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Tying into the Basement - Pic Intensive
- Thread starter JohnS_323
- Start date
the display is a 125. you think a 55 would work too it seems kinda small =/
paintballe48 said:
That may be too small but I'm really no expert.
What I've learned about this hobby is that I don't have a very wide knowledge base just a deep one. Meaning, I can tell everything to the most minute detail about my system. Once it goes away from that, I'm pretty much clueless!
haha ok i think im gonna try hard to get a 90 because i would really like to just have the extra room even if for nothing else. what do you keep in the 150 gallon holding tub?
JasonR has two 90 gallon tanks for sale pre drilled for sumps and everything. I was thinking of buying them but I'm not ready to setup y basement sump.
i saw that and i pmed him about it waiting on a reasponse
I love your main display its sooooooooooooooo nice. I cant wait till i get more money so i can fill my tank =( if only gas would drop then i would have more money lol
oh and i got a question about your system can you please explain to me how your auto top off and saltwater water change works? Is the RO set up with ATO so the 55 drum stays filled with RO? and the water for the saltwater changes does that just stay filled with the RO feed as it drains over into it? and how does the ATO on your tank work?
Here is a detailed drawing of how the Auto Top Off System works:
The RO/DI "tank" is a 55g drum with a Kent Float valve in it. The drum is fed by my RODI unit through the float valve which works to keep it continuously full. As water is pulled from it to top off the sump, the float arm drops and the RODI kicks on to fill it back up.
For water change water, I have the RODI drum connected to the saltwater drum with a piece of PVC pipe and 2 uni-seals. The side of the pipe in the RODI drum is attached to a mag 7. I flip on the mag 7 and it fills up the saltwater drum with RODI water. I add salt and let it mix for 24 hours. During this time, the RODI bucket fills back up. When I'm ready to do a water change, I throw a couple of ball valves and drain 50 gallons out my system. From there. I flip another switch and a mag 9 transfers saltwater from the water change bucket back to my system. When the water change bucket is empty, I turn on the pump in the RODI drum and fill it back up.
I hope that all makes sense.
The RO/DI "tank" is a 55g drum with a Kent Float valve in it. The drum is fed by my RODI unit through the float valve which works to keep it continuously full. As water is pulled from it to top off the sump, the float arm drops and the RODI kicks on to fill it back up.
For water change water, I have the RODI drum connected to the saltwater drum with a piece of PVC pipe and 2 uni-seals. The side of the pipe in the RODI drum is attached to a mag 7. I flip on the mag 7 and it fills up the saltwater drum with RODI water. I add salt and let it mix for 24 hours. During this time, the RODI bucket fills back up. When I'm ready to do a water change, I throw a couple of ball valves and drain 50 gallons out my system. From there. I flip another switch and a mag 9 transfers saltwater from the water change bucket back to my system. When the water change bucket is empty, I turn on the pump in the RODI drum and fill it back up.
I hope that all makes sense.
ohhhh ok i think i really got the whole picture now that diagram really cleared it up for me thanks. =D Why use two aqua lifters tho?
paintballe48 said:
It's a bit of strain on one aqualifter to pull the water up from the bottom of a 55g drum and then pump it all the way over to the sump (the distance is a bit longer in reality) so we use two in sequence like that to give us a pretty good flow.
hmm seems like a good idea =D do you keep heaters or powerheads in your 55 gallon ro water and salt water containers? or is it just ok without them?
paintballe48 said:
No heaters in any of the 55g buckets and the only pumps I have in them are either used for transferring water or mixing salt for the first 24 hours after it's added. My total system volume is large enough that the temp in the drums won't really effect anything at all.
I came up with a great setup for mixing salt in the drums, though. I use a maxijet 1200 with a sure flow mod kid and a magnetic mouting bracket. You get a great amount of flow and with the magnet, you can put it low in the drum and aim down to the center. It mixes the salt in thoroughly and quickly.
Ohhh wow thats a really great idea magnet powerhead on the side. Ok well i think my planning is all set now and soon as i get all the equipment i need i can start my wetroom =D
Ok will do! ill post a thread in the DIY forum when i start to build and set it up. Gonna be fun taking the jigsaw to the wall though :
Oh and also is a kalk reactor really worth getting and then tieing it into the top off water? I really dont know that much about them or how they work are they a pain to maintain or anything?
paintballe48 said:
It really depends on what you plan on keeping and where your pH generally hovers. A Kalk reactor is good for raising your pH and adding calcium to your water. IMO, I would go with Kalk reactor before a Calcium reactor which seems to be the opposite of conventional thinking. Regardless, they are really easy to install and maintain. Once a month or so you have to fill it up but other than that it's pretty much set it and forget it (if I may borrow that from Ron Popeil!).
Ok thats not bad and not a top priority for me atm so I can always add one in down the line, I dont really think im going to be getting a calc reactor anytime soon because i really dont have the money for something like that =/ Mabye over the summer when i can really start working alot and saving again. My priority list is as follows:
-90 gallon tank to be used for sump
---Order Glass baffles and drill tank for sump.
-Get RO unit and ATO with 55 gallon drums for water storage.
-Get all the plumbing stuff
-Set up refuigem mabye like a 20 or 40 long with some nice lightts.
-Phos reactor
-Kalk reactor
-calcium reactor
and somehwere down the line i need some nice powerheads for my tank ive got like two mj 900's on it atm one blowing through the back and then another out the front of the tank my two return on a iwaki70rlt produce a very nice water flow but i know i should be relying on that alone. I would like to get like two koralia pumps for additional flow Mabye like the two 4 models. Its a work in progress as it always is lol
-90 gallon tank to be used for sump
---Order Glass baffles and drill tank for sump.
-Get RO unit and ATO with 55 gallon drums for water storage.
-Get all the plumbing stuff
-Set up refuigem mabye like a 20 or 40 long with some nice lightts.
-Phos reactor
-Kalk reactor
-calcium reactor
and somehwere down the line i need some nice powerheads for my tank ive got like two mj 900's on it atm one blowing through the back and then another out the front of the tank my two return on a iwaki70rlt produce a very nice water flow but i know i should be relying on that alone. I would like to get like two koralia pumps for additional flow Mabye like the two 4 models. Its a work in progress as it always is lol