Hey there Reef and Fish Keepers! If you have any questions, please please ask them below, and I'll do my best to help. The Carlson Surge Device is a great old school way of creating flow, and a great project for the DIY fishkeeper in YOU!!
Does that affect the level in the sump? I just feel like it would be hard to use an auto top off with something like this. Or am I just overthinking it lol
Hey Hans If you go back and watch the last 5 minutes of the video, I specifically show the sump and ato . Heads up…. It still works, but only at specific time in the cycle of the surge device.
I found your channel about a month back, I'm a newbie (about 6 months) tropical fresh water aquarist but the addiction of fish has hit hard 😁 living rurally in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia I don't know if I would go salt water myself getting fresh water tropical fish in varieties you want is hard enough let alone finding a local coral reef structure/environment! I am always on the lookout for Fellow Australian creators who relate more to our place on the planet, our lingo and sense of humour, I am so impressed with your videos, presentation & explanation that makes it easy to understand, thank you so much for the effort you put into your video's (including, filming, editing etc) videos take a long time to produce and you do it extremely well, Thanking you once again Tony from Western Australia 🇦🇺
Tony, that is absolutely lovely to hear! I love my tanks and fish, and also really like making videos. Sometimes however, I must admit to just wanting to get the job done, without worrying about scripts and filming. It does make it worthwhile when I hear that the viewers got value out of it. Thank you.?
@@australianaquarist UA-cam can be an amazing source of excellent information, but a lot of people only see the video as that, they never sit back and consider all the work people put into producing it especially as a one person setup, each shot /scene has to be taken into consideration while you are trying to get the job done correctly, that probably drags out the construction side x 3 times the time & work involved. In your case I imagine if you go ahead and do a solid day of work without filming you feel guilty you didn't bring the people along, I noticed some creators like (for example) Jonathon W, break the film into I, will bring you back when I finish this bit and don't even do a time lapse you just see a finished segment of the task, it works for some, but for the viewer it isn't as rewarding to watch.
Bruce Carlson was the director of the Waikiki Aquarium during the 1990's. Bruce, and his now wife, Marj Awai designed the life support for the new "Edge of the Reef" Exhibit, in the 1980's. EOR was a large outdoor exhibit the had a shallow surge zone. They needed a way to simulate waves breaking over the reef crest. That was the first use of the Carlson Surge Device. The Waikiki Aquarium (where your still images were taken from) used a number of the devices on both exhibit and behind-the-scenes research tanks. As far as simplicity, cost and massive water movement are concerned, you can't beat them.
Yes it was that exhibit that first got me interested in the surge devices. Then after reading The Reef Aquarium vol3, decided to give them a go. I’ve had them on every tank of mine since. Thanks for your contribution
I love this for big aquariums. You see it in the public displays; however, they're using an overflow trench style system like you see at waterparks for kids. Microbubbles are normal in the reef and help scrub the crap out of the reef. Can't wait to see the mangrove setup
Yes, I do find the bubbles help lift up detritus to the waters surface. I know there was a trend of micro bubble scrubbing your tank by periodically turning an air stone on under the return pump. It fell away and got poo pooed. I’ve never done that, but I do believe the micro bubbles help to carry detritus to the surface overflow
This is awesome, I'm happy you're bringing back the Carlson Surge Device! I worked on building a small prototype about 10 years ago after finding an article by Dr. Carlson from his Waikiki Aquarium days. You mentioned the trouble with bubbles, I was able to reduce bubbles by about 90% by following his guidance and adding an "air vent" to the main line. You do this by adding a PVC T above the water line and plumb it back into the reservoir tank just at the upper water level. I'd love to see you try this, I think it would make you even happier with your CSD!
Yep, well ahead of you! Both surge devices have siphon breaks installed, though I must admit to liking the bubbles and turbulence that is created. I find it very natural, though I can see how some people might find it a bit much in their living rooms! Thanks for supporting my channel and taking the time to comment.
Nice job. These used to be popular when I first started in the hobby but since fallen out of favor as you noted due to power head & controller changes. I recall one concern, or con if you will, is related to the pressure the surge can cause on the display wall(s) and risk of seam failure. Todays builds though could accommodate that by using euro brace on top and bottom of display with seam protection on the sides. Over build and safety can easily take care of that. In any case enjoyed the video so thank you for your time. As an aside picking Palau was nice. Two of my favorite acropora colonies are from Palau sourced from Biota. In fact I also have a Gold Lined Rabbitfish from them which is also from Palau! All the best and take care. Keep up the great work.
I think most modern tanks should hold up okay, though I certainly wouldn’t do a Carlson Surge device with a rimless tank! Out of interest, what species are the Acropora that you have from Palau. I couldn’t sleep last night, so found myself researching coral species common to Palau
@@australianaquarist The first one I have is a Acropora muricata, common green staghorn. I purchased it from Biota which they call it Palau Mutated Meathball. Thick dark emerald green branch with lighter green tips. The second one I have from them is another Acropora that they likely believe to be Acropora desalwii. This one they name it Palauberry. Smooth skin pastel purple in color. Mine is actually lighter purple on the edges, green polyps, and a green branch. I've found they grow extremely well and tolerate my higher nutrients. Very hardy and while I've not made any frags I have knocked a few small pieces off the tips with careless cleaning I've glued those on rubble and they grow. So I say they are hardy as well. I don't have any other specifics I apologize. Just acropora muricata and acropora desalwii. Hope your day is well.
