Eclipse Power Cord and Water

[als]

Hi,

 

I have an Eclipse 2 Bio-Wheel filter and I noticed that the cord to the pump is near the water line. Is it OK to place this cord in the water?

 

Also, I added Instant Ocean yesterday and the tank has been cycling since then. There is still some large salt crystals that have not dissolved (even stirred it) is this normal?

 

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Just joined today.

[1fish2fish]

If I understand your question correctly you are talking about where the chord enters the pump housing. The pump and chord will be sealed with epoxy resin so it shouldn't be a proplem.

 

Also don't forget to put a drip loop on your power chords. This will prevent water from dripping all the way down your chords and into the power outlet. Basically just make sure a portion of the cable sags lower than the power outlet or power bar.

 

As for the salt. It's possible that you just don't have enough current going past the large crystals. If they are large chunks I would pick them up and try to crush them. Sometimes you can get pretty solid chunks of slat in your mix. These take awhile to dissolve. Little crystals dissolve better than large chunks. I've always fouond it best to mix my salt in a 5 gal bucket with a powerhead and a heater and break up any larger chunks as I put the salt in..

[Aiptasia]

Yes, a drip loop is crucial. It's also a good idea to use GFI (ground fault interrupt) power outlets on fish tanks. People have been known to electrocute themselves, and I once had a tank skimmer spew wet foam while I was at work and spill out directy onto a power outlet, causing a small electical fire. God that was a mess. Anyway, GFI's are easy to install. Just be careful with water and electricity.

 

I'd also advise mixing your sea salts in a separate container rather than in the aquarium itself. I use a clean 5 gallon paint bucket that's never been used for anything but fish tank water. Don't use a bucket that's had chemicals in it, or a metal one. They're like $2 at lowes or home depot.

[als]

Thanks for the replies.

 

The tank just has saltwater right now (no sand or coral) there's just a bunch of powdered looking soap flakes (salt) on the tank floor. Any suggestions on what to do before adding the coral?

 

There is about 1/2 teaspoon of that salt flake stuff on the tank floor.

[Aiptasia]

Grab a fish net or long handled algae scrubber and try mixing up the crystals into the tank water, so they'll dissolve. It's a good idea to have a hydrometer (your LFS will have them if they carry saltwater supplies, $10-$20) so that you know just how much salt to add to your water. Aim for a specific gravity (SG) of 1.022 to 1.024 and your water will be in the range for most reef sea water.

 

Also, it's a good idea to check the salinity of your sea water in the tank itself. As the lights run and the filters flow, some of the water will evaporate, leaving behind the salt, thus increasing the salt concentration of your tank water. What you do is to slowly add some freshwater as make up water from the evaporation. It's best to slowly pour or drip this water into the tank into flowing water (filter outlet, powerhead stream).

 

Once again, use the purest water you can find (steam distilled, RO/DI or RO water). You can also add buffers or additives to your evap water, such as extra calcium or iodide, to help replenish what the corals/inverts use before your next water change.

[als]

Originally posted by AbSoluTc

Does your tank have a heater?

 

It has a Ebo-Jager Heater