My Greenhouse FARM In the making!

[mr9iron]

Rocky, you need to write a book about this project when your done. ;) This is one of the neatest projects I've ever seen. My hats off to you rocky.

[Lunchbucket]

HOLY CRAP!! you are seriously my idol now!! this is the biggest project i have ever seen a non-comercal reefer do. well now i suppose you are a commercial reefer ;)

please keep us updated! and let us know when we can buy corals!!

keep up the great work, and i hope all goes well!
Lunchbucket

[scubadude]

haha....you guys need to stop! You would be doing the same thing if you where in my shoes! Im just lucky enough to have the time, $, etc etc to do it.

Heres a few more pics...I have been having ppl ask for pics of the tanks w/the new rock....its all crammed into one tank right now



and heres some of the skimmer in action on the tank

[Sker]

Hey Rocky,

Looking good! You have done a hell of a job putting it all together.
A couple of questions for you:
1) Do you plan on selling your live rock or are you just using it for bio-filtration?
2) Are your tank temps. staying down as it has been getting warmer down in Florida?
3) Is the clam prop. tank/rubbermaid container full with water yet? (pics?)
4) When do you think you will get your first shipment of corals in?
5) Do you plan to have some type of customer mailing list? If so sign me up!!!

Thanks,
Scott

[Lunchbucket]

looking great please keep us posted (i am sure you will ;) ) and i too would like to know when you open...might need some SPS frags sometime in the future

keep doing a great job!
Lunchbuket

[scubadude]

Originally posted by Sker
Hey Rocky,

Looking good! You have done a hell of a job putting it all together.
A couple of questions for you:
1) .........
2) .........

Thanks,
Scott

hahaha!

1. Yes, and Yes
2. havent seen above 83 yet
3. not full yet, im using as RO/DI holding unit for now
4. By July 1st. but it wont be a huge shipment...as I will be putting some of my aquacultured tank raised frags up for sale to start out, I have a pretty good supply of them right now. I will be getting probably SPS and LR in for july opening shipment.
5. Yes....just havent got it up and ready...but I do promise by July 1st

[Gilman]

Great Thread! Good job on a truly amazing project Scubadude.

[Elmo18]

Gilman, WELCOME TO REEFLAND!!

- Elmo

[Gilman]

Thanks Elmo!!

[eddie]

wow
can you explain your radiator a littel more for me
is all the pipe in one trench?
are the pipes conected by t's & elbows?
is one tank for sps & one for softies?

this is defianatly the best tread ive ever saw
thanks

[Lunchbucket]

more updates?? please

Lunchbucket

[louey]

Rocky,

Thanks for me giving the tour of your facilty. It is truly amazing. Your main tank is totally tricked out to the max. I want one just like it one day!

If any of you guys are ever in southwest florida, give Rocky a buzz. Great guy!

Thanks again Rocky, I'll be bring you some frags the next time I come up!

Louey

[scubadude]

Gilman,
Thank You sir!

Eddie,
Have I answered your questions on the radiator in the emails we have been conversing? Sorry its hard for me to keep up with everything. Let me know and I will try and explain it all....but I thought I did in the previous pages as well.

Louey,
Was very nice meeting you! Any time you are in the neighborhood drop me a line!

Originally posted by Lunchbucket
more updates?? please

Lunchbucket

Sorry its been a while but I have been battling Hair Algae and I will be frank with you guys....its probably nothing you want pics of....The greenhouse isnt really in its glamorous stages right now...at least the tanks....However I think I am just now getting over the HA battles by pulling out all the rocks and scrubbing the Valonia, and hair algae, and yes there is probably some byropsis going on there too....Im not dissecting any of it...it grows fast and has been alot of work, I do know that! I went diving last weekend...and got me alot of types of macro algaes and crabs...You know I have always been an advocate against crabs...but they where free and I got lots of them and they where grazing the rocks seconds after I got them! I am still unsure wether I want to use Natural Sea Water because of issues in my areas with Red Tide, which is an algae that deprives all living organisms around it of oxygen. Mote Marine labratory has massive aquariums and they have for years collected Natural Sea Water but they have had wipeouts from what I have heard from Red Tide, They apparently are monitoring the Red Tide closely now though and still using it. But I did talk to Anthony Calfo and he has Strongly advised me against using Natural Sea water....I value his opinion more than any others on my issues with my greenhouse....However I have not totally disclosed this idea yet! I have also asked Randy Farleys advice on this issue and there where some interesting responses from him as well as others. heres that thread if interested:

http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin...threadid=98300

A VERY interesting factor on Skimmers in greenhouses I have learned is that during the day when it gets hotter, the theory of hot air rising goes into effect so you must adjust your skimmers at the HOTTEST time of the day unless you just want to pump your water right out of your tank into your collection cups! FWIW Im thinking of methods of possibly burying, or semi burying my skimmers for more stable temps, as seen in previous pics of the skimmers they are elevated high in the greenhouse.

