indoor shedding system

[overdrive]

i plan on running 2 4x8 tables in my garage this summer, im new to all this and i have done some reading but how will i know when i have my water right? also what is a protien skimmer used for? how big of a bio filter will i need for this set up?

[captaincrab55]

Will you be buying peelers

[3E971]

Hey O/D,

A protein skimmer or "foam fractionator" is a device used in saltwater aquaria to remove organic compounds from the water before they break down into ammonia and nitrates. It all depends on the amount of bioload in the water and how much you overfeed your "livestock" Figure out the water depth, then get your cubic inches and convert to gallons.

4" deep x 48" x 96" gives you 160 gallons, double that and you'll need a large skimmer rated for 320 gallons! or three of these:
http://www.aquacave.com/es-100-venturi-protein-skimmerbr-by-precision-marine-506.html running day and night.
6" deep and you'll be jumping to 5 of these to manage 478 gallons!
 
Speaking SOLELY from from my experiences of running a salt reef, you want to look at you gallons you can cycle thru a skimmer per hour versus the overall flow of your entire system. A healthy water column needs to have at least 10-15% of your total gallons per hour skimmed. For easy consumer choices, your skimmer companies nowdays rate them for gallon capacity. As long as you keep the water moving it'll skim it. I bought one similar to the Reef Octopus on this page:
http://www.saltysupply.com/Protein-Skimmers-s/24.htm for my 55 reef.
Once I understood the theory, built one just like the Aquamaxx on the same site.  

When it was all said and done, I needed 2 Reef Octo's for my 110 gallon salt reef. I had an ENOURMOUS amount of live rock in it also, which helped some, but not a lot.
 
Most of your waste comes not from the crab, but what you feed the crabs. Once the food/waste gets in the water column, it eventually degrades into nitrates which can't be removed unless you do 50% water changes. If you use a protien skimmer it removes a LOT of the waste particulate matter in the water column, increasing the time between water changes.

Most of your fish stores that carry salt water fish will be able to hook you up.  I set mine up in my sump under the tank and it was very efficient. Adjusting the airflow carefully so you remove JUST the "slime" that flows into the collection cup. Too much air and you seperate too much out of the water and your cup will overflow daily. Too little air and your bubbles wont carry the nasty stuff to the top. Once you get the air right you'll know it, take a good whiff! LOL

Filtration:
Make it simple and easy. I'd go with a rubber feed trough with a flat bottom filled with "bioballs" which can snap together to make a huge block so they wont float loose. Get as much as you can in the sump and cover it from sunlight. This will create a healthy habitat for the good bacteria in your sump. http://www.amazon.com/Wet-Filter-Replacement-Balls-Each/dp/B000N38DAS/ref=pd_sbs_hg_5

When you look at how stuff decomposes, it breaks down aerobically and non-aerobically. (with or without oxygen)

Non-aerobic happens in a deep sandbed, once established, the good bacteria needs to be left alone to do its job.
Aerobic is easier to do with filters & bio balls and such. Most of your decomposition will have to be aerobically since you wont have a sandbed.  

To kick start the system bacteriologically, get it going with a bag of reef grunge from www.GARF.org. That'll get your bioballs filled with the good ammonia-feeding bacteria. Keep the temp and salinity levels stable and you can get a great system running and a year-long supply of softies! You mentioned this will be in your garage? I'd look into an apartment fridge with a bucket of cold water in it and pump some of your water through plastic tubing colied in the bucket to chill your water a bit. thermostat relay hooked up to the water tank would switch it automatically. Worked great for me in San Antonio for my mushroom tank... (I fed them LOTS of iodine and needed a seperate system for growing shrooms...)

Regardless, you first stop will need to be a fish store. Ask to see their filtration system in the back and let me know how much they spent on ozone generators...

I forgot the exact numbers on ppm and this and that, but anyone selling salt life can school you proper on the numbers a healthy system should have.
Once you get it running post some pics!! then email me and I'll send you my address... LOL

Mark

[rdbeard]

OD, i run 1 4x8 tank in my back yard and i use 1 55 gallon drum for my bio-filter under my tank. the 55 is laid on it's side with a 12x 12 hole center for the water from the tank to fall into. i use oyster shell for the media and i try to regulate the system to keep the 55 as full as i can at all times. i usually have to change 50% of the water 2-3 times for the season which is not as long as some run thier tanks. I trotline only so when the doubler run really turns on i get set up. you can season the tank by putting some hard crabs in ther for awhile or start slow with the peelers to let the good bac. set up. you can also use a product called RID to set up bacteria before putting your peelers in. good luck.

