Luc Vogels's 600+ gallon CoralCare Reef
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- Thread starter Luc Vogels
- Start date
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- philips coralcare
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OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
Thanks for the tip! Will check it out.
You mean the mains distribution box? it is from the brand "Hateha". I think they look like this these days:
https://www.elektroschakelmateriaal...yl-wcd-randaarde-bd16-02-4-voudig-snr5-100341
I had them laying around for some years, the new housings are also IP rated.
NeverlosT
SPS nut
Looks great, fun inspiration. Makes me want to build/program my next Calcium reactor, maybe with a raspberry Pi brain. I miss making automated assemblies and programming them like in Mechatronics class in college!
Lots of awesome progress and ideas in this build. I will look into those phillips lights too, I wonder how well they handle the shading issue that a lot of LEDs have problems with (one side of SPS bright and happy, and the other side dull and brown), I was always confused by this, since photons are photons, but T5 just seems able to make such a diffuse and evenly spread light, if LED can replicate that, then it is truly a perfect replacement!
I cant wait to see pics of the frag tank in action. We just installed a 6.6kW solar generation system on our house with plans for a larger aquarium (current is 150g), and builds like yours give me good ideas for how I might want to proceed!
Keep it up!
Lots of awesome progress and ideas in this build. I will look into those phillips lights too, I wonder how well they handle the shading issue that a lot of LEDs have problems with (one side of SPS bright and happy, and the other side dull and brown), I was always confused by this, since photons are photons, but T5 just seems able to make such a diffuse and evenly spread light, if LED can replicate that, then it is truly a perfect replacement!
I cant wait to see pics of the frag tank in action. We just installed a 6.6kW solar generation system on our house with plans for a larger aquarium (current is 150g), and builds like yours give me good ideas for how I might want to proceed!
Keep it up!
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
Thanks for your post
!About the homogeneous light distribution... I think the Coralcare fixtures excel in this point.
It has a large active light window and forms a homogenous blanket in both intensity and colorpoint.
Just a few more weeks and the frag tank is ready
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
Time for a new update!
The build is progressing steady!
I want to share some pictures of various smaller projects I finalized.
The new filter setup:
The setup is not finished yet, but the final (cleaner) result will have the same positions for the filters.
The water from the main tank is flowing through the upper pipe and is split in two.
One pipe is going directly to the skimmer (BBK super marine 250), and the other to a Theiling rollermat filter. With help of two valves I can control the water ratio between them.
The water in the right filter aquarium is always keeping a constant water level due to the stand-pipes between the two filter tanks. To create some additional water height in the left tank (to make sure the return pump is never sucking in air) I installed the filters on fraggrid (enabling a higher water level in both left and right filtertank. It also makes sure there is no dirt piling up under the filters.
The left tank holds the main returnpump that pumps the water back to the tank.
It also contains another safety returnline from the main tank (when the other pipe is jammed).
The filter tank contains another auxiliary pump that feeds various filter and the fragtank.
The pump manifolds in 5 directions:
1. Phosphate filter media reactor
2. Carbon filter media reactor
3. Chiller/heater
4. UV filter
The remaining water flows in the fragtank (what is above the filtertanks).
I included Apex flowsensors in each manifold so I am able to monitor to flow through them.
This enables hassle free control of the flow through each filter.
Some more pictures of the plumbing and sensors:
Installation was rather easy and setup of the FMM units was also child play.
I will share the results and overview in Apex fusion when everything is running correctly and stable.
I also made a start with the final cable assembly.
I can now control all filters and appliances from the main electronics cabinet.
The switchable sockets are placed and the cable tracks are almost finished!
The fragtank is delivered last weekend, so more updates will follow!.
The build is progressing steady!
I want to share some pictures of various smaller projects I finalized.
The new filter setup:
The setup is not finished yet, but the final (cleaner) result will have the same positions for the filters.
The water from the main tank is flowing through the upper pipe and is split in two.
One pipe is going directly to the skimmer (BBK super marine 250), and the other to a Theiling rollermat filter. With help of two valves I can control the water ratio between them.
The water in the right filter aquarium is always keeping a constant water level due to the stand-pipes between the two filter tanks. To create some additional water height in the left tank (to make sure the return pump is never sucking in air) I installed the filters on fraggrid (enabling a higher water level in both left and right filtertank. It also makes sure there is no dirt piling up under the filters.
The left tank holds the main returnpump that pumps the water back to the tank.
It also contains another safety returnline from the main tank (when the other pipe is jammed).
The filter tank contains another auxiliary pump that feeds various filter and the fragtank.
The pump manifolds in 5 directions:
1. Phosphate filter media reactor
2. Carbon filter media reactor
3. Chiller/heater
4. UV filter
The remaining water flows in the fragtank (what is above the filtertanks).
