Need you to help me make a decision.

[Ram_Puppy]

Today when I woke up at 6PM (no cracks, I work nights! :) ) my tank temp as at a disgusting 89.8 degrees.... I have to do something to correct this.

I think we can all agree from the other thread the culprit is the multiple Mag Drives running in the tank (one Mag 3 on the skimmer, one Mag 5 on the SCWD)

I am at a loss, if I unplug the Mag, bye bye circulation, if I don't, I have dangerous heat levels.

Obviously turning off the Mag 3 on the skimmer is not an option.

What do you guys think about putting the Mag on a timer, and having it run at 30 minute intervals?

I already have 3 muffin fans in the canopy for cooling, and I am replacing over a gallon of water in evaporation a day. (don't like that either on a 30 gallon.)

I almost have all the money saved up to buy my 115, but after that, I have to build the stand, and at least get a sump built before I can occupy the tank, should I hold off on the larger tank and get a chiller?


The only other option I can think of, and this will be HIGHLY labor intensive, is to clean up the 110 I have been working scratches out of for my wifes tank and use it, temporarily, or clean out the 55 I have my carnivorous plants in, and temporarily move them into that one, i figure the added dilution might give me some heat relief.
:cry:

[NaCl_H2O]

Ram, what's the house temp? Any chance to drop it a degree or two? This time of year when the AC runs very little, humidity levels are higher and evaporative cooling is MUCH less efficient. How about pointing a box fan at the aquarium to increase overall airflow around it - it might help more than you think?

I have an old Eheim 1262 (900 GPH) you could borrow as a test, but that's more flow than I think you want?

Buying a chiller now - you would need at least a 1/4HP for the 115, which would be major overkill for your 30, and it needs a pump too! Plus the cost is in the $500+ range!

Is there anyway to mount the MAGs externally? Some report MAGs can leak when mounted externally, but I hade some in this config for a few months and didn't have any leakage - might be a reasonable gamble short term?

Last option I would try is the timer on pumps - cycling MAGs off/on will significantly shorten their life.

Do you have a sump? If so, do you have fans blowing on the water surface of the sump? Yes, that will increase evaporation!

Good luck - hope you get some ideas from this thread!

[NaCl_H2O]

Oh yea, are you sure the temp is high? Do you have another thermometer to compare against?

[Reef69]

My temp went up like crazy when i added the MHs..it was 84 until i added the 2 fans to the canopy..then the ac went off and they had to fix it..so its at 80 now..steady...ive noticed that the temp in the house plays a big role in the temp of the tank.might want to check that out.

[Ram_Puppy]

No Sump on this one, I elected to go without because the 30 gallon hex I had available to start with was just to cumbersome, no space under the stand, and the narrow sides of each pane don't fit most overflows, I thought about having a custom overflow my dan made, but in the long run, it would be wasted money. So it's just the tank.

As far as temp is concerend, I have a digital thermometer that is in there all the time, and I have a hand held PH/Temp Probe, both are within a 10th of a degree of each other, so I am sure the temp is high, I can see it in the water too, the xenia is puckered up tight, it only opens at and during the day when the halide isn't on, I already cut the halide back by 3 hours. I think it's pushing everything obviously, but it's not one of those things you can go without.

Thanks for the offer of a pump, I have 2 Iwaki's laying around, I am sure if I needed to I could throttle one back to the level required.

I am stuck between caring for what I already have, and not wanting to invest in a setup that is soon to be gone... Man, I will be a fervent preacher against hex shaped tanks for reefs the rest of my life... (made a beautiful planted tank though.)

My new setup, which I am hoping to have up before june, will most likely not incorporate the MAG 5, It is going to use one Iwakli MD-70RLT for a return pump (divided between the main tank and the fuge) and another on an Oceans Motions 4 Way closed Loop. The only thing I have considered using it on, is the Remora Pro skimmer, i figure if Misty can run a Mag 7 on hers, I can run a Mag 5 on mine, and that is just till I can get the Deltec Skimmer, which will require a larger pump I think. I am also short on space behind this tank, the remora takes up the entire back side, so I think I am going to try a timer tomorrow, if that doesn't work, I am going to move everything into the 110 high temporarily... course, I can use the Iwaki on a quick and dirty closed loop for circulation I guess.

[Ram_Puppy]

oh, and we keep our apartment at 70, it already has a box fan blowing on it, we will probably but a tiny window AC unit to put in the same room as the new tank, as I heartily believe our AC is undersized for our apartment.

[Richard]

I'm confused on your setup. Are you saying you have a mag5 in the tank (submersed) running a scwd which is also in the tank?

[Ram_Puppy]

yup... here is the rundown:

Mag 3 on Remora Pro
Mag 5 on SCWD (both in tank) The SCWD has some tubing on it to extend it around the sides of the tank, so water circulates along the 3 front panels of the hex.
Magnum 350 Canister Filter (used to run Carbon)

6 20 watt Coralife Power compacts
1 175 watt 14K Hamilton MH

2 Muffin fans push air into the canopy, one 5 inch muffin fan pulls it right out the top, this air is always warm when I put my hand over it, but not terribly warm, I think the canopy cooling is doing pretty well.

I have put my hands on the Magnum 350 to see if it was finally giving out (it's almost 10 years old now I think, with new impeller) but it feels cool to the touch. So I don't think it's the source of my problems.

