280g FOWLR Tank Diary

kylev

kylev

Member
Well now I need some tips on how to quiet my overflows down please? Sounds like my house is a big bath tub draining. I've currently stuffed some polyfiber in them to stop the splashing and it helped a decent amount. I also tried a piece of pvc up from the overflow drain so the water didnt fall as far but this just increased noise due to the amount of suction on the pipe
 
R

rcreations

Guest
Are you using a durso standpipe for your return? Check here on how to make one: http://www.dursostandpipes.com/
 
kylev

kylev

Member
The durso standpipe worked great thanks for the idea
 
I got the rock and sand put into the tank two days ago now. After the first day testing were
specific gravity 1.020
PH 8.4
Am 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nirtate 0 ppm
 
So i then added three cocktail shrimp to the tank to help the ammonia build up and today (day 2) the readings are
specific gravity 1.020
Ph 8.4
Am .5ppm
Nitirte 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
 
I do have a refractometer I just need to calibrate it and learn how to use it properly. I have been having some problems with my water temp, its now at 82 and my heaters are set to go off at 77, the only source of the problem I can think of is the pump since it has a ball valve reducing it by around 65%. There is a little bit off heat coming off the backside of it but where the water comes through is cool with cold air blowing out, any ideas? Here are some pictures of the rock work i just cant wait to get a new camera and my new ATI lights that I'm saving up for. Let me know what you guys think and any suggestions you might have.
 
P.S. anyone have thoughts to the protein skimmer height? I was planning on making an arcylic stand for it just dont want to have to make it several times over
 





 
edit: just now noticed that the forum to swf is open in the reflection of the last pic
 
kylev

kylev

Member
another question, I have everything for my qt but an aqua c 70 filter thats on its way, whats my best/quickest way of getting it ready, do I just put it through a typical cycle? One of my lfs has two mocha clowns that I really want to grab before they go away.
 
Just something I'd like to share, I had a package of tang/angel pellets I was lightly ghost feeding until my doberman just ate them while I was in the shower
 
kylev

kylev

Member
so tested today (day 4) and the results are the same as day 2, Call me impatient but should i ghost feed more or doing anything different to get the ammonia spike moving along? I'm not looking to rush anything but definetely dont want to wait longer than needed

 
p.s any skimmer height suggesstions or temperature control help is greatly appreciated, i really dont want to have to invest in a chiller for this large of a tank
 
R

rcreations

Guest
Unfortunately some pumps create heat. The pumps I have in my tank actually keep my tank at the right temperature. Even in the winter, my heaters hardly come on. One thing you can do to cool the water is to create surface agitation by pointing one of your powerheads towards the top. But otherwise, not much you can do other than a chiller or different pumps.
 
kylev

kylev

Member
the sand is caribsea naturals tahitian moon and it ended up being about 200 pounds. I'm real happy with the looks of it has a nice sparkle to it.
 
RCreations, the heat actually now spiked at 85 but I put an extra fan cooling the pump and it brought it down to 84 but i cant get the fan to hit it directly, it kinda shoots above it so I'm going to get a large box fan thats low to the ground and also try your idea to see where that takes me.
 
R

rcreations

Guest
What pump is causing all this heat? It doesn't sound right to put out that much heat to warm up a large tank like that. Also what's the room temperature the tank is in?
 
kylev

kylev

Member
The pump is a dolphin 1200 and the room temp both the tank and sump are in is probably around 65-70 on average. The heat issue really doesn't make sense to me either. The pump has cold air leaving from it in the front section where the water travels through and has a slight bit of heat leaving the fan on the back side, but it doesn't put off near the heat of what you'd imagine it'd take to heat a tank this size that amount. I insulated the return lines in order to reduce noise coming into the house but the heat issue was occurring before I did this and it didn't change the scenario. I've also have a built in fan inside the sump room thats rated for a 10x15 room and the room is maybe 4x6.
 