Worth a go, if you’ve got the height above the display. It creates a very natural, highly oxygenated surge in the tank, which I don’t think wave makers can replicate
Thats amazing. I love watching your channel. I learn so much about saltwater aquariums and im so thankful that you make it easy to understand and enjoy the videos. Thanks for sharing
Been loving following this build series, but did I miss a video about the life that I'm starting to see in the tank? Would love to know more about this BIG toadstools, was well as the fish, etc... Keep up the amazing work!!! 👊
Love the channel and sure do love my tanks to be moving in the aquarium for the essential health of the water and its inhabitants. Figuring it out and knowing how to create areas that gradually get there has been a great time in having the kind of quality tanks that I have always appreciated 💙💚 Have you ever looked into the company Grow Greenie here in the States , they have some good stuff 💦
back in the '90's I had 2 Carlson surge devices at ea end of my 7 foot reef tank. 5 gallon buckets. Then when I made a bigger system I made one with a 30 gal trash can. Other than the bubbles they work great!
I actually really like the bubble effect that comes at the start of the surge. The way the light punches through the surging bubbles reminds me of actual diving here on the subtropical reefs. It’s a great way to keep Chromis busy also!
Love watching your builds and your advice, keep up the great work from a Pom 👍 Have you thought about putting a large nozzle on the end that increases the flow and send the flow in different directions?? Also a small hole in the pipe just above the water level of your tank would help vent a lot of the air and reduce the bubbles, obviously pointing towards your water surface since water would also come out, while it is working, the majority coming down and out normally?? Cheers
I haven’t drilled a hole in the pipe ) like what you’d do in a return pipe). I’m not sure it would work though, as the air is combined with the water inside the plumbing, rather than at discharge in the tank. Mind you, I really like the air and turbulence created, so don’t really want to minimise it.
Super important that there’s enough excess room in your sump for the additional water and additional overflow capacity in the display. Also when a single MP60 is nearly $2000 in Australia think of how many surge devices you could make with that money and you can power a bunch with a single pump using valves to vary the fill up time to achieve random output times.
I’d love to use MP 60s, but like many things in the hobby, I can’t justify that price. I’ve also noticed that just reducing down the nozzle from 50mm to 40mm gives a directed surge that lasts longer. One can combine different outflow nozzles, to give surges of different intensities and duration
@@australianaquarist lights are incredibly expensive too. When they really should just be LEDs on a heat sink with a basic app and quality driver. But no we have to pay $1000-1700 for a SINGLE high end fixture when you need two for a 4 foot tank. Because they add so many bs features that we don’t need that push the price up. We don’t need our lights to have a conversation with our pumps, we don’t need red and green diodes, we don’t need 9 channels. We just need them to ramp up and down with 2-3 channels and be reliable. A for f sake light manufactures please do some research on light in the ocean and what corals actually want. Well that’s my Reef Beef for the day 🍻 now I need some Reef Therapy lol
@insanity4224 ! Calm , now be calm….. I do agree however. I’d love to find out what it actually costs ecotech, Kessil etc to actually manufacture a light unit. I think if hobbyists actually knew how little it is, there’d be some pissed off folks out there
@@australianaquarist haha I’m calm I generally build my own LEDs because I enjoy the process and the research and they are very simple. My beef with led manufacturers is the amount of shit they add that we don’t need that we then have to pay for. Why are we paying for a team of programmers? LEDs need a heat sink and simple ramp up/down. I’d rather pay for the correct wavelengths to could grow corals and be way simpler.
Steinhart Aquarium uses something like that for their tidepool aquarium. The aquarium drains down about half way then hundreds of gallons flow past the foot long lip in the tank. That cycles very fast.
Another great video mate, cheers. The surge pipe in the tank got me thinking - I wonder if a longer pipe reaching closer to the bottom of the tank with multiple outputs along its length would help move the whole body of water rather than just the top portion.
No. If the outlet is too deep in the display, the display water acts as back pressure, and forces the water in the barrel to exit via the emergency overflow, rather than siphon. I’m still playing around with it, and have installed a second surge device . I’m directing them so that they hit the rock island, and the water is forced down through the rock work. Still messing around though!
That turned out pretty well Adam. If you laid the barrel on it's side and had a shorter standpipe, would that reduce the amount of bubbles while dumping the same volume of water?
I just found your channel when looking at various DIY aquarium project ideas. I haven't seen one of these in a long time.👍 Have you considered a really helpful video on how to convince your wife that aquarium projects are a good way to spend our money? I told mine that I could be spending our money out drinking and carousing with loose women. She said go for it - it would be cheaper. 😉
Hahahaha!! Love it. She’s a smart lady. I think you’ve just got to find the right partner in life, and my motto in life…” don’t be a dick” ie love and respect her.