I included Apex flowsensors in each manifold so I am able to monitor to flow through them.
This enables hassle free control of the flow through each filter.
Some more pictures of the plumbing and sensors:
Installation was rather easy and setup of the FMM units was also child play.
I will share the results and overview in Apex fusion when everything is running correctly and stable.
I also made a start with the final cable assembly.
I can now control all filters and appliances from the main electronics cabinet.
The switchable sockets are placed and the cable tracks are almost finished!
The fragtank is delivered last weekend, so more updates will follow!.
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
In the past week the new tanks were finally delivered!
A local shop (Koraalrif Helmond) built the tanks, delivered them and helped me to get them on their stands. It was a bit more difficult then expected... Such a tank is always heavier then you expect.
The fragtank has dimensions: 220x75x40 cm and the Osmosis tank is 80x35x75 (lxwxh).
The front glass is made from 15mm glass, and the other panels made from 12mm glass.
The edges of the glass are finished with plastic strips, and the backpanels covered with a black foil (except the front glass off course). An additional glass strip is mounted in the corners of the tank to prevent damaging the seems with the algae scraper.
The front topside glass is beautifully polished and crystal clear.
With the help of 5 men we lifted the tank inside.
This part went smooth... but the aquarium room is only 5 centimeter wider then the width of the tank... so from that moment onwards it was precision job. (tilting it only a little bit already results in bumping one of the glass corners in the wall).
So synchronized as a team we slowly moved the tank closer to the stand.
On the stand itself, the tolerance to the outer walls was only 10mm... so at the end it became even more difficult.
But finally we succeeded... what if someone had sweaty hands during the lift.
And there he is:
I glued some laminated wood on the front glass to hide the foam (and sandbed) from the frontview.
The wood is varnished with oil and closed with silicone glue.
We drilled two additional holes in the table surface (near the front).
These are used to place the magnets of the steamer pumps.
This to prevent placing the magnets on the front glass of the fragtank.
And then the magic moment was there.... filling it up with water!
This went well but it remains an exiting moment.
The tank is already filled with saltwater and is running in the system.
I am slowly working towards the finishing touches.
In the next days I will share some more pictures!
A local shop (Koraalrif Helmond) built the tanks, delivered them and helped me to get them on their stands. It was a bit more difficult then expected... Such a tank is always heavier then you expect.
The fragtank has dimensions: 220x75x40 cm and the Osmosis tank is 80x35x75 (lxwxh).
The front glass is made from 15mm glass, and the other panels made from 12mm glass.
The edges of the glass are finished with plastic strips, and the backpanels covered with a black foil (except the front glass off course
). An additional glass strip is mounted in the corners of the tank to prevent damaging the seems with the algae scraper.The front topside glass is beautifully polished and crystal clear.
With the help of 5 men we lifted the tank inside.
This part went smooth... but the aquarium room is only 5 centimeter wider then the width of the tank... so from that moment onwards it was precision job. (tilting it only a little bit already results in bumping one of the glass corners in the wall).
So synchronized as a team we slowly moved the tank closer to the stand.
On the stand itself, the tolerance to the outer walls was only 10mm... so at the end it became even more difficult.
But finally we succeeded... what if someone had sweaty hands during the lift
.And there he is:
I glued some laminated wood on the front glass to hide the foam (and sandbed) from the frontview.
The wood is varnished with oil and closed with silicone glue.
We drilled two additional holes in the table surface (near the front).
These are used to place the magnets of the steamer pumps.
This to prevent placing the magnets on the front glass of the fragtank.
And then the magic moment was there.... filling it up with water!
This went well but it remains an exiting moment
.The tank is already filled with saltwater and is running in the system.
I am slowly working towards the finishing touches.
In the next days I will share some more pictures!
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
Thanks! Honestly... it is a bit higher than I expected
. On the other hand... now I can place a sand bed, place a frag rack and still have sufficient height for the bigger corals.
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
last week I made a probeholder and optical sensor holder for all the Apex sensors.
The base of the holders are build from some old Coralcare prototype optics
The also including a sandbed in the fragtank.. it is running great and I inserted the first corals!
The base of the holders are build from some old Coralcare prototype optics
The also including a sandbed in the fragtank.. it is running great and I inserted the first corals!
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
I would like to share some pictures of the display tank.
Due to the build of the new aquarium room, the display tank did not get the attention it deserves.
The tank is doing well (nothing to complain about) but it has seen better days.
This is most propably the final foto session of the tank... in about a few weeks I am going to empty it and the renovations of the living room will start.
Not a moment to look forward too, but I think we prepared carefully.
The aquarium room is finished, I only have to install a PVC Container to temporarily store the rocks from the display tank.
In the past two months my red Acropora reached the front glass of the displaytank and I was unable to clean some parts of the front window. Due to the removal of my old fragtank I did not dare to start cutting this coral.. Today I gave it a try and I failed miserably!
