Sonora Desert Fish Nook (mini fishroom)

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Folks,
It's been years since I've had a proper fish room. When SimplyDiscus began, I had "Pete's Skanky Basement O' Fish" for a time. Life happened and we spent 14 years between Mexico and the USA. Fishkeeping was limited to a 5 or 20 gallon aquarium; setup and taken down every 5 months. It was a great phase of our life. We had so much fun. However, life has happened again, necessitating that we stay in the USA (likely won't return to our Mexican Pueblo for many years). One concession to this change was that a fishroom would be built, here in Arizona. So, work has begun on the "Sonoran Desert Fish Nook".

We have a modest 1400 sq ft southwestern pueblo style townhome. Our's has a 3-season Arizona room that was converted into a small 4-season den/office. I work out of it. It's 8x14, but also has a 8x3 closet. That closet has become the 'Fish Nook'.

Pictures:

The tiny home office in the converted Arizona room:
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Let's start, door and frame removed:
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Inside of closet, start taking out the sheetrock:
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Decided at this point to kill the circuit labled 'Arizona Room' in our breaker box. Suddenly, had no lights nor outlets in both bedrooms, a hallway, and part of the den/office. While my house has excellent wiring, it appears the bedroom circuits were robbed to power the Arizona Room den/office. The planned outlet expansions for the office (too few at present) and the fish nook would be too much. So, a detour:

A southwestern pueblo style home has no basement, and no attic. So bury electric conduit outside and run the circuits. Might as well run a 2nd run of conduit to encase a Cat5e cable to bring a wired connection from the switch at the front of the house to add a 2nd switch there in the Den/Office.

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New circuits run. Depending on where I was in the process, 4 different mediums (abs conduit, emt, bx, and romex) were used to transport electrons. (this is why we have so many tools guys!). I'm pleased that the bedrooms no longer have the Arizona den/office stuff on them. Re-labeled the panel accordingly.

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Quite a diversion. Back to destruction of the arizona room closet to finish up the 'Fish Nook'

Entry widened, without disturbing the venetian plaster that is in every interior wall of my home. I got lucky here as the closet used to be a very fortified seperate structure. So it was T-11 with the sheetrock laid on top. That meant it was very forgiving as things were cut up with a SawZall. Plaster never cracked, even when cutting squares for the new outlets and data ports that would go in the office. Zero venetian plaster repair necessary.

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Here you can see the 60" bi-fold doors that will go in to close off the 'Fish Nook'. Like the idea of being able to close the nook off from the office on occasion. (also like the idea of maintaing that space as a closet, more or less, should we sell the home).

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The tile repair from where the wall plates were cut back was minimal, just pieced in. Floor bolts cut and grinded flush. Space was leveled out to receive new tile pieces:

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Tile repair looks okay. Challenging to match decades old tile and grout. It's flush and the bi-fold doors will cover most of it anyway.

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Again, pleased that so much work was done without damaging that office facing sheetrock. Old phone lines, old lighting circuit, new den/fishnook circuit, cat5e data lines, new header...

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The work on the boxes for the den is okay. Tried to use existing cuts in the sheetrock to avoid repairs. I dont' care that the alignment is a little funny at times. 2 new quad outlets and 4 cat5e data ports were installed in the office. Fish nook ceiling light switch was located to office side of the wall and made dimmable. Existing outlet brought into new Arizona den fish nook circuit. Once the doorway trim is on, minor imperfections will be less noticeable. Cat5 keystone jacks will be installed soon.

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Sheetrock work inside the fish nook is done. Photo shows a very small part as it's a tight space. Something about measuring twice and cutting once. Oh well, taping skills should fix those mistakes. The fish nook has 2 twin outlets and 2 quad outlets. (way more than enough for the fish equipment, as most of it will be wired into my homebuilt controller.). There is also an accessible splice box used to re-route the old light circuit. Good number of cut-outs in so little sheetrock.

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There are just two corners and one small seam to tape. Then the messed up faces on the older sheetrock will be repaired. Should be done over the weekend, as well as priming. Old shelf glue needs to be cleaned from the rear brick wall before the final color is applied.

This fish nook will contain just 2 36X72 fish racks that will have 4 display tanks and the 2 chamber sump. No space for water prep equipment, so the following is a sneak peak of where the RO Filter and Storage will go.
There is a nice closet (bodega) off of the carport at the front of the house. Hot water heater is there, so hot and cold water are available for a thermostatic mixing valve to keep that RO Filter working at it's optimum:

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That space will hold this equipment and a mag pump.

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The front bodega in the carport inherited the door that was removed from the office closet. A nice unintended benefit as it matches the style of all the doors in the house now. Need to paint it the spanish white of the carport.

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Remember, the carport bodega is in the front of the home and the fish nook is at the back of the home. How will RO water from the storage tank get to the fish nook? How will the RO waste reach the Citrus trees out back? How will wire pairs for level indication and pump control get from the fish nook to the water storage? With no basement, nor attic, a raceway needed to be created to run a 1/2" clean water hose, a 1/2" waste water line, and wire pairs for level sensors and pump control. This raceway will pass through 3 closets, but be exposed for 13' along the ceiling of the guest bedroom. So, it has to be pretty.

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3" Black PVC pipe painted with bronze hammer coat paint, so that it looks like an aged copper pipe. Hey, Arizona is the 'copper state' so it will look decent enough. A 3 5/8" hole saw will be used to make the penetrations through the sheet rock as it travles, 6 in total. I'll take pictures once I undertake that project.

The other project will be to remove waste water from the RO unit and fish tanks and drop it in the garden to water citrus trees. Just outside of the fish nook is the back convered patio that has a nice storage bodega, perfect for concealing pipe to transport the waste. A 2" drain line will run along the floor of the fish nook, pass through a wall to the rear patio, travel behind a storage bodega, and exit to the garden for the trees. Thankfully, this part of Arizona only has about 10 hard frost nights each winter, so this should be a viable means to dispose of the water without sending it down the sewer.

I'll keep this thread updated and include more 'fish elements' once the construction phase is over and stuff is moved into the water prep and fish nook areas. Attending to a few family things for the next 10 days, but will get back to it on my return.

[coralbandit]

It sure is fun being handy when working on fish stuff !
Looks like you are off to a great start on the little fish nook .
Having it in the office is bonus ..Something about all work and no play ??
Well done so far Peter !

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Tom,

Thank you. Yeah, it's amazing as you age all of the skills you've been exposed to and retained throughout your life. I'm not very good at any of it, but I'm good enough to tackle most of it on my own. Growing up poor required that I be handy, and that's a heritage I am eternally grateful for.

Got all of that glue and silicon off of the brick and the two coats of taping and joing compound laid on the sheetrock this afternoon and tonight. Will prime tomorrow and then paint tomorrow evening (I hope). Best part is, the fish nook is basically a closet, so it doesn't have to be a show piece for carpentry and construction skills. Just has to be well built, functional and look decent.

Tackling the bi-fold door will be fun as I've never actually installed one from scratch (just repaired them).

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Made 3-5/8" holes for the 3-3/8" O.D. 'Copper' painted Black PVC that will serve as a Raceway to carry R.O Water, Waste Water, Level Signals, Pump Commands between the Fish Nook at the back of my home and the R.O Water Bodega in the front of my home. I made 6 of these holes and they lined up very well (I made a template so that I could accurately mark each wall).

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This is what it looks like in the Guest Bedroom, the only place where it's exposed. It follows the roof line (flat Arizona roof with a slight pitch for rain water run-off). My Arizona pueblo style home has no attic and no basement.. and oddly enough this wall in the Guest room did not get studs and sheetrock when the house was built. So the large diameter pipe to serve as an all-purpose raceway was approved by my wife so long as I made it look 'artsy'. Where two pipes join, made sure that point lined up with the center of the room and the skylight (you can't see the 'moon-light' in the photo, but it is directly over the bed, centered in the room).

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Really happy to get that done, becuase it means I'm am no longer in any other part of the home.. just focused on the Fish-Nook and the R.O. Water bodega. Painting the Fish-Nook tonight and will get photos later in the week.

[peewee1]

Thanks for the update. You are an accomplished waterworks engineer.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Fishnook has been sheetrocked (green stuff), taped, primed (binz), and painted (semi-gloss). Nothing fancy, just used left-over primer and paint that came with the house (6+ years old, but was still very good). Can see the penetration of the 'copper' raceway... I'll trim a few inches off of it when I'm laying the drains on the bottom and am in that mood (pipe cutting).

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Just did the ceiling in the same stuff instead of taping it for white again. The ajoining office has the same venitian plaster on the ceiling as the walls... so it looks fine. Will make wipe downs easy if I get sloppy. I think the black shelving will make it look nice (Still need to go one more level up on the shelf unit to install the top shelf and hang the lights from it.) Of course there is a twin to that shelf unit too...
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Now onto the drain and the folding doors. (drain is already partly installed outside)..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Awesome. Started hanging the doors and had one propped against the jam to decide on vertical height for the final piece of the frame, when I tripped and made it tip over. Nothing like damaging a door before you even install it. Oh well, I'll put a sticker over or something..

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What did it hit? The 2nd half of my wet/dry sump that was sitting on a cart 6 feet away... just catching the edge. Hard for a decent guy to get a break. ;p

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wheeled outside to the back patio now. (little late for that). I'm going to try to just replace that busted pane... Shame... the door almost missed it.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Took a break from the doors as it was getting late and didn't want to run the power saw (very pleased at how accurate and true the rough opening for the door is!). So, I finished up the electric completely. All outlets in the fish nook and my den that are on the new circuit are operational. Will finish hanging the door and trimming it out throughout the week.. as well as complete the drain. Then the focus will become R.O. Water Prep Bodega (thermostatic mixing valve and mounting filters on the wall).

[Second Hand Pat]

That is a heck of a project Peter. :D
Pat

[rickztahone]

You sounded way calmer than I would have been had a door landed on my sump like yours did lol. Loving the progress made so far. Keep it up.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

You sounded way calmer than I would have been had a door landed on my sump like yours did lol. Loving the progress made so far. Keep it up.

You know, I didn't realize the door had fallen on the sump right away.. as my back was turned away.. and I just saw the door laying on the floor. I though it hit the corner of my desk. So, discovering 5 minutes later helped me to have a very different reaction.... like 'Oh, so that's what dented the corner of the door'. :D

This morning, I took a break from work and finished hanging the bifold doors. Came out very good, happy with the alignment, fit and action. Now, I'll trim them out and paint the trim.

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That is a heck of a project Peter. :D
Pat

You know, it's allot of work for 5 tanks (4 display tanks a small quarantine tank). But the new electrical circuits and network cabling benefit my little Office/Den/Lab as well as I had bad reception and had too many extension cords. Not part of this project, but when I ran that new circuit for the Den/Office/Lab, I also ran another circuit for my back covered patio to have lighting, ceiling fans, many outlets, garage sale find sound system for the yard and patio.... Because... I was kind of 'In the Zone'. I actually finished all of that patio/yard stuff first!

Just focused on living in one place really helps me to tackle projects. With the Covid happening, reduced work, etc... I've gotten soooo many home improvement / gardening projects done since April.

[coralbandit]

That's a shame about the door and sump .
Probably better then hitting your desk ?
Looking real good with progress..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Yeah, about that sump Tom: I didn't mention that before shifting gears to the door Tues morning, I went to the three hardware stores in my town here in Southern Arizona to buy glass to fix the Sump on Tues morning. No one has glass. They tell me they just can't get it in stock since the Covid Shutdowns. Crazy.I have a handful of broken tanks now, so I could dissamble one to get a glass panel... But man, the piano wire trick is not working...(I tried about three months ago and initially had success on one go, but not the next).

Bought trim pieces to match the existing trim in the room on Tuesday (while out looking for glass), so now I can finish the trim out. However, I'm pretty sick the last two days, yesterday (wed) and today (either the flu or a very bad cold). Definitley came on fast. Drove to Tucson yesterday evening to get tested for Covid as a precaution (my wife did too)... I don't think I have it as I'm very disciplined with wearing my mask, washing my hands, and distancing, but who knows? (I do shop and eat at restaurants). I'm definetly sick, achy and tired. But again, I'm sure it's just a really bad cold. So, I'll stick to the back of my home and garden until I get the results on Monday. (I'll just be working remotely the next few days). As I find energy, I'll do a few small things on this project, but nothing major for a few days.

[coralbandit]

I have used a 'painted window opening tool' like this one to disassemble tanks .
https://www.amazon.com/Hyde-45200-Window-Opener/dp/B00PD9FIP0
It is never as easy as some say but with that ,a razor knife and possibly a small wood / poly shim used as a wedge you will not struggle as much .
I hope you get feeling better soon ..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Thanks Tom,
I will have to order that tool. I have three broken tanks, but one of them can be salvaged to provide the panels for the other two. I really only need to fix one of them to get my 2nd Sump chamber back in play!

Yeah, feeling terrible, but no fever, so I'm pretty sure it's just a very achy cold. Been a few years since I've had one like this, so I was due! :D

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Finished Up the Drain.

In the FishNook, I decided to allow entry on each side of each stand. I also have an extra tall stand pipe for the R.O. Waste that makes it way from the R.O. Water Bodega, throught the Copper Raceway, down into the FishNook Drain Line..

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Here you can see it exits the outside wall of the Fish Nook... Needed to offset the exit to avoid structural 2X4s.

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Here is the only place on my back patio where the Fish Nook Drain Line is exposed. This is a little alcove where I have a stainless steel work table on wheels, so it's disguised. Had to offset it's entry into the Patio Bodega as well to get around those structural 2x4s too. The bodega is about 12' wide, so the line travels through it until it passes through a wall to where a lemon and grapefruit tree will be watered.

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Always details.

I also finished up all of that network cabling terminations. No more spotty wifi in my den/office for my desktop, laptop, printer and internet of things stuff (like the aquarium controller). Was incredible how much more reliable my connections were while I was working and doing VPN connections and Zoom meetings, etc... The Switch (garage sale find) is in a temporary location, utilizing a hole in the wall that has always been there (I decided to keep it, even duplicating it in the sheetrock on the inside of the fishnook... Eventually, the switch and the cables will go on a very high, close to the ceiling, shelf in the Fish Nook, hidden away. Even put outlets way up high in the fish nook for each of those shelves for plugging in out of the way equipment.

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Anyway, I always try to get something small done each day, even when sick. My wife and I seem to be getting a little sicker... but I still believe we have very nasty colds or 'normal' flu... and not the Corona Virus. Guess we will know by Monday. Here is what 20% of the testing line looked like Wednesday when we tested. :D Staying home meanwhile.

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[rickztahone]

I hope everything turns out well Peter. Our lines are mainly done via automobile.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Rick. Pretty sure my wife and I just have really terrible colds. Lots of bad aches, coughs, sneezes, congestion, fatigue, etc... but no fevers. Anyway, we should get results by Monday. We certainly feel horrible to be honest.

Ok, back to the Fish Nook. Soldiered on and finished the trim, shelves, and painting (i'll touch up over screw holes and do a little gap filling later). With the shelves, I don't like splinters and sharp edges so all of the edges and holes are also rounded by a router and quick sanded before the primer (the last bit of binz.. really stretched it) and two/three coats of semi-gloss went on.

High shelf for other equipment... office connections wired into the switch on the shelf, but lots of ports left for 'fishy' stuff (e.g. aquarium controller).

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Other high shelf built. Here you can see the R.O. Water Bodega Raceway above it.. and the holes I put through the shelf for passing tubes and wires.

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Hopefully, the FishNook will be more inviting now that I'm moving on to the 'fishy' bits instead of all of this construction.

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Need to finish erecting the stands to their full height and set the tanks down and start plumbing them in. Just before that, I will finish up the R.O. Water stuff in the R.O. Water Bodega upfront off the carport. Oh, yeah, that 2nd chamber of the Sump needs attention to (ordered that tool from Amazon... thanks Tom). Fun stuff.

[Second Hand Pat]

I also hope you have just a cold/flu Peter :) Hope you feel better soon!! Nice progress BTW.
Pat

[FischAutoTechGarten]

FishNook Racks fully erected. (Misplaced the balance of my cork sheets, so I can't put the other display tanks on yet...)

Now I feel like there is tons of work to do again.

I'm starting to lean towards not repairing chamber 2 of my sump and fitting my sensors and heater in chamber 1 and locating the pump on the other shelf along with the UV filter and CO2 reactor. Haven't decided yet. It does eliminate having to locate the UV filter and CO2 Reactor on the Wall.

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[rickztahone]

That is coming along nicely! You probably mentioned it but what are you going to do for humidity?

[FischAutoTechGarten]

That is coming along nicely! You probably mentioned it but what are you going to do for humidity?

I will only have 4 x 20L display tanks and the partially filled 2 x 20L Sumps with glass lids on everything. I live in the Sonora Desert (~35 miles from the Mexican Border), so it's quite dry. The 5' folding doors will often be opened. Furthermore, the raceway from the front of the bodega will provide a steady stream of fresh air. I'm not too concerned with humidity.

If I need be, a humidity sensor can be connected (https://atlas-scientific.com/probes/ezo-hum-embedded-humidity-sensor/) to my aquarium controller (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?136582-DIY-Control-RaspberryPi4-Raspbian-NodeRED-AtlasSci-Inst-NCD-ExpI-O-over-i2c) to turn on, when required, a 6" exhaust fan. (I have a nice 120V 6" muffin fan sitting around somewhere in my back bodega that I can install by simply punching through my FishNook's outside wall).

My existing 10 gallon tank (nursery/quarantine) and 5 gallon tank (plant nursery) are already in my den/office (again with lids). The air is so dry, I hardly sweat spills when trimming plants or changing water on these little tanks.

Ordered an inexpensive thermostatic mixing valve to install in the R.O. Water Bodega out front. When I feel better and can go fetch some cork so that I can fit the remaining tanks and plumb everything in. Still debating on repairing the 2nd Sump chamber.

[rickztahone]

Sounds like a good plan to me. When I had my 75g w/ sump humidity did become a concern really quick. Summers were really difficult without AC

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Well, as an aside. After 6 days, the test results came back, and I do in fact have Covid... which is a bummer. It feels allot like Dengue Fever (minus the high temperatures).... a little heaviness in the chest, lots of body ache, headache, and tiredness.

So, no leaving the house to get any supplies for about 10 more days... I'll keep busy with the stuff I've got here... I seem to get a burst of energy a couple of times a day (though yesterday and today... I did not.... LOL :D )

[rickztahone]

Well, as an aside. After 6 days, the test results came back, and I do in fact have Covid... which is a bummer. It feels allot like Dengue Fever (minus the high temperatures).... a little heaviness in the chest, lots of body ache, headache, and tiredness.