@australianaquarist we've been married 38 years. We still do everything together and, yes, still hold hands. Today she helped me with a big cichlid tank. They are fun and absolutely bulletproof The reef aquarium is in need of much TLC. Currently it's a glass box with saltwater and algae. I've kept saltwater in one form or another for about 25 of the last 35 years. I'm a teacher so it's usually time and no money or money and no time. No doubt we'll both be wet and salty by the end of renovations. The loose plan is for softies in the next few months. My only question in life so far is how could I have chosen so widely when I was so young and so DUMB?
I couldn't agree more on NOT using blue, purple, or green primer/glue on plumbing. Certainly not on any display/exposed plumbing. Good tip for nice aesthetics!
I’ve located his pipe home around the other side of the island, just near the overflow box. It’ll be a bit calmer for him there! But, I guess we’ll find out soon…. I’ve been thinking it time I catch him out of the estuary tank and transfer him over
Amazing video, you did explain it very well how to build it, but I didn't understand how the actual piping inside the barrel working to bring the hole volume of water down and when is the siphon brake go in to action ? Sorry I have see this in other vidoes but no one explain how to they actual fuction. Or I'm an idiot 😂. But if yoi can explain the mecanism inside the barrel I will greatly appreciated. Thank you mate from uk!
Absolutely. Please just keep asking questions if you need further clarification. Think of it like you are siphoning your display with some flexible tubing. To start a siphon, you need to purge the line of air, in this case by sucking water through it. Once you’ve sucked strong enough to pull water over the bend in the tube, the siphon begins, and you can drain the tank water just until the very last bit of water in the bottom of the tank. At this stage, you begin to suck air into the tube, and the flexible tube doesn’t keep enough water flowing through it to maintain the siphon. So the siphon effect is lost - the siphon is “broken”. The same occurs with the Carlson Surge Device, however rather than sucking the air out of the pipe, and drawing water into the system, you pump water into the drum. As the drum fills, and the water level inside the siphon pipe rises, it pushes the air out. Once the water level rises over the horizontal part of the siphon, and starts moving down and out to the display, the siphon begins. Because the discharge pipe is larger than the water supply, it can siphon out the contents of the barrel , faster than the rate at which it is still filling. Fine tuning the water delivery: - too crazy slow, the water just trickles through the siphon pipes, without starting a siphon. This in reality is next to impossible. - too fast, and the siphon will discharge, but the excess water filling the barrel maintains the siphon so that the barrel never fully empties. Water just runs consistently through the discharge pipe. - a larger diameter plumbing for the siphon and discharge pipe, and a smaller water feed to the barrel will usually make for a regular cycle of siphons. There is a pretty big in between range for success. You can vary the duration of time between surges, by filling the barrel slower or faster. DC controllable pump, or inline valve for AC pump. Slower fill = longer time between surges Faster fill = less time between surges (but less time for micro bubbles to dissipate) Hope this clarifies it for you!
Hey Aaron There’s no real maximum height- only dictated by the head pressure that your pump can handle. I’m using a single Laguna Maxflo 16000 per drum, though one is tee’d off for a uv steriliser. Because of my fish shed situation, I’ve always been able to get the barrels and buckets up pretty high. You’d want to get it up a minimum of 1 metre above the tank, though I’d prefer higher to get the full effect of a surge
Yes the noise is something to consider if the tank is in a living room or bedroom. I didn’t think of that. The corals will be coming. You’ll just have to keep watching!!
This is really great, have been looking for some more information on this type of flow. I like the wave/surge style effect it gives. Hows the noise and how often do you run yours/how often does the siphon go off? I have made a couple of designs similar to the carlson surge, one with a air cylinder and butterfly valve as seen in the sulawesi beach exhibit at henry doorly zoo and another that uses float switches to control a valve - similar to a carlson surge device but with a mechanically controlled siphon. From my tests the float switch one seems to be the quietest + least bubbles but there are lots of failure points so im not sure what I will add to my tank in the end. How do you think the flow would be on a 40cm deep tank, its around 300cm long but its very shallow, could use one of those flat spray type nozzles that you see on the return lines in alot of tanks that give that gyre type flow. at around 16 minutes you talk about the achilles and clown tang, I would also add blue chromis - they tend to school alot better with this type of flow and also Anampses Lennardi, one of my favourite wrasses that I keep - they are found in similar environments to the tangs you have listed and they need that really pristine water with no spots for debris to settle and pollute. Good video
Absolutely the blue Chromis and any planktivores react well to the surge devices. Anthias, Chromis, fairy wrasse, genicanthus angels. I haven’t done it yet ( mainly because of the I’m lazy), but have heard of people putting an automatic feeder over the barrel, so that the feed comes down with the surge. I’d like to do it, but I’d need to find a feeder with an obvious barrel so I can see when it’s empty from down in the shed! You mention the bubbles, as most people do. I like it. It’s so natural and exactly what’s it’s like when I’m snorkelling along the subtropical reefs around Coffs. I’m always getting thrown around by the swell and seeing bubbles and swirling water in my face mask !!
