Nixperience Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Nice rock work dude. This is going to be nice. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 Still cycling. No sign of nitrites yet. Ammonia still ~3ppm. Just added some rubble that I have placed in my FOWLR for about 2 weeks. Hopefully that will bring some beneficial bacterial over to kick start the cycle. I put both my heater and return pump in the 3rd chamber. While I was waiting, I noticed the return pump would sometimes rattle against the heater and create a humming noise that was starting to irritate me. A reef tank is supposed to relax me not irritate, so I took to myself to create a solution: I cut airline tubings in half along the length and tied them around the pump. Now I can have my sanity back. Link to comment
Pinner Reef Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 Still cycling. No sign of nitrites yet. Ammonia still ~3ppm. Just added some rubble that I have placed in my FOWLR for about 2 weeks. Hopefully that will bring some beneficial bacterial over to kick start the cycle. I put both my heater and return pump in the 3rd chamber. While I was waiting, I noticed the return pump would sometimes rattle against the heater and create a humming noise that was starting to irritate me. A reef tank is supposed to relax me not irritate, so I took to myself to create a solution: I cut airline tubings in half along the length and tied them around the pump. Now I can have my sanity back. Lol Gotta love a good "ghetto" fix! But you are correct, tanks should NOT be irritating in ANY way. My last system was quieter that a ghost's fart. This new one is gonna have all sorts of loud stuff on it. So ya, I understand where you're coming from. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 Surprised I'm not bothered by my loud ass skimmer on my FOWLR but am by this tiny pump. I guess it's because I put my Pico in the dining room while the FOWLR is at my foyer. And by using airline tubing instead of filter floss or sponge, I don't have to worry about gunk be trapped in there becoming a nitrate factory. Lol Gotta love a good "ghetto" fix! But you are correct, tanks should NOT be irritating in ANY way. My last system was quieter that a ghost's fart. This new one is gonna have all sorts of loud stuff on it. So ya, I understand where you're coming from. Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 I think i'm late to the party I have this tank and I did upgrade the pump and added a hydor koralia on the back wall. I also painted the back glass black - personal preference - so the hydor actually doesn't really show. I felt that putting the hydor on the back glass allowed for more random flow off the front as the center overflow blocked the flow if I put the powerhead on the side. Nice mod with the media basket. I also had to silicone the entire overflow box again as it was leaky when I got it. Worked well after that. Oh and I did NOT silicone the bottom between chambers 2 and three. It didn't seem to really have an impact on filtration as much more water went up and over than whatever seeped under the glass baffle. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 Any pictures of your tank? This is a nice (and cheap) little tank but I don't see a lot of people here use it. I'm thinking about putting the stock pump on the back wall blowing to the front. I haven't really tested but I think that is a place where there is the least among of flow. But j guess I will wait until I start putting stuff in. The only concern I have on the leak between the 2nd and 3rd is if somehow the overflow gets blocked, the return pump will not stop stop until the entire overflow is pumped into the display, which will flood. If it's sealed properly, it should only empty the third chamber and leave the other two chambers filled just under the return baffle. I think i'm late to the party I have this tank and I did upgrade the pump and added a hydor koralia on the back wall. I also painted the back glass black - personal preference - so the hydor actually doesn't really show. I felt that putting the hydor on the back glass allowed for more random flow off the front as the center overflow blocked the flow if I put the powerhead on the side. Nice mod with the media basket. I also had to silicone the entire overflow box again as it was leaky when I got it. Worked well after that. Oh and I did NOT silicone the bottom between chambers 2 and three. It didn't seem to really have an impact on filtration as much more water went up and over than whatever seeped under the glass baffle. Link to comment
