keep ur comments to ur self!

sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
I had a decent thread going with a couple helpful people and then the people that just wanted to argue. Well U got my thread closed. I really need all the help i can get, so instead of argueing about how someone is wrong tell me what i can do. instead of "bob ur method is rediculos and wont work"- " I wouldnt use bobs method becuase...., this is what i would do"
Thanks
this is a continued thread from my previous thread "iam fed up..."
SO it iseems bob's method is not raved about. What can i do for filteration. it will not be a reef and i plan to get shop lights anyways, maybe some pc on one side.
what would u use on my tank if u had a selection from everything that can hang on the tank with the exeption of a canister filter?
Thanks
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
Just keep things in perspective as to the "macro solution." Agreed that simply arguing for the sake of arguing is not necessary. Emphatically trying to keep someone from making a terrible mistake is another...
The good advice you got was just that - good. Go with that. Bang Guy also replied just prior to the post being closed with this -
"overflow with 1" pvc drain with a ball valve"
Is this a commercial Overflow or is it home made?
If it's homemade can you describe it in detail?
I believe this is the breakpoint for your system.
Why not pick it up with that? Oh...and don't get shoplights for your tank...lighting is one thing you don't want to cut corners on.
 
sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
I bought the overflow box used on here, the person sadi it was a cpr but its not i dunno what kind it is.
why not go with shop lights? I dont want any corals except i might try shrooms depending on what fish i have.
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
Even with no corals, most shop lights burn in a different spectrum - typically a much lower spectrum. Lower spectrum lighting is great for plant growth, or in a display tank, algae growth. You may be setting yourself up for an undesireable algae bloom.
I have actually never used an HOB overflow box, so I am not the best to comment on that. However, are you sure your ball valve is wide open, and unclogged? If there is not enough flow through it to meet or exceed the siphon through the u-tube, you may find it overflowing.
Or, your return pump may simply be pulling more water out of your sump than your overflow can drain. That would drain your sump.
 
saltwaterdave

saltwaterdave

Member
As far as "shop lights" go you can get some 6500kbulbs for them and you can keep mushrooms under them,that said.
The salt will quickly erode(sp?) those lights,I hope you understand what I mean.
There are lots ofway of keeping a sucessful marine tank,and I mean ALOT!!! What works for some people,might not work for someone else due to whatever changes one makes.You need to take everyone's advice you have been given into consideration and weigh each,of what you think the merit might be. I kept tanks with ugf and crushed coral for quite some time,I had to do more frequent water changes on that tank but I did have sucess with it,see itcan be done.
I did not read your other thread but I will be more than happy to discuss with you anything that I may be of some help.That did'nt sound right??!! What I am asking is what do you want to know in particular,and we can go from there.
Only other thing I see is you have a cpr over-flow......I have never used one because everyone says they suck and lose siphon quite often,they even have their own message board and they get the same complaints,so you might want to reconsider that,and I cangive you some links to some decent over-flows,one of which I am running on my tank now and has never broke siphon,even when I cut off the return pump and restart the pump the overflow starts right back up.
David
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator

Originally posted by sandman12
I bought the overflow box used on here, the person sadi it was a cpr but its not i dunno what kind it is.
why not go with shop lights? I dont want any corals except i might try shrooms depending on what fish i have.
OK Cool, CPR is good. I was just hoping you were not just using a siphon. It has been tried before ;)
If you're dead set against the sump/refugium setup that's OK. If not, do you want to try to spend the time fixing the setup you now have?
I probably shouldn't open my mouth about shop lights. Bulbs really aren't important as long as you like the look. I urge you not to use the shop light fixtures though. They are dangerous around saltwater. They are just not built to handle hanging above warm, highly oxygenated saltwater. They will rust and drip paint flakes or the plastic ones are even worse because the electronics will rust, short out and potentially cause a fire.
I only mention it for the safety.
 
sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
ok no shop lights. well i was planning to sell my sump and all and after x-mas start fresh. I dunno though. The only tank that cna fit under my stand is a 29 gallon and that just fits. I will just have to look for space. I want a 55 gallon fuge but i dunno if i have the space.
Also if i get the 55 fuge what else will i need as far as filteration?
If i get that 55 to me that is alot of filteration when i think about it. I was thinking that, some power heads and a skimmer.
I still haev to make up my mind and look for room but it would be so much easier and safer to get HOB stuff.
What lights should i get?
 
jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Active Member
CPR overflows are pretty good... I use them on both of my tanks. I've read that they can cause problems, but I've never had any problems myself, and I know several other people have had good luck with them. Are you certain it's not a CPR?
My questions still stand (from the old thread) regarding leak vs. overflow, water level in the sump and how the return line enters the tank.
And as for light... you should be able to pick up some standard normal output lights for pretty cheap. If you are just keeping fish, all you need is one bulb. I would think you could get the bulb and strip light for ~$50, or so, maybe less. I've never really priced NO lights, so I can't say for sure... but it should be pretty inexpensive.
 
sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
nothing is overflowing and the tank or sump arent overflowing. Thats what doesnt make sense i cant see anything that is leaking. the plumbing,sump,tank NOTHING. i have no clue how water is getting out but it is.
 
jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Active Member
OK, describe to me what happens...
probably something like:
you come home from work/school, tinker with the sump/overflow/plumming, and turn everything on. All seems good, so you walk away from the tank. Then at some point, the floor is wet, either an hour later, during the night, or sometime the next day? Is that basically what happens? You turn everything on and walk away, letting it run. It never gets shut off?
And at the time when you/your mother finds the floor wet, neither the tank nor the sump seem overly full?
I assume you've got several pieces of PVC connected by various joints. Are all the connections glued together? Are all ball joints completely open? How does the PVC connect to the overflow?
Do you have any more info about the overflow box? Does it have any stickers/labels/writing on it? I'm wondering if the return pump might be too strong for the overflow box. This would cause the overflow/main tank to flood, but by the time you found the flood, the water would have drained down overflow into the sump and all water levels would appear OK.
Once you find the wet floors, is anything else wet? sides/back of the tank? PVC? sides of the overflow?
At this point, my guess would be that your overflow or PVC is leaking.
 
saltwaterdave

saltwaterdave

Member
Bang,
You are actually endorsing a cpr overflow? They have a message board on their own web-site and they have lots of complaints.I personallywould'nt count on a over-flow that requires a powerhead to keep it going,gravity feed over-flows seem to work great,then again I have never used a cpr or actually seen one.
David
 
sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
u could be right jack, the pump came with a 2100 but i got a 3100 for it so i could use pvc. there is no sign of anythign overflowing. I leave it on over night , wake up and the carpet in front of the tank it soaking. but there is no water on the outside of the front of the glass, like drips or anything. Maybe i should try to hook the 2100 up but i really dont want to take the chance of flooding the carpet again.
 
jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Active Member
does your overflow box have 1 bulkhead or 2?
Does your schedule allow you to change pumps in the morning... then check the tank periodically throughout the day... say every hour or so? Have a few towels on hand and the spilled water shouldn't be too bad, assuming you can check the tank pretty regularly.
That rio 3100 is rated at 1000gallons per hour. That's an awful lot of water flow for a smaller overflow box. Can you measure your overflow box? Take some pictures? Does it have any stickers/labels on it? I'd really like to find out what overflow box you have... this may your problem.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator

Originally posted by saltwaterdave
Bang,
You are actually endorsing a cpr overflow?
Nope. I would only endorse a built-in overflow with a drilled (reef ready) tank.
I just know that some have tried using a straight siphon and that will always end with a flood.
 
aarone

aarone

Active Member

Originally posted by saltwaterdave
I personallywould'nt count on a over-flow that requires a powerhead to keep it going

The powerhead is just to restart after a power outage...so your return pump does not flood your tank.
aaron
 
robchuck

robchuck

Active Member

Originally posted by aarone
The powerhead is just to restart after a power outage...so your return pump does not flood your tank.
aaron
And to add to what Aaron said, the rejuvenating venturi powerhead is also to keep air from building up in the CPR and breaking the syphon. When I first started using a CPR overflow, I didn't have enough flow going through the overflow, and the powerhead was constantly sucking air out.
I've got plenty of flow now, but keep the powerhead running 24/7 just in case any air builds up. No floods caused by the overflow (I've had quite a few floods caused by other problems though) in over a year of using the CPR!
Sorry to hijack sandman, and I hope you can get your flooding problems figured out. I would be interested to hear how things go if you try the 2100.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top