From the start... 155g Bowfront RBP tank

[the buszkock]

Since you have water supply right behind the tank, why not do an auto drip system? this way you don't have to change water, EVER~!
as for light, I really like how my metal halide look on my 180g, love the shimmer effect.

as for plants you can go with floating plants like water lettuces, they grow fast and that helps of absorbing nitrate. They can also create coverage at the surface to reduce light in the tank if thats the effect you are looking for. just put some screen/mesh around overflow inlet to keep the plants away. you can also keep them in the sump if you don't want them in the main tank.
as for other plants, typical low light plants will do such as java fern and anubias.

Thanks for the info on the plants. I'll look into those. As for the lighting--WOW! That shimmer effect is exactly what I've seen in other aquariums that I love. It appears to be one pendant? Is there a particular intensity/ wattage that you use and like?

An auto-drip system would be ideal for me too. I would like to find a way, however, that I can allow the RO/DI unit to run for a while to create a supply of fresh water, that is then distributed to the sump when needed. I have read that RO/DI units function more efficiently and the filters last longer when they are allowed to run continuously for a time rather than a start-stop schedule where a float valve only calls for a few ounces at a time. Am I misguided?

Thank you so much for your input and those gorgeous photos!

 

[jp80911]

Thanks for the info on the plants. I'll look into those. As for the lighting--WOW! That shimmer effect is exactly what I've seen in other aquariums that I love. It appears to be one pendant? Is there a particular intensity/ wattage that you use and like?

An auto-drip system would be ideal for me too. I would like to find a way, however, that I can allow the RO/DI unit to run for a while to create a supply of fresh water, that is then distributed to the sump when needed. I have read that RO/DI units function more efficiently and the filters last longer when they are allowed to run continuously for a time rather than a start-stop schedule where a float valve only calls for a few ounces at a time. Am I misguided?

Thank you so much for your input and those gorgeous photos!

The MH I'm using is a single 70W MH from www.fishneedit.com, since I won't be doing too much planting and 3 MH will be way to powerful unless I go all high tech gear other wise I'll have crazy algae problem.
only downside for using one is the shadows created by top braces, really wish my tank has clear top braces or is rimless.
you can run either a separate pump that's hook up to a float valve to remove excess water and just keep your RO/DI unit running 24/7. just have to check on it every now and then to ensure the pump is working and you don't have a flood and/or make sure the sump is big enough in the even of power outage or your pump does break to buy you sometime.
or you can have the sump drilled at a higher level and drain to your waste line so you don't have to worry about it flooding, just make sure its high enough so that you still keep enough water in the sump to start the pump/siphon after a power outage.

 

[the buszkock]

This is brilliant! I think I will drill the sump at the desired water level height and allow excess to flow out into the waste pipe behind the wall. I will place the line from the RO/DI unit behind the same baffle as the main pump, so that the fresh water is delivered to the main tank first and doesn't simply drain out. I like this idea especially because even in the event of a power failure, the excess water from the tank and/or DI/RO unit will just flow down the drain and not onto the carpet.

As for the lighting... that site has some great prices. Thanks for that. I may want to go with a 150W lamp since I may be putting a few live plants in the tank. I'm still not sure. But definitely want to stick to one fixture. I like the look. I didn't find those bands of shadow from the brace unpleasant at all. I thought of them as tree limb shadows. Perhaps adding some irregularity to the shape of the brace by placing an opaque cutout over it would add to the illusion that the shadow was from something natural. Is it unwise to attempt to cut off the braces and reinstall a glass or acrylic brace? I thought about how I might remove the brace on my tank for a similar purpose but the structural integrity of the tank itself is of the utmost importance.

Thanks for the ideas! Keep em' coming.

 

[jp80911]

you could take the top brace off and replace with glass, I thought about doing it to my 180g but I didn't have the confident nor I wanna risk it so I chickened out. on a smaller tank I might try it but not a 180g, thats too much to risk for. the shadow doesn't look too bad actually, just have to get use to it. you could add something on top of it so it look more natural but I wouldn't put something heavy to add unnecessary load to those braces.
a 70W light would be enough, 150W will be too powerful unless you grow some high light plants. I have it about 2ft about the tank.

 

[cjs4873]

Hi
I have my RO filter running 24/7 and to stop wasting water i have connented the waste outlet back into the inlet so it goes back through the filter.(if that makes sense) . I also have a whole drilled in the sump which is connected to my main waste pipe, works great my tank has been running nearly 2 and half years and no water changes yet. My Reds looks happy

hth

 

[the buszkock]

Your RBP tank story was great. I read most of that long thread. Awesome pics.

Hi
I have my RO filter running 24/7 and to stop wasting water i have connented the waste outlet back into the inlet so it goes back through the filter.(if that makes sense) . I also have a whole drilled in the sump which is connected to my main waste pipe, works great my tank has been running nearly 2 and half years and no water changes yet. My Reds looks happy

hth

I agree that even at 4:1 ratio of waste to produce is too much to send down the drain. Do you test for TDS with this configuration? According to the research you would have to replace the filters more often because of the increase of dissolved material in the water once it was waste.

I like the idea of rerouting the waste back into the hot line of the house. I was wondering if anyone has had success using a retro-fit zero-waste kit like the ones Watt sells. https://www.wattspremier.com/products.php?product=Zero-Waste-Retrofit-Kit

Without a holding tank to open the switch the pump would run continuously. This could affect the longevity of the pump, but I'm not that concerned about the cost. The model there only uses 14 Watts of power. I could easily find a lightbulb to unscrew to cover the cost of running it, and I will certainly be helping the environment.

Any ideas about retrofit kits?

 

[the buszkock]

Here are more pics of the process...

Got a nice length of 6 gauge from this old stove circuit. I used the old wire to pull the 12/3 through the wall. Best electrician's trick ever.

An 80AMP subpanel twist fuse style. Mad Old-School, and annoying. Tripping a fuse means blowing one out and having to completely replace it. Not expensive, but annoying if you don't have them right there. I didn't trip any though, this time.

Wiring (2) 20AMP GFCI circuits with a 12/3 wire.

The 12/3 electric supply line is wired into the fuse box in this pic. I had to pigtail a few wires to clean this up.

Ta da-- lights go on, GFCI doesn't trip. We are good to go.

Installed a small light for working over the sink-- $10 at Homey

As I go along, I test fit often, play with configurations, etc. Sometimes it's hard to understand what working in the space will be like without a mock-up to experiment with.

_______________________________________________________________

Thanks everyone for looking on and commenting in this thread.
PeAcE!
--Mike

 

[jp80911]

keep them coming.
ever thought of getting cariba instead of rbps? season should be here in just few months around summer time.

 

[dcp5082]

pretty awesome setup youve got going.

 

[the buszkock]

keep them coming.
ever thought of getting cariba instead of rbps? season should be here in just few months around summer time.

Yes, I've thought about it. In practice, are they really that compatible with RBP though? My son would freak out if I got rid of any of our current fish. Remember it's "his" tank first. lol. I would love to add a few cariba if I thought there wouldn't be too much in-fighting and that the tank could support 5 RBP, 1 pleco and X number of others.