A long and shallow tank would be ideal. You’d have to have the outlets pretty close to the surface, to allow the gyre flow coming back from the opposite end, room to sweep upward. You could even do a manifold of smaller nozzles coming off a larger horizontal pipe ( kind of a spray bar), and feed it with a large discharge pipe from the barrel. You’d need a good amount of back pressure to get the flow coming out evenly from each nozzle, so the nozzles would need to be quite a bit smaller than the supply pipe. Say 50mm down to 4 x 20 mm nozzles
the question is. why are all your tank not in the house? wife said hell no?? haha I am bit jelly of your nice weather down there, no way we could do that up here in the frozen north. looks like your building is not insulated how do you deal with heat? or does it stay perfect all year long? do you know if there is a formula for size of tank & size of surge volume?
I always had a 180g in the house. Over the years it went from a Tanganykan , to reef, to cold water marine, to planted rainbows, and finally botanical Blackwater. When we knocked the wall down to install some glass sliding doors, my wife basically said no more! Around that time I was breeding rainbows in one side of the shed, so kept using that space and kept encroaching more and more into the rest of the shed. Now in half way through grinding and polishing the concrete floor, and insulating the walls. I’ll be installing glass sliding doors and air con this spring, and making it the official “Australian Aquarist Studio”!! I live in a subtropical area, which although doesn’t have extremes , it still gets down to 3 Celsius this time of year, and up to 36 Celsius in summer. Hopefully the air con will keep the overall environment favourable for the tanks, and have the heaters and chiller working less
The ato will work fine, but only for the limited time that the sump return chamber is at its lowest. This is right before a surge when the barrel is at its fullest. The last 5 minutes of the video goes into this, and I show you what happens in the sump. Go back and check that out.
I technically didn’t need to cycle the tank, as I just plumbed it into the sump system that was supporting the fish holding tanks. I transferred over any rock from those tanks into the new one. I also collected my secret weapon…. ua-cam.com/video/vyjvzq-i1zg/v-deo.htmlsi=JoJlDo404H_QnuWe
I’ve never tried to build a dump bucket. I think the moving parts, probably of rusting components and SERIOUS salt spray has put me off! There’s a photo of one above a public aquarium display in The Reef Aquarium vol3. The entire area above the tank , is surrounded by plastic sheets!!!
@@australianaquarist I welded one from stainless steel and use a Teflon block to support the centre rod, this minimises the wear, salt creep is always an issue with these devices that generate residual spray.
That system is not just useful for creating flow. I've seen a guy create a pond filter the same way by filling the barrel with filtration media. It's apparently crazy effective cause the filter media gets aerated all the time. Bet it works for aquariums too...
Yep. Without the internal siphon plumbing, and just a simple over flow, it would become an overhead sump. They are commonly used in freshwater, especially monster tanks. The good part about them , is that overhead sumps won’t back drain to the display during a power outage, unlike the typical sump below the display
Hey there Reef and Fish Keepers! If you have any questions, please please ask them below, and I'll do my best to help. The Carlson Surge Device is a great old school way of creating flow, and a great project for the DIY fishkeeper in YOU!!
Does that affect the level in the sump? I just feel like it would be hard to use an auto top off with something like this. Or am I just overthinking it lol
Hey Hans
If you go back and watch the last 5 minutes of the video, I specifically show the sump and ato . Heads up…. It still works, but only at specific time in the cycle of the surge device.
Thanks Bruce 😉
Best DIY channel on youtube!
Im just waiting until the rest of the fish keepers in the world finds this channel.
It will happen!!!!!
Very kind words. It’s comments like yours that drive me to keep putting video content out. Thank you greatly!!
I found your channel about a month back, I'm a newbie (about 6 months) tropical fresh water aquarist but the addiction of fish has hit hard 😁 living rurally in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia I don't know if I would go salt water myself getting fresh water tropical fish in varieties you want is hard enough let alone finding a local coral reef structure/environment! I am always on the lookout for Fellow Australian creators who relate more to our place on the planet, our lingo and sense of humour, I am so impressed with your videos, presentation & explanation that makes it easy to understand, thank you so much for the effort you put into your video's (including, filming, editing etc) videos take a long time to produce and you do it extremely well,
Thanking you once again
Tony from Western Australia 🇦🇺
@@MoondyneJoe well said my friend
Tony, that is absolutely lovely to hear! I love my tanks and fish, and also really like making videos. Sometimes however, I must admit to just wanting to get the job done, without worrying about scripts and filming. It does make it worthwhile when I hear that the viewers got value out of it. Thank you.?
@@markfranklin8831 thanks Mark
@@australianaquarist UA-cam can be an amazing source of excellent information, but a lot of people only see the video as that, they never sit back and consider all the work people put into producing it especially as a one person setup, each shot /scene has to be taken into consideration while you are trying to get the job done correctly, that probably drags out the construction side x 3 times the time & work involved. In your case I imagine if you go ahead and do a solid day of work without filming you feel guilty you didn't bring the people along, I noticed some creators like (for example) Jonathon W,
break the film into I, will bring you back when I finish this bit and don't even do a time lapse you just see a finished segment of the task, it works for some, but for the viewer it isn't as rewarding to watch.
