What did you do with your tank(s) today?
- Thread starter DMD123
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John58Ford
Well-Known Member
No, that's not excessive, sounds about like what I run, but I'm my case the thermometer is in the controller
. Going as far as hard plumbing would be excessive, even I used stainless flex hose.
No, that's not excessive, sounds about like what I run, but I'm my case the thermometer is in the controller
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That is a very cool setup, but is this really a mixing valve that allows you to control the temperature of the output? I thought most of these were just devices to set an upper limit on how hot the output could be. My issue is not that the water gets too hot when I'm doing water changes, it's that it gets too cold as the hot water supply in the water heater gets depleted. Unfortunately, the water supply for my tanks comes from a relatively small water heater that supplies the guest bathroom and laundry room; the main system with an in-line electro-boiler and two large holding tanks is just too far away from the fish room to be practical.
John58Ford
Well-Known Member
I can rotate the knob to set the temperature in a narrow range, way lower temps than a scald protector. In testing, if we close the hot or cold valves it reduces flow to a near trickle trying to balance the temp. You definitely notice the reduction in fill speed as the hot water tank runs low. I did something like 75 gallons in an hour once, had the temp set to 80. By the time I had finished the water was slowly flowing but it managed to keep it above 76, I wouldn't have dared to try and take a shower. To get the thing to run on a cold day I turn on the sink to get hot water before trying to prime the hose, the way the controller works you never get hot water if you start it with cold pipes, it doesn't let enough water through. Starting with hot pipes, it lets the full speed of both the hot and cold lines run pretty quickly, fills tanks faster than the garden hose by the driveway.
Wow, that's great. What about pressure fluctuations in the lines? I'm running off a deep well and a pressure tank, so the pressure varies between 40-60 psi. I'm really tempted to set up a system like yours; is this the kind of controller I need? Thanks for your help.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L17P49...olid=3QMHLX9O6LW96&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
John58Ford
Well-Known Member
That does look like the one I use and the descriptions and q-a do sound like it does the same. I didn't really do any long term pressure fluctuating; we did flush the toilets causing a very short pressure imbalance, but using valves for testing I could only limit volume, the flow is reduced by the controller and valving but pressure is a constant without a regulator.
If you start collecting parts, I would buy a better gate valve for the output than I did, again, any leak results in full pressure and my gate valve allows my hose to get inflated like a balloon over a couple days. At the exit to the rain bar make sure you use a high flow ball valve or you may be disappointed in the flow rate.
If you start collecting parts, I would buy a better gate valve for the output than I did, again, any leak results in full pressure and my gate valve allows my hose to get inflated like a balloon over a couple days. At the exit to the rain bar make sure you use a high flow ball valve or you may be disappointed in the flow rate.
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Sounds like I need to come over and see your setup...
John58Ford
Well-Known Member
This might need to go in the plans sooner than later, my fishroom is always an evolving mess; unlike the normal guests though, I think you would actually understand. The room is currently doubling as the Christmas room and I promised not to play with hoses until after Christmas day (wrapping paper leaves cool print on the floor if you wet it, ask how I know lol). After then I still have a week before we go back to school.Sounds like I need to come over and see your setup...
I like the idea of that mixing valve set up. I could see an application for that in my garage that would just make for a speedier process in fill up. Though I have the utility sink right there and it just takes a second open valves and to check water temp... just something a bit more elegant about the mixing valve.
Been waiting on my final plant from Universal Rocks... Should have been here Saturday but with all the packages out for delivery, well its late. They say today is the day...
Ive been thinking of redoing my 90 gallon Oscar tank decor and have strongly considered some fake wood from Universal Rocks as opposed to the real wood that leaches tannins forever and is hard to find that exact look you want. Will wait a bit and see how the plants and fake rock age and work out in the 300.
Ive been thinking of redoing my 90 gallon Oscar tank decor and have strongly considered some fake wood from Universal Rocks as opposed to the real wood that leaches tannins forever and is hard to find that exact look you want. Will wait a bit and see how the plants and fake rock age and work out in the 300.
Wasn't my fish room in pieces the last time you were here?
John58Ford
Well-Known Member
No no, it was in pieces the time before lastWasn't my fish room in pieces the last time you were here?
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This is how I feel like my fish room is all the time, lol. Its a never ending process of reaching completion...Wasn't my fish room in pieces the last time you were here?
Yeah, mine too in terms of moving fishes around: it's a never-ending process, especially when all your fishes come from the same place. But when I said my fish room was 'in pieces' I meant really in pieces, like temporary tanks on the floor, other tanks empty, stands upended and in the process of being rebuilt, equipment everywhere. You know, a proper mess. It's really nice to have everything back together again.
Straight from the tap. About 25% at a time, temps drop from about 78 to about 72. My 300 sits at 80 and barely hits 75 when done.
Came to an interesting conclusion… why do I run my substrate so deep in my garage tanks? It holds more fish waste and displaces the much more needed water. So I scooped out a bunch of it and will see what I think running it at about 1/2 to 3/4 inch instead of the 1 1/2 inch that it was.
I cleaned my trimac tank and shellie tank after work today. Just some extra cleaning to get that ‘sparkle’ I like to see.
I cleaned my trimac tank and shellie tank after work today. Just some extra cleaning to get that ‘sparkle’ I like to see.
John58Ford
Well-Known Member
It's for the plants you don't know you need yet? 3-5" is where it's at I promise.
40GallonsOfDoom
Well-Known Member
Added a few fake plants. And 3 new fish.
Gold is DT (Dumb Trouble) after a certain guy who has gold stuff everywhere.
Bugeye guy is Senor Peepers.
Calico is Don Julio Esposito.
And of course Robert is the big guy.
I asked myself the same question when I re-did all my tanks last summer, the general feeling amongst serious Tropheus keepers being the less gravel the better. So my Tropheus tanks now all have about an inch of Aragonite, and nothing more. The sand-dwellers need much more to build nests and generally fuss with the substrate, and all those tanks have live plants as well, so a deeper gravel bed.