Looking for advice

[ClubReef]

I'm having a 3-way tank displayed built in my basement right now and I wouldn't mind some advice/comments since I'm at the framing stage:

1) I'm getting an HRV to protect the house from humidity (as discussed in a previous thread). I've asked the installer to put one of the vents right into the enclosed canopy, is this a good idea? Will this promote too much evaporation since the fan will be sucking out air at a rapid pace? My goal is to take out as much moisture and heat at the source.

2) I'm getting a floor drain and water line installed next to the sump so I have a really robust setup...what's the easiest way for me to plan out the water change system? Can someone share their design? My goal is to do waterchanges without lifting a thing.

3) What do I do with the ballasts? I don't want to keep them in the enclosed canopy for the fear of overheating but I don't want to leave them out because I want a very nice 3 way display (no fish room).

4) I'm have 3 -15amp power circuits installed. Do I need switches to go with them? all 3 have 2 inline sockets, 1 is a foot from the ground and the other is a foot from the ceiling..good or bad idea?

Any other things I should do since I'm at the framing phase?

Thanks

[Snappy]

4) I'm have 3 -15amp power circuits installed. Do I need switches to go with them? all 3 have 2 inline sockets, 1 is a foot from the ground and the other is a foot from the ceiling..good or bad idea?

I think you are on the right track. I had all my plug-ins put together and it makes for a bit of a cluster. Put them where you need them so you can keep it looking mean & clean.

As far as the water changes go, talk to TomR as he has a slick automated set up for that if memory serves me correctly.

[Pescador]

My main goal in moving my tank to the basement was to have a fish room for all the equipment that goes with it. The main things were a sink close by, ro/di setup and a container for topup and one for water mixing.
For a water change on my setup, it's not automatic but there is no lifting either. I drain the tank into the sink to a mark on the tank equal to the water change barrel (50 gal.) and with the same hose connect it to the mixing pump in the barrel and pump it back to the tank.
The ro/di then fills it up again to mix the next batch. The ro/di also goes to the topup container and the auto topup goes to the sump.

A few things you might also consider:

-Cement board or green board instead of drywall around the tank.
-GFCI's on your 3 circuits. I use a controller and DJ power centers instead of having the outlets switched. You'll be amazed how many plugs you end up using. I'm at about 20.
-A good waterproof paint around the tank. I found an excellent alkyd used in hospitals.

The one thing I couldn't do was the HRV but I'm getting by with a fan and a dehumidifier that is plumbed to the floor drain. Your HRV to your canopy sounds great but you're right the trade off for cool and dry is higher evaporation. Auto top up is a must. (not directly from the ro/di to the sump, right Tony?)

[ClubReef]

-A good waterproof paint around the tank. I found an excellent alkyd used in hospitals.


Do you know the brand of paint you used? I had a tank built by Majestic Aquariums (Rob from Red Deer) and he used a lacquer.

[albert_dao]

You could probably automate water changes with a large degree of security using the Profilux. Maybe Fudge can chime in on this one?

[michika]

I'm tagging along because I want to see all the suggestions that come from this.

All I can really suggest for you is regarding ballast placement. We used to have a separate rack/shelf for them with their own fans. It originally was above all the lights. In my new tank its screwed into the side of the tank stand, out of the way and in no danger of getting wet.

[surgeonfish]

I enclosed the top of my tank and used 3 small 4" fans through floor vents to keep it cool. This worked with only one 400W MH fixture (which also had an ice cap fan). However, I added a second 400W MH pendent with no fan and it is too hot. My fans are on the same timer as my MH lights. I currently have the doors above the tank constantly open (looks ugly).

Are you planning on going reef? I am considering the Solaris LED lighting (less heat but $$$$) or eventually going to a Fish only system and using fluorescent lighting. Consider using several fans (larger than the small computer fans) or somehow venting it to the outside.

[Pescador]

Originally Posted by ClubReef

-A good waterproof paint around the tank. I found an excellent alkyd used in hospitals.


Do you know the brand of paint you used? I had a tank built by Majestic Aquariums (Rob from Red Deer) and he used a lacquer.

I actually meant paint for the walls near the tank. It's called EcoLogic.

