Another experiment to try… run the skimmer, but turn off the reactor.
Where did this rock come from? Was it from another tank and it sat dry? Are you sure something didn’t get in the bin and die? Like a mouse or something.
[quote=“icecool2, post:141, topic:7613”]
Another experiment to try… run the skimmer, but turn off the reactor.
Where did this rock come from? Was it from another tank and it sat dry? Are you sure something didn’t get in the bin and die? Like a mouse or something. [/quote]
Aquamaxx Pukani Dry Rock from Marine Depot. I also have the flat shelf pieces from Bulk Reef Supply but I’m certain it’s the Pukani that’s causing the smell. It’s the rock, no doubt about it.
I’ll turn off the reactor but I don’t expect to see any difference. There really is just minimal flow going through the reactor.
Is that skimmer in enough water?
[quote=“beadlocked450r, post:143, topic:7613”]
Is that skimmer in enough water?[/quote]
I’m pretty sure the skimmer was designed specifically for this sump.
Had a little accident while assembling the algae scrubber tonight. The back of the box cracked while I was drilling the second hole for the pvc. It’s not too bad and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to seal it.
Here is where I’m thinking about placing the scrubber. I’m just testing it for now, I won’t be leaving those lights in place without having them properly secured. The 90 Gallon tank was also a little too close to the sump so I couldn’t fit the reflector on that light. I’m move the 90 back at some point and add the reflector to the outside light as well. How’s it look? It’s about 350 gph over the 9x11" screen.
[quote=“ClownfishSushi, post:144, topic:7613”]
[quote=“beadlocked450r, post:143, topic:7613”]
Is that skimmer in enough water?[/quote]
I’m pretty sure the skimmer was designed specifically for this sump.[/quote]
I doubt the skimmer was designed for 1 specific sump? I could be wrong… what is recommended water level?
[quote=“beadlocked450r, post:146, topic:7613”]
[quote=“ClownfishSushi, post:144, topic:7613”]
[quote=“beadlocked450r, post:143, topic:7613”]
Is that skimmer in enough water?[/quote]
I’m pretty sure the skimmer was designed specifically for this sump.[/quote]
I doubt the skimmer was designed for 1 specific sump? I could be wrong… what is recommended water level?[/quote]
The sump and skimmer are designed by the same company and since they sold it as a plug and play system I’m assuming it’s designed to work efficiently. I could be wrong.
It’s an SCA-303 Protein Skimmer. Believe it or not, there is zero documentation to support the recommended water depth. I found a seller on amazon that claims 7" is recommended. I’ve also read threads just now that claim it works best 8-10". For point of reference, it’s currently at 9.5" deep.
Jason with the pump alot lower then the rest of the skimmer think its fine right where its at.
The remaining dry rock arrived today. I’ve got it cooking in the garage with a heater and a power head. I’m giving it the same 72 hour bath and then I’ll scrub it all down again.
The two 250 watt heaters also arrived. I noticed the directions say that they are to be hung vertically but at 17.5" long they are lying horizontal in my sump. I assume that won’t mess with the thermostat too bad.
I superglued the algae scrubber where it had cracked and placed a bead of silicon along any section that wasn’t sealed tight. Going to let the silicon cure a full 24 hours before I attempt a wet run again.
Weather permitting, I’d like to try and play with some aquascaping this weekend.
Dumb question but do the thermostats on eheim heaters function properly in the horizontal position?
I’m having to calibrate the heck out of one of the heaters.
I never trust them. I always use an external controller. Too risky IMO with the onboard thermostat. If you use the onboard and an external you have some redundancy.
Use a controller, i.e. Pinpoint, RK, Apex, etc.
Thanks, for the input. I’m going to keep trying to zero in the existing thermostat for now.
Where is in in relation to your sump? Is it a standard glass tube heater?
[quote=“ClownfishSushi, post:145, topic:7613”]
Had a little accident while assembling the algae scrubber tonight. The back of the box cracked while I was drilling the second hole for the pvc. It’s not too bad and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to seal it.
Here is where I’m thinking about placing the scrubber. I’m just testing it for now, I won’t be leaving those lights in place without having them properly secured. The 90 Gallon tank was also a little too close to the sump so I couldn’t fit the reflector on that light. I’m move the 90 back at some point and add the reflector to the outside light as well. How’s it look? It’s about 350 gph over the 9x11" screen.
Lookin good. I never got that good of growth from cfls. 660nm red leds is the only way to go. I still havent upgraded yet though hahaha. Maybe I can get you and Bill in on a bulk order and save on shipping…
[quote=“bnelson, post:155, topic:7613”]
[quote=“ClownfishSushi, post:145, topic:7613”]
Had a little accident while assembling the algae scrubber tonight. The back of the box cracked while I was drilling the second hole for the pvc. It’s not too bad and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to seal it.
Here is where I’m thinking about placing the scrubber. I’m just testing it for now, I won’t be leaving those lights in place without having them properly secured. The 90 Gallon tank was also a little too close to the sump so I couldn’t fit the reflector on that light. I’m move the 90 back at some point and add the reflector to the outside light as well. How’s it look? It’s about 350 gph over the 9x11" screen.
Lookin good. I never got that good of growth from cfls. 660nm red leds is the only way to go. I still havent upgraded yet though hahaha. Maybe I can get you and Bill in on a bulk order and save on shipping…[/quote]
That might be a possibility. I was hoping the cfls would do the job, we’ll see.
I’ll take a pic tonight. The heaters are each in their own compartment and are placed horizontally at a diagonal to fit. They don’t touch anything and are standard glass Eheim 250 watt heaters.
[quote=“icecool2, post:134, topic:7613”]
Just looked through your pics… Is your sump still setup this way?
You’ve got a ton of bubbles coming from your skimmer, but there are two bubble baffles after it and I don’t see many bubbles in the return chamber.[/quote]
Well ders ur problem right der verdict_in
The good news is it’s an easy fix PBJ! and no controller will help. Move the heaters to the return pump chamber and problem solved.
I see what ur going for but you have no flow over your heaters. This is a controls nightmare hahaha. add a tall baffle to the far right chamber but like 4"away and put your heaters between the new baffle and the 2 baffles at the right of the current heater chamber. I would take out the one next to the skimmer or do a remote dsb in the remaining space.
you could probably just repurpose the baffle next to the skimmer and save some money
Only problem with that solution is that the heaters are longer than the tank is wide… They’d have to go in at an angle. I’ll need to do some a^2 + b^2 = C^2 to figure out how high that baffle would need to be to make sure the heater would be fully submerged.
If flow is the only issue, I’m sure I can come up with other solutions. For example, there is no reason why I couldn’t have the reactor’s output run over the length of the heater.
I think if you add a baffle touching the bottom to the far left I think it will cut down you bubbles to the display as well. Bubbles gotta rise to pop so they break up.