[Richard]

Why don't you just put the mag5 below the tank. You could just make an intake out of 1/2 pvc and come over the back of the tank. Mags aren't self priming at all so you would need to use a coupling near the top of the tank so you could easily prime the pump. Then just run 1/2 tubing to the SCWD. Should work.

[Ram_Puppy]

Your right, it should work, I will need to cut an inlet into the canopy though to make room for it.

I had another fuzzy to much work thought... what about getting a 20 gallon rubbermaid tub and elevating it above the tank, for instance, sitting on a shelf, and just buying a bulkhead (Richard, do you have any in stock?) and then using the mag 5 to pump water up into the tub, and drain back out like a gravity feed refugium, heck, I could MAKE it a refugium, put the SCWD on the return, and that takes care of flow. no worries about overflows and what not, not much money invested either. I could put a clip on fan on the open tub for more evaporative cooling as well...

hmm.. richards idea seems simpler. :)

[Richard]

Fix the temp problem the cheapest way possible so you can get the 115 sooner. :)

[Richard]

If you try that route, the threads on mags suck so use plenty of teflon tape.

[Richard]

And don't forget a screen on the intake or you might suck up your favorite fishy.

[Ram_Puppy]

man, i want that 115 bad. Brian is going out there this weekend to order his new tank I think... I will probably tag along. :) I will be ordering my tank on the 16th.

[donniekim]

maybe all 3 muffin fans directed out of the canopy to pull more heat away

[dan]

my 250 stays right at 80 day or night. of course when you have 500 gals. running it takes a lot to cool it or heat it. with my 350 i'll have like 800gals. running. what i'm trying to say is increase your water volume.

[Ram_Puppy]

dan, you and are I thinking Alike. i decided to move everything into the old 110 I have in the garage temporarily, I have been refurbishing it for my wife, but it's getting temporary re-assignemnt.

[mathias]

throw some ice cubes in it :)

[Ram_Puppy]

that is what my wife said man! ;)

[NaCl_H2O]

throw some ice cubes in it :)

Actually, for your size tank, a ziplock full of ice cubes may be VERY effective short term - In the long run it is a PITA to keep up with changing bags.

I have used this method on my old 125g when I had chiller problems. The problem is control - you have to get the "right" amount of ice figured out by trial & error, and then be VERY regular about adding more to the bag.

[Ram_Puppy]

Yup, and that is the total antithesis of 'me'... I can't keep up with that, my schedule for work alone would prevent a standard way of doing things... the 110 high is my best bet...

I am going to use some PVC and egg crate that I allready have on hand to move create a tray high up in the tank for the SPS corals to survive (since I know my lighting won't punch down far enough.) I am trying to figure out a way to move my 3 inch sand bed without a disaster (anoxic layer dieing off.) I am not sure that CAN happen... but here is what I have thought of...

Get all the critters and rock into the 115 scoop sand into another small rubbermaid, just big enough to hold the sand, then put that rubbermaid into a larger rubbermaid container and run my Magnum 250 HOT on it for a couple days with Carbon, and such, with frequent water changes, with the goal of preserving as much life int hat sand as possible, becuase it is really alive. Then, because I don't want a mess cleaning that sand outof the 110 later, I am just going to put the entire rubbermaid in the 110, cover it with saran wrap or something as I am placing it in the water, and then essentially feed it like a critter until the new cube tank arrives, at which point the sand will go into the refugium of that tank as I decided I don't want the black specks in the new tank.

Whaddya guys think?

[dan]

what kind of cube are you getting? i have a 60 and a 250 for sale. both are cubes

[matt]

1 gallon/day evaporation on a 30 gallon is not a lot, IMO. I replaced almost 5 gal/day on my old 45; it was an open top tank with LOTS of circulation. There's nothing wrong with increasing your evaporation if you can. Probably the simplest option is to ditch the mag 5/sqwd set up (both not very good products anyway) and just use a couple of maxijets for circulation. Another very effective thing would be to get your lights up off the tank a few inches.

I've often thought about using ice cubes as top-off for cooling. If you could set up an ice maker with an R.O. filter, automatically dumping ice into your sump, sort of like icebergs melting, you'd have your own little polar eco-system; get a few tiny seals and penguins, maybe a miniature polar bear, some sort of aurora borealis display...

[NaCl_H2O]

... your own little polar eco-system; get a few tiny seals and penguins, maybe a miniature polar bear, some sort of aurora borealis display...

I bet you could win TOTM with that one :o

[GaryP]

Ram, a few ideas on moving your sand bed. I have been giving this a lot of thought as well because of my plans to move my tank to a larger one.

I plan on stirring my sand with a power head and trying to filter out the silt and accumulated debris with a Magnum and/or filter sock. Hydrogen Sulfide is volatile and water soluble so it should off gas fairly easily if stirred. The anaerobic bacteria won't be killed by aeration. They will simply shut down and wait until the conditions they need are restored. The black specks you mentioned is probably iron sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide from bacterial action reacts very readily with soluble iron to form iron sulfide.

I'll use a collander to remove any larger stuff like snail shells and any macro critters like stars, snails, and hermits.

Once I get my sugar fine sand back in the tank, I plan on putting in a 1" layer of special grade aragaonite on top of it to prevent blowing sand.

GARY