FRAG SYSTEM

A stand-alone frag tank with all its gear

melev — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 17:07:17 +0000

A stand-alone frag tank with all its gear melev Thu, 07/02/2020 - 20:07

This is a picture of the frag system which has been running for nearly a year. For the most part it is on autopilot:

ATO reservoir replenishes evaporation throughout the day.
Skimmer pulls out waste and cup is emptied twice a week.
Apex measures pH & temperature.
Mechanical timer activates LED lights.
Vectra M1 and Vortech Mp10 are both plugged into a battery backup in case of a power failure.
Three dosers maintain alkality, calcium and magnesium.
Autofeeder drops in flake food once a day.

I measure water parameters about once a week, adjusting gear as needed. I add some frozen food each evening. And aiptasia get dealt with monthly.

My Tanks

FRAG SYSTEM

Dosing Three Parts

melev — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 17:05:09 +0000

Dosing Three Parts melev Thu, 07/02/2020 - 20:05

With the frag system, I decided to use dosing pumps and a triple dosing reservoir. I sell the products I use myself, after all. Plus, so many hobbyists don't use a calcium reactor these days, so having a common task makes answering questions easier. There are many brands of dosers on the market. I chose to use the independent Icecap Dosing pumps. You can daisy chain them, adding three slave pumps to the master pump. I only needed two and one for this tank. All three pumps are wired to a single power cord, and are placed on a small shelf above their dosing reservoir.

I mix up 1-gallon of each solution as necessary. Alkalinity is baked Baking Soda, Calcium is a Calcium chloride from Fritz, and Magnesium is mixed from Magnesium Pronto. I have at the time of this writing one of each of these by ME Coral to try out and do a review, so that's going to happen in the next couple of weeks.

It took some time to find the sweet spot. Dosing is actually harder than running a calcium reactor, which I tend to consider hands-free and essentially automated. With dosing, you have to test your water frequently and adjust the dosing rates until you find the right equilibrium. And then as the livestock volume changes in bioload, that affects consumption rates and pumps need to be adjusted accordingly.

For now, these are the dosing rates.

Alkalinity 15ml every 8 hours (45ml per day)
Calcium 12ml every 8 hours (36ml per day)
Magnesium 10ml every 8 hours (30ml per day)

Generally speaking, it's usually best to dose Alkalinity in the early morning hours when pH levels are depressed, and calcium dosing can be done in the evening. Magnesium isn't necessary on a regular basis typically, but I had a lot of montipora in my frag system and needed to keep Mg levels steady.

It's important to check that each dosing pump is working. I simply press the temp-feed button on each pump when I think of it, and see if solution pumps out of the 1/8" tubing. If liquid comes out instantly, all is well. If it's not, I have to find the break in the line or add more solution perhaps.

Making the additive mix into the saltwater properly:

One thing I observed and didn't like was that the area beneath where the dosage occurs, I'd see caclium or alkalinity shale building up in the sump. To prevent that from occuring, I installed a tiny powerhead right beneath those three tubes, creating an tumbling effect exactly where each dose trickles in. This mixes it into the saltwater perfectly and the shale never happened again. The tiny pump was a simple solution and I can tell at a glance if it is running or not since it creates a small mound or hill of water right above it. If the pump is off or clogged up with detritus, that spot is still.

I will update this page with more information when necessary.

My Tanks

FRAG SYSTEM

Sump & ATO

melev — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 17:02:27 +0000

Sump & ATO melev Thu, 07/02/2020 - 20:02

The frag system uses a smaller version of the Model F sump, and has an ATO reservoir to replenish for evaporation on demand.

As you study the picture above, note how the two 1" drains from the tank above drain into both ends of the sump at once. One drain feeds to the far left of the sump, draining everything into the skimmer section. The other drain feeds into the right end of the sump, but a ball valve limits that flow and forces some of the excess water to travel horizontally to the left end, feeding into a Tee fitting. By running the plumbing this way, 75% of the water drains into the skimmer section and 25% to the refugium zone. Another way to think of it is that 100% of one drain goes to the skimmer zone, and 50% of the second line joins that first drain. The other 50% of the second drain runs into the refugium zone. It makes sense if you think about that for a second.

While this image shows a Reef Octopus skimmer in the sump, that has since been replaced with a Nyos Quantum 120 skimmer.

The refugium continues to not be used to its full potential. It needs a light for that section, and some macro algae added to that compartment. It's on my To Do list.

The ATO reservoir has a float valve in it. The 150gpd RO/DI system's tubing runs through the walls into the fishroom, and one line feeds to this reservoir. When the float rises, it stops any additional water from being added and triggers the RO/DI to shut off. At that point, I physically close a ball valve, disabling the RO/DI system for a few days until more water is needed. The ATO reservoir holds about five days' worth of top off water. Using the SmartATO Micro device, water is added when the optical sensor registers a need, and its tiny pump pushes water into the sump. The entire setup is hands-free, other than turning on the RO/DI system about once a week to replenish the vessel with pure water.

My Tanks

FRAG SYSTEM

Frag System Overview

melev — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 16:56:17 +0000

Frag System Overview melev Thu, 07/02/2020 - 19:56

While I enjoyed my small frag tank attached to the 400g reef, after four years it was due to be broken down. I also wanted to set up a bigger system, a stand alone system, that would allow me to grow out frags from my reef's cuttings, and provide a separate repository to hold some species safely in case the big tank ever had a nasty disaster. Plus, with a smaller tank I could do some product testing with normal sized equipment, something I really couldn't do with a 400g setup.

I built the entire thing:

60g frag tank: 3/8" cast acrylic; 48" x 18" x 16" tall with internal overflow box at the far end
Model F sump: 34" x 15" x 15"
ATO reservoir: 6" x 15" x 20"
Triple Doser reservoir: 6" x 15" x 12"

Supporting equipment:
Vectra M1 return pump with Battery Backup
Vortech Mp10wES
Nyos Quantum 120
Cobalt 100w Neotherm heater
3x Icecap Dosers
SmartATO Micro
Reef Angel LED fixtures

I built the stand out of 1" x 3" Oak lumber, used a sheet of 3/4" MDF on top, and installed a sheet of pink foam on top for the acrylic tank to rest upon. It was painted with an oil based black paint to seal it from moisture.

And here is a video showing how it was initially set up in January 2016.

My Tanks

FRAG SYSTEM

Some of my frags

melev — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 16:48:26 +0000

Some of my frags

This is my former frag tank, adjacent to the 400g reef

melev Thu, 07/02/2020 - 19:48

Unlike a traditional frag tank filled with corals to grow out and sell, mine is really a place to putter or enjoy new corals more readily. The tank is arranged with a variety of items, some easy to see, but there are some elusive critters that come out of hiding occasionally.

Current livestock:

Suncorals (standard Tubastrea)

Branching Dark Green Tubastrea

Dendrophyllia polyps

Acanthastrea frags

Acropora sp. frags

Pom Pom Crab

Emerald Crabs

Nassarius snails

Red (Temperate converted to Tropical) Sea Anemone from the Long Island Aquarium.

My Tanks

FRAG SYSTEM