So, no leaving the house to get any supplies for about 10 more days... I'll keep busy with the stuff I've got here... I seem to get a burst of energy a couple of times a day (though yesterday and today... I did not.... LOL :D )

I'm sorry to hear Peter. A friend of mine recently had it and the chest heaviness is what was most difficult to deal with for him. Get some rest and take it easy.

[LizStreithorst]

Get well soon, Peter.

[JamesW]

Well, as an aside. After 6 days, the test results came back, and I do in fact have Covid... which is a bummer. It feels allot like Dengue Fever (minus the high temperatures).... a little heaviness in the chest, lots of body ache, headache, and tiredness.

So, no leaving the house to get any supplies for about 10 more days... I'll keep busy with the stuff I've got here... I seem to get a burst of energy a couple of times a day (though yesterday and today... I did not.... LOL :D )

I'm sorry to hear that Peter! If you feel up to it I would highly recommend trying to do some contact tracing, informing others of your status and the time/day you interacted with them. Stores, people etc. tough but necessary to do all you can to help others while you look after yourself.

As an aside 6 days is totally unacceptable for the purposes of containing a pandemic. Every time you have a cough or fever or sniffles you quarantine for a week? It is ridiculous that the USA still isn't able to provide timely/useful information.

[rickztahone]

I'm sorry to hear that Peter! If you feel up to it I would highly recommend trying to do some contact tracing, informing others of your status and the time/day you interacted with them. Stores, people etc. tough but necessary to do all you can to help others while you look after yourself.

As an aside 6 days is totally unacceptable for the purposes of containing a pandemic. Every time you have a cough or fever or sniffles you quarantine for a week? It is ridiculous that the USA still isn't able to provide timely/useful information.

Here in LA county most test results have a turn around time of less than a couple of hours. For those working, like my mother, she gets results back in 20 minutes. I believe it just changes from area to area.

[coralbandit]

Hoping you start feeling better fast Peter !
You have time now , have we talked about your stocking??

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I would highly recommend trying to do some contact tracing, informing others of your status and the time/day you interacted with them.

Yes. I called the restaurants that we had eaten at from the Friday night until Wednesday evening when I was tested, total of 2. I also notified the Home Depot and True Value that I bought a few supplies from. That's about it. Thankfully, we hadn't gone anywhere and I was really focused on the home improvement projects. OF course, we've quarantined from the moment we tested... so today would be starting day 8 of the quarantine.



You have time now , have we talked about your stocking??

Well, it's going to be four display tanks with the exact same water chemistry and environmental conditions as they are on a central system. Going to do corydoras, plecos, dwarf cichlids and tetras in each tank. Probably keep it simple.. with single types of each in each tank. For example:

Tank 1:
6 Lemon Tetras
6 Panda Cories
4 Blue Rams
2 Zebra Plecos
2 Ottocinclus
4 Cherry Shrimp

Tanks 2 - 4..
Different Plecos, different corydoras, different shrimp, different tetras, different color variations of Ramirezi (i.e. Powder Blue, Dark Knight, Blue Knight, Gold Ram).

For plants and shrimp... I was kind of hoping that the Desert Aquarist Society located in Tucson AZ would resume in-person monthly meetings where we have swap meets and auctions... So many of the members grow plants and sell/donate trimmings and breed shrimp that they sell/trade. But I think those in-person meetings will wait until past January. I was really pushing to resume them... but of course now that I've contracted Covid... I should probably keep my mouth shut about resuming meetings...

I'm going to be sticking to varieties of fish that I've raised before.... and nothing expensive. The 20L aquariums eliminate Anglefish, Discus or other large cichlids for sure...


Get well soon, Peter.

So.. Today I am feeling a bit better... but my wife is much worse.... It's her day to take 3 naps... So I'm doing some house cleaning... Some friends were nice enough to make a grocery run for us today, since we haven't been to the store in 8 days. Simple pleasures... I'm sipping on a nice ice-cold Corona at the moment...

[LizStreithorst]

Be sure watch your wife carefully, Peter. I hope that tomorrow she's be feeling better.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Be sure watch your wife carefully, Peter. I hope that tomorrow she's be feeling better.

Will do Liz! We are taking turns preparing herbal tea for one another!

This is starting to get fun!

Laying out the Hydor 25W Heating Cables in each 20L display tank.

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I'll mess around to find the optimal layouts... A small mixture of fine gravel and laterite clay will cover the cables. Then another lfine layer of just gravel will go on top of that. Total substrate depth will be about 1-1/2" These will be planted display tanks.

[JamesW]

Here in LA county most test results have a turn around time of less than a couple of hours. For those working, like my mother, she gets results back in 20 minutes. I believe it just changes from area to area.

Oh California! I lived there for 8 years, and miss it for many reasons. I don't for others but this is one reason I miss it.

Of course, originally I am from QLD Australia who have eradicated the community spread.

[two utes]

Wishing you and your wife well.
Its been good seeing the progression of your fish nook....Do you have any concerns with keeping electrical components up high in there? I'm thinking being a confined space you may have an issue with humidity.

[LizStreithorst]

How about an update on the health situation, Peter?

[FischAutoTechGarten]

How about an update on the health situation, Peter?

Liz. We feel about the same, maybe a tad worse. Bit of a cold front right now (had frost last night, and may tonight as well), so we both feel some aches... actually we feel worse than yesterday. However, we are not alarmed at all as we are breathing fine. Thank goodness for Washers, Dryers, Dishwashers and Vaccuums that clean tile floors. Makes it easier to keep up on housework even though neither one of us has much desire. Yesterday, two couples came by with homemade soup. That was a pleasant surprise and two meals we don't have to cook. However, I will say just repairing my sump sapped me of my energy today. It's 6:30pm and I'll probably veg and watch a movie... The dogs are upset that their walks are really short and just twice a day.


Wishing you and your wife well.
Its been good seeing the progression of your fish nook....Do you have any concerns with keeping electrical components up high in there? I'm thinking being a confined space you may have an issue with humidity.

The FishNook is a 3'x8' space that has a 5' x 6'8" opening into my office, so it's not really that confined. Water temps will be 80degF.. not the hight 86degF that many discus keepers maintain. Our house is dry (sonoran Desert). A little humidity in the home will be welcome. We maximize ventilation through the home so that we can cut back on A/C in the spring/fall. Notice the louvered windows into the guest room; those and the hallway have a straight shot to the 6' sliding glass patio doors of my den/office. Ceiling fan keeps air moving around (every room in the home (sans bathrooms), even our back patio, has ceiling fans). Both sump chambers and all four display tanks will have glass covers (I know open aquariums are the rage, but some of my fauna will be jumpers...). As I answered another poster, I can always add a humidity sensor and install a vent fan, all wired into my homemade aquarium controller, if I feel the need to exchange air to lower humidity.

Lots of fresh air sources for the space:

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[FischAutoTechGarten]

I mentioned 'both chambers' of my sump. So yeah. I broke out all of my busted tanks (1 broken removing rim, 1 broken drilling a hole without my jig, 1 sump that was hit by a falling door).

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Successfully removed an end panel from teh tank on the far right to replace the busted end panel on the sump on the far left. Why Recycle? Because I have Covid and can't go shopping.
Sharp Glass, Heat Gun and Razon Blades... not for the faint of heart. This is the first time I've succeeded doing this, so I'm kind of happy about it...

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Jig in place to drill the new hole that will connect this sump chamber to the other sump chamber.

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It's going to get cold, so my wife gave me permission to do the sump panel assembly on the kitchen counter top for stable temperatures. (I'm neat.. no spills).

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I guess I could have used masking tape for cleaner lines, but I was over confident and thought I could make them cleaner than I did. Oh well, always humiliating lessons to be learned. I'll let it dry until morning, then set it in the stand in the FishNook. I will allow it to cure until Sunday evening before I attach it to the other chamber. It means figuring out how I want to mount the U.V. Sterilizer and the CO2 Reactor. I just couldn't sacrifice that extra volume of water in the combined sump that is going to allow me to stock my tanks nicely.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Started plumbing things up. Began with the 1/2" supply lines. Invested in Hydroponics grade barb connectors and tubing. Unfortunately, one manufacturer's 1/2" is not the same as another's. Bulkhead fittings are a bit larger. Thank goodness for a heat gun. Will definitely be some very good seals. A valve immediately proceeds/follows each of the troublesome bulkhead elbows, so at least I'm heating up and wedging very small segments of hose. It's only the bulkhead elbows that are especially tight and require heat... So just some hard work for 9 1/2" connections and then 8 more 3/4" connections.

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Man, I thought Hydroponic stuff would be so much easier than gluing PVC. Not so sure. :D

[LizStreithorst]

OK. You know what to watch out for. At the mere hint of shortness of breath get your selves to a hospital, PLEASE. You may just need supplemental O2 and a shot of Dexamethasone. The heck with braving it out with Covid 19. Lethargy is the first sign of lack of oxygen. Shortness of breath comes second.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

OK. You know what to watch out for. At the mere hint of shortness of breath get your selves to a hospital, PLEASE.

I estimate that I'm 12 days into Covid, my wife probably 11. Definitely no lethargy today. Today we felt better. Lots of cooking and cleaning.

I've plumbed more than half of the fish rack. (Even deciding on how i will include the CO2 reactor and UVFilter, which I put together today). I'm liking the black tubing and very happy that I put an isolation valve on every entry and exit of every tank.

Tomorrow (Sunday), I hope to finish the plumbing, hang the lights, and put in the gravel/laterite mix in each of the display tanks (at the very least to weigh down the heating cables that keep coming out of place)..

I'm a bit behind on my secular work, so sickness or no sickness, I need to log some decent hours this week... I can work remotely, so Covid won't be an issue. So, I don't know how much more Fish Nook stuff I'll get done throughout the week.

[coralbandit]

Nice with the heat gun !
Glad you are feeling up to things ..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Before disposing of broken glass, decided to fix another aquarium. That means of my original 8, I broke 3, but repaired 2, and am only scraping 1. Not bad. But more importantly, I gained a skill and the confidence to work with glass. It was soooo fast removing the 2nd pane from the broken aquarium and placing it in the other broken aquarium... under 1/2 hr total! Another cold night, so this one is curing on the kitchen counter as well. Before scraping the last aquarium, I removed the bottom... and it will be my template for building the 6 glass tops I need.

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Still lots more work to do. Will be interesting to see what is accomplished throughout the week.

[famtsberg]

Glad your getting better and the nook looks great. your choices of fish sound amazing can't wait to see it done.

Cheers
Fritz

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Did some small work in the R.O. Water Prep Bodega. Mounted the R.O Unit and the Pump. Of course I'm waiting on the Thermostatic Mixing Valve to arrive to complete hookup of the R.O. Unit.

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Pump is attached via a generous section of hose that allows the Storage Vessel to be re-positioned when necessary. A Tru-Union is employed for quick disconnects. The 65 Gallon R.O Storage (nominally about 55gal) is on wheels so that it can be repositioned to allow for access to other things in the Bodega. (Honestly, I'd love to trade this 24" diameter water storage for a small diameter unit... or square unit, so that it wouldn't take up so much space... but I'll live with it).

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First use of the raceway... R.O Water line from the Bodega to the FishNook.

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Need to run the R.O. Waste line, Storage Level Lines, and Pump Command Lines down the raceway this week...

[LizStreithorst]

Peter, I admire all that you can do and figure out how to do so beautifully, but I'm mostly happy that you are getting better. How is your wife doing? Better too, I hope.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Thank you Liz.

My wife is good. She definitely is feeling better. I would say this morning is the best that I have felt in 15 days, so that's good.

Yesterday evening we went for a nice walk with the dogs on an abandoned golf course, so it was nice to get out of the house. Then we ordered a takeout pizza, where we paid on line, and then had them set it on top of the roof of our car so that it was totally contactless. Small comforts. LOL. :D

I would describe my wife as completely bored and just ready to be over this!

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Peter, I admire all that you can do and figure out how to do so beautifully.

I try to make things look neat and like they belong out of respect for my wife. She works hard to keep a nice, clean, comfortable home and I don't want my projects to detract from that. Even when something is under construction, I try to wipe down, sweep up, tidy up, put things away, etc... It takes discipline, because I am cursed with this drive to constantly take on projects just because I want to learn something new and because I can... However, that can get out of hand and disorderly really fast. I'm so much better than when I was a younger man (total house remodels, too many car builds, etc...). I shutter to recall how many irons in the fire that I used to keep and the stress that caused my wife!

[FischAutoTechGarten]

This is a Static Fill test of the Sump with both Chambers connected together. 100% pure R.O. Water. I thought I had a True Union to fit between them, but I've misplaced it. I'm joining them together with 1" hose at the moment. Don't like being unable to isolate them from one another with a valve, so I have a true union on order and will replace this temporary hose arrangement. I can isolate every tank and divert the output of the Sump pump to the drain if I want to quickly drain it should I detect a leak and need to affect a repair.

129720

I'll let this sit today and slowly bring each of the four display tanks on line, one at a time, over the next few days.

Still more work to do.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Last night was a big evening.. Was going to start circulating water, but opted to add a big of silicon to very slip/friction fitting. Just didn't trust them (though admittedly they held up good when being tested on my patio). I'll let them cure for 24 hours before I circulate any water through them, which means holding off on filling the display tanks.

129731

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Feeling better. My wife too. I had a full day of work, then got after it this evening and tonight.

Mixed 20lbs of 2mm gravel w/ 1000grams (2.2lbs) of fine laterite.

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Placed 5.5lbs of the mixture in each tank to cover up the under substrate heating cables. It was messy.

129733

Each Display tank received an additonal 20lbs of 2-3mm gravel on top of the laterite substrate. Dinner plates placed in each tank to reduce splashing and clouding of water as they were filled.

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All the display tanks are full and circulating. No leaks in any of the tanks or the plumbing. (there were other leaks. I'll describe below). The water clarity is pretty good (pays to rinse the gravel before adding), considering the use of laterite in the lower substrate.

129735

Installed the water quality sensors (temp, pH, D.O., ORP, Conductivity) in the 2nd chamber of the sump and connected them to my homemade aquarium controller (need to complete the installation of that 2nd relay board in the enclosure). Need to neaten it all up and calibrate the probes. (D.O. probe needs to be rebuilt... I have the parts...). Obviously it's all temporary for now.

129736

So, what did I learn starting it up today?

1. My sump is loud. I thought the tubes falling into the filter socks would quite things down. Not really. Going to have to revisit that.

2. Flow is poor. I have a 1/2" line going leaving my circulation pump and feeding each aquarium. I need to have a 3/4" line leave the pump as a trunk line... and branch a 1/2" line off of each display tank. It's a minor amount of work.

3. My Mag5 pump is weak. I have a strong one in the R.O. Water Bodega (which is operating in bootleg mode at the moment...with garden hoses feeding it...), but the same model that I have in my Sump is noisy and week. I'll swap them around and see if that improves thing.

4. All external devices leaked. My 25W UV Filter leaked at threaded fittings despite the generous use of teflon tape... it's the odd fitting threaded barb fittings I used.... They are junk and I'll get better ones. My Flow Meter leaked... Again, the odd fitting threaded barb fittings... so that needs to get replaced too. My CO2 reactor leaked... Turns out it was missing a part.... So, I'll have to resolve that. Anyway.. during a startup..when all of your external devices spring leaks... you just start bypassing them and taking them out of the circuit..... oh and grab mops and rags.... That's why you don't see a flow meter, CO2 reactor, or UV Filter hooked up and in use in the final foto with the aquarium controller.

5. The cheap home depot racks are working out well. My de-rimmed tanks are trust worthy as well. The hydroponics tubing and fittings are the bomb: No glue, No clamps, just elbow grease and a heat gun. The valves are awesome.. I love having complete control of every input/output of each display tank.

6. I can tell I made the right decision by sticking with the two chamber sump. Lots of space for working. Going to install all of the level switches in chamber 2 next week.

7. Going to use one of the side walls in the fish nook to mount the external equipment. a nice 2'X4' black stained 3/4" plywood sheet stood off from the wall a bit should suffice to mount everything and keep it off the floor and somewhat out of sight.

8. Did I mention everything its really loud? Yeah... going to work on that.

9. Will hold off on flora and fauna for a couple weeks (have to cycle the sump filter anyway) as I want to get the rest of the equipment installed on the wall, install the LED strips and get the water circulation modifications made...

10. I don't have lids yet.. Need to make 6. Will use glass.. will have all cabling exit the corners through chamfered corners. Chamber1 of the Sump will have a smaller lid as the filter sock supports rise above it.. It will be soon, as I don't want all of that open water in my Den/Office/FishNook.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Worked hard today... but spent the evening mounting the lights. It was quick.
I mounted two Ecoxotic 12" 6W Stunner Strips to a small piece of 1/2" x 3/4" x 32" wood... These lights are obsolete now, but I have a whole stash of New Old Stock, So I'm using them. They are 24V and I have them on a Common Dimmer for all Display Tanks.

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Here they are installed... Full Strength. They are 8000K. (I went back and forth when gettng lights years ago between 6500K and 8000K).

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Here are the lights dimmed.. Unfortunately the camera compensated for low light, so it's hard to appreciate difference between the two photos.

129742

Obviously, I have to add some extensions to the lighting cords and hide it all better. Same with the Heating Cables.. they need some extensions added so that I can hide them better as well. However, that's all I'm going to do this evening/tonight, besides clean my office/den up a little. We are over the Covid after more than 18 days. Tomorrow, we are going to get out of the house and perhaps do somthing in Tucson.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Welcome to Beginning Aquarium Planting 101.

Well, yesterday I recieved an email that the very best local fish store in Tucson (probably all of Arizona) is closing in 3 weeks (https://www.arizonanatureaquatics.com). The owners are getting out of retail and taking jobs as environmental scientist/researches/educators. So, while my wife and I were in Tucson, we stopped by his store. It was already so picked over (people rushed to buy up his stock!). I bought many plant cuttings, and combed over all of his tanks finding the remaining Ottos and Amanos that were hiding out. My wife got some fancy tail guppies. I also bought an additional 200W submersible heater to set in the 2nd chamber of the sump... as it's colder in my Den/Office than the rest of the house and I was struggling to get above 74degF in the whole system (doesn't help that I don't have lids yet). For six months out of the year, I will be able to take that 200w heater completely out of service.

