SC Aquariums Owners Thread

[soulpatch]

Bean is no more consistant than herbie but has second emergency

Yes buildup and such can impact things but over the long haul and not short term. If you have rises and drops daily then you have something else impacting your system.

Standing water level in sump would not impact the level of the DT unless your pump starts to run dry. If the pump is pumping the same amount of water the amount in the return section is moot to the level in the DT.

 

[Potatohead]

Bean is no more consistant than herbie but has second emergency

Yes buildup and such can impact things but over the long haul and not short term. If you have rises and drops daily then you have something else impacting your system.

Standing water level in sump would not impact the level of the DT unless your pump starts to run dry. If the pump is pumping the same amount of water the amount in the return section is moot to the level in the DT.

I don't really want to argue about this and we are getting off topic, but again physics disagrees. Standing water level changes head pressure which changes return flow rate. Clogging filter socks slow the drain rate, etc etc.

You are correct in that neither system is more consistent than the other, but that's the point. They are pretty consistent overall but they are not perfect, and even small fluctuations cause overflow level changes.

The work around is to set your lowest level with just a tiny trickle so any time the level rises, the excess goes down the emergency drain and the level in the overflow remains constant. The Bean came along because he was concerned this trickle could allow something into the e-drain to block it, so a second (dry) e-drain was added. You are also very slightly reducing the capacity of your emergency running a trickle. In reality, most systems that are designed properly will not overwhelm the first e-drain, nor should they have enough water in the return section to flood the tank in the event of complete drain blockage - But this of course would likely kill the return pump if it was left to suck air for long, although that's better than a flooded room.

Another work around is to throttle back the return pump very slightly so that when it is flowing more freely or with less head pressure/higher return chamber level, it is held back to where it was set.

Most people running Herbie's do get an inch or two of movement, but with a large enough system it's not enough change to really matter, especially considering most people have the siphon drain and emergency drain heights at least 6" apart.

 

[homer1475]

I run a herbie and would have to agree with soul on this one.

Other then a couple MM in the overflow, mine never fluctuates, and I never have to move the gate valve now that I have it set properly. I have mine set so the water is right up to the top of the E-drain but not trickling down. it only starts to trickle when the socks are plugged up. Change out the sock and the water level is right back to where it was.

 

[soulpatch]

Most people running Herbie's do get an inch or two of movement, but with a large enough system it's not enough change to really matter, especially considering most people have the siphon drain and emergency drain heights at least 6" apart.

No no they dont. If you had said Durso then I would agree but those with Herbie/bean are not typically getting that type of movement and I run my emergency dry on my herbie.

Matching your return to your drain is key and it sounds as if you have other issues goin on. Physics plays a role yes but the flucuation in head pressure before an ato kicks on drives perhaps a mm or two difference. Grime in pipes is over time and accounted for with maintenance or gate valves. If you have that flucuation of inches in your overflow you have other things going on.

Feel free to ping me for access to my webcam and I will get you the details tonight if you think its not possible...I have no qualms showing a darn near constant (within a couple mm) water level in overflow all day...

 

[Potatohead]

No no they dont.

Really?

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/

There can't really be any other issues, unless you have six 90's or something in your drain line, and even then it shouldn't really matter until you are trying to re-start the siphon.

I am basing my opinion on my old setup and this setup is only a few days old since I just got this new tank. I will monitor it for a few days and report back. I still think the design of these overflows on the systems is quite good.


Anyway, I'm glad your system is working well for you :thumbsup:

 

[soulpatch]

Really?

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/


Anyway, I'm glad your system is working well for you :thumbsup:

Not sure why you are posting that. Reason for 6inch difference is not the raising and lowering in the overflow. It is so you can have the water level high without sucking in air from the main drain. Nothing on the site leads credence to your comments about raising and lowering inches.

My comment about the durso was if you are using that style pipe for the main drain as opposed to an open pipe as on the gmac site then you are dealing with air and that WILL cause the overflow to raise and lower but a decent margin.

I suggest you ping Herbie. he is on here and has his own thread. I think you need to go over your setup with him as you have something wrong with that amount of water movement. If I were to lay claim I would think you have air in your system altering your water flows as the pocket builds then is purged. But too many of us rock the setup with numerous videos online and/or webcams you can jump onto to see that the type of movement you are talking about is not normal.

 

[soulpatch]

I am basing my opinion on my old setup and this setup is only a few days old since I just got this new tank. I will monitor it for a few days and report back. I still think the design of these overflows on the systems is quite good.

