1st Marine Tank

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If you are able willing to travel to Leeds, drop me a PM with your requirements, but glass costs, so it may not be what you call "cheap" Diesel will also cost a bit from where you are I also don't drill personaly (too much risk for someone with such little experience of the task) so that is outsourced to a mate of mine if required....(also quite costly because of the risk) Anyhow, if Leeds isn't too far, let me know and I'll see what I can do...

There is also Winsor Aquatics who are neerer to you than me, and I suspect they may be able to undercut also

All the best
Rabbut

That is really good of you Rabbut to offer, but after looking into it, Leeds is about 220 miles from me. Prob an 8 hour round trip, and would cost £60+ in Diesel.

I did get a quote from windsor-aquatics for £135-00 exc delivery.

I have seen some scratch repair kits for around £20 so might give these a go first.

 

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Managed to get a few scratches out, it is not perfect but does look better.

Once the tank was fully cleaned again, I started to add the RO water.

Last night I manged to get some free base rock from aquarist classifieds. (Thanks alot Kim!)

Now added to the tank with some more RO.

I have brought 20 KG of live rock which will be delviered soon.

So the live rock needs to be in the flow of water, any tips for this?

 

[rabbut]

Ermmmm... Powerheads

I'm assuming you thought about flow after the ordering of the rock yes? Well, the sump either needs to be plumbed in and working with the return fairly low in the tank, or you need to go out hardwear shopping before the rock's arrival for some powerheads. 20X an hour is the recomended minimum in the display, but you should get away with less (downto 5X an hour) while you cure your live rock. I personally wouldn't though go below 20X though...

All the best
Rabbut

 

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I have got an EHEIM 65W 40 L/P/M sitting in the sump. This pumps into the right hand side of the display tank (1st and 2nd photo - green pipe) then the overflow is on the left hand side at the top, taking the surface water back down to the sump.

Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks

 

[rabbut]

You have about 10.7 times an hour turn over ATM as the system stands. The more flow you have, the quicker the rock will cure and the sooner it will be ready for fish. Also, theoretically, the more flow you have, the more nitrate the rock will be able to process, within reason obviously, or the internal structure will go airobic and not convert any nitrate if you push rediculous ammounts of flow into it....

What happened to the Aquabee pump? Is there no way you could hook this up to the tank when you get the rock?

The live rock needs flow to survive, and 10.7 times an hour flow should be able to sustain it, but the recomended minimum for a FOWLR set-up with the live stock in is 20 times an hour. More is preferable in most roof set-ups

All the best
Rabbut

 

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What happened to the Aquabee pump? Is there no way you could hook this up to the tank when you get the rock?

Hi Rabbut

The Aquabee pump is in use on the skimmer.

So really I need another power head simular to the EHEIM to increase the flow?

 

[rabbut]

It's not essential untill you start thinking about livestock, but yes, you will eventually need more flow from an additional powerhead(s)

 

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The Aquabee pump stopped working last night.

Will have to try changing the fuse - or strip it down.

 

[rabbut]

The Aquabee pump stopped working last night.

Will have to try changing the fuse - or strip it down.

If push comes to shove, you can put the overflow return to sump plumbing strait onto the skimmer to keep it running. Split the return to sump pipe into two, and fit a valve to one pipe and the skimmer to the other. Open the tubing and skimmer valves and tweak them untill the waterline in the skimmer is set Unless that is, your skimmer required the motor to put air into it rather than a venturi, then you are stuffed if you can't get it running You can cure and cycle live rock without a skimmer, but the curing and cycling times are again quicker if you run a skimmer to reduce the system load while you do that...

All the best
Rabbut

 

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The skimmer pump has an air line to a small closed cylinder that is attached via suckers to the side of the sump.

It was in the setup diagram to connect this air line but I don't have the full manual so I am unsure what it is for.

 

[rabbut]

Any chance of some skimmer pics, particularly of how the pump is rigged and of the inlet fitting? That would help me to see if there is a botch/permanant fix you can impliment here

All the best
Rabbut

 

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Changed the fuse and the skimmer pump is working again.

Here is a few pics of the skimmer out of the tank

 

[rabbut]

Glad to hear that the issue is now fixed

The skimmer does need the pump to inject air, so if it did ever fail, you'd be without a skimmer untill it is replaced... That isn't nessisarily too bad if you have a reliable pump. How old was the fuse? Is it possible that the failure was just fuse fatigue, or could something more sinister be going on?

All the best
Rabbut

 

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Hopefully it was just a one off, skimmer pump has been on since changing the fuse.

I have brought a tube to disperse the flow of the pump into the display tank as it was blowing the sand at the bottom all over the place.

This has created another issue where, if the pump is switched off or fails, the water flows back out of the display tank into the sump. The sump then overflows.

To get round this, I have brought some non return valves so the water can not flow backwards.

I am also thinking of adding some sort of drainage system to the shelf that the sump sits on.

The idea is that if the sump where to overflow, the drain would take the water under the floor boards so hopefully it could drain away.

At the tanks current location, there is no way of pluming to a proper drain.

What does everyone think about this idea?

 

[rabbut]

Good idea, but remember that non-return valves can fail They need checking regularly to ensure they still function correctly.

I would drill a hole at the water-line for the new pipe, such that if the pump fails e.t.c. the hole sucks in air, killing the syphen as it forms. The only way that can fail, is if the hole gets blocked, which should be un-likely To be doubly safe, you could use both systems together

Adding an under-floor drain is quite possible, simply by drilling your sump and plumbing up I assume it is earth under the floorboards, not concrete right? As a side thought though, if you have steel or any other metal in your foundations, the salt water will corrode it, so if the foundations are re-inforced, you may have issues with killing your house This might be one to run by a professional again

All the best
Rabbut