129750

Once I raided my own aquariums, I have 2 Amano Shrimp and 2 Ottocinclus Affenis for each of the 20L Display Tanks. I have some Corydoras Julii distributed in the lower tanks. (5 in one, 4 in the other). I also put my wife's Fancy Tail Guppies ( 2 males, 2 females, and a freebie fingerling) in one of the lower tanks as well. That's all for fish... (and it's not that many considering the whole system has about 105 gallons). I won't add any others (okay, I will probably put 4 Ember Tetras in one of the upper tanks once the whole system achieves 80degF) until I have a full cycling of the filtration. I'll watch ammonia and nitrates/nitrites... and can always do a big water change as I always have about 60 gallons of pure R.O Water in reserve.

It's nice to enjoy and looks like it's always been part of the Arizona Room / Office / Den... now add / Fish Nook. During the week I will mount a the 2'x4' plywood (I got up really early this morning and routered, sanded and stained it... so it's ready to go) on one of the walls so that I can get the CO2 and UV Filter off of the floor and better manage some power cables.

129751

The 10 gallon quarantine tank in the picture is close by and ready to be put in service. There is another small planted tank on the other side of the room as well (a little 5 gallon mini aquarium) that has had the job of housing some of shrimp, ottos and tetras for the Fish Nook until it's all ready.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I'd like get some of the equipment off of the floor and have a place to tie in connections. So began prep work to install an equipment panel. Panel is 2' x 4' and unfortunately won't hit a stud on one edge... which I knew... but as I want to really be able to suspend heavy devices on this panel, I want it secure. So I'm adding an extra piece of wood that will mount with Steel Toggle Bolts to anchor behind the sheet rock. The other two hit the studs. In the end..

129759

I wish I had just installed a full width 3' x 4' panel, but I had already routered, sanded and stained a 2'x4' scrap i had laying around so no money needed to be spent. It will do.

129760

I should of put it about 6" lower, but oh well... It's there now. ;)

[FischAutoTechGarten]

At the bequest of my wife, I worked on the noise. Pump swap was successful and it's much quieter (and more powerful). I lengthened a few lines from the aquarium discharges that feed the Sump.. They now extend beyond the waterline emptying directly into the filter socks... I can still remove the filter socks, but it's a bit of a wrestle. Good thing the tubing is quite flexible.

Mission accomplished it is very, very quiet now.

129765

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Decided to put the UVFilter and other In-Line equipment on the new mounted Equipment Panel in the Fish Nook.

129797

Two things... and it made me laugh really hard!

1. I forgot to plumb the CO2 Reactor back in! So mad.. used up the last of my 1/2" hydroponics tubing and 1/2" elbows... so now I can't put it back in until I get more supplies. CO2 Reactor has to be the last thing before returning to the Display Tanks because I fear if I have free CO2 bubbles (my reactor is small and I need to buy/build a bigger one) running through the Flow Meter, I might get false readings. Stupid is what Stupid does....

2. There really is too much stuff for this 1/2" tubing with the UV Filter, Flow Meter, CO2 reactor all in series and the near 5' head and then branching to 4 1/2" lines for each Display Tank.. Considering plumbing everything at 3/4" right up to the 1/2" aquarium valves at each tank. The 1/2" into each individual tank is fine..and the lateral outlets really work well when there is good flow even at 1/2". Here's a photo of the performance when I take it down to two display tanks and the equipment...even though at 1/2"... It's very good.

129798

Anyway, some fine tuning is in order...

[famtsberg]

Looks great, you and the wife have done a great job.

[coralbandit]

Looking good .
Mag drive pumps although very reliable are loud and add heat to the tank ..I have been told on average 4 degrees above room temp ..
I have models from 5-24 over the last 10 years . I still use some but replacement impellers aren't cheap for them ..
I switched my sumps over to DC pumps . I love them even though they are cheap Chinese knock offs .
They are digitally controlled so adjusting flow is easy and economic ..I do and have always oversize my pumps but with the digital it easy ,safe and cheap ..
I do agree you should probably increase to 1 inch or 3/4 and then reduce to individual tanks .Maybe only reduce the lower and leave the upper at 3/4 to "even out flow " without using individual gat or ball valves ??
Looking good though Peter !

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Looks great, you and the wife have done a great job.

Thank You Fritz! My wife has taken a real interest in the setup.... I was oblidged to add fancy tail guppies to two of the four tanks for her. :o


Looking good .
Mag drive pumps although very reliable are loud and add heat to the tank .
I do agree you should probably increase to 1 inch or 3/4 and then reduce to individual tanks .Maybe only reduce the lower and leave the upper at 3/4 to "even out flow " without using individual gat or ball valves ??
Looking good though Peter !

Tom,
I already have individual ball valves on everything...for isolation and flow control. I actually keep my Mag pump fully submerged in the Sump... that way that waste heat is helping me out in the winter but ... It also quiets it down a bit.

I definitely need to improve the turn-over ratio of the whole system. 3/4" right up to the ball valves of each tank. thinking about putting the CO2 Reactor and the UVFilter in parallel instead of series... you don't need all of the water circulating through both of them at every turn over.... splitting the flow between them... and then rejoining after will remove those devices as flow bottlenecks...



Fixed that folding door that got bashed when it fell on the Sump (and broke it).

129817

Desert Aquarist Society Vinyl Sticker... No adhesive.. Won't damage paint... Until I get arund to affecting a permanent repair. ;p

129818

Tomorrow I'm off to Seattle for the Weekend. And Yes Yes Yes, I'm going to visit Aquarium Zen... (Aquariumzen.net) one of the finest fresh water fish stores in the USA. Kind of excited. Will bring a styrofoam cooler on the plane!

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I've done an initial planting and introduction of fish to the aquariums. Stock is from Arizona Nature Aquatics (Tucson, AZ) and Aquarium Zen (Seattle, WA). It's all basic inexpensive stuff as I get used to running in the entire Fish Nook. Looking forward to getting a few more corydoras species, dwarf plecos, and ramirezi varities from good private breeders / hobbyist.

129875

129876

129877

129878

There are no discus, but allot of the varities that I have chosen often accompany discus. The guppies belong to my wife, and I am required to maintain a healthy number of varities, as that is what she really enjoys seeing swimming about in the tank.

Now the re-learning really begins!

[famtsberg]

Looks amazing sir, you and your wife should be very proud.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Looks amazing sir, you and your wife should be very proud.

Thank you Fritz. Still some work to be done.
Upsize some water lines to increase turn-over flow
Install thermostatic mixing valve in the R.O. Bodega
Install level switches for Water Storage Barrel and Chamber2 of the Sump.

Evaporation is more significant than imagined, so Glass Lids must be built.

Lots of work to be done, but getting motivated is easier with the display tanks full of plants and fish and shrimp

[coralbandit]

Nice to see fish .
Enjoy getting to play more .

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Nice to see fish .
Enjoy getting to play more .

Tom,

I did get some Gold rams while in Seattle that were bred locally. The Blues were not, but seem okay. I've not kept them in some time and I'm anxious to see how I do with raising them. cories and tetras are common varities that I've enjoyed raising in community tanks in the past, but it's been 20+ years since they've graced any tank of mine.

So yeah... about fish... lacking a few dwarf corydoras species (really like the Adolfois) ... and of course, I haven't purchased a single dwarf pleco yet (man they are all so expensive).
And then there is the subject of PowderBlue, DarkKnights, BlueKnights, ElectricBlue rams.... I'd like to try some of those... I still have two of the 20L display tanks devoid of dwarf cichlids.... so ready to add two more varieties.... Know of any? :p :D ;) hint hint wink wink ? Do you maintain a store on Aquabid or a Homefront here on SimplyDiscus? I'd like to see what you are breeding...

[coralbandit]

Tom,

I did get some Gold rams while in Seattle that were bred locally. The Blues were not, but seem okay. I've not kept them in some time and I'm anxious to see how I do with raising them. cories and tetras are common varities that I've enjoyed raising in community tanks in the past, but it's been 20+ years since they've graced any tank of mine.

So yeah... about fish... lacking a few dwarf corydoras species (really like the Adolfois) ... and of course, I haven't purchased a single dwarf pleco yet (man they are all so expensive).
And then there is the subject of PowderBlue, DarkKnights, BlueKnights, ElectricBlue rams.... I'd like to try some of those... I still have two of the 20L display tanks devoid of dwarf cichlids.... so ready to add two more varieties.... Know of any? :p :D ;) hint hint wink wink ? Do you maintain a store on Aquabid or a Homefront here on SimplyDiscus? I'd like to see what you are breeding...

I have rams listed on the apisto page of aquabid .
I also have small super red plecos if they interest you .
Seems the latest favorite of my creations is the BEX which is a black EBR cross.They look real nice according to many people ..Each one is different and unique which is what I like best ..
Usually I like fish like the GBR or EBR that produce fish that fit into the standards but the color of the crosses are so nice I am enjoying the differences ..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Thanks Tom. I'll keep a look out!

Had my first death of a fish in the Fish Nook (in fact it's the first death of a fish I've had since last year). It was an Ottocinclus (never have had one of those die in my life). Cause? Perhaps hunger? The tanks are too clean, totally devoid of algae, and the tank he was in has some Gold Rams and Emperor Tetras that compete for the Algae tabs I leave for him. Bummer.

Anyway, decided to perform a battery of tests:

Temp 79degF (all of my sensors are reading correctly).
pH 6.9 (my pH probe says 7.0... so I need to calibrate the probe).
ammonia < .1 (that's good.. though I do expect it to creep up a little with the increased fish population and the newness of the sump)
nitrite undetectable (that's good)
nitrate undetectable (probably reflects the newness of the system... just 3+ weeks old)
KH 1dKH (about 15ppm) yeah, reflects the use of 95% R.O. Water
GH < 20 mg/L (very soft, yeah reflects the use of R.O. Water)

Even though it's a common system... I pulled all of the water samples from the tank that he died in, rather than the sump.

I'll keep monitoring closely. I had 1 pair of Guppies (my wife likes them) in this tank and the male seemed to venture off and isolate himself. I moved that pair to another tank that had two other guppie pairs this morning.. and his behavior has changed, all 3 pairs chill together. There are also 4 Gold Rams in this tank.. and one of those goes off on it's own as well...

So I have two ideas:

1. I might have bullying present... This tank just has 2 Ottos, 2 Amanos, 3 Peppermint Shrimp, 4 Gold Rams, 6 Emperor Tetras (No corydoras... the only tank without them). Lightly loaded... I don't see bullying.
2. It has a different piece of driftwood than the others.... It's branchy wood and it's very dark. Maybe it is leaching something that affected the Otto, the Guppy, and the Gold Ram.

I'll just observe things... The Guppy is moved... The Gold Ram that hangs alone is eating... Anyway. everything looks good.

Okay maybe not (yeah.. I've been writing this post and observing for 20 minutes)... there is some Bullying from the dominate Male Ram towards this other Male Ram... but it's really minor....
However, I did notice a long stringy poop from this more submissive Male... Going to see if it's anything abnormal... Everyone knows Rams are famous for Gut parasites... Or he could be shedding his intestinal lining because of stress. Time for me to do some reading, picture viewing and learning.

129913

Might seem weird to focus on the Ram when the Otto died... but the Otto is dead... and I just want to make sure the Ram isn't going to be next.

Parameters are good and I have 25W of uv filtration in use... so that is a measure of comfort.

[coralbandit]

Most if not all otto are wild collected and not fed one thing till taken home from time of capture .
I have read they have a special bacteria in their gut that needs to be fed and often that is one of the main causes of loss upon initially acquiring them .
Male rams will bully each other and sometimes the stress or actual beating can just be too much for the sub dominant ..
The gold does look good ..What are you feeding them ?

[FischAutoTechGarten]

The otto was an Ottocinclus Vitatus (very good color for an Otto) that was new, acquired in Seattle. Most of my Ottos are Ottocinclus Affinis.
I am putting down an Algae Thin for the Shrimp and Ottos in each tank (1/2 in the wee hours of the morning just before the lights come on, 1/2 in the evening at lights out).
I enjoy community tanks, but they are more challenging at feeding time... Making sure everyone is getting fed.

This is what everyone else eats (when not stealing the Algae wafers):
Betta Bug Bites and Omega One Veggie Mini Pellets. Morning and Night, all everyone can eat in 2 minutes.

129926

I have a cheap tetra multi-flake food that I give as an afternoon treat.. all they can eat in 1 minute.

The Ram's coloration is actually much better than my picture suggest. Both males (dominate and submissive) have really good red crowns and finnage, deep golden color, and really great blue speckling on the flanks. Both are developing a nice frontal hump and have good shape. I definitely have pairing-up activity between the dominate male and the dominate female, so that's indicative of overall good system health.

If the bullying intensifies, I'll move the less dominate male and less dominate female over to one of the 20L aquariums that has no dwarf cichlids.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I can say for a certainty everyone feels good. The Gold Rams are pairing off to two pairs. The dominate male is spawning with one of the females at this moment... In the other corner the other male is display to the other female.. and she is busy cleaing a rock... Everyone has been engaging in the jaw locking... Funny Stuff.. I took a video, but don't know how to load it to this site. The Panda Guppy is super happy with the tank mates in the other tank and is schooling with everyone.

I noticed the 2nd Chamber of the Sump was getting some surface scum.... Chamber 1 with the media didn't have this.. and of course none of the display tanks have it because of the dual 3/4" water exits at the surface. Thought about adding air to agitate the surface a little, but that would counteract the CO2 addition.

Went to Arizona Nature Aquatics when I was done working today to see what Ben and Marche had left as they are shutting down the Retail Store. Totally picked over, but Ben invited me to the equipment room and let me look at a few goodies. I picked up an Ehiem Surface Skimmer for $5... awesome piece of kit as it has the ability to adapt to a changing surface level upto/within an inch. That's fine, because my Automatic Top-Off function in the 2nd Chamber of the Sump reacts to maintain a consistent water level within 1/2" . It's awesome. Completely quiet and cleared the surface within 60 seconds. Will probably considering putting it on a Timer, as it doesn't seem necessary to run it all of the time.

129932

Also picked up 2 Current 24V 24" 12000k LED Strips (similar to my Stunner Strips) with a transformer and dimmer for $20. There a bit blue for the planted tanks, but they are perfect for illuminating the sump area when I want to work. Might go back and get a few more.

He's also selling 20gallon long aquariums complete with a drilled bulkhead, lexan cover and gravel for $15usd... Yes you heard that correctly. I'd be all over them, but honestly... I have all of the tanks I want... and I don't need to buy more... store them... resell them.... yadda, yadda, yadda... The are better quality than mine... but hey... mine are already in play. Trying to learn to be content and satisfied!! I thought about getting them just for the lexan covers, but I already have several panes of glass at 12" x 36".... I'll trim 5 5/8" off of them... and glue guides so they fit on top of the aquariums correctly. That's tomorrow's project.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Today,
I decided to make two of the lids for the 2 chambers of the Sump.

Lexan turned out to be 188 dollars a sheet before tax... so yeah, like I said above, decided to use the glass panes I had above. I don't like them as they are thin, but we will see how they work.

Used oil and a glass cutter. Pretty good. Also hit every edge and corner with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper so that they would be less likely to cut. Worked well, you can handle them.

129953

The Chamber 1 of the Sump lid is 24" long because of the riser for the 4" Filter bags. There is nothing electrical in this section, so no cable protrusions. NOtice the little rubber guides on the underside that were superglued to help in alignment... and the little plastic hooks that were superglued on top to handle it. Exploratory trip to the Dollar Store to buy those... I knew I could find cheap alternatives to real handles. (Handles for all the lids for every tank in the system for under $3.)

129954

Chamber 2 of the Sump needes a 30" lid. However, it also needs protrusions for the sensors (level switches and Atlas-Sci Probes) and the equipment (heater, surface skimmer, pump, auto-top off). so I had to cut angled corners to pass those through...

129955

We will see how they work and how much time passes before I break one and deal with all of that... Only need to get into the Sumps about once a week.

I will make up the remaining ones throughout the week. (each will need a protrusion for it's heating cable and the wave pump).

[Shan_Evolved]

Looking shweet pete. Would love to see the video of the rams

[FischAutoTechGarten]

This was the Temp/Humidity in the FishNook right at the Display Tanks before the Lids (okay.. I did put the lid on like 1 minute before hand... so that I could put this device on the rack).

129962

Here is the Thin Lid. I don't like them. Ok... I hate them... and I even admitted it to my wife who said they were far too delicate.. Even with the guides... really hard to get them to set on top perfectly... the 12" width cuts it too close. I was just trying to use what I had... I sanded all of the edges so they aren't sharp and you can handle them. I'll keep these until I break and chip them. They are still 'steamed' over... which probably cuts out light??

129963

Here is the Temp/Humidity after adding Lids. (I should point out... I cut down the lids for the sumps quite a bit... Just too much vibration with tubing and cables hitting everything. So there is room for heat and moisture to escape the sumps. Oh well. Bear that in mind though when you see the results after just 1 hour:

129964

Interesting.. less humidity... and higher air temp...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Was messing around this morning with cable management (still need to tuck away some cables...should have planned that out before even setting the tanks on the stands.).

I noticed that all of the fish in one of the tanks were a bit lethargic. I noted the same yesterday. Not swimming as much.. not eating. Ran a battery of tests... no ammonia, nitrite or nitrates. This was the tank where the Gold rams paired off, spawned, and ate their eggs... Remember all of the tanks are on a central system... so It's the same chemistry. Here is how the tank is positioned. (it's the one circled in orange).

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I decided that perhaps because of it's location (furthest from the sump)... It's hard to get the same turnover (even with valve tweaking) as the others... Of course with the lids, there is less air exchange occuring at the surface. No worries... I've ordered a pump that is more than twice as powerful as the Mag5 currently in use.. will be here within a week. I thought, maybe there just isn't the same level of oxygen in that tank as the other three? So, I quickly rigged up an airline and pump and turned it on (you can see the cord, airline and bubbles in the foto). I don't even have an airstone or diffuser in my possession.. so they are big noisy bubbles. Within 10 minutes everyone came to life... The emperor tetras schooling... The rams displaying, the red-rilli shrimp are foraging. etc... Interesting.

The New pump (Hydrofarm Active Aqua AAPW1000 submersible pump) ... is rated at 1000gph and has a venturi attachment when submerssed which I will utilize to introduce a bit more air into the return water stream. When I recieve it, I will pump the lines from 1/2" to 3/4". Hopefully that improves water circulation and oxygen levels.

Meanwhile, I'll get an air valve and stone today to dial down that airpump for the time being... as uncontrolled bubbling air definitely drives out the CO2..

Anyway, illustrates the importance of constant observation!

[Shan_Evolved]

Video!!!

