Marine Aquarium Book for Alex, Danny and Dominic 1027

8/6/2019 Marine Aquarium Book for Alex, Danny and Dominic 1027

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Chapter I: Intro

WELCOME TO A BEAUTIFUL HOBBYarine aquariums add a beautiful piece of the ocean into your living room. They bring

tranquility and peace to our lives. No matter what is going on in your life, those silly fish will

still be there looking at you with those silly fishy faces. And no matter how many times you see a

Hermit Crab climb over a rock, those portable home carrying creatures, make you smile. Studies have

shown that stress levels and blood pressures actually drop when people are exposed to aquariums in a

regular basis. I hope to make your first step into this hobby an easier one.

M

There are mountains of books, literature, and internet web sites full of information concerning

this hobby. Wading through all of the opinions, misinformation, myths, fallacies, outdated material and

marketing schemes can be a great challenge. Making this problem worse is the quality of information

one gets from the local fish store. Often, their information is just plain wrong, misleading, or based on

some myth that has been carried down from former store employees. Many stores are employed by

inexperienced people that are simply doing a job and many times repeating the marketing slogans and

catch phrases given to them by the suppliers' representatives. Try to get several opinions for any

question you may have.

The creatures you will maintain in your aquarium are simple creatures in a biological sense.

However, they will amaze you with their differing personalities. Although all Yellow Tangs look alike,

they don'tdo not all behave the same. You may have clown fish that never wander near an anemone,

or a tang that won't will not eat algae, or a timid trigger fish. After a short time, they will recognize you

as a food source, and will gather at the surface when you approach. Some may act in completely

unpredictable ways or behave in a manner that is opposed to the typical member of the breed. This isone major reason why so many myths are promulgated.

Enjoy this hobby and don'tdo not let it become work. If you don'tdo not look forward to your

aquarium, there is something wrong. Maybe your filtration is not configured correctly. Maybe you

have creatures that require more maintenance than your schedule allows. Maybe you have a group of

fish, or a crab that is a trouble maker. These are situations that can be very frustrating if left alone.

Seek help and enjoy your little slice of the ocean.

Section: Welcome to a Beautiful Hobby PAGE 1


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THINGS DIE

hings change in this hobby, mostly due to advances in technology. However, changes are not

quick and usually not very scientific, mostly due to the reality that there is almost no real research

done in this hobby. Hobbyists don'tdo not pay scientists to do research. Manufacturers want to sellproduct, whether they work or not, perform a beneficial function or not. Marine biologists think that

fish hobbyists are primitive neanderthalsthat take beautiful sea life and place them in a jail for their

amusement and then watch the fish die. This is unfortunately true in some respects.

TMost of the fish and other creatures you place in your tank will die. This is just the facts. The

peaceniks and hippies will tell you it is because you are placing them in jail. The realists and scientific

community will remind you that most of the sea life you collect will belong to a few biological Phylums

and Classes. The reason this is important is simple, a female shrimp will lay 1,000,000 eggs in her

lifetime. Almost all of the offspring will die or become food for some other animal. Almost all fish lay

eggs by the thousands, most adult females will lay over 100,000 eggs. Again, most of the animals will

not make it to maturity, almost always due to predators, disease or a genetic mutation. Even goldfishraised in captivity, with zero predators, with all the best husbandry practices will achieve less than a 5%

maturity rate.

IN OTHER WORDS, fish and invertebrates die. They just do. God designed it this way, in His

infinite knowledge. So, when you purchase a fish, specially an immature one, you are betting that it will

NOT make it to maturity. This is simply a matter of statistics. This is also why a mature Angelfish may

cost 10 times the cost of a juvenile. Simple math, you buy 10 juveniles, 1 will reach maturity.

Add to that somber fact the realization that you do not have ideal conditions and that you will

have disease and predators. Many of the creatures that you will be housing come from very different

parts of the ocean, and don'tdo not have experience with each other. Some combinations may be

deadly. So you have to be OK in the knowledge that most of the fish and invertebrates will die and willnot last very long.

Now, to believe that the saltwater fish hobby is somehow depleting the coral reefs or destroying

the natural equilibrium is statistically indefensible. Take one grouper, eating several dozen reef fish per

day for 5 years. That one grouper creates the same damage that thousands of hobbyists do in their

lifetime. Then account for the millions of groupers, barracudas, eels and octopuses. Believing that we

are destroying the reefs is like believing that paving your driveway will destroy grass as we know it.

Not sure why I got off on this, maybe it's the narcotics speaking, but it is important to know. As

a friend of mine says, Don't name your fish.

Anyone who does not vote for the Green Party and is not a member of the World Wildlife Fund

Which is a correct plural for octopus; along with octopi

Section: Things Die PAGE 2


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Chapter II: Essential Stuff

YOU NEED STUFFquipment is the name of the game in this hobby. There are two schools of thought on this topic,

one says the more stuff the better , the other one says the less stuff the better. One says better

living through chemistry, the other says nature knows what it is doing. I am of the latter group, for a

variety of reasons, but mostly because I have a grip on my real life. For instance,

E I am not a full time employee at Sea World, with an unlimited budget and oodles of time.

I know that I have other things to do than take care of my fish tank.

I know that I would rather buy myself a new mattress than a new demineralization plant.

I know that I will go on vacation and I will be gone some weekends.

I know that I may be gone for more than a few days.

I know that I do not suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorderand can live with some dirt.

The more stuff you have, the more the maintenance, I wish to do the minimum.

The more stuff you have, the more the investment, I wish it were free.

Too much cost and too much maintenance means I will find a new hobby.

So, if you are in my team, which I think you are, you still need to obtain some stuff. The good

thing is that some of the stuff you can build yourself, and the better thing is that a lot of people try this

hobby and give up. That means there is a ton of used stuff.

Your local fish store guy, specially the owner, (or anyone on commission) will try to talk you into

joining the other team. This makes sense, considering their livelihood is easier to earn if you buy a$1000 chiller than if you do not. Further, many of the owners are OCD, and have the store because this

is the only way they can do this hobby 24/7.

The Jaubert Plenum Method

Dr. Jaubert was a really cool guy, since he went against the grain and decided to experiment

with marine aquariums that did not require a tremendous amount of equipment and maintenance.

The Jaubert system eliminates the idea of removing waste from the system and instead traps it under

the substrate. The plenum, just a fancy word for an empty space, is created under the sand and is a

home for a type of bacteria that eats the waste. What an idea! Create a big septic tank under the sand

in the tank, where the waste is going to fall anyway! This system eliminates a lot of equipment andmaintenance and substitutes it with a bunch of sand and free bugs. The really weird thing is that the

water stays cleaner and healthier than water maintained with many other systems.

Section: You need Stuff PAGE 3


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The Berlin Method

Now consider a place like Berlin's version ofSea World. These poor bastards are a bizillion miles

from the ocean, and had millions of gallons of salt water to maintain. They are also German. I love the

German people for lots of reasons, but one is their ability to be as close to Vulcans as anyone I've ever

met on the planet (remember I've been to over 70 countries). So they had to figure out, in a nice

Deutschland sort of way, how to avoid the constant trips their trucks were making to the ocean to

obtain clean water. You would think that a place where the type of beer mugs that can be used at a

pub are regulated by the government and where jaywalking basically does not exist, would love the

more equipment, more regulation team. Much to their surprise, they found that the less stuff is better

mantra worked better for them. They figured that since plants love to eat animal waste why not get a

bunch of plants, and have them keep the tank clean?

This was a big revelation in the field just a few years ago, and I was very happy. Since I am

inherently lazy and not OCD, I have always dreamt that someday, someone would validate my method

of letting nature do its thing. However, you still need stuff. Some things you simply must have. Some

things make life easier. Some stuff is mandatory. Some stuff is nice to have. Some stuff is just not a

good idea. I will try to guide you in the world of stuff, but remember this is just a guide. Your system

may be different. As long as your fish are happy; your system must be fine.

Section: You need Stuff PAGE 4


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TANKUP, you got to have a place for the water. Ensure there is absolutely ZERO brass, copper, bronze

or steel coming in contact with the water. Most types of stainless steel will corrode in saltwater,

so stainless is also a caveat. Aluminum has an odd relationship with saltwater, in that it will create a

surface corrosion layer in approximately 14 days, then stop corroding.

Y

Some people love acrylic tanks because of the crazy shapes and the light weight and the lack of

silicone. Some people hate acrylic because any crab can scratch it from the inside, and almost anything

can scratch it from the outside. Also, removing the scratches is not easy business. Try to avoid glass

with lots of scratches. Although the scratches can be removed, you do require time and elbow grease.

