taking a new direction

sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric B 125 http:///t/389056/taking-a-new-direction/480#post_3522961
Thanks! Well, the sand sat in buckets and got pretty nasty. I consolidated all the sand into a water change bucket, ran water over it, dumped it out, ran water over it, dumped it out. I have it sitting in some water with a power head and a bag of carbon. I might just continue to run it like that, do 5 gal water changes a day, and run carbon for the cycle of the tank. I'd like to not have to buy all new sand if I don't have to, but depending on how much rinsing I have to do, between time and water bill, it might be worth it. Hopefully someone will chime in, but I think that after a few good rinses and once it gets dropped into the tank in a thinner layer than how it's being rinsed now, I think all the byproducts of the anaerobic bacteria will be removed into the water column where it can be polished with carbon, and removed w/ the water changes for the cycle.

That sounds good to me. The only thing I could add is: Maybe add some GFO in a bag as well as the carbon. Just in case the sand has some Phosphates locked up in there.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Good call. Good, good call. I haven't considered anything saltwater aquaria for so long that my thinking didn't go there at all. This sand is really gross, but I don't want to waste it.
Got the overflow box all siliconed together. Still have to lay an internal bead around the edges, but at least in an hour or so it will hold together without moving so I can do it as cleanly as possible.

Everything lined up real nice. The glass shop I went through did a pretty good job at getting the pieces as close to perfect as possible.

I'm going to a friends for dinner but when I get back I intend to trim the bottom of the silicone "smear" from the weir and get it in place so that tomorrow at this time I can flip the tank and get the box siliconed to the rear of the tank.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Weir is placed in the tank and I ran a bead of silicone on the inside of the overflow box. I can't upload pictures, for some reason. I think it's because I need to restart my computer to complete an update.
I'll post them first thing in the morning.
Do you think I should try tightening the bulkheads on the overflow now or wait until I have it siliconed onto the tank? My concern is the torque of tightening them on the narrow parts of glass on the bottom pane ( the glass on the sides of the holes ). Do you think that siliconing the box to the tank will add a little more stability for those parts of the glass?
Any more suggestions on rinsing the sand?
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Since there was a gap b/w the bottom of the weir and the back glass, and because the weir is so narrow that I couldn't get a bead of silicone on the inside seam, what I did was remove a 3/8" sliver of the silicone "smear" and put a hefty bead down the length of it before flipping it over. Then I put a big old bead across the outside of it as well. I hope that I got it good enough and that it's water tight.

Here's the external box, just begging to go onto the tank
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
You could have traced a line on the tank with the wier and layed down a line of silicone and then placed the weir on top of the silicone bead. That would have gotten both the inside and the outside. Just a suggestion for next time.
I also wouldnt place the plumbing in the overflow until after it is dry.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/389056/taking-a-new-direction/500#post_3523043
You could have traced a line on the tank with the wier and layed down a line of silicone and then placed the weir on top of the silicone bead.
I thought about doing this but because of the gap at the bottom and since I was doing this solo, I thought it would be too difficult to lower the weir and still support it (since it's so long) and get it to line up properly. I have a good bit of silicone removal to do today
but for the most part I feel I did a pretty clean job. I have someone coming over later to help me flip the tank so I can place the overflow box.
Hey Seth, what are your thoughts on my sand situation?
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric B 125 http:///t/389056/taking-a-new-direction/500#post_3523022
Weir is placed in the tank and I ran a bead of silicone on the inside of the overflow box. I can't upload pictures, for some reason. I think it's because I need to restart my computer to complete an update.
I'll post them first thing in the morning.
Do you think I should try tightening the bulkheads on the overflow now or wait until I have it siliconed onto the tank? My concern is the torque of tightening them on the narrow parts of glass on the bottom pane ( the glass on the sides of the holes ). Do you think that siliconing the box to the tank will add a little more stability for those parts of the glass?
Any more suggestions on rinsing the sand?
In addition to running carbon and GFO. If you have the time why not use the tank to help rinse the sand. You will increase the surface area as opposed to a bucket or tote. Fill the tank with water just below the overflow and do a series of fresh water changes. Stir the heck out of the sand before each one and siphon out as much of the junk as you can get. Refill and repeat until it is as clean as you want it.
That's what I would do. Then run the carbon and GFO while cycling the tank. Do you have media reactors??
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I wouldnt do all the buckets and water changes and mess. Thats too much wasted time. Get yourself a cheap large pillow case and fill it with sand. Run a water hose in the top and let it run. Make sure you get every corner. Rinse until it runs clear. Then repeat with a new batch of sand. Pillow cases are perhaps the easiest and quickest way to wash sand. I do it with alll of my new sand.
 