[Iminit]

Great job Pete! For ottos they will have a hard time in your tanks cause they’re new. Ottos like an established tank with bio-film and algae growing. As stated most are wild caught. For rams corals are the best!!
http://youtu.be/5kXOM4nsrDs

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Great job Pete! For ottos they will have a hard time in your tanks cause they’re new. Ottos like an established tank with bio-film and algae growing. As stated most are wild caught.

I pulled about 8 tall bacopa caroliniana from my small 5 gallon plant/shrimp/otto nursery tank from the beginning. Even left a little bit of the green hair algae that they had on them (not afraid of an epidemic in my tank). Also, added a bit of aquavitro seed bacteria to the tank to help establish the biofilter. So, doing my best to provide more than just algae wafers for the ottos/shrimp. It's only 2 ottos per 20 gal long tank, so it's not allot of competition.


Quick and Dirty posting. I guess FischAutoTechGarten needed to open a YouTube account to link the videos... No video upload feature here on SimplyD (understandable... storeage/bandwidth issues).

Gold Rams with their frist spawn. Yeah... I'm not really good taking photos or videos (lack the patience) .. I think I failed to actually egg laying and fertilizing, but at least you see their behavior... they ate the eggs shrotly after being so young and new.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWBzWiwiO4c

[Iminit]

Just drop the last s in the https.

[Iminit]

http://youtu.be/KWBzWiwiO4c

[Iminit]

Ok I’d be lying if I said I figured this out myself. I give all credit to Dan Taylor:). Though the reposting I did just figure out :).

[coralbandit]

The venturi is going to add a noise factor..
Using the ehiem surface extractor will help with surface movement /gas exchange .
I take the sponges out and even add food using them .Fish love it ..
I have the ehiems and a cheaper version that works as well and has a removable cover ..
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071R6Y5JJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I would buy the cheap ones again when I need more . I use them in many tanks without the sponge ..
Surface movement is natural and beneficial IMO ..

[Shan_Evolved]

Wow gold rams are GORGEOUS.

I am honestly debating setting up a small tank to grow some to add to my final tank...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

The venturi is going to add a noise factor..
Using the ehiem surface extractor will help with surface movement /gas exchange

Tom, thanks for taking the time to offer helpful advice. It's very much appreciated. I've had a version of this Build thread going on theplantedtank.net for a couple of weeks and haven't received a single reply. Well, that thread is behind this one, so I haven't gotten to the plant bits yet, so that might explain the lack of input from others there. LOL.

All of the display tanks have the dual drains to the sump right at the surface, so there is no film there whatsoever. The fluted intakes provide good surface motion (when the pump is powerful enough). The new pump is definitely going to improve everything, but yes, as you point out, I am a bit concerned with the noise the venturi will add. I'll make sure to make the airline adjustable to try to tame that a bit.

The surface extractor is only in the 2nd chamber of the sump, where film started to become a concern as the water flows in from the bottom and is pumped out from the bottom. The surface skimmer really helps to create motion on the top layer and break up the film.

I do have small supplemental wave pumps to add motion to the bottom layers of the display tanks if I find it necessary. I'm hoping that the new pump and the lines increased to 3/4" will yield the oxygenation and movement that is needed.

Thanks for that link. That looks like a very nice surface skimmer at a great price!

I'm loving the automatic-top-off. I keep the Fish Nook at 27.5 degC (~80 degF). The R.O. Water Bodega water is at about 18 degC (~65 degF, yeah I know.. I haven't plumbed up the thermostatic mixing valve yet). Even with lids, I get enough evaporation that the system adds 3 gallons of fresh water every day. I can see the water temp in the sump fall from 27.5 to 26.5 in about 5 minutes... The male rams all start sparing when that happens as slightly cooler water works its way through the display tanks. Very cool. Within 15 minutes the sump/whole system temp is back up to 27.5.


Wow gold rams are GORGEOUS.
I am honestly debating setting up a small tank to grow some to add to my final tank...

Tom and other successful fishkeepers may disagree with me, but in my opinion Mikrogeophagus Ramirezi is more difficult to keep than Symphysodon Aequifasciatus. I'm only attempting them now becuase I have an oversized sump filter, oversized uv filter, pure r.o. water available, and tech to force water changes and top-offs. They are so sensitive, that I test my water every 3 days for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates during this break-in (I'm into week 4 now).

My next hurdle with the Rams (well all of the fish for that matter) is to make sure everyone is getting sufficient food. Putting guppies in the tanks for my wife kind of kills the "all the food the fish can eat in 2 minutes" rule, as the guppies are voracious and will deny everyone else. For that reason, the Gold Rams have no guppies in their tanks, and the Blue Rams have 4 of the milder guppies (they really are milder... you should see the guppies in the tanks with the bleeding hearts... they are animals! LOL).

The goal of the Fish Nook is an easy to manage set of community tanks... which means there will always be small comprimises made for the flora and fauna... these Rams are going to have to man up and stay tough. The Fish Nook is definitely not conducive to breeding and that's okay. Hey, if something breeds in these community tanks and the offspring manage to survive... well that's cool... But my goals are very different that many Discus keepers or Planted Tank enthusiast.

Good news. I'm not minding the delicate glass lids so much.. Getting used to treating them a bit like fine China... LOL.. it's okay for now..

[Shan_Evolved]

Peter, it's apparent from your work ethic and dedication to your fish room as well as your apparent knowledge of this hobby, not to mention your lengthy well thought out posts, that you know exactly what youre doing. If not that, you have definitely put in the work to study, design, and create a system to habit your hobby and these wonderful fishes. Kudos to you man.

May I ask what your previous experiences keeping Rams has been like to draw your opinion that they are harder to keep than discus? I have 0 ram experience and was just curious. They are sensitive to slight water adjustments? Ammonia, nitrite, etc? Does this mean a water source that has chloramines that natrually forces a cycle in 24h (meaning there will be bits of ammonia and nitrite present during those 24h) is enough to stress Rams out? Just curious what your experiences were.

I'd love to see these milder guppies next to your blue rams. They sound interesting.

As far as your goal - I think its a equally difficult but rewarding goal as many aquarium hobbyist. I'm glad I'm here to witness the setup from start to prime condition

[LizStreithorst]

Peter, you and Shan are alike. You are determined to make it work to your satisfaction. For you to be satisfied, it must be as near perfect as possible.

[coralbandit]

I think rams are more needy then discus for care .
Fish are opposite of dogs IMO.
Big fish live longer and small fish live shorter lives .
Rams short life span is one of the things that bother me the most .
At best you get 4 years . Any glitches and it could be 4 months ?
I can't speak about the chloramine thing but I use my tap water [not aged ] for raising my rams and they do fine ..I am chlorine though ..

[LizStreithorst]

I used to think they were more delicate but they have taught me otherwise. I treat them the same as I treat my Discus and they do fine. I even have one batch of breeding age Dutch Blues in a 100g planted with Sterbai's, BN and a school of SAE's and they doing great even though the tank is crowded. My females are full of eggs. I saw one pair spawning on an Anubis leaf. I would never have Discus in a tank like that.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Shan,

I raised Rams about 28 years ago. We only had Blue Rams (GBR) and Gold Rams back in those days. I never had any live longer than 1 1/2 years. Most died within 6 months. I saw allot of bloat, which has me against CBW for them as I don't think they can handle the protein. They are very sensitive to water quality. I had allot of successful spawns and gave away lots of babies (never sold them as I never felt I was a good enough steward of them to demand payment, I didn't cull and I certainly wasn't selective about who paired up..... so they were always freebies). Bad stock was so common and of course my only source in those days for buying them were a few LFSs.

I started keeping them again about 18 months ago and have done very well. Of course, with the trips to Mexico, they always went back to Arizona Nature Aquatics. Now that I'm staying put... I want to enjoy keeping several varieties in my FishNook...

Liz,

I don't know that I want everything perfect... it's just that I have killed so many of them in my lifetime that I can't help but want to give them a surviving chance against me. :) I'm trying to get some specific varieties, and they won't come cheap (not expensive like Discus of course), so I don't want to kill those wholesale either.

I'm restricted for space in my modest town home, so I need it to be organized and easy to maintain...

You keep spectacular tanks of Discus, so not surprised that you are an accomplished Ram keeper. I was a poor to mediocre Discus Keeper.

[danotaylor]

Ok I’d be lying if I said I figured this out myself. I give all credit to Dan Taylor:). Though the reposting I did just figure out :).

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Finally,
Today my five (5) 3meter (10') BNC extension cables arrived. Which means that I can mount my homemade aquarium controller to my Equipment Panel and still reach all of the probes in the 2nd chamber of the Sump. Happy day.

130001

Finally getting that thing off of the floor (the probe cables were all only about 3' in length). This will allow me to continue on with other facets of automation and control in the FishNook. Will take pictures later...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I don't think I ever included a photo of the Waste Water exit from the R.O. Unit and Fish Nook Water Changes. It goes to a tiny part of my exterior rear patio where there is a Ruby Red Grapefruit (mine) and a Real Lemon tree (neighbors). Will be allot of water going to these during water prep and water changes.

130010

Grapefruits and Lemons are harvested in January here in the Sonoran Desert. I look to have about 16 mature grapefruits that I will be enjoying soon... the Neighbor has a rediculous amount of lemons (hundreds).

[LizStreithorst]

My waste water goes in the woods behind my house. Just past where it lets out it a deep ravine with a sometimes creek on the bottom. Then it goes to the river.

[Iminit]

I’ve never raised rams but have kept them for years. Had a pair of gold rams for over 5yrs in a community tank at 78-79 and 4 for 2 years in a 45 at 78-79 that became a discus tank and the temp went up to 82+. These rams died within a yr at that temp. Next I added 6 to my 125 discus tank. These are just about a year at the temp of 85 and 4 have passes already. So I’m thinking they burn out at the high temps. On a new group of 8. Had these for about 6 months and they look great. But they are much bigger than those that I kept at 78. Here’s a video of 6 of the new guys.
http://youtu.be/5kXOM4nsrDs

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I'm trying to maintain 27degC (which is about 80.5). Trying to find a happy medium for Panda Cories and the Rams.

Moved some stuff around, and at the moment am relying on the 200W's internal analog control to maintain temp .... all of the 25W substrate heaters I just have set full on. Temp is staying about 27.5 (about 81.5)... a little hotter than I want, but my RTD is in the Sump with the 200W heater and the pump... so I figure maybe there is just a slight drop of temp in the actual display tanks. When I'm all digital again.. I'll strive for 26.5 (about 79 degF).

At the moment, not controlling temp from my homemade aquarium controller because I just re-mounted it (yeah, it's off the floor). of course now I need to re-do all of the device and circuit hookups now that I'm trying to get everything on a nice neat equipment panel. Not doing any CO2 injection for a few days until I square all of that away.

130016

PS.. I like this level Hydor Smart Level. It is saving my bacon while I take my time mounting my level sensors in the sump and programming my automatic controller. Doing my manual water changes at the moment by vacuuming out each tank via their drain... (turn the valve... start sucking). By the time I've done all the tanks... the level has dropped in the dual chamber sump enough to trigger the auto-top off. So easy!

[two utes]

You've done a great job with this project. Thanks for the updates. I hope you get lots of enjoyment watching it thrive

[FischAutoTechGarten]

You've done a great job with this project. Thanks for the updates. I hope you get lots of enjoyment watching it thrive

Thank you Joe. I am enjoying it.

The location was a comprimise because I wanted multiple tanks to raise multiple varities of fish (although all must be compatible in terms of water parameters due to the shared systems). I would have liked to have a very nice display tank in our living room, but the Fish Nook allows more flexiility as it's not a shared living space that always has to be kept immaculate.

My wife really enjoys it as well. Some of the fish (especially the tetras) that she thought were rather bland at the beginning have impressed her with the way they have colored up (i.e. the deep blue eyes of the emperor tetras and the bright red eyes of the lemon tetras).

[LizStreithorst]

Peter, I keep all my Rams at 82. They do fine and breed like rabbits if I let them. I've sent over 100 Dutch Blues all over the country. I finally had to put the pair in a Discus grow outs or they would have kept spawning and raising kids.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

The Rams spawn every few days (sometimes it's the Golds, sometimes it's the Rams).. and then eat the eggs straight away. Which is fine. Not setup for raising fry. More focused on getting things stablized and grown out.

I've not lost any fish besides that intial otto almost two weeks ago. Still no algae either. still waiting waiting on the new pump and a few other things so that I can boost the flow and get everything finished.

Once I have better circulation I'll start looking to add a few other fish and the 5th display tank (I have the tank, lights, heater, laterite, gravel, bulkheads, wave pump... so nothing else to buy). (If I can locate another hydor 25w hydrokable and 2 more 12.5" 6W 8000K Stunner Strips, then down the road I'll invest in a 6th display tank of the other side which will max out the FishNook.).

My ladder is very sturdy and easy to use; so I'm not put off by having tanks setup up on very top shelf. (yeah, I'll scrub the paint off it too)

130038

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Worked a little bit last night to get a few outlets mounted on the equipment board. This is a bit of a departure for me, as originally I was going to place everything in a very nice enclosure. But the scope has outgrown the enclosure size and with mounting everything on the board, I don't have cooling concerns for anything. I may start mounting some of the boards in enclosures just to eliminate water splash hazards, but this will work for now.

Very nice to have tempreature controlled by the aquarium controller again... holds temp from 26.75 to 27.25 degC (I programmed in hysterisis, just to eliminate too much on/off cycling).
Cool that I found everything in black really cheap... just helps to hide stuff.

130050

Had some funny stuff with the Pump not starting up properly when the Controller was restarted.... It was a result of Comms/Relays, etc... It seems to be the someothing odd with the way that NodeRED and the Relay board communicate using the onscreen software toggle switches. So I have a routine that runs one time when the controller initially starts. It commands the Pump to stop (it's already stopped... but it's good to toggle the onscreen software toggle and the relay anyway) and then 2 seconds later it commands the pump to start.... 2 seconds later I do the same with the UV Filter. So after 5 seconds on a full system restart I have everything engaged properly with good feedback.

I wired in 4 outlets. 2 of them have .56uF capacitors installed for induction suppression so that spikes aren't making their way back through the hardware and messing up the i2c communications when devices cycle on/off. Sump Pump, Drain Valve, CO2 Valve are the concerns. It will help the relays to last longer too. Not to concerned with the UV Filter or the LED lighting as there is not allot of switching. When I enable auto water changes, I will also need to wire the R.O. Water pump too, so that will get a capacitor as well. (https://ncd.io/controlling-inductive-devices-managing-electromagnetic-interference/)

CO2 is still off line, as well as the UVFilter. The Mag pump is just failing (new pump arrives tomorrow).. and I had to bypass a few turns/devices to get sufficient flow for the tanks. Over the weekend, I'll have everything hooked up again at the increased sizes too...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Yesterday evening, decided to finish up the final four Relay Controlled Outlets.

Of course, supplies were needed... My dog Coqueta joined me for a quick trip to True Value... she is saying "You need even more electrical pieces parts!?"

130069

Same scheme, Top has induction suppression, bottom no. Neatening up the cables too. Will plug in final devices when the pump arrives.

130070

And this morning... The ActiveAqua AAPW1000 arrived. Now I can upsize some lines to 3/4" and place a few more devices back on-line (CO2, UVSterilizer, Flow Meter). Yeah blurry, sorry, obviously I don't do selfies...

130071

So, hopefully I finish up the year with the water flow issues addressed!

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Very productive night.

Insalled the new pump (man is it powerful, had to dial it down as I couldn't flow through my sump fast enough). Decided to remove the 45ppi poret as it just wasn't permitting the water to move fast enough through the sump (Swiss Tropicals warned me that would be case.. they were right!). I wish the pump were a little quieter. Disappointed by the noise.

All supply lines are now 3/4" right up to the individual display tank valves. The flow is incredible.

I have the UV Filter, CO2 and Flow Meter all back on line. Even Scheduled the Lights on/off in NodeRED. Equipment Panel is getting a bit more populated.. Still a few more decisons to make with neating up some of the cabling.

130078

Fish are much more active with the greater water flow and oxygen in the tank. I elected not to hookup the venturi to the pump (didn't want the additonal noise).

Will tackle automated dosing next, followed by automated water changes. Will get around to doing better aquascaping as well.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Today, the Fish Nook has been up for just under 6 weeks.. However, it has been planted with fish for four weeks now. Here is a photo on Dec 6th:

130080

Here is yesterday, Jan 1st:

130081

Decent growth for four weeks. :)

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Got busy today this afternoon and decided to finish up that spare 20L that will make up Display Tank #5 in the Fish Nook mini-rack. This was one that broken when drilling a bulkhead without the jig.... later it received a panel from another broken aquarium.

Drilled the other bulkheads, cleaned up the silicon (getting faster at that, it's not as tedious as before), used the heatgun to fit the tubing on the barb fittings and installed everything. Tomorrow will be warm, so I will fill it with water to do a leak test on the back patio.... just a few hours... to see if the repair holds... This tank has been leak tested before (prior to drilling it and breaking it).

130083

Looks good. I have all of the kit for it, so it will get installed next weekend if all goes well.

[LizStreithorst]

My God you do good work. I wish you were mine or that I could borrow you for a month or two. ;)

[FischAutoTechGarten]

My God you do good work. I wish you were mine or that I could borrow you for a month or two. ;)

Liz, my wife might disagree tpday. There was a table repair project that I skipped out on this weekend. Dummy me... I could have gotten it done in 1/2 hour.... In fact.. I'm going to do it right now..... right after this update..

So, two things:

1. So, I'm using HydroFarm Black Flexible Vinyl Tubing for water supply from Sump to the Display Tanks... 3/4" (except the last 6" to the ball valves and bulkheads that are 1/2"). It's recommended for both Hydroponics and Aquaponics... It's Foodsafe and FDA approved. (https://www.hydrofarm.com/p/active-aqua-black-tubing-100-roll/hgtb75). Unfortunately, I keep seeing this weird substance being expelled from the supply line. It's not anything in my Sump (neither chamber 1, nor chamber 2). There is only a dab of silicon in the whole system (just a bit to properly seal the barb slip fitting into the bulkhead... I didn't trust he friction fit alone), so it's not silicone. Anyone seen this before?

130085

Fish don't seem to mind it. All water parameters are excellent. It's occuring in the tank that has the least amount of bends in the tubing. It occurs when the pump shuts off and I get a little bit of back drain to the sump... It's like I'm sucking film off of the interior walls of the tubing.... When the pump starts back up... it shoots all of that film out the path of least resistance... that last tank with the fewest bends. It was funny today.. because I did a good cleaning on that tank.... and then when I fired the pump back up.... wow... there was the filmy debris again... tank bottom instantly dirty again... almost enough to make you say bad words...