Ensure the silicone rubber on the joints is clean, clear and pliable. If it looks cloudy, or dry rotted, know

that you will have to replace the rubber before you fill it.

The bigger the better. YES, you can have a fully functional saltwater tank in a 10 gallon

nanocube. It is also possible for most 12 year old girls to get pregnant. Both situations are possible,

just not necessarily great ideas. The water volume thing is important for three major reasons.

The greater the water volume, the less significant any stressor. Let's say you spray Windex on

the front of your tank, and 1g of Windex goes airborne and falls in your water. In a 10 gallon

tank you now have a poison concentration of 2.6ppm. If the same poison falls in a 250 gallon

tank, the poison is only 0.1ppm. This also applies for every gram of food you overfeed. The

small tank is not very forgiving.

The greater the water volume, the slower any changes occur. Ocean fish are accustomed to an

environment created by trillions of gallons of water, where nothing changes quickly. When

power goes out, a 10 gallon tank in an 80 room will heat up approximately 5 times faster than a

250 gallon tank

The greater the water volume, the greater the variety and quantity of life you can sustain.Some species simply will not tolerate the quick changes and unexpected chemistry swings of a

small tank. Some species will require a territory or will behave in a homicidal manner. An angry

puffer fish will eradicate everything in a 29 gallon tank, but will do nothing to a 200 gallon tank.

You are going to be spending time and money in this endeavor. Why go through all the work,

just to find you can only keep six small and relatively uninteresting fish?

My recommendation is to have at the very minimum a 75 or 90 gallon water volume. This does

not necessarily mean the tank has to be that size, just the water volume. The filters require water and

count towards the total volume.

Scratches on acrylic can be removed using the same materials and equipment sold by the auto parts stores to restore

acrylic headlights. The headlights are made of the same plastic, and gets scratched by dirt flying on the road. The

scratches take patience and some elbow grease to remove, but it can be done, and the results are nothing short of

amazing.

Section: Tank PAGE 5


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REALLYCLEANWATERoly Deionization Plant Batman! Yes, this sounds like a mouthful.

It is. Deal with it. Most people will call it a DI plant, a D.I.

Filter, or a Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) filter. Call it what you wish,

this thing makes your water. Don'tdo not even think of starting atank without one of these.

H

Like in a computer, garbage in = garbage out. As you may

know, tap water has an amazing amount of chemicals in it. This of

course is due to most municipalities having a problem with tons of

their residents dying of poisoned water. So what to do? I know!

add tons of chemicals to counteract the effects of greasy pumps,

rusty pipes and under-street delivery systems. Just for fun, try to

meet the DEA and EPA standards and create a biological, green

cleaning system for your city, so add Phosphates, algae spores and

other thingies.

We all studied life, and realize that when water evaporates,

only the water evaporates. So all the stuff in the water stays behind. When your

tank water evaporates, which it will in an alarmingly quick rate, you will add more water. If that water

comes with extra goodies, you just concentrated the goodies in the tank. Add more water and the

concentration continues to increase. Since only a few ppm of Phosphates will turn your water into

green soup in a matter of days, this is a problem, specially for smaller water volumes.

So the solution is to add water with nothing, or almost nothing, in it. A good DI/RO plant will

deliver pure water with only 1 ppm impurities . This is equivalent to finding 2 particular individuals in

all of Miami-Dade county. Clean tap water, even out of a softener system, will typically have

somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 times this amount of impurities. Softeners will typicallyinclude Magnesium and Chloride as a byproduct, both of which are poisonous to invertebrates at

amazingly small concentrations.

But wait, I've seen ships add all kinds of junk to the ocean. The fish don't die. Gosh, that would

be because the water volume in the ocean is somewhat larger than the water volume in your fish tank.

Look at the fish near an industrial shipping port and tell me again what you think.

This is a saltwater aquarium, shouldn't I add saltwater? Let's review Robin, the salt does not

evaporate, so you do not need to add it back in. In your aquarium only water evaporatesso we only

need to add good 'ole H20.

The problem is finding this high quality H20

. You can buy it by the gallon at most goodaquarium places, but that will quickly get old, boring and expensive. You can distill your own, but most

of us don'tdo not have moonshine equipment. Or you can buy a DI/RO plant.

This is usually measured as TDS, or Total Dissolved Solids

Technically, the gases sublimate, but that is of no consequence

Credit to Adam Candlers Water Boy

Section: Really Clean Water PAGE 6


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A good demineralization plant has at least three stages. The first stage removes large

particulates. The second stage is the reverse osmosis plant that removes smaller particulates. The

third stage is the deionization stage which removes inorganic ionized molecules like chlorides, oxides,

phosphates and phosphites. Just a tiny amount of copper sulfide, copper sulfate or free copper ions

can kill all the life in the tank. Guess what? Copper is used extensively for water piping leading to your

house, in your house and as a component of the brass or bronze fixture where your water comes out.

The demineralization plant will remove all that and more. All this tech talk just means that the watercomes out really, really clean, like Febreze clean.

Look in eBay. D Don'to Not look in Home Depot. Get one that has clear canisters and filters

that are replaceable. Get one that has multiple stages. Unless you like filling water everyday, get one

that has an automatic fill, or automatic level valve. purewaterclub is an eBay store that sells these

things; look at Aqua Reef RO DI Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System for about $100. Remember

your ice cubes and your drinking water will taste better too. Don't be a sissy, install it yourself.

Whenever the pump is not running, as in a power outage or when feeding your pets, the water

level will increase as the aquarium drains. Whenever the pump is running the water level will be lower

in the sump. This is the water level the automatic fill valve will maintain, always fighting against

evaporation

. The piping layout will look something like the following diagram. The Reverse Osmosisproduces about twice as much waste water as clean water, so there will be several gallons a day.

Ensure there is a drain for the waste water!

This is why boats use bottom paint infused with copper. No barnacles, algae or anything else will grow on it. Brass

propellers will spend years in the ocean without anything growing on them. One of the components of brass is copper.

A 100 gallon tank will normally evaporate 1-3 gallons a day.

Section: Really Clean Water PAGE 7
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SEA SALT(SORT OF)hy in the world do we need to talk about salt?

Not like there is anyone in the United States that

has not seen salt. Doesn't the little cardboard can look

cute with the little girl and the umbrella? That stuff iswicked cheap so why even bother spending time talking

about this stuff? Naturally, the stuff we call saltwater is

not water and salt. That would be so easy. Yes, the water

in the ocean has a bunch of NaCl in it, in fact about 2% of

sea water is regular salt, or about 5 oz in every gallon.

W

The problem lies in all the other stuff that is not

sodium chloride but is still in sea water. Only 85% of the

solids in seawater is sodium chloride (regular table salt) .

One quick look at the ingredients list of any marine

aquarium salt bag and one is overwhelmed with names ofelements we barely remember from chemistry class. Ocean water has over 100 compounds made from

over 70 elements. There is a veritable cornucopia of elements right there from the periodic table.

Look a little closer and the quantities are almost shocking; we are talking about tiny amounts of some

elements. Seawater is so complex, no laboratory in the world can exactly duplicate it. Unfortunately,

getting water straight from the ocean is also complex, since you may bring undesirables into your

aquarium. For example, motor oil from boats, copper compounds, pollution, bad germs, etc.

The compounds in natural seawater exist in a ratio that is remarkably constant all over the

world. Our aim is to create and maintain an artificial environment that replicates the natural

environment as closely as possible. Turns out the basis of any successful aquarium is the water and

maintenance of its delicate chemical balance. To make matters more complicated, many of theelements in seawater are constantly being depleted as they are used by the animals. Now, chloride,

sodium, magnesium, sulfate, calcium, and potassium make up 99.9% of the dissolved solids in sea

water, everything else makes up less than 1% and some are in such minute amounts we have just

discovered them.

So again I ask, why bother with something that only makes up 0.001% of seawater? Why bother

adding all these crazy expensive elements in the salt mix, just to make the saltwater for the tank? The

answer is pretty simple. If you don'tdo not, the animals die.

Simple as that. Use regular table salt, or water softener salt (even the stuff that is 99.9%

guaranteed pure), and the animals die. In His wisdom, God made it that way; don't ask me why. The

animals need all those trace elements in the water. Remember, these critters spend their lifesubmerged in this stuff. Their bodies need some of these elements, and without it, they will die. Think

of the sailors of yore, those that did not know they needed that stuff we now call Vitamin C. Many of

35g of NaCl per liter of sea water

This is why potato chips in Sea Salt taste different than potato chips with regular table salt

The table on page 53, Composition of Seawaterlists most of these elements

Section: Sea Salt (Sort of) PAGE 8


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them died of scurvy. That is the reason we call British, limeys. Even though I weigh almost 150,000

grams, I need to consume 100mg a day, or I will die. Seems odd, right? That is only 0.000067% of my

body weight. Yet, if I don't get it, I die.

