NOW WE BUILD

[texascwby430]

Finally got replacement tank from LFS, to replace the one they shattered.
They set up the return and suction for me with bulkheads. Here is the problem.....I am having trouble finding the parts to plumb it up, home depot parts where not fitting tight???

Return is 3/4 inch PVC reduced into a 1 1/4 bulkehead
Suction is a 1 1/4 inch PVC, reduced to 1 inch to fit into the 1 1/4 bulkhead

I want to verify the suction pipe is not to big, and avoid overfilling my sump/refugim? Or overpowering the return pump.

I am also having a difficult time finding a flexible house to fit the 1/14 bulkhead, that will mate to the 3/4 inch pump outlet. In these cases is there a reducer that will stay put while the pump is on?

Might be a newbie question, just want it right to avoid wet mess one day.

Thanks.

[ducati996]

Were u located if ur not to far away from me I could lend a hand plumbing the tank

[FireWater]

The overflow should only pull out as much water as is going in. You're using an overflow box correct? Usually the problem is making sure you have enough capacity to drain what your pump is pushing into the tank.

[texascwby430]

ducatti, 281 and Bulverde rd.

firewater, yes using pre drilled tank with overflow. Prior purchase (before LFS broke tank) included wet/dry sump with HOB overflow and pump (Rio, cannot recall size). Only change now will be size of line out of , and into tank from existing sump/pump

[gcantu]

What size tank is this, and what size sump and pump are you using?

[Triggerman]

1" drains and 3/4" returns are pretty standard for smaller aquariums and can increase in size depending on tank size, pump size, etc.


If your bulkeads are threaded then you can find a male thread nipple fitting..you'll need to get a reducing one that goes from the 1-1/4" to 3/4" then you'll be able to slide you 3/4" hose onto the nipple coming from your pump. Lowes typically has a better selection of fittings, try looking by the water heater department that's where you'll find the sch. 80 nipple section they should have slip and threaded ones...make sure to put clamps on all your flex hoses to prevent any leaks on pop offs.

[texascwby430]

@Gcantu,
Tank is an Aquenon 72 gallon Bow-front, unsure of sump size long and skinny....lol....Came with pre-owned package, planning to upgrade to a bigger established refugim I found.

Thanks Triggerman, heading to Lowe's tomorrow, pipes and bulkheads in hand. I figured it was another Home Depot doesn't stock situation. I went ahead and painted back of tank, and drilled new holes in stand, will assemble tomorrow night. Thanks for the help.

[texascwby430]

I got the tank up, and plumbed.............sand in and rock in..........cycling now. Seems to be a lot of film/algae on rock but the wave makers are breaking it loose, and it is getting sucked out. Everything is moving along nicely.

Jason

[ramsey]

Yeah, you're most likely going to have a diatom bloom (brown, powdery stuff everywhere) then an algae bloom (hair algae most likely). Once that happens, it's time to add your clean up crew!

[texascwby430]

I know every tank is different, but.....

Should I have more or less heat at this stage (temp best for cycle)?
How long will cycle run with pre cycled LR/LS?
Recommended cleaning crew and numbers?

[ramsey]

I know every tank is different, but.....

Should I have more or less heat at this stage (temp best for cycle)?
How long will cycle run with pre cycled LR/LS?
Recommended cleaning crew and numbers?

I'd just run the tank at the temperature you're going to keep it at. Around 78 degrees is good for a tropical reef.

It's impossible to predict how long the cycle would take so you'll need to test for ammonia and nitrates. When you have no ammonia and some nitrates, you're good to go. You may have false positive nitrate readings if algae is consuming it. If the live rock is already cured, you might not see much of a cycle. If you test and show 0 ammonia and 0 nitrate, you might want to throw some food in and test again after a couple of days. If you are seeing diatoms or algae growth though, you most likely are getting a cycle. Patience is key in this hobby! Take it slow and don't get too excited, I know this is easier said than done but it will pay off.

As far as a CUC crew is concerned, I've learned to go slow. I wouldn't recommend throwing a ton of CUC in your tank only to have them starve. I think a good starting place for your size tank would be about 30-40 algae eating snails and maybe 20 detritus eating snails. You'll most likely need more, but that would probably be a good starting place. Give them a few weeks and see what they do. A lot of this depends on how much you feed and what type of tank you're running. If you're running a low nutrient system, you might not need much CUC. Personally, I like astrea snails to clean algae off the rock, ceriths for sand stirring and cleaning algae off the sand and rock, and nassarius snails for eating food leftovers and they'll also keep the sand stirred. There's a lot of choices though. Just make sure you don't get something like a sea hare that won't have enough to eat long term.

[texascwby430]

Thanks for the feedback, I am not seeing much new growth, just existing algae/sludge that was on rock from prior hobbyist storage. I have not begun to test the water because system has only been running for 3 days, I am starting now. I have temp regulated at 78-80. I am seeing a some of water loss in the sump about an inch in 3 days which surprised me. ......YES, I checked for small leaks......lol......just did not expect this amount so soon.

CUC, Hermit Crabs were not mentioned, bad/good or otherwise?

[texascwby430]

Yeah, I got the rest of my rock in the tank today (thanks to MAAST member jshed06) and it looks great. Water is testing perfect, tank is coming along great I think for my first attempt...lol


20437

[ramsey]

Yeah, I got the rest of my rock in the tank today (thanks to MAAST member jshed06) and it looks great. Water is testing perfect, tank is coming along great I think for my first attempt...lol


20437

Looking good! I like the tonga branch. I don't really care for crabs (hermits or otherwise). Hermits don't seem to eat that much algae and will kill snails. Other crabs are opportunistic and will eat anything if they're hungry. The only exception are probably porcelain crabs and acro crabs, but they aren't clean up crew really. Three days is not very long to have the tank up, but if the LR was cured, you may not get a cycle. I'd throw some fish food in and test for ammonia the next few days. If you don't get any ammonia, test for nitrate.

[ramsey]

Oh yeah, you're going to evaporate a lot of water. You may want to get an auto top off. They're invaluable unless you like topping off by hand everyday. Also, as you evaporate water from the tank, the salt level will rise (salt doesn't evaporate) so be mindful of that.