2. After that cleanup... my R.O Water Storage was near empty..

Got the last 5 gallons of clean RO Water out of it.

130086

I looked at my water change regimen... With the way the tanks are drilled and the substrate I'm using... They hold about 16.75 gallons of water... The bulkhead for draining is set such that it removes 6.75 gallons (actually a little less because about 1/2 gallon gets returned to sump from the Sump Feeds and Pump Return lines)... So, I'm calling it 6.5 Gallons per tank.

If I perform a waterchange on 4 tanks... I will need at least 26 gallons...

Very soon, I will have 6 tanks.. so that will require at least 39 gallons...

So, looked at my Storage Tank. It holds 65 gallons at the rim. However, I have the R.O Entry/Float at about 58 gallons. So that's all we see. Furthermore.. The final 5 gallons is below the Exit bulkhead... So, I decided to install a Level Switch at the 5gallon mark (which just clears the bottom bulkhead so that the pump won't suck air)... and then another at the 55 gallon mark. However, I needed to install two intermediate points.... I decided at the 35 gallon mark.... that would yield 30 gallons (only need 26-27) of water for water changes on 4 tanks.... and then another at the 45 gallon mark.. that would yield 40 gallons (only need 39-40) of water for water changes on 6 tanks.

The idea is my controller will want to see at least the minimum water level necessary in the ROWater Storage to allow an automated water change on the FishNook Display Tanks... Today that number is the 35 gallon mark.... in a few weeks it wil lbe the 45 gallon mark. Hey... these level switches are cheap

130087

I drilled for both locations becuase the level switches are cheap.... emptying the tank, drilling it, cleaning out the debris, and then reinstalling everything... well that takes time. Best to do it all at once. On the inside, you can see all four switches installed.

130088

I made an energy saving decision.... Most of the time.. the RO Storage will be full.... So all of those Switches are installed such that the water rising breaks the contact (they swing up)... the switch is OFF, when the water is just a tad above that level... When the water drops below the switch.. The Switch is ON. It's reverse logic, but makes sense... Why have any power running through anything when you are at a normal/steady state... I'll wire them up to a 5 conductor cable and send them down the Bodega/FishNook Raceway. The code in my controller could care less if I tell it to look at Zeros instead of Ones...

I'm doing the same type of level switches in the Sump Chamber 2... but not penetrating the glass.. I'll build some sort of mount out of lexan to mount each level switch at the correct height... but that will be later in the week in another post.

[Iminit]

Peter that stuff is built up on the inside of your outlet hose. My guess is when you stop the pump it loosens up and when you restart the pressure of the water just blows it out. On my wet/dry I put a net over the outlet on restart to catch that stuff.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Peter that stuff is built up on the inside of your outlet hose. My guess is when you stop the pump it loosens up and when you restart the pressure of the water just blows it out. On my wet/dry I put a net over the outlet on restart to catch that stuff.

I'm using an i2c connected relay board (i2c is a multi-drop serial like interface) from NCD. For some reason.. every few hours, I get a momentary drop out of the relay for the pump... it last a few seconds... then latches again. I only get this on the Pump relay, not for any of the other devices. So ultimately, I need to look at replacing the board with something that has higher rated relays (even though it was spec'd in excess of what is needed). A bit disappointing, because I didn't purchase unknown chinese merchandise on Ebay... This was an expensive, high quality i/o expansion board purchased from a USA manufacturer.

Anway, it is the momentary drop out causing the issue... and because the entire system has hoses that have a much greater interior surface area now (new 3/4" tube has more surface area than previous 1/2" tube), there is that much more debris when the cut-outs/restarts occur this week than last week. I'm actually considering a check valve to see if that will reduce the backflushing that loosens things up when the pump cuts out...

With 4 display tanks on the system, and soon to be 5, then 6... it will be unsightly to install nets on each of the fluted outlets to catch this stuff. and of course if the momentary pump cut-out continues and is random in nature... those nets will have to be permanent fixtures...

Here is the debris in the two upper tanks today:

130096

130097

I'm wondering what it is that is actually building up inside these tubes, what is this slightly slimey white opaque stuff. I've never seen anything like this before.

It's disconcerting to have 25W of UV sterilization and a massive dual chamber sump feeding 4 small aquariums and have this much debris appearing so often.

Being the Tubing is certified for use in Hydroponics, surely it can't be that the mild 10ml of fertilizers which get diluted in the 30 gallons of water in the sump every 3 days is interacting with the material...

[Iminit]

I always get it on hoses. Canisters and wet/dry. I just take it for bio-film build up. Don’t think it’s harmful just ugly looking.

Got to say your system is pretty complicated :). So the momentary drop out is shutting off the pumps every few hours. That being what it is that’s a lot of build up coming out of your hoses. How long has it been building up in your tank like that. Is that a few days worth? Is that in all tanks.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

System is actually quite simple.

4 tanks in parallel...
All drain via overflows (basically the twin 3/4" bulkheads at the top of each aquarium are just simple overflows)
The effluent lands in 2 x 4" 400micron coarse mesh socks (just big enough to catch large debris, fish, shrimp)
The effluent then passes horizontally through three grades of 2" poret foam (6 pieces).
Treated water passes from chamber 1 to chamber 2.
Submerged sump pump picks up water and sends it down a 3/4" line.
Water has 3 parallel paths.
1. through the UV Filter (25W) or 2. through the CO2 Reactor or 3. through a Flow Meter (exist just to register that water is actually moving.. a simple Flow Switch could do the same).
Water comes backtogether into one 3/4" line... Travels down a trunk and then goes off to 4 parallel paths (each leading to one of the display tanks).

I never see any bio-film in the sump, so it doesn't slough off of the 3/4" effluent lines. I only see it in the display tanks.... Tanks.

My system seems complicated... however, if it were four standalone tanks there would be:
3 more pumps, 3 more discharge solenoid valves, 3 more CO2 reactors, 3 more UV filters, 3 more surface skimmers, 3 more Sumps, 3 more auto-top arrangements.

I'm glad to hear you get it on the hoses. It might be the intial seed bacteria that was added to the water column in the sump to promote colony growth in the poret foam. Perhaps some colonizing bacteria has taken hold in the lines as well.

The cut outs seem to happen about 2 to 3 times every 24 hours (I record the number of times the relay has cut out... I see when it happens on a little graph). There is a combined 16' feet of line from the Sump Pump to the Display. Overall, the system has 5' of head.. .so that's allot of back pressure. I think the check valve is my best bet to cut back on the bio-film getting back flushed and then shot out.

[coralbandit]

That does look like 'bio slime ' to me .
I have different hoses and tubing in my tanks and some do slime more then others ..I have no clue why ?
I am told that shrimp love that stuff ... Maybe a shrimp tank and some 'organic' food could yield interesting results ..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Thanks Tom for relating your experience.

I ordered a check valve.. should be here by next week. I will install that and see if it cuts down on the back flushing when the pump stops and eliminates most of the biofilm from escaping. I have shrimp (amanos and neos) in each of the display tanks... I'm actually seeing some growth out of the shrimps... the red rillis are much larger than they were when purchased.

I'm not afraid of the slime... I just hate to see it hanging from plants all over the tanks. it reminds me of plastic OXXO bags that would get blown about and stuck in Cactus on the beaches of San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. (used to drive me crazy that no one seemed to mind massive amounts of trash constantly getting stuck in plants along the beaches and in the desert... so nice once we moved to a nice mountain pueblo and no longer dealt with that...).

The manufacturer asked me to send photos of the slime that is ejected 3 times a day. Just want to make sure it's in line with what they would normally see...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Quick follow-up... The manufacture felt that the amount of sloughing of bio-slime that I am seeing is 'definitely abnormal'. I was surprised they got back to me so soon. Anyway, they are communicating. I just want to make sure that I didn't buy the wrong stuff.... I've shared with them the fertilizing regimen, and water parameters. I need another 30' of tubing, so I don't want to buy the wrong thing twice if that's the issue.

I'm seeing less film today (maybe it will take a week or so for more bacteria to colonize in the tubing.... who knows?).

I took some out about the size of a pea when rolled together and set it on my desk to dry.... It's brown (oxydized/died)... here's a photo...

130107

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Film has been reduced, but saw a little today. Did a wipe down of the tanks and rinsed out the 400micron socks in the sump. Decided to rescue two shrimp (a blue and a crystal red) from the sump. I can still see a few others in the poret, but I can't get to them..

I happened upon this... the guppies had babies and at least three managed to escape being eaten and headed down to the sump and fed in the filter socks for a while. We'll see what they are as they grow (I suspect that they are Panda Guppies as that female has been ready to burst for weeks)... I never wanted guppies, but wife likes them.

130128

Also received a fun piece of kit in the mail today. A digital i/o expansion board for tying in the level sensors from the R.O. storage unit and the Sump Chamber 2. This will permit additional control and afford a measure of safety.

130129

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Late last night, I worked on configuring the new 8-channel digital I/O board. It will have 8 level sensors attached. Presently, I am testing with two and am very pleased with the reliability and performance (it's fast). It's also from NCD and communicates with the Raspberry Pi 4B / Node-RED over i2c.

Still struggling with the new Flow meter that I installed... just not registering pulses properly to the Atlas-Scientific EZO-FLO circuit. It's a configuration issue... I'm using a 3rd part flow meter because I just don't want to buy one from Atlas-Scientific as their 3/4" flow meter is quite expensive. Hence in the attached photo you see that the Pump is turned on, but the flow is ZERO.

You can see the screen I've built a screen in Node-RED to monitor the water level/flow activity. I need to add the RO Pump command / status as well as the Water Change Discharge Valve command / status to this graphic as well.

130153

Fun stuff. Today, I hope to finish working with the small sheet of Lexan that I am using to permanently install the level sensors in the 2nd Sump Chamber... Hoping I don't crack and chip everything with the router and cutter...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Sump Flow is working. What I found was 3 things:
1. The transmitter circuit had a loose connection (my fault.. I did the soldering).
2. Some of the solder points were a bit sloppy with flux and needed to be cleaned up with Acetone. (again, my fault.. I did the soldering).
3. The Flow Meter was configured improperly in my code... as I misread the spec sheets for the scaling.

130179

This is a relative flow measure, as it is installed in a parallel branch due to it being only 1/2" in diameter (it just choked off too much flow being installed directly after the pump). Therefore, it's measuring partial system flow. It is still better than nothing as it does let me know that water is moving. When I upgrade to a 3/4" or 1" flow meter, I will put it in series and it will measure total system flow.

I also wired in the flow switches in the sump that act as pump permissives, so that the pump never runs dry... Anyway, that is indicated on the graphic now too. Presence of two switches set very close gives me a bit of hysterisis to prevent constant pump cycling when there are issues.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I took a neat little video today.. I relocated the Flow Transmitter (Atlas-Sci EZO-FLO circuit) closer to the Aquarium Controller. In this short 5 second video, you can see the concentric LEDs dancing as the Flow Transmitter receives pulses from the attached Flow Meter as it spins. Neat little detail... tells me the transmitter and meter are cooperating... I can push a command from Node-RED to the transmitter to turn the dancing leds off, but I like seeing them 'spin'...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxTfA1xaW-8&feature=youtu.be

[FischAutoTechGarten]

new goal for the Fish Nook...

130195

Top left tank is staged...

130196

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Small deviaiton today.

I was long overdue to calibrate my pH, ORP, Conductivity and Dissolved Oxygen probes. (Actually, the dissolved oxygen probes needed to be rebuilt... and the pH probe needed to be reconditioned).

Started with Dissolved Oxygen. Performed the procedure for the rebuild (solution and membrane replacement). Did the Dry and ZERO mg/L calibrations. Worked good. Saw nice data that reflected what I should be seeing at 27degC for about an hour.... Then.. the probe stopped working... It is 5 years old. More on this.

Moved on to Conductivity. This thing is a lottery number generator. Thought I would try calibrating. Unfortunately, I only had 1 solution.. so it was going to be a 1point calibration... at 3,000uS. I got it stable enough for the calibration. Introduced to the sump.... random number generator again... The probe is about 5 years old. Then it stopped working. When I pulled out the dissolved oxygen probe... the conductivity probe began working again... but still a lottery number generator. Either noise from the pump... or something with the termination board. The terminaiton board has galvanic isolation between the inputs for the two devices. I'll do some testing by relocating the hardware to another raspberry pi.

So for now... Conductivity and Dissolved Oxygen are disabled in my homemade aquarium controller.

Moved on to ORP. Did a 1 point calibration at 225mV... all good. Seeing nice data at 375mV. Not bad for 5 years old.

Moved on to pH. First, I did a reconditioning.. which is a series of soaks in 3 solutions for 15 seconds. Moved on to calibration... the steps with this transmitter are to start with 7.0, move to 4.0 and then finish with 10.0. 7 read.. 7.2.. not bad... calibrated it... 4.0 read 4.3.. but was still falling... but very, very slow (like a 1000th of a decimal point every 3 seconds... way to little to wait).... so calibrated it... 10.0 solution read 8.2 .... waited to stablize.. it did... calibrated it... Stuck in the water. Read a pH of 5.9.. Verified with test kit... 6.6-6.7. So off. My calibrations solutions are old (about 3 years... and yeah they were opened)... I've decided I made things allot worse by attempting to calibrate with them... So, I'm ordering new ones. My probe is 5 years old.... So, I will turn pH/CO2 control off until I complete a successful calibration on Tuesday.

So yeah... what an adventure... 1 out 4 success rate... like a baseball player.... bummer.. Might just have to just bite the bullet and get new probes. Atlas-Scientific sells some nice compact ones that are fully submersible and inexpensive ($40 to $50 range).. I'm also considering installing the dissolved oxygen and conductivity sensors in wells instead of in the sump with the pump. (I own the wells are already.. so it's just a matter of plumbing them in).

[FischAutoTechGarten]

https://youtu.be/ppGV_rkaAV8All of the display tanks on the mini-rack are 20 gallon longs that have a common arrangement. The water enters one end near the top via a fluted inlet... and exists the other end along the top. My concern is that I didn't have much movement in the lower layers, possible lot's of dead spots, due to stratification of the current.

So, I'm testing a Hydor Koralia 240 wave pump at the lower depth (about 3 1/2" off of the substrate), flowing somewhat diagonally accross the 30" length of the tank. I shot a very brief video and I'd like a few folks to look at it and offer an opinion about the strength of the water movement it's creating.. Is it too much? An suggestions on lowering it on thse Koralia 240 pumps (it's a 120V ac pump) if it is too much?

My idea is to add one of these to each of the 20 gallon long display tanks (currently four, very soon to be five, and then later 6).

Here's the link to the video:

https://youtu.be/ppGV_rkaAV8

[coralbandit]

Have you considered using lock line to create a Y for water in and aiming some towards bottom of tanks ?
No more equipment will ne needed and it will never suck in a little fish or use electricity..
When you turned the hydor on did it stir up a bunch of muck ? If not then maybe you don't have trouble dead spots .
You could also try running the hydor on a timer for a short period every day or several times a day instead of constant ?

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Tom,

Yeah, it did stir up a little much. the dead spots were kind of where I thought they would be. I too had considered the idea of just turning on the wave pumps for short periods several times a day (maybe 15 minutes every 6 hours for 4 times a day and also just before a scheduled water change).... I would put all 6 of them on one power strip... and then have that powerstrip plugged into one of the relay controlled outlets... Then I'd have control throught a scheduler... just like my lighting and UV filter. I'm going to be developing a feed mode which will kill the pump for 10 minutes while I feed the fish in the morning and evening (they aren't discus, so they just eat twice a day). So, I'd also make sure to have those wave pumps interrupted as well.

The Hydor's are cheap at ~ $20 a piece and only consume 3.5watts.

I had considered lock line with a y to give flow along the top and bottom layers... But I'd have to test that the top inlet would provide the suction break necessary in the event the pump's check valve fails... Wouldn't want all 6 tanks (4 now, but 2 more soon) to back drain 7 gallons of water a piece from the lower inlets into the sump if the pump shut off and the check valve failed. (I have a 1/2" emergency overflow to drain installed in the sump, but that wouldn't keep up and I'd hate to waste 42 gallons of water and dislodge everything from my Poret foam in the sump in the process as well.)

A poster on the Planted Tank dot Net site recommended the Fluval U2 as a corner mounted secondary circulation device that could move some tank water a multiple levels. They are lower powered... at about 120gph (so 1/2 the Hydor theoretical). Only issue with the Fluvals would be the sponges X 6 that no doubt would get dirty and require frequent cleaning. They are also about $35 a piece and consume 5watts a piece.

I'm going to test this Hydor in each of the other 3 tanks that have fish and plants at the moment.. Just to see how those populations respond..

Tom, did you look at the video? Did it seem to be too much flow for a planted aquarium with cories, tetras, ottos, shrimps and rams?

[coralbandit]

The fish seemed to handle the flow ok IMO .
I just know that the hydors can suck in a fish ..
The fluval idea can be made easier by just removing the sponges ?
I use the lock line with a Y and with one line pointed down 6 inches into tank and one at surface the suction is always broken when power is interrupted ..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I'm enjoying the portability of the Hydor Koralia 240... and in the right place at the right angle the flow is agreeable to the fish and kicks up left over food and such... I'm turning it on once every 4 hours during the day (4 times, I give it a rest at night) for 15 minutes. I find as the food gets kicked up... sometimes the fish will go eat it... anyway, it gives an opportunity for it to make it's way to the overflow as it's suspended in the water column again.

Another topic.... Some of my stem plants aren't performing as well as they were before... I'm seeing some melting... So, I thought I'd try to better understand what's going on. I have RO water, so the KH/GH is almost nil... I have a huge double chamber sump with an inline UV filter, so the Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites are almost undetectable. With CO2 injection and RO Water... I'm now running a low pH. However, I don't know what my fertilization regimen is doing to the some of the values...

I also mysteriously had a Gold Ram, Emperor Tetra, Corydoras Julii and Serpae Tetra die within 3 days of one another (they were residents of 3 different tanks in my mini rack). No one died before, and no one has died since (a week).

Presently, I'm dosing Micronutrients (Iron, magnesium and such) at the rate of 10ml per week... and Macronutrients (phosphate, potassium and such) at the rate of 10ml every 3 days.
I went ahead and augmented my Test Kit and started taking some tests.

130333

Literally, everything looked great (I'm using those Fluval/Hagen Test Kits... honestly, I'm assuming they are good). In fact, I need to step up my Iron Dosing. I upped the Potassium Dosing a bit too.
I did this over the weekend and the plants look good.