Which brings us to the last point. No matter how well you maintain and clean your aquarium,

the elements are being used up, just like our Vitamin C. You can either test and replenish 100 different

compounds, or you can simply replace 20 to 25% of the water on a monthly basis. Choice is yours, but

you have to choose one.

More Interesting Stuff About Seawater

The US Geological Surveyhas compiled information about seawater and the influence of the

organisms that live in it. Part of the explanation for the complexity of seawater is the role played by

marine life, animals and plants. Sea water is not simply a solution of salts and dissolved gases

unaffected by living organisms in the sea. Mollusks (oysters, clams, and mussels, among others) extract

calcium from the sea to build their shells and skeletons. Foraminifers (very small one-celled sea

animals) and crustaceans (such as crabs, shrimp, lobsters, and barnacles) likewise take out large

amounts of calcium salts to build their bodies. Coral reefs, common in warm tropical seas, consist

mostly of limestone (calcium carbonate) formed over millions of years from the skeletons of billions of

small corals and other sea animals. Plankton (tiny floating animal and plant life) also exerts control on

the composition of sea water. Diatoms, members of the plankton community, require silica to form

their shells and they draw heavily on the ocean's silica for this purpose.

Some marine organisms concentrate or secrete chemical elements that are present in such

minute amounts in sea water as to be almost undetectable: Lobsters concentrate copper and cobalt;

snails secrete lead; the sea cucumber extracts vanadium; and sponges and certain seaweeds remove

iodine from the sea. However, some elements in sea water are not affected to any apparent extent by

plant or animal life. For example, no known biological process removes the element sodium from the

sea.

Another important characteristic of sea water is its composition of gases. Surprisingly the world

underwater is very different from that above in the availability of the most important gases for life:

oxygen and carbon dioxide. In air, about one in five molecules is oxygen, in sea water only about 4 in

every billion molecules is oxygen. In air there is about one carbon dioxide molecule in 3000 molecules,

in sea water there are 4 in every 100 million water molecules.

But this means that carbon dioxide is much more common (4 in 0.1 billion ) than oxygen (4 in 1

billion) in sea water. Now, all gases are less soluble as temperature increases, particularly nitrogen,

oxygen and carbon dioxide. When water is warmed, less gas can be dissolved in it, resulting in bubbles

leaving the liquid. As the water warms, the already scarce oxygen becomes even more so. The

creatures in your tank will literally suffocate, if the water becomes too warm.

British sailors of the 17th century were ordered to eat limes in order to avoid scurvy.

News Flash: www.petco.com has free shipping on large salt buckets. It is cheaper than at the store. Check

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?sku=837750

"Why is the Ocean Salty?" By Herbert Swenson) prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey

Dr J Floor Anthoni 2006, www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/seawater.htm

Section: Sea Salt (Sort of) PAGE 9
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HYDROMETERh yeah, more big words. This is a device that all chemists and beer makers are very familiar

with. This gizmo precisely compares the density of the solution in question, i.e., the water in

your fish tank, with pure water. It gives you a ratio, like 1.023. This means that the water you are

measuring is 1.023 times more dense than pure water, or 2.3%. Luckily for you, so is the water in theocean. So, all you have to do is add sea salt or add pure water (1.000) until the water in your fish tank

is at 1.023 or so.

O

The hydrometer is a sensitive device that is usually made of glass and is somewhat expensive.

There are cheapo plastic ones that the fish tank store

will try to sell you. When you consider that you may

have $200 or $1000 worth of fish counting on the

correct salinity, you don't mind spending a few bucks on a hydrometer. To sample the water in the tank

you will also need a graduated cylinder, since really tall skinny flasks are kind of hard to come by.

The most important thing with your tank's salinity is the consistency. Fish live in this giant

ocean where salinity concentrations do not ever vary. There are very few fish that can live in fresh,

brackish and salt water. Even those usually need some transition time. The difference between pure

water and the ocean is only 2%, so this is a quality of the water that must be measured frequently and

repetitively. The measurement is dependent on temperature so ensure the readings are always done at

the same temperature.

Having an automatic fill valve will add DI water as your water evaporates, ensuring

that the only losses of salt are due to leaks, splashes, spray, bubbles, or condensation.

You will find with a salt water tank that salt water spray goes everywhere, and you will

find salt crystals in the oddest places. Measure the salinity and add salt as required.

Eventually enough salt water will be lost that you will have to add salt. It is better to be

prepared, with a bag of sea salt standing by, than wait for the evening of an accident torealize that you do not have enough make up water for the fish to make it through the

night.

These links are for a test jar and a hydrometer, for less than $20

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/economy-test-jar.html

http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/thermohydrometer.html

Section: Hydrometer PAGE 10
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THERMOMETERone of the creatures you will be keeping are endothermic (warm blooded), their body

temperature is identical to their surroundings (ectothermic). Few things will kill ocean fish faster

than a rapid change, or an extreme in temperature. Unfortunately again, your tank is not as large as

the ocean and is more susceptible to changes in temperature.

N

Most of the fish and invertebrates you will be keeping will enjoy a water temperature of 74F to

78F, and would prefer the cooler side of the scale. You may wonder why, since the water at the beach

tends to be warmer than that. What we need to remember is that most of these creatures live in 30-

100 feet of water, where the surface warmth is not a factor. Most of these creatures will die if the

temperature falls below 65F or rises above 85F. Remember in the ocean if the water changes

temperature they can just swim to a different place. Creatures that cannot swim, like corals, only live in

very specific places where the temperature never leaves these extremes.

This temperature preference is a problem with those of us living in the warmer climates. Most

hobbyists keep their aquariums indoors, so the water temperature is never cooler than the room

temperature. Aquarium water is heated by the lighting and the parasitic pumping heat of the

oxygenating pumps. Unless the room is kept at 70F to 75F, all

year, the fish will most probably, and the coral will definitely,

overheat.

A large LCD display thermometer is a surprisingly great

investment. You need to ensure the water stays in the correct

range. My local fish store sells these name-brand units for

about $40. But http://stores.ebay.com/metapark sells these

things for $3 without an alarm; look at item Digital LCD

Aquarium Fish Tank Sensor Water Thermometer. The units

with alarms are great if you are going to be present, while yourtank heats up or cools down, and you don'tdo not notice

anything wrong. If you need the alarm, the Digital LED Reptile

LCD Aquarium Alarm Thermometer-AS74 is only about $13

Section: PAGE 11
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TANKHOODeems obvious, something is supposed to cover the tank. There are two types of hoods: Those

that fit tightly, and those that do not. Tight Fitting Hoods:S1. Block most contaminants from entering the water; note that even in a fish tank store

where non-tight fitting hoods are sold, each tank is covered with at least a piece of

plexiglass.

2. Block most creatures from jumping out and performing a fishy Japanese Kamikaze

imitation. Many of these creatures love to jump.

3. Keep the light that is intended for your salty creatures aimed at them. This keeps the

ambient lighting under control.

4. House the electronics for the lighting without being unsightly, or so I'm told. Of course, to

me all electronic devices are beautiful.

5. Collect salt water foam and spray, saving your paint, drywall and rugs from staining and

destruction.

6. Allow the heat of the lights to warm the water. THIS is a big problem, refer to the section

about the thermometer.

Loose Fitting Hoods, are the opposite of the tight fitting hoods, but have two benefits. They are

cheaper and do not heat the water as much. The heat still comes in, just not as much. In other words,

the only real benefit they have is that they are cheaper. Since this is an expensive part no matter what

you do, and you will have to look at it every time you look at the tank, and you will have to put up with

the comments from your significant other, get one that both of you like.

Hoods are often cheaper to make than to purchase. This is specially true if you are making the

tank stand. One can easily make a frame from plasticized wood (thank you Home Depot), wire thelights, and cover with a beautiful tile or some hardwood. Look online for construction plans, or ask

your friends for someone with the skill and the time to build one. Salt water and spray are very

corrosive, and invertebrates are sensitive to the slightest concentration of certain metals. Ensure the

hood has no screws, nails or other fasteners in contact with the salt spray. Ensure the hood is not

finished with any paint or varnish that contains V.O.C.s (Volatile Organic Compounds) that will leach into

the water and kill everything. Usually water based finishes will not give off these poisonous gases.

