Not to burst your bubble or anything, but I'm a daughter of a German father and an Irish mother, am married to a German and am living in Sweden! A bit complicated...
However, I don't know WHY I wasn't smart like Eric Borneman and decided to do my PhD in the topic of my own hobby!@@#$@#$! Sure would make life easier!
I also use it to water the houseplants. Finally, I've used the wastewater to do laundry! Why not... it should NOT be wasted if at all possible.
Dave - I completely agree with you. I've been wanting to figure out a system to collect the waste water and use it for something else. How do you use it for laundry though??
I finally moved the 75G into place this weekend. I also cut the acrylic for baffles and with the help of my DIY guru, made a holding bracket for my auto top off, float valve. Check it out!
I now am on hold until the glass company makes my 1/4" 17 and 1/4 by 18 inch pane that I'll be using for the ultimate refugium on the left side.
Basically, water will come from the floor above and enter the sump on the right. There will also be a "T" with a ball valve to divert some water to the extreme left. It is there that the fuge will be. The fuge will cascade into the return pump chamber. The other water flow traverses a series of baffles and also visits the return pump chamber. For now, I will be running two HOTskimmers while I save for my new Euroreef Skimmer. The float valve assembly will live in the return pump chamber.
The fuge will run at about 18 inches in depth. The first baffle on the right is also set high (for now) to allow for 18 inches of water. This is due to my needs for HOT skimming at this time. The center of the sump will run in and around 10 inches in depth.
I can't wait to get it all done and cut a hole in my floor!
That and putting in 50 hours a week at the office. Plus, the family took vacation in FL. That leaves me at home to fix/maintain what it took two "Tweens" to ruin I've removed, fixed and re-hung doors, patched holes in the walls...oh yeah...the joys of living with two very active boys.
I've glued in the acrylic baffles with silicone. I glued in the glass divider on the left with silicone and used egg crate diffuser as an overflow strainer for that refugium side. The plumbing is done (somewhat) and the sand is in the fuge.
I'm adding water, rock and macro this week and using a powerhead to move the waterflow through the sump for a week or more until I cut it into the tank, one floor above.
Yeah...the baffles on the left are pretty unique in that they are NOT what I want them to eventually be. The far right baffle extends to within 2 inches of the top of the tank. This is because I have to use HOTskimmers for now. I sold my EuroReef (slapping forehead) and want a new skimmer, but for now, have to use the prizm and remora and therefore need a tallish water column to do so. In the end, silicone is easy to remove, the baffle can be cut, and I can do something different with it.
The middle baffle has also been cut down. No need for it to be tall as water will work UNDER it and not over it. I didn't cut it at first, because...well...just didn't do it. But, I realized I'm going to have problems servicing the Mag Pump in the center chamber with that big ol' Oceanic brace in the way. By cutting down that center baffle, I have more head room to work in there.
Otherwise, it is a standard "center return" chambered sump-fugium!
Just kidding!
I've removed, fixed and re-hung doors, patched holes in the walls...oh yeah...the joys of living with two very active boys.
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