Another point that really needs to be taken here on skimmers...I have spent alot of time building and tweaking beckett skimmers....However I have come to the conclusion that they just arent the most effecient skimmers! Especially for Greenhouse purposes! Dont get me wrong, beckett skimmers are AWESOME! they skim very strong, but they require very strong pumps too...which is more electricity....Now If I told you I could pull more junk out of the water using 4-5 airstones on a 6' tall counter skimmer and only using a maxijet Powerhead would you believe me? it just doesnt sound right does it! Do NOT get overtaken that just because beckett skimmers have STRONG pumps that they skim stronger....they actually need that strong of pumps to produce the amount of air...the skimmer is putting WAY too much water through though, thus being ineffecient. I could go on and on. but I wont...I will end this point with 2 things if you want to go further into this.

Snailmans DIY CC (Counter Current) skimmer plans at:
http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/snailmandiy.htm

The book "Aquatic Systems Engineering" by P.R. Escobal
which can be bought
here for $29.95

Let me give you guys the skinny on this book real quick because it is a VALUABLE book as well for my venture. This book concentrates on Pumps, Skimmers, Tanks, plumbing, sumps, filtering, UV sterilizers, Ozoners, Skimmers, Reactors, ....it elaborates on selection, installation, and operation. Be prepared to pull out your old College Algebra books on this one guys....or for you young whipper snappers, your scientific calculators! This deals with equations, arithmetic, and geometry....FUN! It does have Some stuff in there that is easy to understand....but you CANNOT just dive right into this book and get the most out of it, atleast I couldnt...im not a math whiz though.

So stay tuned...I already have ordered my parts for the two 6'x8" Counter current skimmers. and will be building them which I will probably make another thread for them

[Lunchbucket]

thank you very very much, i thought you stared at the sun too much and wouldn't come back to us. sounds like some serious endevors but they are very interesting and i would love you to keep me at least updated on how things are going.

sounds like you are full force into all aspects of this. i just wish i could do this someday or help someone do it....would be a fun time!!

please keep us updated and keep on pluggin man!
Lunchbucket

[eddie]

The burying the skimmer idea sounds good.
I had the aquatic systems enginering book and sold it to a guy in cannada
way over my head
I understand your chiller now i posted that before our emails
BTW your one of the most thoughtful and helpful people ive met online yet and can hardly wait to meet in person
I was planning on a 2 huge NTF hydroponic type ATS's with surgers mounted around them instead of a skimmer for my systems
but if i do decide to use skimmers they'ed definantly be the type snailman has FWIW

[scubadude]

Originally posted by Lunchbucket
i just wish i could do this someday or help someone do it....would be a fun time!!

Lunchbucket

Hahaha...Ok how bout you come down here to florida and do maintenance for me, and I will come up there and maintain your Nano in exchange....hehe

Thanx for the appreciation words Lunch!

Its not all rosey all the time doing this...Its been alot of work lately...I dont want anyone getting the wrong impression....Dont get me wrong, im still having a BLAST! but I have been putting ALOT of labor into this recently that I didnt think was gonna be this involved.

Eddie,
You my freind are gonna be getting somewhere with your little project, if you put just 50% of your intentions into action! But just from watching your threads, and listening to you changing your mind many times needs to be accepted and expected! You better get that book back though! You will need it! Whats NTF stand for? and Thank you for your kind words too

Ok heres some more pics for you guys since you buttered me up!


The rubbermade full of LR even though they are overgrown w/algae, noticed How I have 2 - 1.5" bulkheads plumbed into a T and overflowing back into the main tank


Here you can see the spraybar (look close, theres algae all over it) in the rubbermade which is fed by a Rio2500 (for now anyway)


Ok here is one of the tanks, as you can see I built a rack out of eggcrate, this will be a frag rack. also note that I have the Skimmer pump up on the rack...this is another good point in skimming, Skim from the TOP of the water column as it is where most of the muck accumulates


Here is the other tank after I have drained it down and cleaned it real well...I had to clean the rocks (Hair algae) and the tank (Hair algae) and the sandbed (Yup u guessed it...Hair Algae) Some of you may ask how did I clean the sandbed? Easy...A large Wet/Dry shopvac!

Also notice that I made some Tripod rocks that I situated w/some other rocks I made as my level elevators for my Eggcrate for the Frag area of this tank, like you saw in the above tank. This tank has been cycling...realize that half the volume of the water is still underground...so in essence im just doing a big water change.



It will be filled back up w/ Saltwater by tommorow and some of the LR's transferred back into it. I will be trying some lawnmower blennys soon ....I know that hermits are having no trouble surviving in there

[Lunchbucket]

wow! sounds like a HUGE cycle w/ an algae blume

come down and help huh. where you at in FL? Personal Trainers get some serious $$ down there so don't tempt me too much. i have a professor that could hook me up w/ one of his buddys and i could make 6 figures doing that. maybe in 2 yrs when i am done w/ my Masters, LOL.

i think i personally would be more happy helping someone and for me to have a large tank (500gal or so). i don't know if i would have the pacience for all this and have the $$

well, thanks again! looking good, maybe not at the moment due to the algae but i am sure many of us see the beatuy that will come out of it!!

later
Lunchbucket

[eddie]

sorry I ment NFT Nutreiant Film Technique(2 8ft x 4ft x 12 inch polytarp and widow screen lined boxes with surge buckets all around them)
I'll be borrowing out my 401k to finance the more expesive parts of my project soon
so.....hopefuly I'll put it into action full
throttle soon

[eddie]

btw you've helped me change my mind on alot
thankfully

[Piero]

I've been lurkin here for a while. Great job!