Check into these homemade hoods:

Rain Gutter Hood,Simple Wood Hood,

Nice Sloped Wood Hood,

Do it yourself project from a non-wood worker,

Another Do it yourself project from a non-wood worker

Section: Tank Hood PAGE 12
http://www.rcarchive.com/fish/hood/http://www.thekrib.com/Lights/Lobos/http://www.thekrib.com/Lights/RgrMill/http://www.thekrib.com/Lights/simple-hood-doug.htmlhttp://www.thekrib.com/Lights/plant-hood-doug.htmlhttp://www.rcarchive.com/fish/hood/http://www.thekrib.com/Lights/Lobos/http://www.thekrib.com/Lights/RgrMill/http://www.thekrib.com/Lights/simple-hood-doug.htmlhttp://www.thekrib.com/Lights/plant-hood-doug.htmlhttp://www.thekrib.com/Lights/plant-hood-doug.html


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HIGHINTENSITYDISCHARGELIGHTINGhese HIDs are also known as Super Expensive Lights,

because of one obvious and simple reason. So you may

ask, I had guppies once. They had a pretty blue light bulb on

the plastic hood. Yes, this may be true. I also once had a bikewith training wheels, now I have a 600 Hp truck with 6 tires on

the ground. There is no getting around these things. So let's

figure out what we need from them.

T

Ocean animals live, oddly enough, in the ocean.

Consequently, and unlike river and lake animals, they live in

direct sunlight, without any shade from trees or dark water. So

while the amount of lighting essential for a fresh water animal

that lives in a lake covered with tree shade and darkened by mud in the water is small; an animal that

lives in the tropics, in crystal clear water, under a crystal clear sky, with direct sunlight at a depth of 30

feet needs considerably more lighting.

This is a bummer, since you are not in the tropics, in crystal clear water, under a crystal clear sky,

with direct sunlight. Even if you were, the temperature of the aquarium water would cook the fish.

This is a double bummer, since you canno't even take advantage of the sunlight coming through your

window. That sunlight is not predictable, nor is it the correct spectrum since your living room is not

30ft underwater. Light absorption by water is another critical factor for marine aquariums. Blue light,

which represents the dominant wavelength in the aquatic environment, penetrates to depths of

hundreds of feet. Red light is almost totally absorbed by water within the first 16 feet.

Additionally many of the ocean animals have symbiotic relationships with microorganisms that

live in the water. In fact, almost all corals have symbiosis with photosynthetic algae. Their chlorophyll

requires exposure to specific wavelengths for proper function. The chlorophyll is essential for the basicsurvival and growth of these species. In general, it is the blue spectrum that is important for various

chlorophyll to function. Even if you don'tdo not have coral, there are these little critters called cope

pods that you really want to invite into your tank. If you don'tdo not have the right type and quantity of

light, the little algae buddies die. They die, and the whole food chain falls apart. Oh, but wait, there's

more. The other benefit of the little algae buddies dying is that your tank will get covered in non-

beneficial brown algae that looks something like poop.

There are a bunch of different types of HIDs. The only ones that will work for a marine tank are

called Metal Halides. There are cheaper and

more efficient HIDs that you can buy at Home

Depot, but the lighting spectrum will simply notbe correct. The really good part of these Metal

Halides is that they run at an extremely hot

temperature, requiring cooling fans, and only

last a relatively short while before they need to

be replaced. Did I mention that each lamp

(bulb) is really expensive too?

Section: High Intensity Discharge Lighting PAGE 13


14/59

In fact the only lamps that will create the correct spectrum of

light (i.e., the same light you would get at depth) are the ones that are

labeled with a Kelvinrating of 10,000K or greater. This is a bummer,

since the only use that a lamp like that has is for marine aquariums.

To increase the bummer aspect of this lighting scenario.

HIDs, like their name implies are High intensity devices, but were

invented at at time that the only other choice for lighting was the oldtungsten lamps. So they ARE efficient compared to the lamps of 1910.

To put it another way, while your old fashioned light lamp converts 85%

of the energy to heat and about 11% to light, these behemoths convert

about 18% to light and ONLY about 75% to heat. So to properly light a

standard 100 gallon tank, you need approximately 500W of HID lighting to

set up a reef tank, and about 60% of that for a fish only tank.

Assuming that you pay about $0.11 per kilowatt hour, lighting that

tank for 10 hours a day during a 30 day month will cost $16.50 for firing the lights. Assuming

that the air conditioner is on, and that you have a modern, efficient machine, you will pay an additional

$35 for the A/C. This is some of the cost of a reef tank that the guy at the store won't will nottell youabout.

So what other choices exist?

There are several types of fluorescent lamps that can be used for a marine aquarium. All of

them require more lamps (and consequently more ballasts) than a comparable Metal Halide, since they

do not have the lumen density. These lamps run cooler, use less energy, last longer and are cheaper

than a comparable metal halide. However, you may not have enough space under the hood to place all

the lamps that are needed, and you have to hide more ballasts somewhere. The biggest problem is

that of initial cost, i.e. initial investment. These types of hoods are amazingly expensive and difficult to

make at home. The only lamps that you should even consider are

the HO (high output), VHO (very high output) and the full spectrumpower compacts. None of the older technologies are worthwhile.

In all cases, the lamp needs to have a CRI rating in excess of 90 and

a Kelvin rating of at least 10,000K

The only good news I have in this section is that eBay has

some people that will sell you the components for little money. For

example, Metal Halide DIY Reef Retro/Retrofit 150W HQI Pendant

will cost you about $50 for each 150W lamp. You have to obtain the

ballast separately. This implies that you have a hood, or are making

a hood, of course. Check out http://stores.ebay.com/Club-Reef-

Aquarium. I purchased a kit like the following that actually camewith the ballasts and all the vital materials for about $250 CORAL-

REEF-2X250-AQUARIUM-LIGHT-RETRO-METAL-HALIDE-HID

There are several colors available for the marine aquarium; usually 10K, 12.5K and 15K. The higher the number, the

cooler or bluer the light. This rating is a measure of the equivalent black body radiation temperature. Think of a

cold fire as red or yellow, a hot fire as blue or white.

Color Rendering Index; a measure of how well the sun is reproduced. Sun = CRI of 100

Section: High Intensity Discharge Lighting PAGE 14
http://stores.ebay.com/Club-Reef-Aquariumhttp://stores.ebay.com/Club-Reef-Aquariumhttp://cgi.ebay.com/CORAL-REEF-2X250-AQUARIUM-LIGHT-RETRO-METAL-HALIDE-HID-/250702841517?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5f0dc6ad#ht_500wt_1156http://cgi.ebay.com/CORAL-REEF-2X250-AQUARIUM-LIGHT-RETRO-METAL-HALIDE-HID-/250702841517?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5f0dc6ad#ht_500wt_1156http://stores.ebay.com/Club-Reef-Aquariumhttp://stores.ebay.com/Club-Reef-Aquariumhttp://cgi.ebay.com/CORAL-REEF-2X250-AQUARIUM-LIGHT-RETRO-METAL-HALIDE-HID-/250702841517?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5f0dc6ad#ht_500wt_1156http://cgi.ebay.com/CORAL-REEF-2X250-AQUARIUM-LIGHT-RETRO-METAL-HALIDE-HID-/250702841517?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5f0dc6ad#ht_500wt_1156http://cgi.ebay.com/CORAL-REEF-2X250-AQUARIUM-LIGHT-RETRO-METAL-HALIDE-HID-/250702841517?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5f0dc6ad#ht_500wt_1156


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FLUORESCENTLIGHTINGluorescent lighting is a great second choice for non-reef aquariums, when metal halides are simply

not in the budget. It is important to remember that almost no hard coral will grow under these

lights, and that only the hardiest of the soft corals. Fluorescent lighting does not produce the color

spectrum, the color rendition or the brightness the Metal Halides. Also, fluorescent lamps (tubes)begin to lose their

brightness and the

depth of the color

spectrum as soon as

they are lit. From that

point they slowly fade down, producing less light and a color that approaches green yellow. As a

consequence, the tubes have to be replaced before they burn up, usually after 20,000 to 30,000 hours.

At 10 hours a day, this corresponds to 6 9 months of service. Lastly, the tubes are coated internally

with powder and mercury which will kill the animals in the aquarium in a few short minutes, so the

lamps should be protected from coming into contact with the water.

F

These lights have some benefits. They produce much less heat than any other type of lighting

(except LEDs). This is tremendously beneficial, when one considers the cost of removing the heat. Also,

since they produce such a small amount of heat over a large area, they remain relatively cool and will

not explode if a tiny bit of spray contacts the glass.

