I'm finally up and running!!!

marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Well, after several weeks of DIY projects and a stack of Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, Ace Hardware and pet supplie store receipts as thick as a bible, as well as 2 attempts at sump builds, my 30 gallon display and 20 gallon sump are up and running.
Flow rates have been adjusted and levels are good! and I have 40 lbs of cured live rock in the DT. (haven't aquascaped yet)
Initial testing this morning yielded:
Salinity 1.025
pH 7.8 - 7.9
Ammonia 0.5 ppm
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
So the question I have is what should I do next. I need to get an ammonia spike now to start the process. I'm thinking about throwing a piece of uncooked shrimp in there tomorrow night in a little baggie to start the cycle off. Doesn't look like the Live Rock has any die off. After about 35 hours the ammonia level really hasn't risen. I was expecting the live rock to do something more to the system, but what do I know.
I found 2 hitchhikers on the live rock. 2 snails. I'm guessing they will perish when the ammonia spike occurs. Should I bother quarantining them to spare them, or will they be good to keep in the tank for the process? (Not to be cruel)
I've taken a video of my set up. Its uploading now to youtube, so I'll post a link when its up.
Everything is running whisper quite, except my return pump. Its got suction cups on the bottom that I placed on the glass bottom of the sump. is there a way to minimize the vibrations and humming sound. Any techniques?
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Looks good......I would "ghost feed" rather than using shrimp but both methods would work......What type of return pump are you running.....
 
dustintx

dustintx

Member
Be pacient and go with either putting shrimp or flake food in,they both work. I used tropical flake food in a tank with no live rock or live sand and my tank spiked in 2 days. On day 4 it spiked high with nitrites,waiting for the nitrates now. Hopefully in a few days I will be able to add a fish and clean up crew. Keep us posted.
 
dustintx

dustintx

Member
Quik question. Exactly what silicone did u buy to build sump? Im asking because my 20gal has a leak and I want to fix it tomorrow.
 
icedtc

icedtc

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustinTX http:///t/390857/im-finally-up-and-running#post_3463331
Quik question. Exactly what silicone did u buy to build sump? Im asking because my 20gal has a leak and I want to fix it tomorrow.
You can do a forum search on this topic but just to let you know I bought my silicone from Home Depot. There's a product called "DAP[sup] [/sup]Household/Aquarium Adhesive Sealant" and on the package itself it sates, aquarium safe.
I know there are several other companies that have aquarium safe silicone as well but wanted to let you know about this one too.
 
icedtc

icedtc

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarvelFan http:///t/390857/im-finally-up-and-running#post_3463306
Everything is running whisper quite, except my return pump. Its got suction cups on the bottom that I placed on the glass bottom of the sump. is there a way to minimize the vibrations and humming sound. Any techniques?
First off, congrats! Everything is looking great so far.
On my original return pump it was also quite loud so I removed the suction cups and ended up putting it on an aquarium safe sponge and it definately quieted down. That being said, I recently switched to a more powerful Eheim Compact 3000 and that baby is whisper quiet! But there are a few tricks (sponges, etc. just make sure they are aquarium safe!) to quiet them down.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
The set up looks good!!
The water level in the sump looks a little high. Does it come close to the top when you test for a power failure?? Not that I doubt, but just wanted to make for certain that it does not overflow.

Also, is that a GFCI outlet back there? If not, you will def want to install one.
What kind of skimmer are you going to run in there?
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Well... I had surprise flash flood at 1 am this morning. The overflow box I made sprung a leak on the back corner. Luckily the dripping sound woke us up. Its my fault for using a cheap DAP silicone to try to hold it together. I should have used an acrylic solvent. So i'm in the processes of stripping off all the caulk and piecing it back together. This time I'm going to do it right.
To answer some of your questions:
I used the small tubes of DAP Aquarium Safe silicon for the sump. This held up awesome!!! my baffles aren't moving or bowing at all, they are rock solid. (Third times the charm)
I did a power failure test and the sump didn't overflow. I had about an inch or 2 clearance. (but I do think I can about an inch or so of water out of the return side)
I think I'll look at getting some aquarium safe foam/sponge to prop up the return pump.
Back to the drawing board for now. I need to find a 1" bulkhead and some good acrylic solvent and I should have the overflow back on the tank by the end of the week.
 
