Starting a new tank

[brokendeck]

We are starting a new tank today. We have put the live sand in and are about to add the water. Do you start the sump/skimmer after you add the water or do you wait a certain length of time before starting the sump/skimmer?
Thanks!

 

[brokendeck]

also do i turn on powerheads as well?

 

[meowzer]

What about rock??? The skimmer and stuff is not important as you begin your cycle....I would run a powerhead though
Is the sump your only filtration?

 

[brokendeck]

We have close to 100 pounds of live rock that we took out of the tank yesterday and put in a holding tank until we got the new tank set up. Do we need to go ahead and put the rock in the new tank?

 

[meowzer]

YES, I would add the rock now
So this is established rock? you may not have too much of a spike.....is the sand new?

 

[brokendeck]

The live rock has been in our existing tank for over 2 years. The reason we switched tanks was to update to a tank with an overflow system built in and to get a better quality sand. The sand is live sand that is new.

 

[meowzer]

Sounds good.....add the rock.....if sump is your only filtration run it and the powerheads....
I think you know the rest by now.....LOL

 

[1guydude]

no pictures oooo
good luck with the new setup!

 

[brokendeck]

Another Question: The first picture is of the built in overflow. We have it set so the water goes up as high as possible, but we can't get the water level any higher than it is. Any more water that we add goes down into the sump. The 2nd picture is of our water level. We are trying to figure out the problem of why our water level won't go up any. Any suggestions or ideas?
The only thing that we have thought of so far is that our return pump may not be powerful enough to pump the water back into the tank. It worked fine when we had the overflow box on the outside of the tank but we thought that maybe this type of overflow system might require more gph.
Any other ideas?

 

[1guydude]

so u cant raise it anymore? hmmm idk really?!?!?! i dont have a sump!

 

[brokendeck]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1guyDude http:///forum/thread/385454/starting-a-new-tank#post_3380554
so u cant raise it anymore? hmmm idk really?!?!?! i dont have a sump!
its as high as it lets me. im thinking i may need a more powerful return pump. not sure, waiting on that expert answer.

 

[flower]

Well I am no expert. But I have an idea.
The overflow box is what determines the water level in my tank. The water can't go above the box that drains the water to the sump. My overflow box came with two screws on either side to raise the box higher to cause the water level to go higher before draining down.
Since yours is built in, add a piece of grey PVC pipe with the elbow pointed up so the water has to go that high before draining. Since it's plastic, coraline will cover it in no time and it will soon be invisible.
A word of caution...Add the rock before the sand or the rock may shift. Move the sand to one side to be able to put the rock on the bottom of the tank.

 

[brokendeck]

my overflow has a pipe in it. its faced downward. im gonna turn it up and see if that will do the trick. hopefully it wont be to loud.

 

[saxman]

Turning the standpipe over like that won't raise the water level in your tank, it will only raise the level in your overflow, and since you have what sounds like a Durso-style standpipe, your tank may run louder.
If you don't like where your water level is, you'll need to glue some strips of 1/8" acrylic sheet to the O/F so it effectively raises the level of the "teeth". This will raise the water level in the DT up to the point where it spills over into the O/F. Think of it as making a dam higher...the higher the dam, the higher the water level.
Why do you want to raise the level? It looks OK to me, or are you trying to make the level come up to the black trim on the tank?

 

[brokendeck]

Quote:Originally Posted by saxman http:///forum/thread/385454/starting-a-new-tank#post_3381661
Turning the standpipe over like that won't raise the water level in your tank, it will only raise the level in your overflow, and since you have what sounds like a Durso-style standpipe, your tank may run louder.
If you don't like where your water level is, you'll need to glue some strips of 1/8" acrylic sheet to the O/F so it effectively raises the level of the "teeth". This will raise the water level in the DT up to the point where it spills over into the O/F. Think of it as making a dam higher...the higher the dam, the higher the water level.
Why do you want to raise the level? It looks OK to me, or are you trying to make the level come up to the black trim on the tank?

 

[brokendeck]

ok i tried to quote your post and then answer and it doesnt display what i say. im just trying to get the water level to the black rim. guess its just a personal preference. when the water isnt at the rim, i think the tank needs water ya know.

 

[1guydude]

i like my water level high as well....it just looks better imo! Sounds like a good idea to me. Wat saxman said. U should be able to get the acrylic or lexan at any hardware store!

 

[brokendeck]

thanks everyone for the help.