The lamps require a ballast to operate. This device converts line voltage to a very high voltage

for one or two lamps at a time. The ballast comes in magnetic (cheap, inefficient, dim) and electronic

varieties (more money, efficient, bright). Electronic ballasts are vastly superior and have dropped

tremendously in price; for the aquarium, the brighter and the cooler the better. The ballasts are

matched to the lamps. This is very important, a dual T12-40 ballast will only work with those lamps.

Fluorescent lamps and ballasts come in many varieties. The older technology is SO (StandardOutput); then in progression: HO (High Output), VHO (Very High Output), CF (Compact Fluorescent), CF-

T3 (Compact fluorescent T3). T3 lamps are usually very expensive, and the SO lamps are too dim.

The depth and width of the aquarium will dictate the

amount of lamps you need, but a rule of thumb is 4 to 6 Watts of

HO lighting per gallon of aquarium. The diameter of the lamp

makes a difference in efficiency and in ease of use. Generally, the

smaller the lamp, the more efficient it will be. The diameter of

these lamps is measured in eighths of an inch, and prefixed with T.

So a T8 is 8/8 in diameter; a T12 is 12/8; a T3 is 3/8.

The other important typical measurement are the Watts

the lamp consumes. This is important to get a match for the ballast (that cooks the Watts the lamps

eat). So a T12-40 consumes 40 W, and a T8-32 consumes 32 W. The length of the tube is another

specification that must match. T12-40 and T8-32 are 48inches long for example.

As important as the amount of light is the color of the light. Just like the Halides, you need to

obtain lamps with a color temperature that simulates the conditions of the reef. If you wish to have any

Section: Fluorescent Lighting PAGE 15


16/59

chance at all with the soft corals, the lamps must have a color temperature of at least 10,000K. Using

regular lamps will simply cause a giant carpet of green hair algae or possibly red slime algae. Don't

use those lamps. I know they are cheaper. Don't be a sissy.

The bulbs that you purchase are very important. If wanting to keep

mushrooms and other soft corals try this tried combination:

First tube: Actinic White, 50/50 fluorescent; this provides a combination

of triband (for visible light) and actinic (for blue to ultraviolet light) phosphors.

Second tube: Blue Actinic, this has only the actinic phosphors, which

provide the blueish light the corals require.

For a 40 to 55 gallon aquarium 2 strips (4 lamps) will probably

be indispensable, 6 lamps will provide much better results, but

may not fit atop the aquarium. All fluorescent tubes lose their

true spectral output about 6 to 12 months after initial powering

up, check with the manufacturer. To maintain light levels

consistent:

Keep any glass between bulb and water surface free of algaeand mineral deposits.

Clean the bulb surface weekly (with damp soft sponge) if directly

exposed to water surface.

If bulbs or lenses accumulate mineral deposits, clean with a mild acid.

Line fluorescent fixtures with a proper light reflector.

Replace fluorescent tubes annually for maximum efficiency.

Make note of installation date of fluorescent bulbs.

Use electronic ballast(s) when possible, for the following reasons:

Higher frequency operation, resulting in superior bulb performance and visual presentation

Higher power factor, resulting in greater light output

Longer ballast life Increases bulb life

Greater flexibility, operate lamp diameters T-8, T-10, & T-12

Greater energy efficiency

Less heat production to affect aquarium temperature

Avoid turning lights on and off unnecessarily.

A great place to find lamps, sockets, ballasts and reflectors for fluorescent fixtures you can build

yourself is http://www.ahsupply.com. There are 96W SHO lamps, matching ballasts and parabolic

reflectors that will light up a relatively large aquarium and will provide light of sufficient quality to allow

most soft corals and other invertebrates to grow. This can be a reasonable tradeoff to the more

expensive to operate metal halides.

The phosphors are the powders coated on the inside of the lamp that produce the light.

Section: Fluorescent Lighting PAGE 16
http://www.ahsupply.com/http://www.ahsupply.com/


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LED NIGHTLIGHTShese are not strictly crucial, but add a lot of life and beauty for a very small investment. Many

animals, specially invertebrates, require the natural rhythm of day and night to live, eat and

function properly. Some animals are nocturnal and will only come out with nocturnal lighting. Also,

the aquarium is very beautiful at night, looking as if it were lit by a full moon.

T

The amount of light required is not large, but must be of the correct color.

The spectrum is designed to simulate the light from the sun reflected off the

moon. The LEDs only cost about $0.5 each and you need one for every 2 to 3

inches of length of aquarium. Www.digikey.com sells them, part number

365-1201-ND. If you purchase 55 of these LEDS, and wire them in series, you

can connect them straight to 120V without dealing with any transformers or

power packs. The Other Phenomenal Thing About These LEDs Is That They

Only Consume 0.1068W Each.

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?

Detail&name=365-1201-ND is a link to obtain these suckers. For 120V systems, use 55 of the LEDs, and

one full wave rectifier, part number KBL02-E4/51GI-ND; link is

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=KBL02-E4/51GI-ND ; in addition,

you will need a lamp cord with plug (easily created with an old extension cord); and some place to

mount the LEDs.LEDs. I use a plastic molding piece, drill a hole for each LED, then connect all the

devices in series.

That means that at 11 per kw-hr you could run this LED 24 hours per day for $0.06 per year

Section: PAGE 17
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HOMEMADE REEFTANKHOODo you want to take the big leap into aquarium lighting nirvana and get some of those fancy metal

halide lamps or SHO fluorescents and a fancy tank hood to house them. Then you go to the store

or to the internet and find that the best price you can find for such a monster is somewhere around

$500 for a 4' wide tank. This seems a little painful when you look at the construction and find particleboard or cheap plastic. You then have a peek at the better hoods with the better construction and

immediately have a heart attack or brain aneurysm. So you figure, how hard can this be anyway?

S

It's not really that hard at all. I needed to build a new canopy, and it had to be large and in

charge. It had to house big 250W metal halides at a safe distance from the top of the aquarium.

Remember those lamps burn at over 400F and will explode violently with a single drop of water. Then

there is the small problem that the lamp will set wood on fire and that each lamp costs the same as a

good steak dinner. I designed the hood based on the models I saw in the stores and so that it would be

easy to build with the smallest number of tools and without a workshop.

The wood of choice is inch MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). MDF is used extensively in the

furniture and speaker industry. This stuff is very stiff, very straight, and much easier to work than solid

wood or plywood. It is very common, paints easily and is very strong, all for a modest price. It is

heavier than solid wood but not as strong. It is much stiffer and stronger than particle board or OSB

and much better looking. The edges are easy to work with and do not require laminates, glue or special

presses. The biggest problem with MDF is that it droops in a high moisture environment and that it

has no grain, so it must be painted or covered in veneer (like Formica) since it has no grain. There are

many veneers in many different shades and patterns, you can create a very interesting tank top.

What and Where do I Cut?

This design uses 10 pieces; all straightcuts that can be made by the man in the big

orange store; and they can all come from one

piece of 4' x 8' MDF. There are several long cuts

which must be reasonably precise, so it is better

to use the large saw in the store. Cutting long

straight pieces with a hand held saw is

almost impossible, so use their services.

Before taking the board to the saw, use a

large drywall T-square, a pencil and a

tape measure to draw all the cut lines on

the board. Remember that the saw has afinite width (called a kerf), which is about

the size of the line a carpenter's pencil

makes. Draw the pieces so the wood

These plans will work just as well for fluorescent lamps; the major difference would be the height; while the metal

halides need a 15in high hood, the tubes would only need 8in

Section: Homemade Reef Tank Hood PAGE 18

width of tank 72

length of tank 18

wood width 0.75

finished height 15

width length number of pieces

top 72 18 1

front 73.5 15 2

sides 18 15 2

braces 18 2 4

rear brace 6 13.5 1


19/59

dimensions between the pencil lines is the desired final size. In other words, have the Depot Man place

his blade right through the pencil line. As long as you aren't using a crayon, or an architect's super fine

point pencil, the blade will make the pencil lines disappear and leave just the wood between the lines.

The dimensions for a tank 72x18 are shown here, but they can be easily modified to fit any

rectangular tank. With this design the front of the hood shows no cuts and no edges. Any

imperfections in the cuts isare hidden in the top and on the sides. The only calculations necessary to

change the dimensions to any size tank are for the front/rear and the rear brace. yThe front/rear piecesare wider by 2x(wood width); the rear brace is shorter by the same amount. In addition to the wood,

you will need the following materials and tools.