That’s great feedback from a viewers perspective. Thank you. I’ll definitely continue to do the filming whilst tackling each build component.
Bruce Carlson was the director of the Waikiki Aquarium during the 1990's. Bruce, and his now wife, Marj Awai designed the life support for the new "Edge of the Reef" Exhibit, in the 1980's. EOR was a large outdoor exhibit the had a shallow surge zone. They needed a way to simulate waves breaking over the reef crest. That was the first use of the Carlson Surge Device. The Waikiki Aquarium (where your still images were taken from) used a number of the devices on both exhibit and behind-the-scenes research tanks.
As far as simplicity, cost and massive water movement are concerned, you can't beat them.
Yes it was that exhibit that first got me interested in the surge devices. Then after reading The Reef Aquarium vol3, decided to give them a go. I’ve had them on every tank of mine since.
Thanks for your contribution
Thanks for the best and the most thorough videos I have seen on youtube on Carson Surge Device. So Awesome keep it up!
Wow! Thanks Lam
I love this for big aquariums.
You see it in the public displays; however, they're using an overflow trench style system like you see at waterparks for kids.
Microbubbles are normal in the reef and help scrub the crap out of the reef. Can't wait to see the mangrove setup
Yes, I do find the bubbles help lift up detritus to the waters surface. I know there was a trend of micro bubble scrubbing your tank by periodically turning an air stone on under the return pump. It fell away and got poo pooed. I’ve never done that, but I do believe the micro bubbles help to carry detritus to the surface overflow
Sensational video, amazing work
Cheers Sam. All recognition goes to Delbeek and Sprung!
This is awesome, I'm happy you're bringing back the Carlson Surge Device! I worked on building a small prototype about 10 years ago after finding an article by Dr. Carlson from his Waikiki Aquarium days.
You mentioned the trouble with bubbles, I was able to reduce bubbles by about 90% by following his guidance and adding an "air vent" to the main line. You do this by adding a PVC T above the water line and plumb it back into the reservoir tank just at the upper water level.
I'd love to see you try this, I think it would make you even happier with your CSD!
Yep, well ahead of you! Both surge devices have siphon breaks installed, though I must admit to liking the bubbles and turbulence that is created. I find it very natural, though I can see how some people might find it a bit much in their living rooms!
Thanks for supporting my channel and taking the time to comment.
Thanks for taking the time to go into detail how it is setup and works. Very informative mate!!! Coming along nicely 👌
It’s a technique not really talked about anymore, but I really like the aesthetic it brings to the tank. Reminds me of diving, when I’m stuck at home!
cool thanks man...
had always wondered how to have strong surging flow
It’s an old way, but a very realistic way to get surge
Great video. Very informative.
Thanks Carlos
Looking forward to the tank tour!
Found myself pausing this vdeo a lot to try get a sneak peak
I figured there isn’t a lot to report yet. Maybe when I transfer Monster the Moray over, I’ll do a fish update
Nice job. These used to be popular when I first started in the hobby but since fallen out of favor as you noted due to power head & controller changes. I recall one concern, or con if you will, is related to the pressure the surge can cause on the display wall(s) and risk of seam failure. Todays builds though could accommodate that by using euro brace on top and bottom of display with seam protection on the sides. Over build and safety can easily take care of that. In any case enjoyed the video so thank you for your time. As an aside picking Palau was nice. Two of my favorite acropora colonies are from Palau sourced from Biota. In fact I also have a Gold Lined Rabbitfish from them which is also from Palau! All the best and take care. Keep up the great work.
I think most modern tanks should hold up okay, though I certainly wouldn’t do a Carlson Surge device with a rimless tank!
Out of interest, what species are the Acropora that you have from Palau. I couldn’t sleep last night, so found myself researching coral species common to Palau
@@australianaquarist The first one I have is a Acropora muricata, common green staghorn. I purchased it from Biota which they call it Palau Mutated Meathball. Thick dark emerald green branch with lighter green tips. The second one I have from them is another Acropora that they likely believe to be Acropora desalwii. This one they name it Palauberry. Smooth skin pastel purple in color. Mine is actually lighter purple on the edges, green polyps, and a green branch. I've found they grow extremely well and tolerate my higher nutrients. Very hardy and while I've not made any frags I have knocked a few small pieces off the tips with careless cleaning I've glued those on rubble and they grow. So I say they are hardy as well. I don't have any other specifics I apologize. Just acropora muricata and acropora desalwii. Hope your day is well.
@saf1671 lovely thanks. Acropora muricata is on my list , but I’ll have to check out A. desalwii .
Corals of the World, here i come!
I was thinking of making one of these for my Kmart tank hahaha 😅 but seriously a great idea 💡
😆😆😆
Thnks, i never heart of it but i find it really interesting to see( and will try it myself)
Worth a go, if you’ve got the height above the display. It creates a very natural, highly oxygenated surge in the tank, which I don’t think wave makers can replicate
Wonderful video! Thank you for showing how simple the plumbing is. Definitely better than some overpriced little pump.