I closely examined the Emperor Tetra (who looked sick the longest and was the last to perish in quarantine), and I think it was a case of Culmnaris based on what I observed in the progression. Yeah... That stinks. What is interesting is that every fish who died was the smallest of their kind... (so perhaps youngest / weakest). I didn't have the proper meds (Furan/kanamycin)... just old Erythromycin.

Anyway, the rest of the fish are looking good.. and of course the tank conditions are immaculate. I did decide to change the schedule for the UV Filter... It now runs almost constant.. with a brief break at 9am for 1/2 hour and 9pm for 1/2 hour. I also increased the flow of my sump pump and acheived a good balance so that I'm putting more flow through the sump pump... I was also able to add back the 2 x 2" of 45ppi Poret Foam to the Sump, for extra polishing. The Poret Foam is interesting.... The 10ppi and the 20ppi wring out almost completely clear... the 30ppi had some brown water from the 1st sheet.. but the backup sheet was still clear... So basically, the sump is very clean despite having been in operation since the end of Nov, Beginning of Dec.

The only thing that had changed in the system in the two weeks prior was the addition of Java Fern and Guppy Grass that I purchased from a fellow hobbyist. However, I did two consecutive Bleach/RO Water dips of the plants before introducing them to my system. Perhaps, something arrived on them.. It is the disadvantage of a connected system... You really have to be careful of what you introduce.

[Shan_Evolved]

Interesting. Sucks that a few fish died despite immaculate water. Keep up the good work though.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Interesting. Sucks that a few fish died despite immaculate water. Keep up the good work though.

It does. I have an ORP of about 385-395 in the Sump, but if I move it too one of the display tanks, I get 365-375 or so. So the sensors, the 'lab results', and appearance tell me that it's very clean water.

I have one Gold Ram that is clamping his fins.. He came from the same tank as the small Gold Ram and the Emperor Tetra that showed signs of Columnaris. So, I have him in quarantine and am treating for Columnaris too (kanamycin/fluran-2). He is eating well... I generally don't treat sick fish.... it's expensive and almost never saves them. Of course, I don't keep costly Discus, Plecos, and such. I bought the medicines just in case I was looking at a full-on pandemic in the Fish Nook. I'm not.... everyone is super happy, swimming and eating. Anyway, I'll see if I can treat this Gold Ram as it did spawn previously. In my whole fishkeeping existence, I have only once succeeded in curing a Ram of any type of sickness.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Back to Fish Nook improvements. I finally got around to completing the mounting apparatus to accomodate the sump float switches for level indications.

I've never worked with cutting/bending acrylic. I started out with Lexan.... but gave up on chipping and melting it constantly as I worked with circular saws (fine formica blade), skill saw, hole saw and hack saw.

The acrylic cut well with the circular saw and it's fine formica blade.. Just very minor edge chipping that I can certainly live with. Next was on to bending:

130341

Success on the first 90 deg bend... marked everything out, accounting for the gain I would have on the bend (like conduit), heated it with a heat gun and turned it over the edge my stainless steel work table...
When I did the 2nd one, I was overconfident/impatient and broke it. However, it was salvageable. It broke such that if I found an alternative way to mount it to the tank.. I'd only need to add a 1/4" acrylic foot to be the proper height.

I got so busy with figuring that all out, that I didn't take any more photos of the mechanical steps. But here it is before the soldering of wire looms began:

130342

You can see the Foot that I cut and superglued as a base. To mount to the rim of the aquarium, I took an acrylic clip, used for holding up glass lids, and connected it to the bent portion of the stand. I drilled tiny holes though both and joined them with teflon screws (not metal). I added a bit of material to the clamping portion of the acrylic clip so that it fits snuggly to the rim of the sump.

To mount the level switches, I drilled to columns of holes... 5/8", spaced 1" apart. That gives me fine adjustment in 1/2" increments from 3" all the way to 10". I settled on 3" for the Pump Disable, 3 1/2" for the Pump Enable (gives me a deadband to prevent contstant on/off cycles if there are issues).. 7 1/2" for Add Water.. and 8" for Good Water Level.

I realized, because of the level sensors I was using, that once I wired them together, it would hard to relocate the floats to different holes without redoing the wiring. Oh well.... I set everything in the sump and carefully reviewed before committing myself to soldering... (If I build another, I will use the float switches that screw in from the front side.)

Here's the completed unit.... 5 conductors.. 1 is a common and the other 4 are each of the switch inputs. this will all terminate to my Digital I/O Expansion board of my DIY Aquarium Controller. All wiring is carefully secured with heat shrink tubing so that I don't get any tangles or mess.

130343

Here it is installed in the Sump.. Yeah, definitely some reorganization around the sump is in order...

130344

Nice to see accurate status of the sump level on the Water Flow/Level graphic of my DIY Aquarium Controller:

130345

Now I need to finish up wiring those level sensors on the RO Storage Vessel... and of course install the Thermostatic Mixing Valve in the Water Bodega so that the RO Unit has temperate water. Once that is completed, I will automate the water changes on a schedule.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Worked tonight on wiring up the RO Storage Vessel Levels. I ran out of adhesive wire keeps... so I'll get those tomorrow and take a photo when it's a little neater... However, they all work! As you can see from the Graphic... It's not quite full... as I had just done an Auto-Top Off prior to capturing the screen.

Better Labels on the Sump Levels too.

(For the Levels... I'm considering having the labels show as Dull Grey when not on... and Blue (for water) when they are tripped... )

130351

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Little adventure today. Crossed into Nogales, Sonora, Mexico (I live just 30 minutes from the border) to send a few packages down to friends and to buy the otherwise expensive medicine for my dog. About three years ago, she had canine valley fever which is a fungus that attacks lungs in humans and lungs and bone tissues in dogs. She will be on medicine for life as the fungus returns and eats at bones. I can buy about 6 months supply of her medicine there for about the price of 3 weeks worth here in the states. So, I cross the border, and walk 3 blocks and get a prescription from a Vet... then I walk back towards the border and buy the medicine at any pharmacy (there are many, many, many) there. Yes, we take xrays every 6 months to check on the status of the fungus and the improvement has been remarkable... it's gone and has been for a year and a half now...

Okay, back to a fish topic:

At this particular vet there is a small fish store nearby.... so today my wife and I paid a visit. It's a tiny store, with less than 20 tanks total. The water in Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora is liquid rock, so they stock allot of inexpensive fish that folks can keep without heating their water or managing the chemistry (guppies, mollies, gold fish). However, he likes Angelfish, Tetras and Corydoras and keeps them in a few tanks that he gives special attention to..

So, I picked up 6 Red Eye Tetras (Moenkhausia Sanctaefilomene) that looked very good. Of course, they have been placed in quarantine and not introduced immediately to the Fish Nook.

I keep 2 (two) Quarantine Tanks.. A hospital tank.... and a new introductions tank... The Red-Eyes will be kept in the new introductions tank for about 2 weeks (might grab a lemon tetra from my tanks to use as a hero fish after the 1st week).. after which, they will be introduced to the new 5th display tank of the Sonoran Desert Fish Nook.

So, these fish were 40 pesos a piece, so at an exhange rate of 20.59: 1, that's under $2 usd (tax included). Also picked up some food and an unidentified plant (soaked in a copper solution for 3 hours to kill possible snails and then rinsed and then also placed in the new introductions tank) and overall spent under $25.

Acuario Fish-Stop, owned by Felix Javier Gáamez Villanueva, in Colonia Centro, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

130360

Came home... and starting working a little on the Equipment Panel in the Fish Nook...

Oh yeah, this morning, I tried a supervised, manual run of the automated water change. Learned a few things, so some timing/sequencing of tasks will be adjusted... Changed 24 gallons (the whole system is just at 98 gallons, so a 25% water change) in about 20 minutes total without getting my hands or the floor wet. Somewhere in the garden lay happy grapefruit and lemon trees. Obviously, this does not replace manual changes as the glass must be wiped, plants trimmed, and gravel vaccuumed a bit... The temperature dropped from 27degC to 24.degC rather quickly, but recovered to 27degC within two hours. None of the fish appeared bothered at all by the brief temperature swing. (Obviously, this will improve once the thermostatic mixing valve is installed in the RO Bodega to temper the water.) Saw a reduction in ORP from 385 to 350 and that has held all day. What's really awesome... is to see that the RO Unit has already reproduced that 24 gallons and there is a full vessel again (I mean I knew that... but it's neat to see it on my Aquarium Controller Graphic... LOL).

Having the wave pumps come on for 5 minutes prior to the water draining is good (the wave pumps come on for 15 minutes once every 6 hours (4x daily) to move things around a little) as it suspends detritus, uneaten food, etc into the water column, increasing the likelihood that it finds it's way down the drain.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Here's a photo of I took of the well hidden and small Hydor Koraila 240 Wave Pumps. There is 1 installed in each of the 20 gallon long display tanks. They come on for 15minute cycles every 6 hours (4X daily), plus the above mentioned 5 minutes prior to the Drain step of a Water Change Cycle.

130368

Also, making improvements to the H2O Graphics of the DIY Aquarium Controller. I'm using a small 7" touch screen w/ a resolution of 800x480 on the controller itself, so I need to make the graphics a little small, while still being able to push buttons, move switches and sliders and so forth with my finger... Nice to have water changes at your finger tips.

130369

Still lots of work to be done...

[Shan_Evolved]

I have one of the same pumps! They're great. I use on my heater to help distribute the hot water throughout the tank. Also personally I wouldn't be okay with a 3 degree difference in water temp for water changes over a long period of time.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I have one of the same pumps! They're great. I use on my heater to help distribute the hot water throughout the tank. Also personally I wouldn't be okay with a 3 degree difference in water temp for water changes over a long period of time.

Shan, it's not a bad pump. I've debated on whether or not to hook up the venturi part of it... Upon examination, It will restrict flow a little bit. (and of course there is always the noise).

I'm not afraid of the temperature drop, as it would only occur once a week (for the 33% water change it will receive each week).

I'm sticking to once a week water changes becuase of my dosing regimen... 1. Re-minerilization of my RO Water, 2. Micro-nutrient dosing.... Just easier to apply the right amount when doing a set amount of water changine each week. The 3. dosing.. Macro-nutrients will be applied daily. At the moment, this is a bit of a 'plants first' series of display tanks...

Many breeders of Corydoras will stimulate spawning by droping the temperature during a big water change... This mimics... low rivers suddenly swelling with fresh cool rain water... which is a trigger to many fish that fat times are ahead and it's time to do some family planning.... That said... it will be nicer when the water is tempered so that the change isnt' sooo big. Of course, I also need to add a heater to the RO Water Storage to maintain the temperature ... I'll want to tie that heater in with these float switches as I'm always paranoid of a heater in a plastic vessel malfunctioning, boiling off the water, melting through the vessel and causing a fire.

Anywhere, here is the installation of those float switches on the RO Storage heat shrink wrapped and neatened up a bit....

130372

That bulk cables runs 25' back through the water bodega raceway to the fish nook to terminate the switches to my homemade aquarium controller.

130373

Still need to tackle that Thermostatic Mixing Valve installation...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Sick Fish is Better

I may have succesfully cured my first Ram ever (seriously, I've never been very succesful once they fall ill).
This one had clamped fins and hung around the top, but was eating.

I had an Emperor Tetra die of what I believed to be Columnaris so I got a bit nervous. I saw another Emperor tetra behaving the same way. So it was put in isolation with the clamped fin Gold Ram in one of my Quarantine Tanks. The water conditions (chemistry, cleanliness and clarity) are very good if not absolutely perfect in the Fish Nook. Just don't want to loose other fish due to a contagion.

First I treated for Columnaris... Kana/Furon regimen... Then went to a more General med (contained Metro).... Ram is quite happy, no clamped fins... Emperor Tetra doesn't seem like he will make it. So who knows what these Emperor Tetras had ultimately. The four remaining Emperor Tetras appear fine in the Fish Nook, as do all of the other tank mates. Sometime around Wednesday, I will move the Gold Ram back to the Fish Nook to the tank with the Emperor Tetras and other Gold Rams. It has a very good appetite, color, breathing and is active. Anyway, this was a full two weeks of isolation.

Equipment Change

Tomorrow is a big day. I intend to remove both Sump Chambers so that I can double the number of water lines going between them. That will allow me to pump up the flow a little bit more and not worry so much about the 1st chamber backing up a little. So in preparation for that I made a comprimise on the Display Tanks of the Fish Nook. Although I am running plants, and therefore, injecting with CO2.. I decided to also run an airstone in each aquarium tomorrow. But I installed everything in such a way to be permanent. I'm thinking after the full use tomorrow, they won't run constantly, but will follow the Wave Pumps cycle of 15 minutes of play every 6 hours. Yeah, it will drive some CO2 out, but that's okay. I just like the idea of stirring things up a little several times a day.

Going forward, I won't be so concerned about the CO2 loss (and therfore increased CO2 use), but rather the noise.... Although a piston pump, that Active Aqua pump is louder than I would like. Ultimately, I'm going to locate the Air Pump outside on the other side of the wall from my Fish Nook. I'll keep the manifold in the Fish Nook just above the racks. I may elect to keep the airpump on full time at that point. I'm undecided. I'll just have to observe.

Regardless, for now every display tank has a 2" black airstone installed.

PS. Also going to install a quick drain on the 1st Chamber of the sump (1" valve) so that I can empty a good portion of water when changing out the filter media... Will make it so much easier with less mess.

New Fish

I've had some Diamond Tetras in quarantine (in my ohter quarantine tank) for about a week and they are steller. I put an otto in there with them. Everybody seemed good.. So they joined the fish nook today. Really livened up the display tank they were introduced too.... The preganant guppies even school with them.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I was never quite happy with the transfer of water from one Sump Section to the other Sump Section. 1 1" line felt insufficent and it always seemed like the Sump Section with the Filter Media would start to backup and sometimes the water level would get above the poret foam (which is useless as the water will flow over the top and overall filtration will suffer).

Decided over the weekend that I would take down the sump and drill the new holes to add a 2nd 1" line between the two. I also decided to install a drain in the 1st section so that I could take the water level down quickly when doing a media change.

Prep the 1st Section for the new Drain Hole... 1 3/4" for a 1" bulkhead.. I wish that I could have made it lower, but the drain line out to the fruit trees doesn't sit quite low enough. THat's okay, I can still quickly get rid of 8" of level out of both sump sections this way.

Putty Dam with water:

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Angle the Drill to start the hole (Couldn't use a Jig becuase my clamps would reach this position.)

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Successful and clean.

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Then I focused on the 2nd set of Holes for the 2nd 1" line that will join the Sump Sections. Prep is identical and again couldn't use a Jig. Successful:

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Bulkhead sections are a bit different this time, as I couldn't source the same brand of barb fitting.

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Overall looks good.

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You can see the level of the two sections are now much closer. In fact, I can raise the level a bit in the 2nd sump section (not worried about loss of buffering capacity as I have a very good check valve and emergency overflow drain when pump stops). Of course, that means adjusting my hard soldered float swithces for the Auto-Top Off Function.... oh well... I'll do that laster..

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Switching over to fully submersible probes soon so that I can be a bit more flexible with sump levels... More on that later...

Note: The Airpump came in handy.... I had the silicon seal on the bulkhead for the Section1 Drain fail yesterday... (Told you I wasn't able to source the same barb fittings)... The newer barb fittings didn't have as tight a friction fit so I was more generous with silicon. Allowed a full 24 hours of cure, but still after about 2 hours of running, it was leaking steady... right during the SuperBowl. LOL. Solution was to take the sumps completely offline, drain them again, store the poret foam in five gallon buckets of the removed water with an airstone in them as well. Would make a repair when hardware stores were open in the morning. So, I ran all four display tanks on the Airstones.. Kept the wave pumps running too just to give circulation.. Didn't give any fish food in the evening. I found the 25Watt Hydro substrate heating cables in each aquarium was more than enough to maintain 27degC (81.5degF). This morning at 6am, I ran an Ammonia test and none detected.

So, At 7am, I went to the hardware store... Pieced together a solution to plug that 1 3/4" drain hole... and filled everything back up again. All good.
I did locate the correct barb fittings that I had previously this afternoon on line..... pre-installed in 1" bulkheads.. so I ordered 3. (I'll re-do those new ones that form the 2nd Sump Join as I'm nervous about them failing too in the future)...

No, I'm not keep on taking fotos of emergency repairs and mopping. (though I never saw more than a pint of water on the tile floor the whole time). But, hey, I'll post the ugly temporary repair to seal up the bulkhead (metric fittings, couldn't just use standard stuff... and 2 Aces, 1 TrueValue and 1 Tractor Supply Company had no bulkheads whatsoever.)..

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The Bulkhead is so specific with thread size and appears to have a few batch defects in it's slip portion.. The threads don't match up to anything... and the included friction fit elbow was super loose.... So I found a hose connector fitting that had a super tight fit inside the bulkhead slip fit..and I used PVC Cement to hold it (let it dry for 1/2 hour)... A standard adapter fit to that... and then a cap.... Very watertight and got the job done for about $6. No sillicone.... PVC Cement on SlipFit and Teflon Tape on Threaded portions... It will all work until I feel like taking it down again in a few weeks to replace the bulkheads with better ones with permanently welded slipfit barb fittings.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

With the drama of the two sump sections removed on Sunday/Monday, it was a great opportunity to relocate the discharge valve for the display tanks. It's a smallish 120v 1/2" Normally Closed Brass Solenoid Valve. It was inexpensive at $32 usd. It's controlled by a Relay attached to the RaspberryPi DIY Aquarium Controller.

I went back and forth on doing a 1/2" valve or 3/4" valve.. and just decided to keep it smaller and not worry that it would take just a bit longer to drain the water as part of the total water change cycle.

The new location is better as it simplied the plumbing a bit, especially as the 5th and 6th display tanks are prepared to be added to the Fish Nook.

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Still working on refining the software for the automatic water change cycle. Looking to do some visually in Node-RED to represent Off-Auto-On modes of the device. Very common command/states for devices in automation scenarios. Won't show any screen shots or video of the operation of it until I get it working just perfectly.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

So today... decided to tackle the installation of the thermostatic mixing valve off of the Hot Water Heater in the RO Storage Bodega, so that I would have permanent water supply and stop dragging a hose inside there...

Of course, you have to shut off the house water so that you can disconnect the lines to the Hot Water heater.... And this is what I found where my water meter / shut off valve are located:

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So, I called a beekeeper friend to remove it.. If he doesn't want it, we will wait a few days for them to move out on their own.