Tools & Materials for Homemade Super Awesome Hood

A 4'x 8' x sheet of MDF $34

A Simple Hand Held Inch Drill; Like Harbor Freight's 94436 $18

A Doweling Kit; Harbor Freight 96859 $3

A 36 Extra Dowels pack; Harbor Freight 95615 $2

Several Hole Saws; Harbor Freight 94665 $10

A Small Drill Bit For Pilot Holes; Harbor Freight 9475 $4

Caulking gun for the silicone rubber; $4

A Circular Saw For Cutting The Door; Harbor Freight 94245 $30

Stainless steel hardware $5

(10) 1 #10 wood screws (conical head) for the braces

(8) 1 #10 metal screws (flat head) for the fans

Two 80mm 12Vdc Computer Cooling Fans; Www.tigerdirect.com $5

A 12V Ac To Dc Power Adapter; Www.partsexpress.com Part 120-040 $6 Or An Old

Cell Phone Charger May Work (as Long As Output Is 12-14V Dc)

tainless steel hardwareAssorted sOne quart of low VOC water based

paint and a paint brush $13

A 36 inch continuous hinge; $7 at the big orange depot

tubes of silicone rubber for windows and doors; $62 One quart of

low VOC water based paint and a paint brush

A 36 inch continuous hinge; $7 at the big orange depot

Two tubes of 100% silicone rubber for plastic pieces. You must look

at the fine print on the side of the tube; most are not FDA food safe and not safe for aquariums.

The stuff you want specifically lists aquariums on the fine print) and is usually sold with plexiglass

and Lucite; $6Caulking gun for the silicone rubber; $4

Let's Do This Thing; Make a Bunch of Holes

Once you get all the pieces of wood home, lay them out and

label them. Mark the pieces FRONT, REAR, LEFT, RIGHT, TOP, BRACE1,

2, 3, 4, 5. On each piece also mark INSIDE and TOP, on each piece. This

is important, since no two pieces will be exactly the same and the dowel

holes must line up with each other.


Illustration Figure 1: dowel Guide

Lines, Holes, Pins
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20/59

Start with the front and rear pieces. Take your pencil and a scrap piece of MDF as your ruler and

a pencil. Mark the top, left and right sides with a line indicating the width of the wood (figure 1). This

will be your guide for drilling the blinddowel pin holes. Blind holes These are holes that do not go all

the way through the wood.

Take the dowel kit and set the drill depth to about the thickness of the

wood (figure 2). This will give you the ability to make holes without damaging

the front of the piece. Drill 4 evenly spaced holes along the top of the 2 sidepieces. Drill 4 evenly spaced holes along the left and right sides of the front and

rear pieces. Drill 11 evenly spaced holes along the top of the front and rear

pieces. Now take your dowel pins from the kit, and place them in the holes on

the LEFT side piece. Carefully line up the side piece with the TOP piece and press

together. The pins will make an impression on the TOP piece where the dowels

will line up. Do the same thing for the RIGHT side piece. Sometimes the dowel

pins dont come out very easily, this is normal, we want a tight fit for the dowels.

Join the LEFT, RIGHT and TOP

Now set the drill depth to 1 (the

length of your 5/16 diameter dowels), and drill

the 8 holes on the sides of the TOP piece where

the impressions were left by your pins; where

the dowels will match the SIDE pieces. It is very

important to drill straight down into the wood

when doing these holes, since the larger part of

the dowel will sit inside (figure 4).

Remove the pins from the

SIDE pieces and add a drop of

glue to each hole. Carefully tap adowel flush to the bottom of each blind hole. Now add a line of

glue to each side of the joint, and carefully place the two pieces

together. Use a door frame or a wall to ensure you get a 90

angle (figure 3).

When the three pieces are together, your creation should

look like figure 55. Take a dry rag and wipe off all of the glue that

leaks out of the joints. The silicone does not receive paint at all

and is very difficult to remove when dry.

Join the REAR piece

Now this is the hard part. The REAR piece is joined by 19

dowels, but you only have 4 dowel pins to work with. This means

you have make the impressions 4 holes at a time. You must place

the REAR piece on the assembly several times, marking 4 holes at

a time. Each time the REAR piece is placed on the assembly, you


IllustrationFigure 2: Drill Bit

Stop

Illustrationfigure 5: Top, Left And Right

Illustrationfigure 3: Glue AndJoin

Illustration figure 4: Holes 1 Long

DeepHoles


21/59

must ensure that it is placed exactly like before, or the dowels will not line up. If the man with the big

saw did a great job following your pencil cut lines, the REAR piece will fit exactly on the assembly you

have created. Just take your time and

be patient.

Now take the drill and make the

19 1 Deep Holes, Straight Into The

Wood. You must be very careful to drillvertically. In figure 5 you see most of

the holes drilled, waiting for the

dowels.

Same as you did with the SIDE

pieces, add a bit of glue to each blind

hole on the REAR piece and tap in the

dowels. Then add a line of glue to all

joining surfaces and carefully join the

REAR piece to the assembly. You will

have to place all thedowels in their

corresponding holes

before pressing the piece

together (figure 6 6). The

REAR piece will come on

surprisingly tight so do not

be alarmed. You may want

to carefully sit on the unit to squeeze everything together. After you

are done sitting on the job, the hood should look like Illustrationfigure

78.

Wait, Do Not Glue The Front Piece Yet

You may want to glue the front piece now, but that would be a terrible

idea. We need to place 5 braces inside the box, so that the hood is stable and stiff

(figure 1010). Start with Brace 1 and Brace 2. These skinny braces sit on the LEFT

and RIGHT side pieces, right up against the TOP piece. This gives the top

something to sit on, other than just a bunch of dowels. Draw a line down the

middle of all the braces. This line should be along the long side of the brace.

Then make 2 holes in each brace, evenly spaced along this long line. Now place

each brace in the box, where it will live, and mark the sides with your trusty dowelpins.

Brace 3 and 4 (figures 87 & 9 9) also live on the LEFT and RIGHT side

pieces, but in aabove the bottom. This is to give a lip for the glass to sit on.

This small detail allows the hood to sit just below the glass, so that there is no gap

between the two that would allow light to leak out all over your living room.


Illustrationfigure 6: Line Up ALL Dowels

Illustrationfigure 8: Rear, Top, Left, Right

Illustration figure 7

Bottom Side Braces

Illustration figure 10: Side

Braces

Illustrationfigure 9: Gap For Side Braces


22/59

Once the sides are marked with your dowel pins, use the dowel pin kit and the special drill bit

set the drill depth to about the thickness of the wood. Drill the blind holes on LEFT and RIGHT pieces,

put a dab of glue and a dowel in the holes, and place the BRACES in position. If you did this correctly,

the ends of the dowels will show through the braces.

OK, get the 1/8 drill bit from your kit, and make pilot

holes for the wood screws we will use in a minute. The pilot

holes should not extend more than 1 into the surface, sothere will be no holes on the sides of the hood. Pilot holes are

important since they keep wood from splitting, so do not skip

that step. Use two #10 1 wood screws for each brace to

clamp the braces against the sides. After the screws are in the

braces, take a special saw (or a hacksaw or a kitchen knife) and

cut off the tips of the dowels as shown in figure 11. When You

Areall done, the result should look like illustrationfigure 1010.

Now repeat the process

for BRACE 5 (the fat one). This

brace goes on the REAR piece,centered along the back,

remembering that the brace

needs to be From The

Bottom. This Is The Same Gap

As The Side Braces That Allows

The Hood To Sit Below The Level

Of The Glass. The Final

Assembly Looks Like Figure 12.

OK the FRONT piece can come on nowThe only wood piece you should have left is the FRONT piece. This piece comes on just like the

REAR piece did a few minutes ago. This is hard but should be easier than the REAR. The FRONT piece is

again joined by 19 dowels, and you still only have 4 dowel pins. Place the piece on the assembly several

times, replacing it exactly each time so the

dowels will line up. Take your time and be

patient.

Drill the 19 1 deep holes,

straight into the wood. Add glue to each

blind hole on the FRONT piece and tap in

the dowels. Add a line of glue to all joiningsurfaces and carefully join the FRONT

piece to the assembly. You will have to

place all the dowels in their corresponding

holes before pressing the piece together

If you found a different size screw, see the Pilot Hole Sizes for Wood Screws table on Page 54 to find the correct pilot

hole size.


IllustrationFigure 13: Box Complete; Ready To Cut Door

Illustration figure 11: Cut Off The Tips Of The

Dowels

IllustrationFigure 12: All Braces In


23/59

(figure 6). The FRONT piece will come on VERY tight. You may want to carefully sit on the unit to

squeeze everything together. After you are done sitting on the job again, the hood should look like

figure 13.

