[fishguy_8]

Well happy easter to all but it was definitely a happy easter for me. I came home this weekend and my dad and I put together the scwd circulation system and got it up and running. We ended up using just under 15 ft of pvc pipe and after we got the pump and the scwd we only spent about 40 bucks on raw materials. A cap here, a joint there, some cleaner and cement and badda-bing we gott'r put together. I took a bunch of pix as it was coming together so in a few days when we get the role developed Ill post those on this thread so you can see it coming together. We went w/ the same general lay out as the link zhenya sent me but I never did hear back from the guy who had the website about the scwd but my dad just went into the hardware store and tried to eye up what we would need and ill be danged if he didnt get every single piece we needed. It really was an easy job once we started doing it. I personally enjoyed it and Im pretty sure my dad did too. Of course we had our minor set-backs....the worst one was our drills battery died so we had to wait for 30min while the batteries charged. Not too bad as far as Im concerned. Once we got it assembled we left it to dry for 24hrs then we hooked it up outside and had it run just regular tap water for about 3 hours to check the system for any leaks or possible flaws. In went off without a hitch....kind of. The parts where we had to use a metal brace to hold the plastic tubing onto the scwd in one spot had a few drips accumulate after several hours...I wasnt all that concerned. We tightened it up and slapped it on the tank after running some RO water through it. The drip came back after about 7hrs but I assume after some time the salt water will just accumulate the salt there and form a seal there. Day two today and the word from the parents is that it is running just fine and the drip is hardly noticeable still. I also tested my Ca and Alk this weekend and were moving in the right direction finally again. Ca was at 490 and I want to say my alk was about 7.4 ....And we place an order and I have 1gal of Kalkwasser on the way as well as a 16oz supply of C Balance. (Im going to give the kalk a shot this summer when I have time to play w/ it but in the meen time the parents can handle the C Balance on their own.) As mentioned in another post I found 3 heads of aptasia which im trying to rectify. But im certain i killed 2 of them. But i dont want them at all...Im afraid im going to have to yank that rock out to prevent the damge from being spread...its a nice tall rock that Ive had for quite some time and never saw a single aptasia until these last few visits. But now Im moving in the right direction I really want to dive into some sps so anyone that needs to trim their sps let me know Im about ready to get in the market ....I also replaced my vho bulbs and the tank looks much better. Im still battling this unknown algae/problem with my sand. Anyone that cares to give it a guess let me know your thoughts. On my sand Ive accumulated basicly a blackish looking covering....what its doing is basicly solidifying the sand. You can quite literally lift the top layer of sand off in sheets. Never had this happen ever and Im really quite puzzled. Finally, Id like to thank zhenya for all his advice and time he spent helping me w/ this project. Gene good call on the mag 12 its a perfect amount of flow for my tank. Thanks a bunch.
Jon

[Reefland]

Thats great to hear Jon. Be sure to post those pictures when you get them developed!

Scott Z.

[zhenya]

Jon,

Happy to hear that it is finished and is running smooth On that black algae on the sand, can you post a pic of it here so that people can take a look at it? Perhaps collectively we can can help eradicate it from your tank,too

Good luck with your tank!

[fishguy_8]

ill try my best to get a good pic or ill just remove a sheet from the tank so you can take a look at it. Hopefully we still have a few pics left on that role of film. Pics on their way soon.
Jon

[aquadoc]

I currently use the scwd in my reefugium. It works great for alternating current. If you ever have a problem with yours ever getting stuck to were it won't rotate anymore, remove it from the line and if you have access to an airline blow out any debris that will inhibit the rotation process.

They get stuck because the whole thing works on like 4/5 gears working inconjunction with each other, and sometimes when you work on your filter/sump, or when you get a couple hitchhikers(a.k.a baby turbo snails) small pieces will clog some of the finer toothed gears.

So happy current making.

pics comeing soon.!