Feel free to post up pics of your current plumbing in here too for us to take a look. Plenty of people have caught my moments where I was blind to something under my tank and more recently in it with water parameters going out of whack.

 

[Potatohead]

Not sure why you are posting that. Reason for 6inch difference is not the raising and lowering in the overflow. It is so you can have the water level high without sucking in air from the main drain. Nothing on the site leads credence to your comments about raising and lowering inches.

My comment about the durso was if you are using that style pipe for the main drain as opposed to an open pipe as on the gmac site then you are dealing with air and that WILL cause the overflow to raise and lower but a decent margin.

I suggest you ping Herbie. he is on here and has his own thread. I think you need to go over your setup with him as you have something wrong with that amount of water movement. If I were to lay claim I would think you have air in your system altering your water flows as the pocket builds then is purged. But too many of us rock the setup with numerous videos online and/or webcams you can jump onto to see that the type of movement you are talking about is not normal.

Sorry I just re-read your post and I misconstrued what you said - I thought you said most people don't have a six inch spread from drain to emergency, but you actually said they don't have a couple inch spread in the overflow level.

As I edited above this system has only been running a couple days so I will monitor it and report back. My previous system had about 3/4" variance but the overflow was also very small. Believe me, I want nothing more than for it to maintain a mainly constant level in this setup. My drain consists of exactly what came in the SCA kit, which is a 90° elbow at the bulkhead exit and then soft line to a gate valve installed at the end in a vertical position right above a filter sock, it is as simple as it can get.

 

[soulpatch]

I woudl flip the 90 for a 45 if you can. 90s can trap air. Herbie does take some trial and error as you have to slowly mess witht he gate valve on the return to align with the needs of your tank but once you get it you will see how stable it is.

I adjust my system perhaps once every 6 months but otherwise stays silent and stable.

Good luck and if you continue to have any variance post up and let us know. I have a ton of help I need to try to repay to the community over the course of my last 2+ years on this site.

 

[TechnicalFisher]

After looking for a long time, I finally pulled the trigger on an SCA 50 Cube. Went with the PNP setup with an upgraded wood stand in white. Unfortunately we've had some shipping woes, the first tank arrived with a large scratch on the inside front glass and the second one arrived shattered. Each time, Steve has been incredibly responsive and a real pleasure to deal with. The third tank is on its way and hopefully will be here next week.

So, with time to spare, I've started working on my plumbing and had a quick question. Here's the current setup that I've mocked up (though there is going to be a union on the center pipe as well- in the same place) and I'm debating the return.



I'd like to do a reactor and was considering putting a T or manifold off the return to run return water to the reactor. Ideally, I'd like to put the reactor in the fish room behind the tank, which is about a 3-4' run with maybe 3' of rise. With the standard PH2500 return pump that comes with the system am I asking for trouble trying to run the reactor off the return line rather than just putting a dedicated powerhead in the sump. I'd like to keep the sump as clean as possible but don't want to sacrifice too much flow on the return.

 

[CafeReef]

I honestly do not trust the PH2500 return pump that's included with the 50PNP at all. I never used it in my setup and immediately swapped it out for a DC return pump. I use the PH2500 for water changes only. I would say you will have far to much head pressure to run a reactor off a 3-4 distance and return back to the tank. Upgrade the return

 

[CafeReef]

also if your wanting to get creative while you have it all fresh, you can alter the sump to your own configuration. I cut all the baffles out of mine and redid the sump. Much happier now.

Once I gut all the baffles out I used a $2 glass cutter from home depot and laid out the new format.

design

final product

 

[ryshark]

After looking for a long time, I finally pulled the trigger on an SCA 50 Cube. Went with the PNP setup with an upgraded wood stand in white. Unfortunately we've had some shipping woes, the first tank arrived with a large scratch on the inside front glass and the second one arrived shattered. Each time, Steve has been incredibly responsive and a real pleasure to deal with. The third tank is on its way and hopefully will be here next week.

So, with time to spare, I've started working on my plumbing and had a quick question. Here's the current setup that I've mocked up (though there is going to be a union on the center pipe as well- in the same place) and I'm debating the return.

View attachment 363752

I'd like to do a reactor and was considering putting a T or manifold off the return to run return water to the reactor. Ideally, I'd like to put the reactor in the fish room behind the tank, which is about a 3-4' run with maybe 3' of rise. With the standard PH2500 return pump that comes with the system am I asking for trouble trying to run the reactor off the return line rather than just putting a dedicated powerhead in the sump. I'd like to keep the sump as clean as possible but don't want to sacrifice too much flow on the return.