Well , you still do need a pump to supply the barrel, but it needn’t be anything fancy!
@@australianaquaristAs long as you take into account the head and volume of water you need to push
Tony from Western Australia 🇦🇺
Absolutely
I use Laguna Maxflo pond pumps , as well as Jebao DCP return pumps.
Great video! Never knew this was a thing until now. Definitely getting ideas for my plywood tank in the future
Gotta love UA-cam for random aquarium ideas!! Sometimes the “hobby “ (aka industry), only wants to educate us on gadgets that make them money.
@@australianaquarist Definitely agree with you on that. I DIY where I can!
Thats amazing. I love watching your channel. I learn so much about saltwater aquariums and im so thankful that you make it easy to understand and enjoy the videos. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Mark. I did find this DIY style of video, a bit more difficult to do. I didn’t want it to be too boring!
@@australianaquarist no it's a great video. Thanks for sharing
Excellent video as always..I never knew about this method, thank you for sharing!
Ahhhh you mustn’t be an old fart like me!
Been loving following this build series, but did I miss a video about the life that I'm starting to see in the tank? Would love to know more about this BIG toadstools, was well as the fish, etc... Keep up the amazing work!!! 👊
I’m planning two videos - one on landscaping the island, and another on moving Monster into the tank. I’ll probably do a fish update in that one!
@@australianaquarist awesome!
Love the channel and sure do love my tanks to be moving in the aquarium for the essential health of the water and its inhabitants. Figuring it out and knowing how to create areas that gradually get there has been a great time in having the kind of quality tanks that I have always appreciated 💙💚 Have you ever looked into the company Grow Greenie here in the States , they have some good stuff 💦
No. I’ve never actually heard of Grow Greenie. Sounds like an aquaponics company? I’ll go check them out….. thanks for the tip
back in the '90's I had 2 Carlson surge devices at ea end of my 7 foot reef tank. 5 gallon buckets. Then when I made a bigger system I made one with a 30 gal trash can. Other than the bubbles they work great!
I actually really like the bubble effect that comes at the start of the surge. The way the light punches through the surging bubbles reminds me of actual diving here on the subtropical reefs. It’s a great way to keep Chromis busy also!
Love watching your builds and your advice, keep up the great work from a Pom 👍
Have you thought about putting a large nozzle on the end that increases the flow and send the flow in different directions??
Also a small hole in the pipe just above the water level of your tank would help vent a lot of the air and reduce the bubbles, obviously pointing towards your water surface since water would also come out, while it is working, the majority coming down and out normally?? Cheers
Yeah I’m playing with different pvc nozzles ATM, as well as the difference in how deep I put the discharge in the display tank
I haven’t drilled a hole in the pipe ) like what you’d do in a return pipe). I’m not sure it would work though, as the air is combined with the water inside the plumbing, rather than at discharge in the tank. Mind you, I really like the air and turbulence created, so don’t really want to minimise it.
Finally!🔥🔥🔥
Gday Krish
Just a suggestion. A lot more content please 😂
I’ll do my best! Next up…. Monster moves in, or maybe a rock island to complete
Super important that there’s enough excess room in your sump for the additional water and additional overflow capacity in the display. Also when a single MP60 is nearly $2000 in Australia think of how many surge devices you could make with that money and you can power a bunch with a single pump using valves to vary the fill up time to achieve random output times.
I’d love to use MP 60s, but like many things in the hobby, I can’t justify that price. I’ve also noticed that just reducing down the nozzle from 50mm to 40mm gives a directed surge that lasts longer. One can combine different outflow nozzles, to give surges of different intensities and duration
@@australianaquarist lights are incredibly expensive too. When they really should just be LEDs on a heat sink with a basic app and quality driver. But no we have to pay $1000-1700 for a SINGLE high end fixture when you need two for a 4 foot tank. Because they add so many bs features that we don’t need that push the price up. We don’t need our lights to have a conversation with our pumps, we don’t need red and green diodes, we don’t need 9 channels. We just need them to ramp up and down with 2-3 channels and be reliable. A for f sake light manufactures please do some research on light in the ocean and what corals actually want. Well that’s my Reef Beef for the day 🍻 now I need some Reef Therapy lol
@insanity4224 ! Calm , now be calm…..
I do agree however. I’d love to find out what it actually costs ecotech, Kessil etc to actually manufacture a light unit. I think if hobbyists actually knew how little it is, there’d be some pissed off folks out there
@@australianaquarist haha I’m calm I generally build my own LEDs because I enjoy the process and the research and they are very simple. My beef with led manufacturers is the amount of shit they add that we don’t need that we then have to pay for. Why are we paying for a team of programmers? LEDs need a heat sink and simple ramp up/down. I’d rather pay for the correct wavelengths to could grow corals and be way simpler.
Awesome! 💪👌😃
Hey thanks for your support!
Steinhart Aquarium uses something like that for their tidepool aquarium. The aquarium drains down about half way then hundreds of gallons flow past the foot long lip in the tank. That cycles very fast.