dustintx

dustintx

Member

Well... I had surprise flash flood at 1 am this morning. The overflow box I made sprung a leak on the back corner. Luckily the dripping sound woke us up. Its my fault for using a cheap DAP silicone to try to hold it together. I should have used an acrylic solvent. So i'm in the processes of stripping off all the caulk and piecing it back together.  This time I'm going to do it right.
To answer some of your questions:
I used the small tubes of DAP Aquarium Safe silicon for the sump. This held up awesome!!! my baffles aren't moving or bowing at all, they are rock solid. (Third times the charm)
I did a power failure test and the sump didn't overflow. I had about an inch or 2 clearance.  (but I do think I can about an inch or so of water out of the return side) 
I think I'll look at getting some aquarium safe foam/sponge to prop up the return pump. 
Back to the drawing board for now.  I need to find a 1" bulkhead and some good acrylic solvent and I should have the overflow back on the tank by the end of the week.
So one minute u said daps is great and then u said it was cheap amd no good.......so which is it?
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarvelFan http:///t/390857/im-finally-up-and-running#post_3463381
Well... I had surprise flash flood at 1 am this morning. The overflow box I made sprung a leak on the back corner. Luckily the dripping sound woke us up. Its my fault for using a cheap DAP silicone to try to hold it together. I should have used an acrylic solvent. So i'm in the processes of stripping off all the caulk and piecing it back together. This time I'm going to do it right.
To answer some of your questions:
I used the small tubes of DAP Aquarium Safe silicon for the sump. This held up awesome!!! my baffles aren't moving or bowing at all, they are rock solid. (Third times the charm)
I did a power failure test and the sump didn't overflow. I had about an inch or 2 clearance. (but I do think I can about an inch or so of water out of the return side)
I think I'll look at getting some aquarium safe foam/sponge to prop up the return pump.
Back to the drawing board for now. I need to find a 1" bulkhead and some good acrylic solvent and I should have the overflow back on the tank by the end of the week.
I'm taking it that you did a DIY overflow box......You used silicone to bond the acrylic together........
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
2 different DAP products. For my glass to glass baffels the small tubes of 3-4 oz Aquarium Sealent/adhesive was amazing.
The 10 oz chalk tube of Alex Plus II Clear Silicone didn't hold up. It dried clear and says waterproof, but after a couple hours of water exposure the chalk reverted to white again and peeled apart. Also take into account it was cured for 10 days before water exposure.
Sorry for the confusion.
We have some Weld-On 3 at work. I'm going to try that to see if it welds my acrylic together.
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Acrlic51: "I'm taking it that you did a DIY overflow box......You used silicone to bond the acrylic together........"
Bingo.. rookie mistake. Going to try to put it together with some weld-on solvent this time
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
That's the only thing that will bond it correctly, but hey you live and learn....Could have been worse......
 
njbillyv

njbillyv

Member
Looks great!
Nice job on the refugium, I just built one with a very similiar design (slightly lower water level though, I'm a chicken). And you've left ample room for a good size skimmer, big plus.
Are you using a sock on the bottom of the inlet tube to the fuge? I've done it both way and think the sock is the way to go, you do have to clean it once a week or so but it really keeps the water very clear (and keeps a lot of crap out of the fuge).
I'd ghost feed and give it some time just to be safe.
Good luck!
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBillyV http:///t/390857/im-finally-up-and-running#post_3463432
Looks great!
Nice job on the refugium, I just built one with a very similiar design (slightly lower water level though, I'm a chicken). And you've left ample room for a good size skimmer, big plus.
Are you using a sock on the bottom of the inlet tube to the fuge? I've done it both way and think the sock is the way to go, you do have to clean it once a week or so but it really keeps the water very clear (and keeps a lot of crap out of the fuge).
I'd ghost feed and give it some time just to be safe.
Good luck!
I have a Coralife 65g skimmer that fits that section. I think I'll use a filter sock to help the clarity of the water. Thankfully the sump can handle a power outage and I've drilled multiple siphon breaks in the return line. No flooding in that circumstance. I'm thinking of installing a float valve at the very brim or the DT in case my overflow ever looses siphon. This way the pump will kill itself when the water is just about to run over the rim of the DT.
That will be my next project while I get the overflow working again.
I just used some Weld-On 3. I just attached one side. waiting to see if it works. (I have it hidden on the corner of my desk at work while it dries..lol) It does say that it doesn't work with "Cross-linked acrylics". I'm using Optix MC-05 acrylic and can't find if its cross-linked. Anyone have any clue on this?
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweatervest13 http:///t/390857/im-finally-up-and-running#post_3463375
The set up looks good!!
The water level in the sump looks a little high. Does it come close to the top when you test for a power failure?? Not that I doubt, but just wanted to make for certain that it does not overflow.

Also, is that a GFCI outlet back there? If not, you will def want to install one.
What kind of skimmer are you going to run in there?
Friday night I installed GFCI outlet on the wall. Figured I'd better get that done before I filled the tank with water and couldn't move it.
I'll be running a Coralife 65g
 
icedtc

icedtc

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarvelFan http:///t/390857/im-finally-up-and-running#post_3463450
Friday night I installed GFCI outlet on the wall. Figured I'd better get that done before I filled the tank with water and couldn't move it.
Very nice...can never be too safe!
That being said, have you considered running a grounding probe in your tank & sump? Just in case there is ever stray voltage from old/faulty mechanical devices. Just food for thought!
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
After some inspection of the overflow it looks like the weld-on 3 is workign, but there are too many imperfections on the edges. I can see holes. I decided to bite the bullet and just ordered a Eshoppe PF-800 (800 GPH) which I hope will do the trick.
Any feedback on these? Its got good reviews, but there is always someone reporting issue such as noise or siphon breaks. I've also seen some mods that people have done to handle these issues.
We'll find out Wednesday!
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Ok.. so I have yet another question.
I don't' have my sump running right now, just my LR, heaters and CP's going.
I'll have my overflow installed tomorrow night. I'm headed to the grocery store this afternoon and was going to pick up some uncooked fresh shrimp. Would it be ok to throw the shrimp in the water tonight even though I don't have my sump up and running. I can't see the issue, but i though I should ask in case there is something I'm not thinking about.
 
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