I had a large sock on the 2" overflow line coming into the sump that I had just removed in order to make a lot of surface agitation, plus i directed the returns in the dt towards the top. As of now there is nothing in the sump besides about 35 pounds of LR, so there's nothing else there that could be creating the heat. Im currently not home but when I am I'll post some more pictures of the whole sump set up to see if that helps for any ideas on the problem
 
kylev

kylev

Member
Test results day 7
 
Am 0
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
PH 8.4
 
temps at 83 degress still which isnt making me too excited
 
R

rcreations

Guest
If your room temp is 65-70, I don't understand what's raising your tank to 83? It doesn't make sense, especially considering the size of it. Is the temp that high even with the lights off?
 
kylev

kylev

Member
That is the temp with the lights off when I do have them on the temp stays the same. Its real confusing to me, I'm at work now but will take complete picks off all the set up once I get home to see if any new ideas can rise from that. I really dont want to get a chiller but if thats what it comes to, I guess i have no choice. Or I could try a smaller pump but that would really suck if it didnt fix the problem plus I'd need to find one with 2" fittings so my plumbing wouldnt be all garbage
 
kylev

kylev

Member
Here's some pictures of the set up. The first two are of the plumbing inside the garage, the third one is the fish room from inside the garage and the fourth is the fish room from inside the house. The house is currently at 70 degrees. The temperature inside the fish room doesnt feel to have much of a change from the house, plus the QT tank is staying at a steady 77 degrees so I dont believe any of the heat is coming from in there. The plumbing inside the garage does run behind the furnace but it hasnt been on for the past 3 months. I knew this could result in a problem once it was time to heat the house but was hoping that the insulation plus the fact the water is flowing quickly by it would prevent this from becoming another headache. I currently have an AC unit pushing cold air onto the pump to see if this helps the problem and I opened the 2" ball valve right outside the pump completely then restricted the flow with each 1" ball valve to the individual returns. I've also called and emailed dolphin to hear what their ideas were on the issue and if they believe since the pump has so much restriction its causing the water to heat up.
 
So if my problem doesnt improve, whats everyones thought on A) get a smaller pump? B) get a chiller?
 
If I must get a chiller I was thinking it would need to be around a 1/2-3/4hp depending on brand. Any suggestions on chillers to look at? Most of them have a 3/4 to 1" draw and return to them with around 1200-1700gph max flow. Would this mean I just have it draw from my sump and return back to the sump since this amount of return can't even come close to my pump and what my returns need? I have no experience at all with them so any info is much appreciated.
 
edit: I've been looking at the Pacific Coast C-500 1/2HP. Chiller, that's rated to chill 450g 10degrees or 240 30degrees. Any thoughts????
 
Right now I'm leaning towards getting a new pump. I've left a message with tenecor to get the approximate rating for my overflows. I just don't see anything besides the pump creating my problem. I wish I would have put more thought into my initial pump purchase rather than wanting to oversize to stay away from powerheads and not putting much consideration into my overflows.
 
I'm also trying to think of what else I can plumb my pump to in order to get it more work, I've allready got a line T'd back to the sump with a ball valve in order to pump water into my refug then just have it overflow back to the sump
 



 
kylev

kylev

Member
so since my recent changes the tank has increased .3 degrees in temperature....

 
So it's looking like I'm going to head to a LFS tomorrow (if i hear back from tenecor on what my overflows can handle) for a different pump since they have a large selection of new/used pumps at good prices. But if I do plumb in a new pump I want to set it up to where a chiller can be easily added if needed, any suggestions here? Does the chiller need to be the last point before returning to the DT, cause if so the pump cant overrate what the chiller can handle correct?
 
R

rcreations

Guest
You can test to see if the pump is the problem by turning it off for 24hrs and see if the temperature goes down. That way you can pinpoint the problem before going through the hassle of getting a new one. Leave the powerheads on, just turn off the main pump.
 
kylev

kylev

Member
I turned the pump off last night for about two hours and the temp had dropped around a degree all ready
 
Do you have any experience with chillers I'm just wanting to figure out how i'd go that route if need be, and any reconmends on a new smaller quieter pump?
 
This is a set up i've been pondering.
 
Gen-X PCX-100 (Mak5) with a max flow of 1590 with 1" in/out
Pacific Coast C-500 1/2HP with a max flow of 1500 but this has 3/4" in/out, therefore i'd need to reduce to it in then inlarge for both returns, is this functional?
Then eventually two MP40's inside the tank to get my turnover up.
 
I believe this set up will also help to quiet a lot of my pump and overflow noise.
 
Good or bad idea??? Or will my heat problem be eliminated with just the pump ideally??
 
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