Recent content by Wallace

aravindk, 2ft x 4ft 1/4 inch acrylic for $87 seems expensive... my local hardware store (named Roush Hardware) sell 1/4 inch thick acrylic for $4.99 per square feet, meaning a 2x4 sheet would cost me $40. In addition, they will also custom cut them into any size I want, and I only pay for it...

Yes there will be a skimmer in about a month (haven't moved it yet), and the tank has very good surface water movement from the return for O2 exchange. We also plan to substantially "underload" the tank with very few fish, so I think we will be OK. Thanks! Wallace

Thanks for all the reply, I think the combination of them may have caused the increase. The basement being cooler and have much better ventilation certainly can explain a lot, plus now that I think about it, the "heated" water (in the old setup) have to travel around 30ft of plastic tubing to...

Hi, I am helping someone to start up a new 110G acrylic aquarium. I had recently moved a water pump from my home aquarium to this new one (upgraded my pump to a bigger one), and on the new aquarium the water temp jumped from 72 degree to 86 in 1 day. There is not even a heater in the aquarium...

The reactor being $33 isn't that bad of a deal... think about it, you would probably end up paying close to $20 for PVC fittings and glues etc. anyway, plus your time. Although you could most likely build a much bigger filter without spending much more though. Anhow, the point is, its the...

Sounds awsome! Love to see picture of the finished product! Also, do you think it would be more difficult to cut a circular hole using that Dremel bit? If I can cut a round hole without too much extra work, I could simply install a bulkhead for the overflow. Possibly less chance of leaking...

I think the only problem left is cost... unless there is a more economical dosing pump, the projected cost could be close to $300. That's not really in the tradition of DIY... lol I wonder if I could use a water pump on the inlet to pressurize the unit, then use some Jaco fitting on the...

Ok all sounds good... lets build it! For the container, I am thinking about this: http://www.petsolutions.com/Phosban+Reactor-I-48142292-I-C-1017-C-.aspx "By pushing water from the bottom upward through a dispersion plate, the reactor gently fluidizes the media and forces an even distribution...

Pre-filter can easily be done on the intake side of the dosing pump, since the flow rate is so low the need to replace / clean that filter should be minimal. Regarding seperation of the two bacteria colony, I actually think a vertical pipe will help clearly define it. Think about it this way...

YES! Thank you, those floor trusses are exactly what the stuff looks like under the office basement. So that's good news for us, I guess? Especially considering its "only" a 110 gallon, not some 300G monstor. lol Regarding the 150 gallon in my house... I sold that tank about 2 years ago, so...

2 minute water change! I figure I would share this with you guys as well... I am lazy as a pig so even 10 min water change would be too hard for me! Anyway, for ease of explanation, in reference to the photo lets first name the "tubs": from the top row, left-to-right is Tub #1, 2, and 3. The...

Hi, This is my skimmer, it was purchased from a LFS but as you can see its just built from off-the-shelve PVC fittings. The only thing I don't understand is how he made the venturi valve... I know air is being sucked in half way through the water intake (through that cactus arm looking thing)...

Hum... interesting idea. If we reverse your water flow, and have the dosing pump move water into the BOTTOM of the sand bed, and let it overflow from the top back into the tank, would that eliminate the need to chean the sand? We could use a tall PVC pipe to ensure the water flow through most...

Hello, Thanks for all your reply, I went and looked at the floor joist in the basement and they are made out of 2x4 (yes its not a typo)... the floor joists are like two pieces of 2x4 running parallel, with a bunch of 2x4 cut and connecting them in a "V" pattern. So it looks like...

Hi, I originally started looking for some guidelines as to how heavy of a tank can a typical 2nd floor supports, and did found a lot of good info. But the more I read into it, the more it seems there will never be a definite answer - position of the tank (if its close to a load bearing wall...