Thermostatic Mixing Valve install is put on hold for now... :)

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Well, don't know if anyone still follows this, but keeping the blog gives me a nice time line to look back on...

Last night finished up the Thermostatic Mixing Valve and final plumbing up of the RO Water Storage in the Front Bodega. Shouldn't say final plumbing... It's plumbed up with what was available, but someday I'll revisit it. For now it's perfectly fine and operational.

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Now I have all of the stuff back in there too.

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I did notice that the system produced water a bit faster now that the incoming temperature to the RO Unit is 27degC (about 81). I need to get a longer heater cord and add a little intelligence to cut the heat off when the level drops below 5 gallons (so I don't boil out the water should the heater stick). For now, I'm not running the heater... and I don't mind the purified water cooling down a little in the RO Vessel. Will still be warmer than it's been the last 3 months when straight cold water was going through the RO Unit.

More to do, but this is sufficent for now. No more garden hoses running out to the carport and onto the front patio to deliver raw water and take away waste water.... raw water comes from the mixing valve... waste water goes all the way to the Fish Nook Waste Drain that waters the Fruit Trees in the Back Patio (some 50+ feet away).

Did a little work on the DIY Automation Controller as well. Programmed in a Toggle switch for Off-Auto-On modes for devices like the Sump Pump... In Auto it will work off of the Float switches in the Sump and the other Modes (like Feed Mode) to decide whether to run or not. In Off, well it's off.. and ON, well it's ON. The LEDs are too small... the creator of these LED objects for NodeRED made an update.. and the new ones show too small and dull now... They were much better before! Always a risk in updating software.

Yeah, you can see that my Conductivity Probe is gone... and I doubt that my ORP is really that high. I was questioning the D.O. sensor, but honestly that reading looks about what you would expect when reading in the Sump... Either way... they are very old probes (more than 6, possibly 8 years old) and have been accidently dropped/fully submerged in the Sump.... I have fully submersible ones on the way!!

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Really getting to the point where I need to take advantage of all of the information I'm receiving to control the operation and safeguard equipment (heaters off when level drops in Sump... CO2 off if SumpPump isn't running)...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Normally, I view the status of my controller via my cell phone or my desktop PC. But of course my DIY Aquarium Controller has a 7" LCD TouchScreen (800x480" resolution) attached to it.. so I develop my user graphics with that size in mind. I messed around with the RaspberryPi4B (the single board microcontroller that is the foundation for my aquarium controller) so that it starts up my application in KIOSK mode and nothing else... It doesn't show any other parts of the desktop/operatingsystem/user interface... just my screens.

Here is what it looks like at startup... displaying the home page of my aquarium control application.

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It's good... and there is still a little bit of real estate left on the home page... so I might move a few buttons over... Like 'Feed Mode' or maybe the Dosing Status (when I finish doing those)...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

After a few delays, Display Tank#5 has been installed on the Top Tier of the Fish Nook. (I missed the $1 a gallon sale last week, so Tank #6, the last to go on this system, won't happen for a bit).

Some challenges having 3 levels of display tanks with a 2', 4' and 6' head... I did see about a 10% drop in measured flow performance once I put that top level tank on line with it's 6' head. However, it is still acceptable at a true 470gph. Pump is rated at 1000, but I'm seeing 470 in this configuration, which represents a true turnover of 4+ times an hour (the entire system, display tanks, dual sump, etc.. contains about 112 gallons). I plan to make a final tweak to the plumbing leaving the sump that will remove a few turns and give me a main trunk of 1" before dividing to the two existing 3/4" verticals to serve each level and then the final 1/2" (about 10" worth) that goes into each tank via a fluted entry. Should see a minor gain, perhaps restoring me back to a true 500+ gph in this configuration.

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Today, I will install the lighting. (same 2x 12.5" 6W 8000k ecoxotic stunner strips that the other tanks use). Of course, this one will suspend from the ceiling on hooks as there is no shelf to tuck it under..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

yesterday I hung the led lighting and moved three of my wife's female guppies to the new fifth display tank.

this morning, we awoke to about 40 guppy babies in the new tank with another 7 in the sump socks. these guppies are from the female that was part of the Panda Guppy pair, so they might be interesting to look at.... So much so, that we set up a little screen to keep them in for a few weeks.

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lots more work to do...

[Shan_Evolved]

LED's looking good!

[FischAutoTechGarten]

LED's looking good!

Thank you. The FishNook has 10 x Ecoxotic Stunner 12.5" 6W 8000k Strips, 2 per display tank. They are unfortunately a model that have not been available for sometime. So when Display Tank #6 is added, it is doubtful if these same lights weill be sourced again.

When you look, you can see the appearance is a bit odd left, right, to center... That is due to having only 5 of the reflectors, so the entire 24" width cannot be covered. Therefore, just the center where the two strips join is straddled by a single reflector on each tank..

I suspect that I can easily make more of the reflectors on a cutting machine (I have access to a laser cutter through a community hacker space), but I don't know if I can find two more of those strips. Even finding a 24" strip that's not super blue has been a challenge.

I've always been told the stunner strips were never designed to be the main lighting source. However, the plants are trimmed aggressively once a week, so they are rather happy with what they are getting out of 12watts per tank.

I like them, but have not found an equivalent. Current USA (which is Ecoxotic) had a neat 24" 10000k aluminum model, but it's out of production as well. I have two of those. They are a bit blue for a planted tank, but I may employ them anyway.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Never to proud to look at the classifieds for left-by-the-curb notices... Found one of my neighbors was throwing away this classy brushed nickel towel rack. (I checked with my wife first and it wouldn't fit anywhere in our bathrooms). It's perfect for storing my cotton wiping rags.... the individual posts swing out for extra space to air dry them too... Dressing up the Fish Nook a little bit.... with another man's trash!

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I have something else going on the wall below the towel rack and above the ladder... But that will take a few weeks to build and reveal...

[famtsberg]

That is a first class set up. Very nicely done. I hope the bees found a new home. :)

Fritz

[FischAutoTechGarten]

That is a first class set up. Very nicely done. I hope the bees found a new home. :)
Fritz

Bees were moved by a beekeeper friend. he has a hive setup for them at his home at the foot of Elephant Head, an outcroppng of the Santa Rita Mountains in Southern Arizona. Happy Bees.

I'm working on the setup. The 3+ months I've had this system running, I am learning quite a bit. Biggest lesson is that I have way underestimated the effects of height (head), parallel branches, equipment and planting density on flow. I'm on my 3rd re-vamp of the plumping.... Simplifying and going larger diameter on the equipment.... I won't be doing many updates until I get that all sorted... It is requiring an upgrade to my flow meter, a much larger DIY CO2 reactor, new fittings on my UV Sterilizer, upsizing to 1" lines on the main section before branching to the display tanks.

I feel as if a number of folks here were pushing me to go bigger from the beginning, but I was stubborn and trusting in my calculations. Smacks of overconfidence on my part and I'm simply left with telling those good folks.... "You were right all along". LOL! Oh well. Why do something once when you get to do it 3 times... :sorry:

Inadequate flow means, inadequate filtering (which stresses the fish.. even though I have undetectable ammonia and nitrites and barely registering nitrates), inadequate oxygen due to insufficient surface movement, inadequate distribution of CO2 and other minerals, and the subsequent extra work of cleaning up detritus and plant litter from dead spots more often than you would like. Tanks still look great (crystal clear water, minimal algae, tall growth, fat fish), but there is some melting of some stem plants, some deformed twisted leaf growth from nutrient deficiencies, and holes in leaves. Getting a better flow will make other remedies I apply more effective.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

This is a followup.. In preparation of upsizing the plumbing and building a CO2 reactor, I decided to try my hand at dying PVC with synthic dye.

I had allot of fittings and I decided that I would do it in 2 batches. My wife made me cover the granite counter and back splash immediately around the stove with plastic... and to put newspaper on the floor...

I'm using Rit synthetic dye... They don't make a black per se.... but rather a color they call 'graphite'.... I think they are subtly admitting that they can't successfully dye plastics black. I don't have grand expectations... i just want it to look good enough.

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I'll do the batches full strength (7 ounces of dye to ~3 gallons of water) and 'cook' at 200degF for 30, 60 or 90 minutes.

Ok fast forward... first batch after 90 minutes. So-So... various shades of deep purple, charcoal, graphite and almost black...

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I read on the internet that I could have added a small amount of acetone and started the process cold..... with the dye and parts in the water..... but I was afraid of the acetone even slightly deforming parts and making it not fit good. So, I didn't. Anyway... it was good enough... the parts will blend it sufficiently with all of the other equipment that is black...

When I build the CO2 Reactor and redo the plumbing, I will document that all very nicely...

[Shan_Evolved]

Wow that looks clean! Very very nice how would you do longer pieces?

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Wow that looks clean! Very very nice how would you do longer pieces?

Hard to say. My pot couldn't really handle anything over 10". I did have to cut one pipe and dye it in two pieces along with a coupling.

One thing I noted... I did have some warping with a few fittings.. two became ovals... and are unuseable. Next time I would do much stronger dye with a slightly lower time and temperature. If it were just a few pieces... I would try to source them online black. This process was a bit of a hassle... as I have a few pieces that are going to be tough to fit together...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

CO2 Reactor is built. It is based on an old design by Tom Barr. Will install Wednesday or Thursday night. It's crooked. Didn't realize it until I was fitting them that I had measured one of the 1" horizontal pieces incorrectly.... It was exacerbated by the fact that everything was tough to fit together on account of the prior dying step (won't do that again). Anyway, it's part of the whole filtration system getting a bump to 1" diameter and very simplified plumbing. This CO2 Reactor has a reactor chamber that is 2" x 25", so I have lots of time/distance for the dissolving of CO2 to occur... If I have to slow down the flow through the reactor chamber, I can use the 1" bypass section that I built in and throttle some of the flow through that. It has a controllable built-in venturi to collect undissolved CO2 that forms at the top and recirculate it through the sump pump so that the CO2 gets a 2nd pass through the reactor.

I'll offer more comments and take more photos once it's all in use...

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[FischAutoTechGarten]

Simplifying the plumbing with the install of the DIY CO2 Reactor has given me an opportunity to really cleanup the equipment panel of it's wires and waterworks. That nice open space is where I will put my dosing pumps in the coming weeks.

A plug for AutomationDirect... Their Dinosaur Flexible Wire Duct is a real time saver... (https://www.automationdirect.com/adc/shopping/catalog/wiring_solutions/wire_duct_-a-_accessories/dinosaur_flexible_wire_duct/dn35ag-1).

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[FischAutoTechGarten]

Purchased 6 (actually 7 - one spare) Ecoxotic E-Series P60 24" LED lamps. They are fully programmable. Quite Nice. CurrentUSA was clearing out their old inventory and I got them for less than $30usd a piece (these were close to $180 new I believe). Trick was to mount them... so I installed Ubolts so they could be hung (simple tyewraps).

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They have controllers that are programmed using a remote, so I needed them to have a position on the rack where I would have line of sight with the remote. So I fabricated something out of Lexan and Velcro...

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All lights ready.

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All are illuminated. I need to program them for their sunrise/sunset function and get the correct temperature.. (going for 6500k or 8000k)...

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I've made a few more changes to the FishNook. With the increased height and the install of the flow meter (1") and new check valve (1"), I had sufficient flow, but not like I really wanted.... I found an open box version of the Active Aqua pump AAPW1100 for $30 usd and grabbed it (I paid $85 for the first). after lots of experimenting... I installed them parallel inside the pump.... The join together with a 1" Y connection. Flow is spectacular. All fish are trying to get used to the better lighting and increased flow.... I certainly no longer feel the need to run an airpump.

Forgot to mention... Ultimately the 1" Flow Meter had to go... it simply cut-off too much flow. It was pronounced.. despite being an axial type flowmeter (which are supposed to restrict less), I could see about 20% loss... So it's gone for now. I suspect that I will need to get an oversized 1 1/2" flow meter and just use adapters before and after.... I'll look for a good one.

Of course, from this photo, you can see that all 6 Display Tanks are online. The 6th is interesting becuase I opted for 8 Cardinal Tetras, 4 RummyNose (that's all they had) and 8 Corydoras Pygmaeus, 2 Ottos. So all small fish, no dwarf cichlids, no shrimp. I'll take better pictures once the new pieces of driftwood sink and I have a decent aquascape. I'm fighting a little algae in two of the six aquariums... which is interesting as they are all on a common system, so you think it would be present in at least 5 (the 6th tank is too new).

[Shan_Evolved]

Wow those lights are great! Amazing value too.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Wow those lights are great! Amazing value too.

Thanks Shan... yeah they were a great deal..

Small little update today.... I purchased an ambient Air Temp and Humidity sensor from Atlas Scientific. It operates over i2c interface and have it working with my Node-RED. It's a big deal becuase this sensor returns Humidity, Temperature and DewPoint with each reading... So, I had to re-examine my Node-RED code and do a little custom java-script programming to parse out the individual readings. DewPoint is not applicable to my setup, so I just configured it for the Humid and Temp... So now I know if my FishNook is getting a little toasty or a little moist... I have the sensor mounted on a shelf, so it's close to the ceiling where it will be hotter and moister... If I see it creeping up too much over the summer... I might add another multi-channel Relay board (could use a few more relays anyway for other stuff) to turn on an exhaust fan.... We'll see.. .For now the information will be useful..

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I've been wanting to do this for another sensore I have (Conductivity, that also gives Total Dissolved Solids and Salinity).... And of course my Flow Meter returns not just Instantaneous Flow, but can also totalize... So two measures each reading as well. So, now I've mastered parsing multiple parameters when reading these 3 devices over i2c.... good stuff... a new skill.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Then there were three. Made modifications today. Decided to add a 3rd join between my two sump sections to increase flow and have them maintain similar levels. So out it all came and drilling commenced.

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Here you can see the new join between the sumps once they were re-installed.

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I also tired of waiting for all 6 tanks to drain through a single 1/2" solenoid. THe fact that the bottom and middle levels also needed to have check valves installed to prevent water from tanks above filling them during a drain cycle also slowed things down. So I decided to add two additonal solenoid valves and removed the check valves. Now each level drains down seperate lines through it's own solenoid. All 3 solenoid valves are controlled by the same relay in the DIY aquarium controller, so I didnt' have to make any expansions or changes there. It's nice to have it faster. Photo is blurry, but you can see that just below each level of display tanks there is a solenoid valve mounted on the wall to drain water away...

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Did some other work with the dosers and probes, but I'll make that part of another update.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Finally got around to finishing up the dosing pumps. I have 3. They are configured, calibrated and installed.

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Now the science and techy parts begin as I've set them up in Node-RED and now need to make the dosing part of water changes. I'll play around with just dosing water from each of them for a few weeks until I know I have all the automation set..

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Getting hard to stay focused as I'm enjoying working in the gardens more. I expanded the butterfly/bee/hummingbird garden around the perimeter of my back enclosed patio... they are already feeding on the nectar. this was yesterday, a very rare rainy day april day in the desert (we are having a big drought)..

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[Shan_Evolved]

Damn Peter you definitely got an itch to scratch LOL

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I like learning new stuff. The dosing pump holder was an opportunity to work with Lexan (cuts and drill). Three dosing pumps gives me an opportunity to experiment with remineralizing, macro and micro nutrients.

Yesterday, I submitted code samples to Atlas-Scientific, NodeRED, and WhiteBoxLabs for working with Atlas-Sci EZO devices (probes, pumps, meters, etc...) in NodeRED. So folks who don't mind a tiny bit of light coding can create their own DIY aquarium controller.

The garden, yeah.... i got carried away in 2020 and 2021 (with Covid, what else is there to do but improve stuff around the homestead?). That's a topic for another thread altogether...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Doing a bit more software work on the DIY Aquarium Controller for the FishNook. Dosing pumps work good now. (And no, I haven't found a water soluable remineralizer for my RO water.... So I will use that 3rd doser for something else). I need to build a user interface for the schedule.... as the scheduler that triggers the 'Start' even is hidden in the code..

131267

just trying to stay motivated to finish this up...

[LizStreithorst]

Peter, are you sure you will ever finish up? Surely you will always find something that needs tweaking or reconfiguring. If you actually do finish up I bet you will find some other project that if it were mine, I'd just patch together so it worked for me and my simple mind. Knowing you, you will find something that is just as far over my head and this one with the FishNook is to me.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Liz,
Probably right... I'll never be finished. LOL.

The changes ae beginning to show very good results. The plant growth is much better, with allot of pearling coming from many of the plants throughout the day. Some of the stem plants that were brittle are quite strong now. Many new leaves are replacing older damaged leaves on my broadleaf plants. The fish are much more active and are putting on some size (lots of fat ottos, cories, and shrimp, my bleeding heart tetras are looking like mini discus...LOL).

I attribute 3 things to all of these improvements (one of which Discus folks will appreciate):

1. I do 40% water changes wiht remineralized RO water about every 3 to 4 days on average (twice a week) now.
2. The above mentioned reminieralization to yield a GH around 4 to 5 and a KH around 1 to 2 and consistent fertilzation.
3. Consistent ph of 6.8 overnight and 6.5 during the photo period. However, going to bump the hysterisis for the pH/CO2 valve control from .025 to .05... It will allow slightly greater swings, but will switch my relay less often (don't want to wear it out prematurely).

Funny, I no longer use my airpump at all. Not even at night.

My wife dutifully extracts smails from the tanks and scolds the assasin snails for not earning their keep each morning. She likes the tanks allot.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

This is a build thread, so let's get back to some improvements. I've stepped up my water change regimen on the FishNook... and of course I have 6 full display tanks on line. I can do a 40% water change on the entire system (6 display tanks, 2 sump tanks) with the 53 gallons I have available (it's 65 gallons of storage, but it's not filled to the top and you can't pump out the last 5 gallons). I'm doing that about every 5 days now... So, I'm doing 6 x 40% water changes a month.

To produce 53 gallons (well more, because I top off between water changes and grab 5 gallons for the quarantine tank too in between as well) every 5 days means that nearly 100 gallons is going to my garden... That's allot. Of course when I do that water change... 53 gallons leaves my FishNook and also goes to the garden.... So yeah... 150gallons every 5 days. I'd like to knock that down a bit. It's so much water that a family of Gambel's Quail have taken up roosting under my neighbors Orange tree that benefits from the water too as it's soooo lush and cool (especially in this 110-115degF heatwave we've been having).

I've been researching how to improve the ratio of RO water to waste on lots of forums.... when suddenly the manufacturer of my system emailed me information on an Upgrade kit they offer to reduce the wasted water. I liked the idea. It went on Sale, then I bought it.