You can T off your return line for a reactor, no problem. Just remember that will calculate into your head pressure. That's what I did too. One less pump and one less thing to plug in.

 

[ReefCowboy]

I honestly do not trust the PH2500 return pump that's included with the 50PNP at all. I never used it in my setup and immediately swapped it out for a DC return pump. I use the PH2500 for water changes only. I would say you will have far to much head pressure to run a reactor off a 3-4 distance and return back to the tank. Upgrade the return

I don't run the Atman pumps as return, but have had them used in skimmers without any issues. What is your opinion on them?

 

[CafeReef]

I don't run the Atman pumps as return, but have had them used in skimmers without any issues. What is your opinion on them?

I use mine as a dedicated water change pump. I have a hose on it that I submerge in my water change bucket and use it to pump new water into my tank during changes. It works 80% of the time, 20% of the time it has to be unplugged and jostled a bit to get started or will just stop. Ive seen a few other people post on the SCA facebook page having similar issues. Not saying it's necessarily a terrible pump, I just dont trust it if I am not around it is all. Personal decision.

 

[ryshark]

I use mine as a dedicated water change pump. I have a hose on it that I submerge in my water change bucket and use it to pump new water into my tank during changes. It works 80% of the time, 20% of the time it has to be unplugged and jostled a bit to get started or will just stop. Ive seen a few other people post on the SCA facebook page having similar issues. Not saying it's necessarily a terrible pump, I just dont trust it if I am not around it is all. Personal decision.

I'm planning on using mine for the same purpose. Is it too powerful to drop into a 20 or 32-gallon brute trash can to mix salt / rodi?

 

[CafeReef]

I'm planning on using mine for the same purpose. Is it too powerful to drop into a 20 or 32-gallon brute trash can to mix salt / rodi?

Id recommend making a stand pipe for it.

Ive seen people do a verticle PVC pipe so it's like a T with 45's off the ends of the T so that it gives you a spinning/mixing motion. But no I dont think it would be to powerful. It takes me about a good minute or so to empty a 5 gallon bucket with 8 feet of head pressure through flexible tubing.

 

[ryshark]

Id recommend making a stand pipe for it.

Ive seen people do a verticle PVC pipe so it's like a T with 45's off the ends of the T so that it gives you a spinning/mixing motion. But no I dont think it would be to powerful. It takes me about a good minute or so to empty a 5 gallon bucket with 8 feet of head pressure through flexible tubing.

That standpipe thing is a good idea, thanks. I'll see if I can find a picture before I make one.
I wonder if it's fine to glue pvc directly to the barn on the atman pump.?.?.

 

[ReefCowboy]

I use mine as a dedicated water change pump. I have a hose on it that I submerge in my water change bucket and use it to pump new water into my tank during changes. It works 80% of the time, 20% of the time it has to be unplugged and jostled a bit to get started or will just stop. Ive seen a few other people post on the SCA facebook page having similar issues. Not saying it's necessarily a terrible pump, I just dont trust it if I am not around it is all. Personal decision.

I understand. I have a skimmer that carries two Atman PH2000'S and it does a great job, however if I shut it off when it has gone long times without maintenance, I need to lift the skimmer off the water level in order for the pumps to crank on again. I have though Maxi Jets and a sicce pump in a small skimmer (eshopps) that does the same thing. I wonder why that happens

 

[z3speed4me]

Hey guys.... any thoughts? Randomly noticed all my euphyllia were closed up yesterday when they were happy on Monday, checked my parameters and my nitrates jumped up to btw 20-40, I'd call it 30 as the color is in between. Nitrite and Ammonia were undetectable though.

Already went through cycle, never had this happen with my other 2 tanks. Can I try a bottle of the quick start bacteria to drop it for now? I just changed 20 gallons of water last night and am doing another 10 now for what should be almost a 50% change with new stuff (its a 75) and have my skimmer purposely skimming a nip wet to try and pull everything out of the water as possible right now.

Sump bottom already has some junk collecting on the bottom and not sure how its getting past my filter sock and skimmer (emergency has a drip, not even a trickle so it cant be coming from there). Assuming this waste excess is causing the issue, going to siphon up, but need to find the root cause. I see plenty of people use the stock sump with no issues