[Chin_Lee]

i never thought i would put a big tank in the basement so i didn't plumb nor plan for it when I did my basement. regardless, its working for me now. All your ideas are exactly what you need to do for a convenient setup.

Originally Posted by ClubReef

I'm having a 3-way tank displayed built in my basement right now and I wouldn't mind some advice/comments since I'm at the framing stage:

1) I'm getting an HRV to protect the house from humidity (as discussed in a previous thread). I've asked the installer to put one of the vents right into the enclosed canopy, is this a good idea? Will this promote too much evaporation since the fan will be sucking out air at a rapid pace? My goal is to take out as much moisture and heat at the source.

2) I'm getting a floor drain and water line installed next to the sump so I have a really robust setup...what's the easiest way for me to plan out the water change system? Can someone share their design? My goal is to do waterchanges without lifting a thing.

3) What do I do with the ballasts? I don't want to keep them in the enclosed canopy for the fear of overheating but I don't want to leave them out because I want a very nice 3 way display (no fish room).

4) I'm have 3 -15amp power circuits installed. Do I need switches to go with them? all 3 have 2 inline sockets, 1 is a foot from the ground and the other is a foot from the ceiling..good or bad idea?

Any other things I should do since I'm at the framing phase?

Thanks

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by ClubReef

1) I'm getting an HRV to protect the house from humidity (as discussed in a previous thread). I've asked the installer to put one of the vents right into the enclosed canopy, is this a good idea? Will this promote too much evaporation since the fan will be sucking out air at a rapid pace? My goal is to take out as much moisture and heat at the source.

Probably should be OK to do this, in fact probably the more efficient scenario, since that's the major source of humidity, that would be venting the source, rather than letting it travel to other areas and then venting.

2) I'm getting a floor drain and water line installed next to the sump so I have a really robust setup...what's the easiest way for me to plan out the water change system? Can someone share their design? My goal is to do waterchanges without lifting a thing.

I'm thinking this will be a challenge without a tank room, but maybe in your scenario you can have some extra water storage in the basement or something, that you can then pump up to the tank.

Essentially, you want to mark on your sump somehow (Superfudge has a method where he has a stationary pipe, PVC, with notches on the inch or whatever, and a styrofoam float, that can tell you how much water your draining out of the sump. Or just mark levels with a Sharpie on the sump wall. Whatever works.) And then a water storage tank that can be pumped in to replace the water you drain out. As long as you have the means to measure the water going out, and know how much volume goes in, you can automate the water change with a pump or two and a valve or two. I'm probably not making any sense but trust me it makes perfect sense in my head We can talk more about this if you want, I can try to do a diagram or something..

3) What do I do with the ballasts? I don't want to keep them in the enclosed canopy for the fear of overheating but I don't want to leave them out because I want a very nice 3 way display (no fish room).

Interesting challenge.. Remember they will put out a LOT of heat so having them in the stand and not venting the stand will probably lead to heat build-up, which makes your chiller then work harder, which means more $$$ at the end of the month. But in the canopy means exposed to humidity ... although as long as they're enclosed, and in concert with the HRV venting, that might not be an issue.

What ballasts are you using? In some cases you can remote mount the ballasts (ie. mount them in the basement, so long as the ballast-to-lamp (BTL) distance is less than 15 feet or so). With pulse-start ballasts you need to replace the ignitor with a "long range" ignitor if the BTL length is more than a couple feet. With electronic ballasts this might not be an issue at all (I'm not sure, I don't know my way around electronic ballasts .. tried one once, fried it in 5 minutes, and it was unrepairable - circuit board encased in epoxy - there went $200 right into the toilet Bear in mind that Icecap electronic ballasts ARE repairable - so if you do go electronic one day, make sure that the manufacturer stands behind what they sell - Icecap does - the brand I used did not. Bitter pill/lesson learned/etc.)

Anyhow there may be some flexibility here depending on your situation.

4) I'm have 3 -15amp power circuits installed. Do I need switches to go with them? all 3 have 2 inline sockets, 1 is a foot from the ground and the other is a foot from the ceiling..good or bad idea?

I would go with switches, why not. Easier to have and not use, than to not-have-and-realize-you-should-have-in-the-first-place sort of thing.

Any other things I should do since I'm at the framing phase?

Take pictures and start the tank journal thread!