[Cokie]

rdbeard can you take pics of your set up? I'm interested in how your system runs. I have been pondering building a system for awhile now.

[rdbeard]

As some on here know already that yes i can take a pic of the set up wtih my phone but don't know how to put it here on the board. several have posted for me in the past and i'm willing to do the same but not till summer as my system is down right now and covered with a new canopy for my boat which i will install in march or april depending on the wweather.

[crab24]

http://www.bluecrab.info/forum/index.php/topic,49984.25.html

theres some pics on this thread of mine runing this past year.
scroll down theres about 10 -12 pics this should give you an Idea.

[Mikie]

I believe a 4' x 8' tank 4" deep = 80 gals, not 160.

[3E971]

I believe a 4' x 8' tank 4" deep = 80 gals, not 160.

Indeed Mikie, 79.9 times 2 for the 2 tanks in the original post
Neat little tool:
http://reef.diesyst.com/volcalc/volcalc.html 
crab24, Nice Tanks and sump... i take it you use the macroalgae to remove nitrates? sweet...

[flounderpounder]

Will you be buying peelers

buy them or catch them...they all shed the same

[jack1747]

buy them or catch them...they all shed the same

Unless they are rank or busters.  Then they are more likely to die if'en your buying them.  To long out of water.  Busters need to handle... lightly.. Right into a bucket of water. 

[flounderpounder]

Unless they are rank or busters.  Then they are more likely to die if'en your buying them.  To long out of water.  Busters need to handle... lightly.. Right into a bucket of water. 

ones I get arent out of water more then a few hours...

[jack1747]

ones I get arent out of water more then a few hours...

Buster should be treated like... Ah... Fine delicate babies.  Never out of the water. 

[Mr. Ray III]

Buster should be treated like... Ah... Fine delicate babies.  Never out of the water. 

I'll pick my busters right outta the cull box and throw them in the tank on the boat...they slosh all over all day and most of the time live, and/or shed on the boat.

[jack1747]

My point.. Put'em in a bucket of water.... Or a tank of water... They can not go into a basket and survive.

[flounderpounder]

My point.. Put'em in a bucket of water.... Or a tank of water... They can not go into a basket and survive.

I have had many survive a cooler ride home and then shed   some go to the live well if its not too hot..

[jack1747]

I should'a said many will die. Busters that is and rank peelers. 

I just thru them in the peeler bucket myself until I worked with the peeler potters and saw what the commercial guys do. 

[capt. ron]

My point.. Put'em in a bucket of water.... Or a tank of water... They can not go into a basket and survive.

Jack,

I keep mine in my plactic boxes while I'm running my traps.  I'll have as many at 100 in a box at a time and I'm usually out on the water 6-7 hrs.  Trick is to keep them out of the sun covered with a wet sack or towel.  I'll loose some 10-15 but that not bad.

Ronnie

[jack1747]

Ron, I talking about what we call "busters".  Peelers that are in the middle of shedding, half way out of the shell. 

[capt. ron]

Oh  Different language

Yes.  I have a 90 qt. icechest, took a small bilge pump, flex hose, and PVC pipe and made me a small aeriation system.  Works well.  I've shed enough in there to pay for my fuel for a day.

Ronnie

[capt. ron]

OD here are some pics of my system.

Nothing fancy.  Tap water and just add salt.  No chemicals at all.  Regular table salt will do.  Each tank will hold 150-200 crabs.  Best water temp. is 80 degrees.  To hot they turn hard fast and the oxygen level falls to low and to cold and they don't shed as fast and hang up.

Biggest trick is to make sure you rinse your crabs off before you put them in the tanks.

Ronnie

[still fishing]

plenty of good info . in these articles
http://www.bluecrab.info/resources2.htm

BTW if you got any tools of any value in your garage they wont be good for long, salt water air n leaks are inevitable .

[madcrabber1113]

Good luck. 

[flounderpounder]

looks good ronnie !!!