[npaden]

Hey everyone.

Just thought I'd let everyone know I've updated my website recently to include thumbnails of most pics and little descriptions on them as well. I also added several narratives on my setup, inhabitants, etc.

The site update coincides nicely with the inclusion of my tank as the featured aquarium for www.advancedaquarist.com this month!

I also have a few webcam clips saved to the site and a live streaming feed that may or may not be working if you try it as I'm not sure how it will hold up to the load if a lot of people try to use it.

Thanks for looking! Nathan

www.padens.homestead.com

[Ninong]

Hi Nathan,

Very nice improvement. I meant to send you an email a couple of days ago when I first noticed that you had organized everything and added a lot more pictures. I went to your website to get a picture of your tubular steel frame stand that Mitch had custom built for you because someone asked me what they looked like and that's when I noticed all the new stuff on your site.

Very nice!

[reddhaus]

Hi Nathan

I just wanted to let you know that you have a great looking tank. I am just about ready to get going on my new 125 gal. reef tank. I am hopeful that i will end up with a scaled down version of your setup.

I guess scaled down is an understatement since my main tank is smaller than your sump!

[scubadude]

What an awesome setup
Couple of questions if you dont mind bud

Wats your electric bill running? Have you figured the consumption of that beast?

Nathan how fast are you going through media now that you have the Kalk stirrer?

How many gallons are you evaporating in the heat of the summer?

Sorry if these where touched on in the article.....Cant remember :P

Rocky

[npaden]

Thanks for the compliments, it always feels good to have your hard work appreciated by people who really can appreciate it.

Scuba,

I've calculated out that my montly electicity consumed by the tank is about $75. I have an all electric home so my electricity rates are just under 8 cents in the summer and around 4 cents in the winter!

I'm adding 2 heaping tablespoons of kalkwasser to my DIY stirrer about every 2 weeks. It is just a 15 gallon rubbermaid tub with a float valve and a tiny powerhead on a timer that comes on 15 minutes 3 times a day. I have a dosing pump that is dosing around 8 gallons a day to the tank from the tub. The tub is covered and has a styrofoam sheet on the top of the water to minimize contact with air.

The big useage is my calcium reactor. I have it set at 500ml of effluent per minute at a PH of 6.8 after the 2nd chamber. I'm on my 4th 20lb co2 tank since setting up the tank in September 2001 and halfway through my 2nd 40lb bag of geomarine!

Peak evaporation is about 10 gallons per day. I have a 2nd float valve in the sump that makes up for any needed top off not supplied by the dosing pump.

Hope that covers everything.

[Ninong]

Originally posted by npaden:
I've calculated out that my montly electicity consumed by the tank is about $75. I have an all electric home so my electricity rates are just under 8 cents in the summer and around 4 cents in the winter!

People in San Diego will hate you for that.

[Reinhold]

Great tank and beautiful house!

How far out of town are you, and how often does it snow in Lubbock, Texas?

[scubadude]

$75 Not bad at all!

Originally posted by npaden
It is just a 15 gallon rubbermaid tub with a float valve and a tiny powerhead on a timer that comes on 15 minutes 3 times a day. I have a dosing pump that is dosing around 8 gallons a day to the tank from the tub.

I take it the doser and the timer for the tiny PH never are both on at the same time? If they are not how much time difference in between the time the PH stops, and the dosing pump starts dosing? Are you just dosing at nite?

Thanx Nathan

[npaden]

The dosing pump and the tiny powerhead are on at the same time. The litermeter runs every 10 minutes for about 10 seconds. It runs 24/7. The Rio50 powerhead comes on 3 times a day on a analog timer for about 30 minutes each time. So 3 times a day I'm actually dosing while the Rio50 is running in the container for possible 30 seconds each time. I don't think that is going to hurt anything.

My old dosing pump used to run for 1 hour then off for 2 hours and I was able to mix when it wasn't dosing but after the old dosing pump broke and I switched it I didn't notice any problems.

I did stop dosing the kalkwasser for about 6 weeks waiting for the new litermeters to come out and I could tell a difference in my tank when I wasn't dosing. Hair algae growth went up and Coraline algae growth went down.

FWIW, Nathan