130 Gallon tank build. Few cycle questions and where to go from here.

younngballa88

younngballa88

Member
Ok today my tank is finally full and the wet/dry and overflow that i plumbed are working great. The water is mixed and in the tank heating the the right temp. So i have water in the tank only. My questions are what do i want to cycle with in the tank??? sand and rock? also do i want to fill the bag in my wet/dry with carbon or do i wait till after the cycle? I will post pics asap. These are my only questions so far but stay tuned to this post i will add a lot of pics and ask alot of questions.. Thanks guys
 
younngballa88

younngballa88

Member
Is it recomended to use carbon? I just got back from the lfs and got rock,sand and some other goodies. I will post pictures tonight after im finished.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by Younngballa88
http:///forum/post/3128033
Is it recomended to use carbon? I just got back from the lfs and got rock,sand and some other goodies. I will post pictures tonight after im finished.
IDK if it is recommended or not....I used it in my 29G, and also in the 225G while I was cycling
 
younngballa88

younngballa88

Member
I did i test today to check what would happen i case of a power outage. (not often but sometimes) Anyway the water drains till below the overflow. BUT then after a few seconds starts draining out the return pipe as well which is quite lower then my overflow box. My sump cannot hold all the water that it would take to get below the return. Does anybody know where i can get like a backflow regulator or something like that or any ideas.
 
G

gwhunter

Guest
There are two options on the return siphon issue. One is to install a check valve in the return line. Lowes has them and I'd recommend going a size or more larger than the pipe size to keep the flow restriction to a min. This can be an issue if the flow is restricted too much. I've also seen things get stuck in the ball of the check (like snail shells etc) which will not allow the ball check to seat properly. The other method is to drill several small holes in the diffuser in the return. The holes should be below the waterline. This way the siphon is lost when the holes start to draw air in.
Matt
 
younngballa88

younngballa88

Member
Originally Posted by GWhunter
http:///forum/post/3128115
There are two options on the return siphon issue. One is to install a check valve in the return line. Lowes has them and I'd recommend going a size or more larger than the pipe size to keep the flow restriction to a min. This can be an issue if the flow is restricted too much. I've also seen things get stuck in the ball of the check (like snail shells etc) which will not allow the ball check to seat properly. The other method is to drill several small holes in the diffuser in the return. The holes should be below the waterline. This way the siphon is lost when the holes start to draw air in.
Matt

Not sure i understand where to drill the holes. If i drill tiny holes in the line water would surely come out when pumping water back to tank...What is a diffuser?
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
Did ya rinse that sand?
Check valves fail, they are not the best way to prevent a spill.
When that clears up, take a picture so we can see what ya got going on there.
 
younngballa88

younngballa88

Member
Its supposedly an instant cycle type aragonite sand. Again i said Supposedly... Say just add fish when it clears up but im not going to trust that,waiting for it to clear to do my rock work and wait a week or two to be safe and make sure no cycle or nothing happens. Its guaranteed it wont. Also it says DONT rinse. Also it looked so black cause i had no light on it.... Its more of a yellow cloud now. It is clearing up but slowly...

Thats what i used. I only used that cause its the only black i could find...
 
small triggers

small triggers

Active Member
I think the instant cycling note on it means it starts your cycle when you put it in, there surely has to be some die off sitting in a bag for even a day. But, true enough add your rock and wait, test your water before you add your first fish. It is a good sized tank,,, lookin good so far.
 
G

gwhunter

Guest
The holes are drilled in the l shaped plastic return line. Drill them below the water line. Then if the power is lost the tank will drain until it hits those holes and lose suction. Check valves work fine just make sure you don't use the reed style. These check valves are used in industrial waste water systems for process controls (my day job) if they didn't work of failed commonly they wouldn't be found in every power station and water treatment facility in the world! But as I said they can plug up and the easiest way is to drill the holes.
Matt
 
younngballa88

younngballa88

Member
hey guys sorry my internet is down but tanks is almost fully clear again. im going to vacume the top of the sand tonight and add rock and stuff. Ill take pictures and add more info once my internet comes back up. Im using a buddys comp now
 
small triggers

small triggers

Active Member
why are you vacuuming the top of the sand? and make sure when you place your rock you place it on the base of the tank, and not ontop of sand.
 
younngballa88

younngballa88

Member
Originally Posted by small triggers
http:///forum/post/3129892
why are you vacuuming the top of the sand? and make sure when you place your rock you place it on the base of the tank, and not ontop of sand.
ok sorry guys but my Internet is still not right but. I vacuumed the sand cause all the cloudy water would just settle on the sand bed making the black sand bed grayish.
Then it came to me. There is not enough gph filtration going on since the dust is settling before it gets filtered so. I added a fluval to help clear it up and it did. Then next morning i added rock. Today i have perfect water conditions so im not sure how but they were not lying about instant cycle add fish right away. I guess that's why its 30$ a bag.... lol. But anyway all is good the water is crystal clear with the rock adding more filtration. I will get pictures up asap. Im going to go and get some more rock today. I have a great aqua scape going cant wait to show it off. Its been a week and perfect water so today after rocks i will add my trusty damsel to make sure all is well haha
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
I've had a friend's tank empty due to a failed check valve. The way I do there is zero chance of a flood from the tank draining... I picked the 0% risk over anything greater. When you leave room in the sump and position the inlets just so and/or drill siphon breakers, there is no chance of a flood. I like those odds better I guess. JMO.
 
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