So, in the bodega, time to move things over a bit to fit more cartridges..

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Everything was moved over and the new holder installed... Basically the waste from the 1st 3 cartridges goes though a 2nd round of RO Membrane and DI Resin... The outputs of both combine to go into the water storage vessel.... It's the waste from the 2nd round that ends up as the final waste. I followed the recommendations to do install the flush adapter for 30 minutes before adding the DI cartridge...

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I don't think DI is necessary, but it came with the kit.. so I'll use it.... What is interesting is the 1st round of purified water the exits the first set of filters won't have passed through the DI cartridge... Whereas the 2nd round of purified water that exist the second set of filters will have passed through the DI cartridge... So not 100% of the water that I am producing will have a near 0 TDS... That's okay with me... I'm remineralizing anyway...

131488

Yes, I did go back and enter the dates on the cartridges.... I put 12/1/2020 for the 1st set.. and 6/1/2021 for the 2nd set. Yeah the first set was installed before that, but very lightly used.
It will be easier to remember the replacement cycle if I stage them 6 months apart.

So, it will be interesting to see: 1. how much faster the water gets produced. 2. if I can detect less water in the garden.

UPDATE: The water is produced much faster... which make sense.... For every 6 gallon used, I used to see 2 gallons of pure water.. .So now for every 6 gallons used, I see about 3.33 gallons produced.. More produced from less.... and of course with less waste...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Well, I always promise to cite the good with the bad in this FishNook adventure. Today was the bad. This morning I saw a bit of water on the floor and traced it to Display Tank #3... I saw that the cork underlayment was saturated, but all glass was dry... This meant that I had a leak in the bottom pane or the bottom pane seams... What I found upon inspection surprised me... a cracked corner.

This is where it's my fault. A year ago as I was de-rimming, de-basing, drilling the glass, I noted a small chip near one of the corners. I added a bit of extra silicon... let it cure for 48 hours... then tested that tank like I did all of the others for two weeks... completely filled... on the stands on my patio.... I describe that process early in this thread.

Now, some 8 months later, this tank is leaking at that location. So, I'm going to then take this tank down. That requires moving all of the fish and plants to the other 5 aquariums. Then, I will get another 20 gallon long, de-rim, de-base and drill it.... Another thing that I am doing is adding/doubling additional cork. Display Tanks #3 and #4 have the thinnest cork... The others have slightly thicker cork.... THe sumps even have two layers of cork... So that is what I will do with this new tank...

Bummer... It's a bummer becuase my wife broke her leg in NY two weeks ago... We are back home in Arizona and still awaiting the 1st of 3 surgeries that she requires. So, it's a bad time to have to do something major to the Sonoran Desert Fish Nook.

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[FischAutoTechGarten]

My wife has had her surgery and is recovering, so I'm moving on fixing up the replacement aquarium.

This one was a bear... might have been the toughest rim and base that I've ever removed... and it's a brand new aquarium. Glad that it's done. I will drill for the bulkheads later and then get this thing set in place. Should be on line by Friday evening.

For the Desert Aquarist Society (Tucson Area Fish Club) August 14th meeting, I'm going to do a workshop on cutting and drilling aquarium glass. We have to hold it in an outside location and electricity is questionable... but I have all cordless tools with lots of batteries so it will be a good opportunity to pass something on to others.

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Random musing....

The more I work in the FishNook there is a re-occuring thought. I wish I'd built custom 32"x16"x16" or 33" x 15" x 15" Display Tanks. There's something about wanting to get an entire aquarium out of one 48" sheet and fit in the stand point print, hence the very specific dimensions. (of course I guess at that point you are just about at the dimensions of a 40 breeder, but I don't want to go changing stands and the extra length would take too much space away from all of the wall mounted equipment.)

The extra height would be nice to allow the stem plants a bit more growth and depth would have been nice to allow more an easier time of cleaning the glass without plants crowding against it. It would have been fun to take it to the limits of the stand width and have an overhang front and back for effect.

Maybe version two of the FishNook in a few years. ;)

[LizStreithorst]

Peter, please give your wife good wishes for a fast recovery. Sometimes it seems that the bad stuff all comes in a bundle. You and I already know that the Nook will be a whole different thing in two years. I'm glad that I'm not such a perfectionist.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Peter, please give your wife good wishes for a fast recovery. Sometimes it seems that the bad stuff all comes in a bundle. You and I already know that the Nook will be a whole different thing in two years. I'm glad that I'm not such a perfectionist.

My wife's recovery will be long. 3 months before she can stand or walk and 10 months before the screws/plates come out. The work trip in NY was difficult. A young uncle passed away unexpectedly and as we were all preparing to attend his funeral my wife fell down a flight of stairs, breaking multiple bones in her leg. Worst of it is over as we got back to Arizona and had the necessary surgery. Now the pain and medicine/anestesia sideeffects have subsided; it's the long recovery ahead. I'm becoming quite the suzy home maker, honing my cooking skills for sure.

I don't know Liz... I look at all of the work I put into this FishNook and I think.... 'My goodness I could never do that again' ... (That said, if I ever find affordable glass some day, I'll consider building my own 32 gallon tanks and replacing each of the 6 20 gallon long display tanks 1 by 1 over a 6 month period.)

Meanwhile, it's taking all of the motivation I can muster just to get this one leaky tank replaced.....

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Followup...

It turned out the tank was not leaking... it had overflowed and the cork underneath had absorbed so much water that it was wet for a long time.... I had let too much frog bit gather on the surface and just plugged the exits causing the tank to overflow temporarily (of course as it overflows the frog bit flows higher..which allows the water to exit again...kind of fixing the problem itself... sans a bit of spilled water)...

Well.. I have a spare de-rimmed and drilled tank.

What is interesting is how time flies. I'm soon coming up on having had the FishNook up and running for an entire year! I intentionally let allot of plants grow really long... I'm doing a big trimming this afternoon to take allot of plants to the Desert Aquarist Society Fish Club Auction tomorrow in Tucson AZ. Here's a photo of the jungles...

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[LizStreithorst]

Whenever I see another post to this thread I wonder what my mad scientist friend us up to. My tanks are always too full of plants. I take them to my LPS or if they get out of control like my Jungle Vals that I just toss on the compost pile.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

What I found was that by allowing allof the red root floaters to multiply on top, and by letting my stem plants grow so long such that they grew sideways along the top of the length of the aquarium, that it caused all of the stem plants to have very tiny leaves (or no leaves) at the base. I had deprived the lower level of light. When I trimmed it all I took ALLOT of trimmings to the club auction, but was disappointed in that they all looked so thin. Oh well. It was the first club auction where I sold more things than I purchased.

It was a good exercise because more experienced club members analyzed some of the clippings that I had for sale and let me know that I was being a bit stingy with my iron supplement dosing.... So I appreciated the guidance. Always learning....

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I thought I would follow-up the messy plants photo with one of all the Display Tanks trimmed up neatly.

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I literally have a spare 20 gallon long that is full top to bottom, side to side, front to back, of solid plant mass. Need to get it gone.

[Coffee1stLife2nd]

Crazy Good,,,i was thinking just some simple hoses and clamps for mine...you are on a way different level,,, Good Job...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Crazy Good,,,i was thinking just some simple hoses and clamps for mine...you are on a way different level,,, Good Job...

Most of what I've done is unnecessary. However, I would absolutley never ever build a fish room without having the tanks plumbed for automatic water changes. This has been a godsend. Even when I'm completely lazy.... a flip of the switch changes out about 40% of my water (~ 50 gallons of waste flows to my garden) and brings in 50 gallons of RO water to the system. I just remineralize and add the fertilizers that are appropriate for 50 gallons of new water. I never every neglect water changes this way and I never have a drop of water on the floor or glass.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Beauty of a Sump... Brine Shrimp Hatchery is out of the way, but climate controlled...

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[LizStreithorst]

Peter, I admire all you can do to make things as nearly perfect enough to suit you but you could never stand my medium size fish room. All my mistakes and plumbing fixes I are in plain view. You will never catch me using buckets but over time I've made WC take more rather than less. I like it this way because I like gives me a bit of what I never used to consider exercise and I enjoy watching the fish while I work the tanks.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Peter, I admire all you can do to make things as nearly perfect enough to suit you but you could never stand my medium size fish room. All my mistakes and plumbing fixes I are in plain view. You will never catch me using buckets but over time I've made WC take more rather than less. I like it this way because I like gives me a bit of what I never used to consider exercise and I enjoy watching the fish while I work the tanks.

Rats... I just wrote an entire long response.. and then somehow I deleted the whole thing... so I'm not typing that again.

Anyway, I'll just say that yeah... I put a bit of emphasis on the style of the hardware... It was intentional, however it's superficial and has absolutely no bearing on the quality of my fishkeeping. I have lots of fish... lots of plants... and they are all improving.... but man they just don't compare to your fish that are so dramatic and spectacular. When I saw the photos of your Blue and Red Snakeskins that you are re-homing I was positively blown away. You keep absolutely incredible fish!!! Who cares if your power strips aren't color coordinated, or your styrofoam shows, or you can see purple primer on your white PVC or you? Not me... I never judge a persons fishkeeping on that kind of superficial stuff. It's the fish (and plants and invertebrates if you have them) that matter! Well clean glass too... that matters. HAHAHA. You have to actually be able to see them....

My short tanks prevent me from getting into Discus and Angelfish, which I guess was intentional so that I would maintain some self discipline and self control (although the sheer variety and number of tetras, corydoras, shrimp and plecos that I have is mind boggling now.... so much for limiting myself... good thing I have the dual chamber sump!). So, I'm in constant awe of fishkeepers that get to keep those awesome tall laterally compressed cichlids like Discus, Angelfish, Severums, Festivums, Uarus, Keyholes, etc...

The water change stuff... I automate it becuase I wouldn't be disciplined enought otherwise... I lack that discipline that a skilled fishkeeper/breeder like yourself has!

[FischAutoTechGarten]

That said, I did sneak a certain Petco $1 a gallon 40 gallon breeder into the home the other day (not sneak... Heather was made aware of it). It's part of my feasibility study into replacing all of the 20gallon longs with 40breeders in the Fish Nook.. No gaurantees yet... Heck, I took years to get the Fishnook from planning to operational status... So, I can take my time deciding on how far I want to take any upgrading.... If I did.. I'd probably start another build thread. LOL...

[LizStreithorst]

Rats... I just wrote an entire long response.. and then somehow I deleted the whole thing... so I'm not typing that again.

Anyway, I'll just say that yeah... I put a bit of emphasis on the style of the hardware... It was intentional, however it's superficial and has absolutely no bearing on the quality of my fishkeeping. I have lots of fish... lots of plants... and they are all improving.... but man they just don't compare to your fish that are so dramatic and spectacular. When I saw the photos of your Blue and Red Snakeskins that you are re-homing I was positively blown away. You keep absolutely incredible fish!!! Who cares if your power strips aren't color coordinated, or your styrofoam shows, or you can see purple primer on your white PVC or you? Not me... I never judge a persons fishkeeping on that kind of superficial stuff. It's the fish (and plants and invertebrates if you have them) that matter! Well clean glass too... that matters. HAHAHA. You have to actually be able to see them....

My short tanks prevent me from getting into Discus and Angelfish, which I guess was intentional so that I would maintain some self discipline and self control (although the sheer variety and number of tetras, corydoras, shrimp and plecos that I have is mind boggling now.... so much for limiting myself... good thing I have the dual chamber sump!). So, I'm in constant awe of fishkeepers that get to keep those awesome tall laterally compressed cichlids like Discus, Angelfish, Severums, Festivums, Uarus, Keyholes, etc...

The water change stuff... I automate it becuase I wouldn't be disciplined enought otherwise... I lack that discipline that a skilled fishkeeper/breeder like yourself has!

What a lovely compliment, Peter. If I had your talent everything I'd have everything beautiful. But I don't. I make it so it works because for me it's about the fish, just like you said.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I don't think I've ever shown Plant Trimming aftermath. I had gone about 10 to 14 days without trimming the 6 display tanks of my FishNook, so I knew there would be some clippings.

This is what it looked Sunday evening as I deposited the clippings that represent about 10 different kind of stem plants and floaters into a spare 20gallon long aquarium on my back deck.

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I can't keep them long as I have no light, fertilization, nor heat in that tank and the next Fish Club Meeting is 3 weeks away. They'll just get leggy and pale. So, I've invited club members to come by on Tuesday and clean me out for donations to the club.

What's crazy is that I just did the same thing last month.

[sayitfast]

Beauty of a Sump... Brine Shrimp Hatchery is out of the way, but climate controlled...

131987

Quick question: What are you using for the probe holder?

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Quick question: What are you using for the probe holder?

I am using one sold by Atlas-Scientific. It's a bit spendy. (I found a used one on Ebay).

https://atlas-scientific.com/cables/large-magnetic-probe-holder/

That said... here is a much cheaper, but smaller one available on Ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284259133696?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item422f2a2900:g:FhAAAOSwCQtgeGkl&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACkPYe5NmHp%252B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkP rKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSwcmzw5CLtzTE60FqHcnq2LV1bAruzXA s7sqAN6fA%252FRzuq4Kyrhkhtt8R3NIaHLSOkHmbarpUqLBs4 jgMH2kQZmPODB8jergIIIHKmhQiIC7ZOk5XSmvL454BnwS8Hxw BeMkHWXZjkc%252BvWOK0JeWNFYxiS5KW8bI7jQyqsOj3t2yS9 U%252FIdZgFev%252FKmn3Iq3qFn93SiK%252FX6euaAx8booi J9ltkgBa8L9dsO%252BU9KiwvETkmTaD7ay2ImJM%252FZiIuC tK%252FEU8JIfzuwIMAgRjjGYzSp0hRp1WzqU%252FpAooRXL6 %252FUw2MjOhMkPujvvn8cO6dx3FMmxxG85%252BUasf7wPYkt DS%252BAUsmPROXqcoyt2Wjb0QmsGJlfb2UuXLrm8%252BSoaB mv%252FMvZw9u9xyEOJmcHT7uF0%252FpcfBO4JEQabqmxisse WZ%252BXhF5F1S1is8Y%252FvkU23xa4YpJHj9unccEKXYMG2O 9r23tMy4GjuE93RZ79gJSV5PhSYCUnxxzds1s9bNEqsVONuVVX vvUcjKRH9PjmnPF%252FjqPGzFWXyL8WMlqBPAlO2Efa%252B3 aY%252FntbDBzs4wRhS9HnlttRoOM8SIgJL4ZQwohg5Vlcmja4 dPPJ9uadu0lhp6EiVP7yfjT4Ki%252FGEjWM76HWksrfqM5G6u Sr2bZyUUT4LoIOy%252FWiB%252F4PJ%252B20GyddOJsM%252 BVzyWX2lHhPVvmSTwHjU1CDQigmf%252BPsJCwoQOysRP70f7f a9f%252FJdr1Rdsw5f5GpD7q7RM8nFzoRTbuzS7kdE7A9vYWUb lQo30b4ZSh4TaNL1ShjuvN7fkqCIEHkZnJlR2BVHbq%252FdQF pieUaXL0mQgOu%7Cclp%3A2334524%7Ctkp%3ABFBMiNbI0MFf

[FischAutoTechGarten]

FishNook has been up and running for more than 2 years now. Looks like the last time I updated this thread was nearly a year ago.
The FishNook was a great diversion while we returned to the US for 30 months due to Covid and other economic factors. That said... We are ready to return to Mexico... so simplification is in order...

The fishnook is coming down... and will be replaced by 1 40 gallon breeder in my home in Green Valley, Arizona and 1 40 gallon breeder in my home in Álamos, Sonora. The fish, plants, shrimp will just travel back and forth in a bucket every 6 months... already started emptying the first 2 Display Tanks of the FishNook. About 50 fish and 30 plants have been sold off so far..

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When I get to the house in Álamos in 2 weeks, I'll take a photo of the 40 gallon breeder there. I still have a FishNook... I just don't have the big 6 Display Tank system anymore.... The 40gallon breeders will have a fair amount of automation in both locations... Not giving that convenience up..

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Disassemble is continuing..

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[LizStreithorst]

It would break my heart if I'd done all that work just to break it all down.

[fljones3]

Agree, Liz.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

It would break my heart if I'd done all that work just to break it all down.

It's not so bad. Most of the equipment will be used on my smaller 40 breeder setup in Mexico and my 40 breeder setup in the USA. I'm using 1 of the racks in a storage bodega here in Arizona. and the other rack in a storage area of my home in Mexico. So nothing wasted. Just simplifying the amount of livestock and plants that I'm keeping so that it's transportable. The FishNook served a good purpose. I learned allot. Ultimately, I just didn't enjoy the whole 4 tier setup. Over the last year it's all gotten louder and needed a revamp. So the 40's will be built with nice silent Bean Animal overflowes to the small sumps.

I caught Dengue Fever this summer and injured myself (hernia)... and of course Dengue affects your platelets and blood clotting, so I had to delay surgery until I built those back up.... Now I've had the surgery, and it just isn't fun climbing a ladder to service the tanks while I have to restrict activity for 8 weeks. Of course, 3 weeks into recover, I tore some muscle, so recovery sets back to the full 8 weeks again. Anyway, I'll enjoy fishkeeping much more with just a sump below and 1 tank above.

What has surprised me is that literally no one wants the 8 drilled 20 gallon longs. Probably sell them for $5 a piece or so this weekend.

So, here's how I decided on what plants to save... I bought an under the bed sweater tote that has a foot print close to a 40 breeder and I scaped it...

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The fish are in the last 20 gallon long (it gets taken down tomorrow so that it and the plants in it can be sold at auction this weekend). The fish will live in a small 10 gallon aquarium with a heater, air stone, and hang on box filter with 50% water changes every day until we leave next week. It's allot of fish for a 10 gallon, but they will do well with light feedings and constant water changes with 90% RO.

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I'll have similar automation at both places for water changes, CO2 fertilization, dosing, etc... will just move the plants and fish back and forth every 6 or 8 months or so. I mean, I'm going from 9 tanks running... to just 1 tank running (and 1 on standby at the other location, without water, plants, fish).. So enough equipment to make fishkeeping easy and equal at either location.

My wife and I are really looking forward to returning back to Mexico to live next week. We started some remodeling on the little casita we've had down there forever so we've got just some painting and finish electric to do. I've missed it. Maybe I'll start building a modest retirement home with gardens on that little bit of land (just under an acre in town) that I have down there finally (not that I'm retired, but I will someday)... Put some footings in... (I already put up a fence around it this spring on a visit).