Journal 80cm (32”) collectoritis tank

[JacksonL]

@Kwyet here are the bases I have TNGAMFGT 2 Pack Pull Out Cabinet Organizer, Expandable (12.6-20.5In) Cabinet Roll Out Drawers，Upgraded No-Drill Chest of Pull Out Drawers for Cabinets with 3 Adjustable Slides (Black, 16.5 in Deep) : Amazon.com.au: Kitchen & Dining
They have three rollers/runners and can be screwed down to the cabinet or there are heavy duty sticky strips if you don’t want holes in the cabinet base.

 

[BranchScape]

@Kwyet here are the bases I have TNGAMFGT 2 Pack Pull Out Cabinet Organizer, Expandable (12.6-20.5In) Cabinet Roll Out Drawers，Upgraded No-Drill Chest of Pull Out Drawers for Cabinets with 3 Adjustable Slides (Black, 16.5 in Deep) : Amazon.com.au: Kitchen & Dining
They have three rollers/runners and can be screwed down to the cabinet or there are heavy duty sticky strips if you don’t want holes in the cabinet base.

I used them and like them a lot, only negative is they do not extend that far. Think half their length so if your cabinet is deep don't set them all the way back.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

View attachment 16426

In this last photo, is water flowing from top to bottom?

 

[SmartAlec13]

I’m still in the “try a bunch of different plants, and maybe some will survive “ mode, which can lead to collectoritis..

Nice tank! and wow your running sheet is detailed.

Really glad to hear that isn't something I am uniquely afflicted with lol. I "SWEAR" that my next rescape will be limited on the varieties...

 

[JacksonL]

In this last photo, is water flowing from top to bottom?

Flow is bottom to top. Enters in the bottom left barb the through the reactor, gate valve, then out the top centre barb

Edit: here is the flow from the filter. Red is the reactor flow, purple the bypass.

 

[JacksonL]

I used them and like them a lot, only negative is they do not extend that far. Think half their length so if your cabinet is deep don't set them all the way back.

Thanks for the tip, and I’m glad to hear you liked them. I will place them at the front.
I only need them to come out about halfway, it is primarily to allow the prefilter to be removed without having to tilt the filter, as the biomaster is so tall and my cabinet quite short.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Flow is bottom to top. Enters in the bottom left barb the through the reactor, gate valve, then out the top centre barb

Edit: here is the flow from the filter. Red is the reactor flow, purple the bypass.
View attachment 16447

So this will certainly work, but it's still an example from this post of 5a:



You're almost there. The setup you are sharing still immediately splits the flow 50/50 because of the "Tee" setup you have.

Your setup currently:


What this means is, at most, you will be able to control maximum 50% of the flow with the red valve from zero to 50. It will work, but if you want full control over the flow through your reactor, you should design it like this:

Full flow control:

I think your parts can just be rearranged to make this happen. Again, your design above would work, you just wouldn't get full control over the flow. At 100% open valve, you'll only get max 50% flow through the valve.

With the latter design, if you open the valve 100%, you'll get ~100% flow through the reactor (minus whatever is lost to friction). Even if it's not 100%, it will be more like 80-90%... far more than the initial design!

 

[JacksonL]

So this will certainly work, but it's still an example from this post of 5a:

View attachment 16448

You're almost there. The setup you are sharing still immediately splits the flow 50/50 because of the "Tee" setup you have.

Your setup currently:
View attachment 16450

What this means is, at most, you will be able to control maximum 50% of the flow with the red valve from zero to 50. It will work, but if you want full control over the flow through your reactor, you should design it like this:

Full flow control:View attachment 16451

I think your parts can just be rearranged to make this happen. Again, your design above would work, you just wouldn't get full control over the flow. At 100% open valve, you'll only get max 50% flow through the valve.

With the latter design, if you open the valve 100%, you'll get ~100% flow through the reactor (minus whatever is lost to friction). Even if it's not 100%, it will be more like 80-90%... far more than the initial design!

Thank you for taking the time for such an awesome reply. I am in no rush, so I will keep having a play. The length of the gate valve and tee for the bypass return do limit the configurations though. I doubt I will need more than 50% through the reactor at this stage though. With a tank upgrade, will come a cabinet upgrade too and I will have more options.
I may trial it as is, and assess it’s efficiency for a week, then see what I can do to improve it if required.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

I think that's a good plan, especially if the layout is tight on space!

 

[Koan]

and also a waterproof gland to experiment with

 

[JacksonL]

I made a new thread, hoping to see if others can help me work out if it’s an experiment worth doing or just another hair-brained idea I had while staring at my tank.

Thread 'In line pH probe - genius or terrible idea?'
Hypothesis - In line pH probe - genius or terrible idea?

 

[JacksonL]

Filter is in and I have made a heap of modifications to the plumbing and cabinet that are working well initially.
It’s crowded under the cabinet now, but with the slide out tray it makes maintenance a breeze.
First, the intimidating shot of the cabinet full to the brim:

And with the tray slid out:

The tray was incredibly easy to install. It is adjustable in width, but I have kept it at its narrowest setting. 2 screws in each runner and it was in. I did need to readjust it once to ensure it slid out perfectly straight.

This is as far as it slides out, it was handy to know this before installing as I put it flush with the front of the cabinet.

The filter sits in a tub that fits it perfectly, helping with any small drips during maintenance.
I fit the dosing pumps and bottles, along with my temperature and pH controllers onto the side.
The outflow from the tank/inflow to the filter first passes through a 5 way junction that has a temperature well for my temperature probe, a waterproof gland for my ph probe and a tap that can be opened (with a tap after the tank outlet turned off) to pump water into the tank for water changes. After this is the in line fitting for dosing ferts and pumping in top up water from the ATO. This removes all equipment and probes from my tank apart from inflow/outflow pipes and a level sensor for ATO.


On the filter outlet, I have another tap for pumping out water for water changes, then into my new, larger CO2 reactor with bypass and CO2 inlet. This new reactor with a larger reaction chamber and better flow adjustment is working better than the old one. I previously had my CO2 flow meter set at 7L/min and have had to reduce it to 5L/min to maintain 40ppm CO2.

The tank itself is recovering nicely. Plants are putting out nice new growth and algae is receding. I will put up some tank pictures later in the week when I remember to take them with the lights on.

One of the baby smudge spot cories has graduated from the breeder box to the main tank and seems to have settled in well!