110 par depending on the spot. I upped my macros by 50% over what I was dosing previously. I run a pretty short photo period, but I will be keeping a wary eye on any sign of algae taking hold. I also need to rig a meter stick because I suspect I may be picking up some reflected light off my arm. I am happy that I can run them at a fraction of their rated power and still get very good light.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

OVT said:


> Nice loach photo bomb, I'm itching to get some loaches again.
> 
> I like the nicer spread / combination of colors and the right to left plant slope, the blue background adding even more color and contrast. The spray bar in the back could use some loving thogh and the number of the visible equipment distracts from otherwise cohesive look. Could you possibly run the cannister filters off the sump or do you feel that they aid with flow and circulation?
> 
> ...


Thank you! I hate the look of all the plumbing as well. I will probably invest in some lily pipes, and an inline heater. when I can fit it into my budget. Probably going to remove the UV sterilizer. This model is notorious for bulb burn out anyway. Probably is just uselessly pumping water. I may do away with the bubble wand as well. I get plenty of surface agitation from my wave maker. The cheap lights on the ends are to extend my viewing time. I use them in the morning and evening so I can see my fish without driving photosynthesis and algae. I am trying to figure out a way to integrate some lower power lights into my light assembly. Perhaps some small dimmable LED floodlights between the main lights.


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## chayos00 (Sep 22, 2013)

For your issue of running out of space, as the space for pictures is limited on TPT. You can host pictures to Flickr, Imgur, and I'm sure there are others out there that can be free to use too. I personally have all mine hosted on Flickr which has recently announced a 1000 photo free limit, which I've still have a good half of them left.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

Testing https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7888/33599885718_33f7ff09bd_h.jpg









Yay! I got it to work! Thanks @chayos00


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## chayos00 (Sep 22, 2013)

AguaScape said:


> Yay! I got it to work! Thanks @chayos00


Yeah what's nice about Flickr is that you can just copy and paste their code BBCode and just pick the size of the image you want to share and then just paste it here. 

[u rl=https://flic.kr/p/24AUiPK][i mg]https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4890/40432729493_e1449acddd_k.jpg[/im g][/u rl][u rl=https://flic.kr/p/24AUiPK]IMG_4932[/u rl] by [u rl=https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]chayos00[/u rl], on Flickr

I'll normally delete it down to the last URL section just to get it to post without the link. Like this. Had to add some spaces to get it to actually post on here to see. 
[u rl=https://flic.kr/p/24AUiPK][i mg]https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4890/40432729493_e1449acddd_k.jpg[/im g]


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