jbb Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 return pump mod is awesome. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 DIY Julian's thing!This is basically just a rigid airline, a flex airline, and a syringe. I originally used it to siphon out bubble algae as I remove them. (Credits go to Mr Saltwater Tank TV: ) I used the syringe to start the siphon. Now that I'm getting my hands with corals, I thought it can also be used as a coral feeder! I haven't tested it yet but I don't see why it wouldn't work. The only significant difference I can see is that it doesn't have the check valve that Julian's thing has, and the syringe doesn't have rings for better grip. Correct me if I'm wrong.The syringe's nozzle fits a standard airline snugly. If anyone is interested I can see if I can buy more from my work. I used them for a lot of things, from measuring out water for testing, dosing medications to cleaning airline tubes. I got the rigid tubing here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002APYRM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01 Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Any pictures of your tank? This is a nice (and cheap) little tank but I don't see a lot of people here use it. I'm thinking about putting the stock pump on the back wall blowing to the front. I haven't really tested but I think that is a place where there is the least among of flow. But j guess I will wait until I start putting stuff in. The only concern I have on the leak between the 2nd and 3rd is if somehow the overflow gets blocked, the return pump will not stop stop until the entire overflow is pumped into the display, which will flood. If it's sealed properly, it should only empty the third chamber and leave the other two chambers filled just under the return baffle. I'll take a look and see if I have any. I have been ADHD on tank setups lately. this was another that never "made it" to full build. But I'm going to use it either as a macro only tank OR a QT. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 Got some nitrite reading last night when I tested! Went to New York for a weekend and came back to some bacteria in the tank ? Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 In just two days nitrite is all gone and nitrate is here! I dosed another 2 mL of ammonia to bring the ammonia up again to 2ppm. Tank should be ready soon as long as it's chewed up within 24 hours! Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 While I wait for my tank to cycle I already got myself tired of topping off water, so I DIY'd an ATO! I can post my schematic if anyone is interested, but there are enough threads on ATOs in the DIY section so I don't think it is necessary. Total cost: $39.80 (including pump!) Cost breakdown: 2x Float switches: $2.20 (eBay straight from China) 12V DC Relay: $3.43 (eBay straight from China) 2x 6' extension cord: $2.12 (Dollar tree) Tupperware: $1.06 (Dollar tree) Neodymium magnets: $2.79 (eBay straight from China, still on its way) DC 12V power adapter: $2.75 (eBay straight from China) DC power plug (female): $0.99 (eBay straight from China) TOM aqualifter: $15.99 (Amazon) Fresh water Reservoir: $8.47 (Christmas Tree Shop) 2x mini binder clips: $0 (I have some at home) Wires: $0 (I have some spare at home) Airline tubing: $0 (I have some at home) Check valve: $0 (I have some at home) Connecters: $0 (I have some from my currently-on-hold home lighting project) Timer: $0 (I have a spare at home.... And this is just a redundancy so it is not required) Best fresh water container for the season. Now the problem is: What am I going to do after Christmas? My float switches are mounted with magnets in the return chamber. I used 2 to provide redundancy in case 1 got stuck on. I made an L-shape egg crate and super-glued a magnet to the vertical piece. This magnet will hold but can move easily. I am ordering some neodymium magnets to replace these. Relay and powerplugs inside the tupperware Better look of the relay I also ordered the Aqua Lifter holder, but decided it is too bulky for my pico. I can use that when I make an ATO for my main tank. I used a couple mini binder clips and a paper clip to hold the pump itself and the output airline. The binder clips are not touching the water so I hope it will not rust, but if it starts to rust I will have to spray some rust-oleum over. I put the relay on a timer so it will only turn on 4x a day. Given the low flow rate of the Aqua Lifter and the restriction from the check valve, I am hoping it will prevent flooding my dinning room in case both float switches fail on me. Link to comment
Pinner Reef Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 woo! hope everything is up to par with the cycling! I built a DIY topoff as well. Your's is much better, more redundant than mine. Looks like you're doing your research. Keep up the good work! Link to comment
Nixperience Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Nice job on the ATO! I'm just going to get the osmolator and call it a day. You're doing good things. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 The osmolator is great! Are you getting the universal or the nano? I like how the universal has an electronic eye, but I really don't think it'll fit into my tight space. The biggest reason to DIY though really is just to cut cost. Link to comment