Before the cutting:
And after
The acropora broke at its base and I had to remove it from the tank completely (you can see the part where I aimed to cut, and the part where it broke off).
Luckily I now have a new fragtank in which I can store it (and its pieces)
Some further pictures ( I experimented a bit with the lighting, focal distance and ISO (which was a bit too high):
Due to the build of the new aquarium room, the display tank did not get the attention it deserves.
The tank is doing well (nothing to complain about) but it has seen better days.
This is most propably the final foto session of the tank... in about a few weeks I am going to empty it and the renovations of the living room will start.
Not a moment to look forward too, but I think we prepared carefully
.The aquarium room is finished, I only have to install a PVC Container to temporarily store the rocks from the display tank.
In the past two months my red Acropora reached the front glass of the displaytank and I was unable to clean some parts of the front window. Due to the removal of my old fragtank I did not dare to start cutting this coral.. Today I gave it a try and I failed miserably!
Before the cutting:
And after
The acropora broke at its base and I had to remove it from the tank completely (you can see the part where I aimed to cut, and the part where it broke off).
Luckily I now have a new fragtank in which I can store it (and its pieces)
Some further pictures ( I experimented a bit with the lighting, focal distance and ISO (which was a bit too high):
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
I had to delete quite some images due to noise (mainly in the darker areas).
The ISO value was kept to a fixed setting of 2000 (just as a test, I normally shoot with 250-400)
I shot most pictures with a Nikkor macro 40mm, the tankshot with a 50mm and the close ups with a 105mm macro.
The F count (between 5.6 and 25) and shutter time (1/100 to 1/1000) varied between the pictures.
I use Nikon Capture NX-D to tweak the light settings of the pictures, but try to minimize it as much as possible.
Only the picture of the green Millepora was tweaked in colortone (because I shot it in a too dark setting, you can see that a bit if you look at the coral left from it).
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
In the past week I started emptying the display tank (so renovation in the living room can start).
I have added a large plastic tank to the system to create sufficient space to house the corals and rocks (this tank is running in parallel with the 2.20x70x40cm fragtank).
I now removed about 80% of the corals and 50% of the rock.
In the meantime I am closely monitoring the waterlevels to prevent any problems with water quality. Rather stressful days.
No casualties so far... but I still have to transport some corals.
I thought some corals were rather big... but was shocked when I lifted them out of the tank.
They are HUGE!
The fragtank is also full... so I need to be creative to house the remaining corals.
Next week more pictures of the progress
[/QUOTE]
I have added a large plastic tank to the system to create sufficient space to house the corals and rocks (this tank is running in parallel with the 2.20x70x40cm fragtank).
I now removed about 80% of the corals and 50% of the rock.
In the meantime I am closely monitoring the waterlevels to prevent any problems with water quality. Rather stressful days
.No casualties so far... but I still have to transport some corals.
I thought some corals were rather big... but was shocked when I lifted them out of the tank.
They are HUGE!
The fragtank is also full... so I need to be creative to house the remaining corals.
Next week more pictures of the progress
joseserrano
2500 Club Member
Now that is a calcium reactor
I finished the installation of my DIY calcium reactor.
The reactor now holds about 25 kilogram of media and keeps the Kh/Calcium levels extremely stable.
Something about the reactor:
The system runs on a 8-bit Atmel microcontroller and steers 3 channels (1 dosingpump, 1 C02 valve, and the circulation pump).
All control decisions are based on two inputs; A potentiometer to set the speed of the dosingpump (ml/hour) and a float switch to read the c02 saturation status in the chamber.
By knowing when you enable the outputs and reading back the status of the float switch you can determine if the system is working properly.
A simple example.. if you enable the C02 valve you expect that the saturation chamber is getting filled with c02 (and eventually hit the float switch so it changes state).
If this does not occur within a few minutes we know that the c02 bottle is empty.
Another example... We detected that the saturation state of the chamber is reached... then we wait i.e. 5 minutes so the c02 level in the chamber should be reduced.
If we check after 5 minutes that the state of the float switch is not changed, we know that the c02 valve is still open --> malfunctioning valve
based on these simple rules (and some additional logic to prevent false triggers during e.g. startup) the system works reliable and maintenance free.
The noticed that the new reactor of pacific sun also use the same principles.
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
haha thanks. With 2000 liters of water volume it still runs at about 40% capacity.
thanks! Will keep this topic up to date. Think most will be finished by the end of upcoming weekend.
OP
OP
Luc Vogels
Active Member
The tank is moved and most animals are doing well.updates?????????
We start demolishing the floor in the living room.
Due to all the work, dust and overall chaos in the house I forgot to add pictures.
Will try to post some of them this week.
But I am rather happy with the progress.
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