75G DIY stand sump plumbing buildup PICS!!!!!

[chinaman4u]

I guess this can be verified.

First I checked to verify that no water was being used on my water meter(there is a small triangle that shows water use that spins) then I drained my resevoir tank and checked the water meter. It shows that water is being registered. To verify, I shut off my resevoir tank and the water meter the triangle stops spinning. Again i turn my resevoir on and the triangle spins again.

SO... here in state college, the water meter does register ro/di use. The triangle spins very slowly, but it does spin.

So when I buy a house, I'll have to check to see if I have an older model water meter so I wouldn't have to foot the water bill for filling my new huge gigantic aquarium!

 

[satch12]

awesome setup man i wish i could do somethin like that also

 

[cougaraug]

that's a sweet bit of DIY!

 

[god910]

I have a Culligan R/O unit and a larger 20g tank. (Got it dirt cheap because they over ordered them, tank was like $25) My R/O unit doesn't register on my Cullgan digital water softener that meters water down to .1g/h

All this being a moot point in my house as I'm on a well. So water's free no matter what. That's why I let my Coralife unit spray waste water all over the ground. :eek2:

 

[Dr. Chek]

chinaman,

sweet setup with the RO Unit.
Nice to see a fellow Lion...

keep it up,

 

[GoldStripe]

I'm gonna have to see if my meter spins down here in Jacksonville. Hopefully it doesn't so my RO stays full as well as my pool (waste)!!! For free!! I'm not holding my breath though, I couldn't get that lucky

 

[RGibson]

The water meter that i used for the RO is a precision water meter and the same kind is used at the front of the house for the water bill .And both will not read when the RO system is running

 

[chinaman4u]

Just an update...

OH NO! ICH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-(

 

[-TS-Vash]

Nice.

 

[chinaman4u]

Another update. I have removed the few fish that I had to get rid of the ich problem, then had an ongoing hair algea problem due to old bulbs. Everything as far as corals go are doing well, though I have problems with my sps which I unfortunately have lost, one by one they went rtn. Except for one species, a dark green acro which is well encrusted and growing.

I should note that my Jebo skimmer still is working, however since I have added another larger DIY skimmer that pulls out a 1/2 cup of dark liquid skimate evry couple of days, that my algea has stopped growing and is easilly removed by syphoning. No pulling required. In conclusion, the Jebo unit works, just a little undersized for my tank.

I'll let you know whats up with the new sps in a few months. Maybe with the new skimmer(for better water quality) and a new geo calcium reactor; I will have cleaner and more stable water for keeping sps.

My Frogspawn, my favorite coral has had babies, and budding at the base with new ones! It has doubled in size(taking 1.5 years). i think i may give up on sps and have a tank full of frogspawn!

As for the tank stand. It is holding up super! I built my sump so that it fits snuggly inside the stand and this was a mistake. Moisture collects and salt spray is ruining the finish on the inside of the stand. This could lead to rotting wood and eventual failure, though I don't expect this to happen for many years. I even used several coats of clear polyurethane, (6 to be exact). Not enough protection. To change I would move the sump away from the walls, or a taller sump.

I am curious if I have sufficient lighting for demanding sps. 2x175W10K and 65W pc for a 75 gal? I was thinking of adding a third 175W20K in the middle.

Also, cheap ebay 175W10K MH bulbs for $30 each aren't worth it, to yellow. i guess you get what you pay for. I'm going back to Ushio.

Also, in school now, so I doubt I'll be putting much money into my tank for now, just going to keep paying my electric bill and let the tank mature!

 

[stevedola]

2 - 175 w MH plus pc is enough lighting for a 75. I use it with no problems.

 

[fishypapas]

hey china, thanks for the link, good to see drain pipes instead of overflows!

about the sps and lighting. from what i have read, the lighting seems fine. it looks like it was all the extra nutrients. the lps, again from what i have read, are said to like "dirty", ie nutrient rich, water, where the sps dont likey.

with all the extra skimate and algea build up, id say there was a ton of extra nutrients that problably knocked out your sps.

just a thought.

fp

 

[xtm]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=4974802#post4974802 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chinaman4u
I have made some mods to the free standing drainpipe...

................. Also an airline tubing stopped the gurgling.

.

Hello,

I'm particularly interested in your "free-standing PVC overflow" setup-----I was wondering where you inserted the airline tubing? (Sorry I couldn't see it in the pic) How far does it go down and is it attached to anything- like a pump?

Also, how efficient is the surface skimming? Does it remove the surface film effectively?


I'm thinking about a similar setup-- eliminating the addition of the "box" overflow will definitely be less work.

Good job on that tanks! Beautiful pics!

Thanks for your help

 

[mandrin13]

I am so jelous.I have got to do more diy

 

[goulding.c]

The free water thing is a meter type issue. Some impeller type meters will not measure low flow, but most resedential meters are a differant type that reduce pressure and measure lower volumes such as drips from ro units. Allthough, you can have a deduct meter installed for any water you use that does not go down the city sewer lines such as irrigation water and outdoor use. You pay more for sewage on your water bill than the acual water. Using deduct meter will get you out of the sewage portion of the bill.

 

[chinaman4u]

XTM-

the tube is just stuck down the hole(mines goes down about 2"), how deep it goes is to be adjusted and depends on your flow. Stick the tube in and to whatever depth needed to make the sucking noises stop. Over time the airline can be sucked into the pipe, ATTACH the free end of the hose, free end is just open to air(not attached to any pump).

The overflow works better without the slots, but tended to suck fish in. The water level is a full 1/2"(depends on your water flow i guess) higher than the top of the rim. It is now 1/4 inch with the slots. You should know that I have two overflows, and the one that has a trap(it goes down then back up, like under your sink) makes a significantly smaller amount of sucking noises. Though I have not tested this theory. The other overflow, leading straight down into the sump makes a most noise.