Now Let's Add a Door

Wow, the hood looks great doesn't Iit? All we have is a large

heavy box though. Let's add a door to the front piece. This will allow

us to feed the fish and change lamps without removing the big box.

Although a rectangular door would be easiest to cut, I chose to cut a

door with quarter circles on each top corner.

The front needs to remain stiff and strong, so the door cannot

be too large. Measure the door so that there will be at least 4 inches

of wood left over on the front piece (figure 14). Use a circular saw to

cut the door along the guidelines but do not finish the corner cut. Be

very careful and very patient since cutting a straight line

with a hand held circular saw is very difficult.

Finishing the corner cut must be done from the

inside due to the way circular saws work. If you choose

to do a curved corner, use a jigsaw with a coarse blade.

MDF is very dense and will burn a fine blade. Be careful

when finishing the cut, have someone hold the door

steady so it does not fall. The finished assembly will look

like figure 15.

Adding the hinge can be very tricky if you approach

it the wrong way. Attach the hinge to the door first. The

screws are very small and difficult to work with. You will

be much happier if you use pilot holes and glue between

the hinge and the wood. Trust me, you will be much

happier. Once the hinge is on the door, very carefully place

the door on the FRONT piece and attach the hinge. Your

assembly should look like figure 16.

II


Illustration 15: Hood With Door Cutout

Illustration 16: Completed Wood Assembly

Illustration 14: Guidelines For Door


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SURFACESKIMMER / OVERFLOWBOXhis sounds a lot like something Capt Kirk would have on the Enterprise, and alas, he may have had

one. However, this particular device is used to collect the water from the surface of the

aquarium, on its way to the filter system.

TMarine water is heavier than fresh water, things float better,

anyone who swims can testify to that little gem of information.

Fundamentally we wish to remove junk from the surface before it

makes its way down to the bottom of the tank. We wish to have a

continuous stream of water from the bottom to the top of the tank.

The other reason this is very important is gas exchange.

Gas exchange is what occurs on the surface of all bodies of

water. Without getting into too much physics, excess nitrites, nitrates,

methane, CO2 and other nasty gases leave the water at the surface and

O2, nitrogen, and other good gases enter the water at the surface.

These gases, both detrimental and fundamental for life, exchange at the surface. This is a beautiful

thing that God created with wave action, that we need to replicate.

The first skimmers consisted of two boxes that straddled the fish tank and had a U-tube

connecting them. These are the only ones you can use if your tank is not drilled. This is very

unfortunate since they basically suck eggs. These boxes are a constant source of frustration. They clog.

They collect smelly junk. They lose siphon. They cause your tank to overflow. The sponges are always

nasty. Also, as a last bonus, they are expensive, between $60 to $100.

If you have one of these overflow boxes, sell it to some sucker on eBay or craigslist.

If your tank is not drilled, which means it has a gaping 1in diameter hole in the bottom glass

somewhere near the rear corner or the rear center, get it drilled. That's right. Make a giant hole in thebottom of the perfectly good fish tank. All you really need is a Dremel tool or a RotoZip and a glass bit.

Drilling the hole is not complicated when the tank is empty. Once the tank is full of marine life,

however, things are much more difficult.

Once the tank is drilled, the overflow box lives inside the tank. For a corner hole all you really

need is a piece of plexiglass (typically black) against the corner. This makes a triangular void where the

water can spill into the chamber and out the hole. For a rear-center hole, you basically take the

overflow box and place it inside the tank.

Look at all the big and fancy marine tanks in the store. They are all drilled. There is a reason.

Section: Surface Skimmer / Overflow Box PAGE 25


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WATER PUMPS AND AIR PUMPSefore we talk about the water pump. Let's talk about the air

pump.BAir Pump

You don'tdo not need one. You don'tdo not want one. Air stones

and sticks will break your bones; good oxygen saturation never hurt

me.Because marine water is denser than fresh water, bubbles have a greater surface tension. This

means that bubbles are smaller and harder to pop. Fish at 30ft of water don'tdo not see bubbles, and

will actually bond to their gills. This is bad, since the gills only work when submerged. Air stones in a

marine tank will actually cause the animals to suffocate. The only exception to this is for a cheap

protein skimmer that we will discuss later.

Back to the Water PumpYou need a big, nasty, powerful, angry water pump. The bigger and nastier the better. These

are not tranquil Siamese Fighting Fish living in a goldfish bowl on your desk. These are animals that

were accustomed to the surf of the ocean. They like it big and they like it surfy. The invertebrates

require constant flow of clean water for food and gases. Corals in particular require a ton of water

movement, since they cannot themselves move. Feather dusters, clams, and many other invertebrates

simply will die if the water does not move enough.

You can spend oodles of money purchasing some special water pump in the pet shop. Or you

can go to Home Depot and get a fountain or water feature or pond pump. These are a lot cheaper,

often have traditional PVC and Pipe fittings and work exactly the same. If you have the space and the

ability, the best kind of pump you can obtain are swimming pool or spa pumps. If you don'tdo notbelieve me, look at the back room of the fish store. These are designed to run constantly, with little

noise and with maximum amount of flow. Since there are about a gazillion pools in the US, these

pumps are sold much more frequently than some special Belgian marine aquarium pump.

Remember water movement is the key of life to all your animals. The rule of thumb is that you

want to move the entire mass of water at least 5 times and preferably 10 times per hour. So a 75 gallon

reef tank requires 750 gph (gallons per hour) of water movement.

This is a substantial amount of water and the pump will cost you money on a monthly basis.

Spend the money on an efficient pump. This righteous pump will have to provide 750gph

continuously at 4 ft elevation (also known as pump head). A Hp pump would cost roughly $15/month

to operate, with an additional $21/month or so for the A/C load; this is a total of $432/year. However, amuch less efficient Hp pump would cost an additional $72/month to pump the same water; creating

a yearly bill of $1296. If you could get the same amount of pumping done with a 1/8 Hp pump; and

have that pump be outside the air conditioned space, the total yearly cost would be a puny $85. So

For examples of efficient, righteous pumps: www.spadepot.comBX4205 or BX4202 cost about $150 (with shipping!) will

cost about $10/month to run 24hrs/day

Section: Water Pumps and Air Pumps PAGE 26
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how do you know if a pump is efficient or not? Look at the nameplate on the motor. There should be

horsepower, voltage and amperage ratings. A 100% efficient pump would create 1hp for every 6.2

Amps at 120V. You will find many pumps that are not even 50% efficient. The difference in power, i.e.,

the non-efficiency becomes heat for your A/C.

Even if a good pump is $300, which it isn't, it would pay for itself in less than 6 months. Realize

that much of the cost of running the water is the A/C load; the amount of heat the pump adds to the air

conditioned space which must then be removed by the A/C. Interestingly, this is only a problem if thepump is under A/C. We will see soon why placing the pump and filters in a separate location will be a

good idea. Again, think of the fish store.

Submersible Pumps; Power Heads; Wave Makers

Water movement, and eliminating dead spots is so important that you

may find yourself adding additional submersible pumps in strategic locations in

the tank. Again I refer you to eBay, where you can obtain these things for 1/3 of what your local

store is demanding. Some china man eBay seller, xcceries has 2 NEW 800GPH WAVE MAKER

AQUARIUM WATER PUMP POWERHEAD for about $34. By the way, these are probably made in China.

Good thing is, so are the over-priced ones that the store wants to sell you. Probably in the same sweat-

shop. Oh, and in case you are wondering, yes, these gizmos create heat which is added to the water.

A wave maker is an advanced, in other words, expensive device that controls several power

heads and/or submersible pumps. The device cycles the pumps in an near random manner, turning

them on and off in succession. The changing water movements simulate the back and forth rocking the

waves give to our friendly reef dwellers. This sounds like The

Fish Whisperer, spending money on something that is

supposed to make our fish feel better. Actually, and almost

unbelievably, this is not psycho babble; the wave motion has

a reason. Yup, God once again, knew what he was doing.

The wave motion scrubs the floor and the coral, almost like awater broom. This sweeping motion will help keep your

rocks and corals clean; this will also keep your immobile

invertebrates like corals, dusters, worms, and others fed and

clean. Although the wavemakers are incredibly expensive,

they are something worth looking into! The best would be to

grab an electrical engineer friend, and have him make a

circuit that randomizes several circuits. The next best thing

would be to use hydro-dynamic motion to simulate random

wave motion. That sounds silly complicated, but all it

involves is strategically pointing several powerheads to interact with each other. You can read moreabout this idea in:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/diywavemakersurgedevic/ss/sssimplewavemaker.htm

Section: Water Pumps and Air Pumps PAGE 27
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THE TIMERh, the lonely timer. That often forgotten piece of lonely machinery that works 24 hours a day, 7

days a week, without ever complaining or taking a break. Indeed, admire the work ethic of the

timer. These little jewels are crucial to the survival of your marine animals and your

sanity. Unless you really like turning lights and pumps on and off manually everyday, several times a day, you need a few good timers.