I think I’ve seen some behind the scenes of that tank. Pretty amazing!
Another great video mate, cheers. The surge pipe in the tank got me thinking - I wonder if a longer pipe reaching closer to the bottom of the tank with multiple outputs along its length would help move the whole body of water rather than just the top portion.
No. If the outlet is too deep in the display, the display water acts as back pressure, and forces the water in the barrel to exit via the emergency overflow, rather than siphon.
I’m still playing around with it, and have installed a second surge device . I’m directing them so that they hit the rock island, and the water is forced down through the rock work. Still messing around though!
That turned out pretty well Adam. If you laid the barrel on it's side and had a shorter standpipe, would that reduce the amount of bubbles while dumping the same volume of water?
Not by much Gil. The bubbles equate to the volume of air contained within the discharge pipe and siphon, rather than the barrel dimensions
I just found your channel when looking at various DIY aquarium project ideas. I haven't seen one of these in a long time.👍
Have you considered a really helpful video on how to convince your wife that aquarium projects are a good way to spend our money?
I told mine that I could be spending our money out drinking and carousing with loose women. She said go for it - it would be cheaper. 😉
Hahahaha!!
Love it. She’s a smart lady.
I think you’ve just got to find the right partner in life, and my motto in life…” don’t be a dick” ie love and respect her.
@australianaquarist we've been married 38 years. We still do everything together and, yes, still hold hands. Today she helped me with a big cichlid tank. They are fun and absolutely bulletproof
The reef aquarium is in need of much TLC. Currently it's a glass box with saltwater and algae. I've kept saltwater in one form or another for about 25 of the last 35 years. I'm a teacher so it's usually time and no money or money and no time. No doubt we'll both be wet and salty by the end of renovations. The loose plan is for softies in the next few months.
My only question in life so far is how could I have chosen so widely when I was so young and so DUMB?
Ahhh yes I remember. I think we were thinking with the wrong head back then!
I couldn't agree more on NOT using blue, purple, or green primer/glue on plumbing. Certainly not on any display/exposed plumbing. Good tip for nice aesthetics!
That one’s just common sense, isn’t it??!
@@australianaquarist One would think! However, I have found that common sense is not so common these days
Very nice how will the eel like it ?
I’ve located his pipe home around the other side of the island, just near the overflow box. It’ll be a bit calmer for him there! But, I guess we’ll find out soon…. I’ve been thinking it time I catch him out of the estuary tank and transfer him over
Amazing video, you did explain it very well how to build it, but I didn't understand how the actual piping inside the barrel working to bring the hole volume of water down and when is the siphon brake go in to action ? Sorry I have see this in other vidoes but no one explain how to they actual fuction. Or I'm an idiot 😂. But if yoi can explain the mecanism inside the barrel I will greatly appreciated. Thank you mate from uk!
Absolutely. Please just keep asking questions if you need further clarification.
Think of it like you are siphoning your display with some flexible tubing. To start a siphon, you need to purge the line of air, in this case by sucking water through it. Once you’ve sucked strong enough to pull water over the bend in the tube, the siphon begins, and you can drain the tank water just until the very last bit of water in the bottom of the tank. At this stage, you begin to suck air into the tube, and the flexible tube doesn’t keep enough water flowing through it to maintain the siphon. So the siphon effect is lost - the siphon is “broken”.
The same occurs with the Carlson Surge Device, however rather than sucking the air out of the pipe, and drawing water into the system, you pump water into the drum. As the drum fills, and the water level inside the siphon pipe rises, it pushes the air out. Once the water level rises over the horizontal part of the siphon, and starts moving down and out to the display, the siphon begins.
Because the discharge pipe is larger than the water supply, it can siphon out the contents of the barrel , faster than the rate at which it is still filling.
Fine tuning the water delivery:
- too crazy slow, the water just trickles through the siphon pipes, without starting a siphon. This in reality is next to impossible.
- too fast, and the siphon will discharge, but the excess water filling the barrel maintains the siphon so that the barrel never fully empties. Water just runs consistently through the discharge pipe.
- a larger diameter plumbing for the siphon and discharge pipe, and a smaller water feed to the barrel will usually make for a regular cycle of siphons. There is a pretty big in between range for success. You can vary the duration of time between surges, by filling the barrel slower or faster. DC controllable pump, or inline valve for AC pump.
Slower fill = longer time between surges
Faster fill = less time between surges (but less time for micro bubbles to dissipate)
Hope this clarifies it for you!
Great video mate. What’s your thoughts on the min/max overhead height the bucket could be to be effective? Thx!
Hey Aaron
There’s no real maximum height- only dictated by the head pressure that your pump can handle. I’m using a single Laguna Maxflo 16000 per drum, though one is tee’d off for a uv steriliser.
Because of my fish shed situation, I’ve always been able to get the barrels and buckets up pretty high. You’d want to get it up a minimum of 1 metre above the tank, though I’d prefer higher to get the full effect of a surge
Have to see it with the tank full with thriving corals to believe it sir. Not to mention the amount of noise it makes .