S

siptang

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/389056/taking-a-new-direction/500#post_3523062
I wouldnt do all the buckets and water changes and mess. Thats too much wasted time. Get yourself a cheap large pillow case and fill it with sand. Run a water hose in the top and let it run. Make sure you get every corner. Rinse until it runs clear. Then repeat with a new batch of sand. Pillow cases are perhaps the easiest and quickest way to wash sand. I do it with alll of my new sand.
that is very interesting approach Seth. I would be scared of any detergent getting in though. I guess you rinse the crap out of pillow case first then right?
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
When i said buy a cheap pillow case, i assume that it has never been washed before. I used an ugly old dark blue pillow case to wash my sand. The dark color of the pillow case made it easier to see when the white dust of the sand was all rinsed out.
The pigment of the pillow had no adverse effect on my tank.
 
S

siptang

Guest
^ sorry didn't read well lol.
Thanks for clarifying for me.
Sorry Eric for hijacking your thread.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///t/389056/taking-a-new-direction/500#post_3523070
Sorry Eric for hijacking your thread.
No worries, dude. I didn't think that was hijacking at all.
Snake: That's a great idea. I'm going to wait until next week, when I'm a little closer to putting water in this thing.
SV: I don't have a media reactor that works. I have a Ca reactor but the pump took a dump and I've had nothing but problems with it, so I'm just going to get a better model when the time comes. I have the cylinder, regulator, and probe so it won't be a huge expense. I will still be tossing some bags and filter pads in my sump (which I don't normally do) during the cycle, though.
I came across another 5 gallon bucket of rock and rubble which I will bleach when I do the rock from the 30B. I'm thinking I might try a flame angel once the tank gets established.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Got the tank flipped. That lone hole (top of picture) will be covered up. I was going to cover it from the inside, but just in case none of this worked out I wanted to keep the inside of the tank smooth so I could have an acrylic coast to coast made. I figure since it's just inside the overflow, and at the top of the tank, there wont be much pressure on it so I can seal it from the back.

The silicone isn't as messy as it looks in this picture. A lot of that is a combination of the weir on one side and the overflow box from the other. It's far from a professional job, but you can't see the external box from the front of the tank and with the back painted black I don't think it will be noticeable anyways.
 
S

siptang

Guest
looking good!! man, you guys are so handy!! Makes me look very bad lol.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Hey, look at this! Four and a half years and my first multi quote!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///t/389056/taking-a-new-direction/500#post_3523093
looking good!! man, you guys are so handy!! Makes me look very bad lol.
Thanks! I'm really not that handy, but I learn as I go along. The hardest part for me is knowing the kind tools and hardware that is out there. Had I not have come across that right angle vice while walking around harbor freight, I most likely would have used a couple of dictionaries to hold the glass and eyeballed the angles

Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/389056/taking-a-new-direction/500#post_3523105
Can't wait for the leak test!
Keep your fingers crossed. I'm looking forward to plumbing. I got all of the PVC I should need, but you know how that goes... As long as my silicone job is half as good as I tried to make it, and I can keep up the steady(ish) pace I've been working at, I think I'll be on track to fill er up next weekend.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
I saw that right angle vice in one of those pics. I bet that helped a ton. I just found out about Harbor Freight a couple of months ago. Great place to fill out your tool needs without breaking the bank. I think I have spent a whole paycheck there already.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Harbor Freight is great for a guy like me who doesn't work with tools enough to justify spending a lot of money on name brands or heavy duty tools.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top