Nixperience Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 The osmolator is great! Are you getting the universal or the nano? I like how the universal has an electronic eye, but I really don't think it'll fit into my tight space. The biggest reason to DIY though really is just to cut cost. I wish I could do the universal, but I just can't justify another $100 for the optical eye. I'll probably go with the nano unless I come across a spectacular deal. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 The nano is $85 on marine depot right now with their 15% Black Friday coupon code. IM and Hydor make ones that are electronic which sells for about $70. I know the Tunze has a 5 minute shut off feature but if I'm shelling out so much money I want something that isn't based in a float switch.... I wish I could do the universal, but I just can't justify another $100 for the optical eye. I'll probably go with the nano unless I come across a spectacular deal. Link to comment
Nixperience Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 The nano is $85 on marine depot right now with their 15% Black Friday coupon code. IM and Hydor make ones that are electronic which sells for about $70. I know the Tunze has a 5 minute shut off feature but if I'm shelling out so much money I want something that isn't based in a float switch....I'm having a hard time deciding on this one. I don't want to spend too much money on the easiest thing to manually do for my tank. if I could find the universal under $150, I think I would do that. What are some other good options around $100 if possible? How is the AutoAqua smart ATO? That one looks really nice. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 The Tunze comes with the pump so you don't have to worry. Like I said its $85 right now. JBJ has one that runs on 2 float switches. I don't think it comes with a pump so an Aqualifter is another $16 to invest on. It's $68 after discount on marine depot so it'll be just about the same as the osmolator nano. http://m.marinedepot.com/products/jb5111/jbj-ato-automatic-top-off-system-water-level-controller Hydor has one that doesn't use float switch. It has some kind of electronic sensor. The thing I don't like is you cannot adjust the difference in height oh "high" and "low" level. It's $85 after discount on marin depot, without pump. http://m.marinedepot.com/products/hd01043/hydor-smart-level-control-ato-system Innovative marine makes one that uses electrical current to detect water level. It's $70 on eBay without pump. http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/121784133516 The Autoaqua is around $150 I think. And if I'm correct it comes with a pump. I've heard good things about it but haven't done very much research. I could get this instead of the Tunze universal though if I were you. No need for the extra float switch. I still think if you want it cheap you can DIY. It's an easy 2-hour project once you get all the parts. Egg crate mount can be hidden in the overflow chamber, or you can always make an acrylic holder yourself. The relay is put inside a Tupperware and I hide it underneath my cabinet. It's a pretty clean and out of sight So it shouldn't add to the clutter. Link to comment
Nixperience Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I think the AutoAqua will be the best for my small tank since it seems to have the smallest footprint and does smaller more frequent topoffs. Coupon code doesn't apply to that one unfortunately, so I will keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on one. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 I sure hope you don't only have 1 float switch connected directly to 110V AC current ungrounded! woo! hope everything is up to par with the cycling! I built a DIY topoff as well. Your's is much better, more redundant than mine. Looks like you're doing your research. Keep up the good work! Link to comment
Pinner Reef Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I sure hope you don't only have 1 float switch connected directly to 110V AC current ungrounded! No no no... well, yes that's exactly what it was. Just spliced a single cheap ass Chinese float switch into the positive wire of a small powerhead. (Don't do this ppl!) My "triple redundancy" was power strip, GCFI, 20yr old 15amp screw-in house fuse... I WAS YOUNG(er)! Still surprised the thing didn't catch fire. Link to comment
dandelion Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 Haha to be honest I still don't have a GFCI on this tank. Let me order one today.... Though I may as well switch all my outlets at home to GFCI hehe. At least I have drip loops. No no no... well, yes that's exactly what it was. Just spliced a single cheap ass Chinese float switch into the positive wire of a small powerhead. (Don't do this ppl!) My "triple redundancy" was power strip, GCFI, 20yr old 15amp screw-in house fuse... I WAS YOUNG(er)! Still surprised the thing didn't catch fire. I think the Autoaqua is made in Taiwan. I've wondered if it'll be any cheaper if I can order it straight from Taiwan or China. I think the AutoAqua will be the best for my small tank since it seems to have the smallest footprint and does smaller more frequent topoffs. Coupon code doesn't apply to that one unfortunately, so I will keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on one. Link to comment
Nixperience Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I ordered the AutoAqua. It's better than the tunze nano and way smaller than the universal so I think it will be perfect for my 11 gallon build. Link to comment
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