Yaşamım ve hobilerim

Equipments Which are Ready

Bu yazı tarafından 8 Şub 2012 tarihinde English, Great Reef, Setup bölümünde yayınlandı. 0 yorum aldı ve 649 defa okundu.

Great Reef had a loong planning phase. I believe that my project benefited very much during this phase, and I even discover more benefits, while shifting the setup phase. Almost all of my equipment has been bought during the long planning phase. Lets have a look on them.

First come to my mind is the IKS Aquastar controller and its modules etc. IKS is a German manufacturer and its’ Aquastar line is simply amazing. Modern life doesn’t permit me to devote frequent and planned time to hobbies. On my breakfast, I can’t predict where the rest of the day will be. You get the picture. So I need someone or something to do some basic jobs on my beloved reef. This is what IKS is made for. Its logic is simple: It has 8 module slots and 4 switch sockets. Each socket has 4 plugs. This means with the help of 8 modules and other function of the IKS, you can control up to 16 different devices. You can even increase this number with some restrictions. So, what can IKS do really? Most straight forward function is to on and off wave pumps, lights, dosing pumps etc. This is simple timer function, but IKS offers more to you, like random on-off and dimming. But you get the real benefit via the modules. You can connect temperature, pH, redox, conductivity, O2, air-pressure and water level modules. These modules can do simple monitoring or control some device in order to limits you have set. For example, if the water level is dropping you can have a pump tap it. Or if the redox values are going down, you can activate an ozone reactor etc. I currently have modules for  temperature, redox, ph for CA reactor, another ph for tank water and water level.

 

My home city is rather hot at summers. As every reefer very well knows chiller is a mandatory in hot places. I have a Teco TR-20 chiller for the purpose. It is robust and powerful and rated up to 500 g tanks with a 1/3 Hp motor on it. It has digital controls on it, but I’ll use it via the IKS Aquastar. One of its benefits is the high efficiency titanium exchanger. This unit increases cooling efficiency considerably.

 

For winters I have trusty Jager Heaters. I’ll use 2 or 3 piece 300W of them (currently have 2) for main tank and run with the IKS. There is nothing to say about them. They do the job, and that is what I’m asking for.

 

When it comes to calcium and KH supplement, I think calcium reactors is the way to go in a tank of this size. I’m not a picky person, I don’t like doing this or that comparisons, comparing specifications. If some tool is good, then it is good. I like Grotech products, so I bought HCR 110 reactor which is the one for my tank volume. I didn’t consider other brands at all, just bought this one. It is using an Eheim 1250, which is a work horse. It has a separate gas reduction chamber. I also have IKS Aquastar Vario pumps LP 180 and NP 045. I’ll use these pumps on reactor.

 

Currently I do not know if I’ll need phosphate removers, active carbon or other filtration but I bought two Grotech Zeolith filter ZF110. I think they are ideal media filters for a large tank. Equipped with an Eheim 1250, they are robust and reliable.

 

 

One of the factors that effect the success on a reef is the current in the tank. I chose Tunze for this task. The main reason for this, is the fact that they have many solutions which can be integrated. So far I have 7095 and 7091 controllers and 2 of 6101, 6055 pumps and Wavebox 6215. 7095 controller can pretty do everything with the controllable 6101 and 6055 pumps. 7095 can produce Pulse waves, sequential, interval waves and some others. It also have neat features like moonlight simulation, feed time interval, operation in night mode etc. With the help of pumps and wavebox it can create a natural current in aquarium. I believe the equipment I own will be enough for the tank.

[nrelate-related]

There are a number of Koralia wave pumps. I’ll use these connected to IKS, and run with the timer function. These pumps are small in capacity and size, so they are ideal to use between the rocks to move the leftovers.

 

An aquarium at this size needs a lot of maintenance equipment, especially pumps. I bought several Eheim pumps rated at 600 l/h and 1000 l/h. One of them will be used for water level control, connected to IKS. Others will be used to transfer water from here to there. I’m even planning to make the water changes semi automatically with the help of this pumps. I also have a Eheim 3000 and bought it for one of double returns of the planned tank. But the tank I bought have only one return, and a 3000 l/h pump is not enough. So, I’ll use it until I get a proper return pump. Maybe later, I’ll use this one to feed the Teco Chiller.

 

Apart from reactors, a reef needs additives, which must be add at a certain amount. For that job I have Grotech TEC III NG dosing pump. It has 3 pumps which can be controlled separately. Every pump can be programmed to dose 0-1999 ml of liquid in a 0-24 equal parts. Grotech also supplies modular EPII and EPIV pumps which are controlled by the TECIII. So, a TECIII can be extendable to 11 pumps by this modules.

 

And that’s all. Thanks to this equipment my job with Great Reef will be easier.

 

 

 

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