O

The most obvious need for a timer is the lighting. Lighting is crucial to some of

the life inside the tank, in particular, the algaes and bacteria that you will share your

home with. Those creatures require the light for photosynthesis, and reward you

with oxygen. Deprive them of light, and they will consume oxygen, generate carbon dioxide and turn

the waste in the tank into toxic chemicals. All corals and many invertebrates have a symbiotic

relationship with light gathering microorganisms. The right quantity and type of light is critical. Most

organisms will thrive with 10 to 12 hours per day of the right type and quantity of light. Having the

wrong light for more hours will simply grow more of the wrong algae faster, so don'tdo not make that

mistake. A timer with a 7 day schedule is very nice to own, so that you can have the lights in the livingroom and the aquarium coincide with your schedule.

There will most probably be more than one set of lights atop the aquarium. Each set should

have its own timer, so that you can turn the lights on and off in succession, with 20 30 minutes

between each set of lights. There is less shock and surprise if the daylight comes on and off slowly. The

moon lights, or night lights should come one before the daylights turn off (just like in real life) and turn

off after the daylights come on.

The water pump also needs to be on a pump. The preferred kind is the mechanical type with

the little plastic or metal keys that one pulls for each 15 or 30 minute time period. This is simply to help

with our inherent laziness. You see, when feeding time comes around, you need to turn the filtration

pumps off. This is so your expensive food doesn't get sucked up into the filter before your babies get achance to eat. However, the pump needs to come back on after 15 30 minutes. Yes, this simple thing

is often forgotten, and next thing you know, the filtration (and therefore aeration) is off all night, and

you wake up to dozens of dead creatures. These mechanical timers never forget. You hit the manual

OFF button, feed your fish. Go to work. Go cut the grass. Go to sleep. No matter what you do, the

pumps will be back on in 30 minutes.

The other great thing about these timers is that you can force your filtration pump to turn on

and off many times a day. This is great if you have a truly monster pump that does not need to run

24/7. If you look at the cost calculations, the electricity for the pump costs a significant amount of

money. But turn it on for an hour, off for an hour, and you cut the electrical requirement in half. Also,

you create a false wave motion that helps the lifeforms in your aquarium. The amount of on/off timewill need to be adjusted as the filtration system matures and the number of creatures increases; the

lonely timer lets you do that.

Section: The Timer PAGE 28


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THECHILLERh no, he didn't! Oh yeah, I said chiller. I'll say it again, CHILLER. But that is a loud, expensive

gizmo that sucks electronic juice as if it was cocaine you say. Well you wanted marine fish,

right? Your house is not some Belgian Monk monastery (or my sister's house) which is normally at or

less than 68F. So this means that your water will be way too hot for some fish, most invertebrates,and all coral.

O

That blows, I really wanted to do this reef thing Well, don'tdo not despair, all is not lost. After

all, people did this before chillers existed. So let's look at the problem and at the solution.

The problem lies in basic thermodynamic concepts. The Wind Chill Factor is only an illusion. It

only means that you perceive the temperature to be colder than it really is. So blowing air on the

aquarium won'twill not do a thing. The reality is that the aquarium will never be any colder than the

average ambient air temperature of the room that it is in 1. In fact, using basic thermodynamic law

numero 22, it will always necessarily be warmer than the room3. This has to do with some basic ideas.

First of all, the lights will be heating the water. They produce a ton of UV radiation and ofcourse those fabulous photons that make our animals perform photosynthesis and make them look

darn pretty. Bummer, all that ends up as heat in the water.

Second is the mixing of atmosphere with the water. We know that gas exchange happens at the

surface. Guess where that is? Right near the hottest air in the room, by the surface skimmer, close to

the lights that are burning at approximately 400F. Oh Snap!

Third is the heat generated by the action of the millions of friendly bacteria you will have

working for you, the heat generated by the pumping action and mechanical losses of all the water

pumps, and other heat sources scattered about. No, there is no cool source.

All this heat means that the water is going to increase in temperature. The temperature of the

aquarium will increase above ambient air temperature. Which means that this heat will be transferredto the air in the house. Which means that the A/C unit of the house will attempt to lower the

temperature of the ambient air in the house. Which, after slapping yourself in the head and referring

back to Thermodynamic Rule #3, means that Oh no, you are going to pay for some machine to chill

your water anyway.

So, are you bumming yet? No fear, grasshopper. Take deep breath. Allow the truth to enter.

The water will be heated. The water will be cooled. You will pay for both processes. Do something

about it. Financially, you are better served by cooling only the water of the aquarium, instead of the

whole house or the room the tank is in. The animals simply will not live if the water is too hot. This is a

tough lesson to learn when you come home, $400 of fish are all floating belly up and 6 months of coral

growth smells like a fish market.

1 Thermodynamic Law #1: You Can Never Win

2 Thermodynamic Law #2: You Can't Tie

3 Thermodynamic Law #3: You Can't Even Come Close

Section: The Chiller PAGE 29


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THEPROTEINSKIMMERonfucius Say: Salt water fish pee. Fresh water fish do not. Well, maybe he didn't, but he should

have. Turns out many of the things that belong to the Kingdom Animalia have some type of

saline solution inside their bodies. Humans for instance are about water. What everyone forgets is

that we are saline water. In the hospital, we don'tdo not get an IV of pure water, we get an IV ofisotonic saline solution. This solution is about 9g Na Cl per liter of H20, a specific gravity of 1.009.

C

Osmosis, put very simply, is the process where one substance creeps from one body into

another. Stick a fish with a body full of 1.009 water in an ocean full of 1.023 water and what happens?

The salt creeps into his body. The fish then has to get rid of this salt, in the form of urine. Marine

animals are constantly relieving themselves of this excess salt; they pee all the time. This is why you

barely ever see them excrete any solids.

Now think of a goldfish in a river full of 1.000 water. The salt in his body is always trying to exit

his body. They never urinate and like a camel, always conserve their water. This is why fresh water fish

have those large yukky turds, and we don'tdo not need a protein skimmer.

So why all the talk about pee? Organic matter is a major source of the nutrients needed by

microalgae (hair algae) and cyanobacteria (slime algae) to grow and reproduce. Efficient removal

of organic matter and dissolved waste reduces the amount of harmful floating bacteria, reduces yellow

discoloration of the aquarium water, limits nitrate and phosphate build up , and prevents the aquarium

from being covered in green or brown slime.

In other words, the the animals don'tdo not like to swim in their own pee. The stuff is toxic in

high enough concentrations, and we must remove the stuff constantly in a marine aquarium. See the

problem here? This seems like a tremendously fun job. Constantly remove stinky pee from my

aquarium. Wow, where do I sign up?

There are two ways to do this admirable act.

The Traditional Protein Skimmer

This is a gizmo that literally forces a column of water to be exposed to

bizillions of tiny bubbles. Turns out that bubbles have a large surface area, when

combined with the large surface tension of saltwater, binds protein molecules to

the bubbles. All we have to do then, is pop the bubbles in a jar, and collect the

amazingly stinky concentrated pee. When the jar gets full, or really stinky, take

it and dump it somewhere.

I know that so far, this sounds like a really good time. Now add to your

maintenance schedule some time to work on the air pump (or water pump

with air suction) and the constantly clogging pipes and cones of the traditional

Technically, the water leaves the fish body, leaving him saltier and closer to 1.023. The fish compensates by drinking

ocean water, which gets him closer still to 1.023. They then excrete waste and excess salt in their urine.

More on the nitrogen cycle later

Section: The Protein Skimmer PAGE 30


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protein skimmer and you have got yourself a party. Some people will run a small hose from the bottom

of the jar out the door but that just burns the grass.

Protein skimming (also called foam fractionation) can be considered as a form of mechanical

filtration, since it is a physical process of removing substances from water, without any chemical or

biological action.

The good thing about these devices is that they work, and they work well. When they are

running, they usually make little noise and do a marvelous job of collecting waste protein. There are

many styles and manufacturers of these things with all kinds of scientific sounding names. The bubbles

are either made with an air pump and a stone or a water pump t

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Marine Aquarium Book for Alex, Danny and Dominic 1027