Plenum Info

[Tangster]

LOL well you are going to become a upset expert.. I'm just offering you some advice and can almost bet you that you have about 2 yrs tops Like I said you don't have this or that or the other.. Not trying to sound harsh But what you have now is a simple mess pure and simple .. If you ever want to discuss the biological physic's and principals of a plenum Just P/M me. But at the end of the day there are microbes and bacterium that makes theses things work . And mother Nature can't be reworked I like a plenum and its light years ahead of a {DSB or aka 1/2 A&& poor mans plenum} . But you have to do certain things.
I am the king of pushing the edge of any envelope ever given me to find their weak link . Here is where you have a issue with what you have .. To much oxygen and light! in a nut shell you have an area of higher water pressure and temperatures up under that plate Period. And as it sets there and ages or festers long enough it will try to go anaerobic and its supposed to Thats why the top cap or scab design and build are so critical
As that sludge soup build and ages it will increase the pressure and the water will get warmer and buy its very nature it wants to get at all that fresh clean water that is cooler and oxygen laden just a few inches about it.. Like a zit! it will fester until it comes to a head and up it pops. But in your case that can't happen as you have nothing going on but acclimations of waste and sludge..
It will pop up only sooner.. Like I said you don't have this that or the other.. You have a mess that is certain to fail.. Nuff said by me on it but if you need more information ? Just P/M me Its a lot more entailed then I can even try to explain here in a simple column reply Good luck

[argan]

tangster, i reiterate my agreement with you that it is not a traditional plenum, and remind you this is just one way to do it. No way to know if it will be successful at any point down the road. It is working wonderfully and i would say that you need not be offended by my lack of experience. I Believe you know what you're talking about and respect your opinion but it is unfair to say "it will fail" using only what i have posted. Please do not resort to flaming to get a point across, I'm looking for constructive criticism. Passionate opinion-ism is fine but be nice.

[Tangster]

Originally Posted by argan

unfair to say "it will fail" using only what i have posted. Please do not resort to flaming to get a point across, I'm looking for constructive criticism. Passionate opinion-ism is fine but be nice.

Whats fair have to do with it I'm just trying to explain to you that it will fail! To have a plenum there are certain guidelines that have to be followed . may be other ways to put gas in a car ? But all I know is to take the tank cap off .

As for flaming ? I don't think I flamed anyone ? If I did and someone else feels I came off as flaming you then I'll apologize .

I did not offer you a passionate opinion I have been trying to offer you some sound technical advice about what you have and how it has to work and what it has to have to work .But to run a plenum system you have to have a minimum of 1 inch 2 inches is better void and it has to be a totally anaerobic area for the plenum to even function. Not trying to flame OR hurt anyones feeling and I'll say no more on this subject Its your money and your tank I was just trying to point out your short comings with this set up Your first picture tells me you won't have it long..

You have to keep the two environments totally separated and away from each other and I tried to explain how they will find a path to each other.. I never liked the idea of the screen and different layering of sediment But there is a reason its done this away its the only way it will work. If a rocks shifts or a fish opens a slight hole and the resistance is lowered all that warm lighter water of a 5.9 PH and oxygen depleted will come up. Just like when a stagnate hot air mass meets up with a cooler dryer air mass . Thats not a pretty thing in little fish tank. Remember air is just lighter or less dense water..Good luck with it.. But its been tried before ..

[byusgd]

Being new to computer world I was surprised so many people think the pleum will crash. I'm certainly no expert but In my experience I ran a pleum for well over 5 years with no problems. In fact I was Impressed enough to do It again when I moved to a larger tank last year. This one however Is outside the tank. I failed to understand what tangster meant by top cap and scab. Most of my saltwater knowledge has come from several books and magazines and at the time I started pleums seemed to be a solid system. I think there Is enough evidence that the pleum Isn't necessary but just like my euro reef and Ice cap ballast I'm sticking with them till they let me down.

[Tangster]

All I said is they have to be built and designed a certain way Poke a hole in the cover cap ? Its just a protective scab setting over a festering sore , Put some sand burrowers in there and not have it screened off in sections tell me what happens I don't ever recall saying anything bad about a plenum.. But I'll say look at this Plenum and tell me what it is ? Also did you build your 5 yrs system the same way ? If you scrap that top few of a true and well made functional plenum system then the upper and lower water's get together then come back and tell me what happened .. if you built a plenum like this one posted here and it had as many holes and divots and nothing to separate the layers and it lasted 5 yrs consider yourself lucky .

As for the Ice Caps again it just way overly priced hobby stuff .. There are better and far cheaper ballast out there .. Ice crap would last about a day in some of the signs and lamps I have had to repair . Or in some cold storage systems I have help to construct in my working career. And many who would listen have also learned the word Icecrap. Hobby crap But thats all some know so be it..

[byusgd]

Well I can say I set mine up using Goemans guide. As for argans other than light I don't see major discrepancies. The sand appears to be a bit shallow but doesn't specify. I would be very Interested to read what Jaubert thinks of his system today. Maybe you could point me In the right direction. As for Icecap overpriced perhaps but Ime they run cool are reliable and last.