Yes the noise is something to consider if the tank is in a living room or bedroom. I didn’t think of that.
The corals will be coming. You’ll just have to keep watching!!
@@australianaquarist you've got a new subscriber then.
@theamjadjamousable nice one👍
This is really great, have been looking for some more information on this type of flow. I like the wave/surge style effect it gives. Hows the noise and how often do you run yours/how often does the siphon go off? I have made a couple of designs similar to the carlson surge, one with a air cylinder and butterfly valve as seen in the sulawesi beach exhibit at henry doorly zoo and another that uses float switches to control a valve - similar to a carlson surge device but with a mechanically controlled siphon. From my tests the float switch one seems to be the quietest + least bubbles but there are lots of failure points so im not sure what I will add to my tank in the end. How do you think the flow would be on a 40cm deep tank, its around 300cm long but its very shallow, could use one of those flat spray type nozzles that you see on the return lines in alot of tanks that give that gyre type flow.
at around 16 minutes you talk about the achilles and clown tang, I would also add blue chromis - they tend to school alot better with this type of flow and also Anampses Lennardi, one of my favourite wrasses that I keep - they are found in similar environments to the tangs you have listed and they need that really pristine water with no spots for debris to settle and pollute.
Good video
Absolutely the blue Chromis and any planktivores react well to the surge devices. Anthias, Chromis, fairy wrasse, genicanthus angels. I haven’t done it yet ( mainly because of the I’m lazy), but have heard of people putting an automatic feeder over the barrel, so that the feed comes down with the surge. I’d like to do it, but I’d need to find a feeder with an obvious barrel so I can see when it’s empty from down in the shed!
You mention the bubbles, as most people do. I like it. It’s so natural and exactly what’s it’s like when I’m snorkelling along the subtropical reefs around Coffs. I’m always getting thrown around by the swell and seeing bubbles and swirling water in my face mask !!
A long and shallow tank would be ideal. You’d have to have the outlets pretty close to the surface, to allow the gyre flow coming back from the opposite end, room to sweep upward. You could even do a manifold of smaller nozzles coming off a larger horizontal pipe ( kind of a spray bar), and feed it with a large discharge pipe from the barrel. You’d need a good amount of back pressure to get the flow coming out evenly from each nozzle, so the nozzles would need to be quite a bit smaller than the supply pipe. Say 50mm down to 4 x 20 mm nozzles
the question is. why are all your tank not in the house? wife said hell no?? haha
I am bit jelly of your nice weather down there, no way we could do that up here in the frozen north.
looks like your building is not insulated how do you deal with heat? or does it stay perfect all year long?
do you know if there is a formula for size of tank & size of surge volume?
I always had a 180g in the house. Over the years it went from a Tanganykan , to reef, to cold water marine, to planted rainbows, and finally botanical Blackwater. When we knocked the wall down to install some glass sliding doors, my wife basically said no more!
Around that time I was breeding rainbows in one side of the shed, so kept using that space and kept encroaching more and more into the rest of the shed.
Now in half way through grinding and polishing the concrete floor, and insulating the walls. I’ll be installing glass sliding doors and air con this spring, and making it the official “Australian Aquarist Studio”!!
I live in a subtropical area, which although doesn’t have extremes , it still gets down to 3 Celsius this time of year, and up to 36 Celsius in summer. Hopefully the air con will keep the overall environment favourable for the tanks, and have the heaters and chiller working less
How about running a ato with this level change in sump constantly ?
The ato will work fine, but only for the limited time that the sump return chamber is at its lowest. This is right before a surge when the barrel is at its fullest.
The last 5 minutes of the video goes into this, and I show you what happens in the sump. Go back and check that out.
@australianaquarist thank you I saw after I commented mid video
How long and with what did you cycle your tank
I technically didn’t need to cycle the tank, as I just plumbed it into the sump system that was supporting the fish holding tanks. I transferred over any rock from those tanks into the new one. I also collected my secret weapon….
ua-cam.com/video/vyjvzq-i1zg/v-deo.htmlsi=JoJlDo404H_QnuWe
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Cheers
Great to have you back!
A dump bucket would’ve looked good too
I’ve never tried to build a dump bucket. I think the moving parts, probably of rusting components and SERIOUS salt spray has put me off! There’s a photo of one above a public aquarium display in The Reef Aquarium vol3. The entire area above the tank , is surrounded by plastic sheets!!!
@@australianaquarist I welded one from stainless steel and use a Teflon block to support the centre rod, this minimises the wear, salt creep is always an issue with these devices that generate residual spray.
That system is not just useful for creating flow. I've seen a guy create a pond filter the same way by filling the barrel with filtration media. It's apparently crazy effective cause the filter media gets aerated all the time. Bet it works for aquariums too...
Yep. Without the internal siphon plumbing, and just a simple over flow, it would become an overhead sump. They are commonly used in freshwater, especially monster tanks. The good part about them , is that overhead sumps won’t back drain to the display during a power outage, unlike the typical sump below the display
It’s me again :)🫡
Glad to have you back!!