tank stand

[Ladiebuggy]

OK, quite a bit later than I had planned, but here it is. The roll out sump is pretty cool, but I am afraid that the wheels will not hold the weight of 20 gallons of water, so those may need to be changed. Over all I am pleased at how it turned out. Now it is time to get the plumbing done, and that freaks me out. I am hoping that the pumps are still on sale at Cichlids and Salt so I can pick them up this week or next. I see that my $100 in rock is going to get lost in the new tank, so I am begining to see the money pit theme coming to life before my eyes.

[spayne]

Fabulous stand! I do like the roll out sump idea. Make it a bit more accessible! It is amazing how much money these little boxes of water can suck right out of you. We have so much money invested in rock for the 240 and it still needs a bunch more! (crazy)

Stacy

[impur]

Looks good!! We should all get together and make our own rock this summer!! I'm going to need some when i begin setting up the 55 in a few months.

[Michael7979]

You should talk to Roger (Mr. S), see if his class is still making it. They might be able to hook you up.

[spayne]

Yeah, a DIY rock meeting! That could be great, messy fun!

Stacy

[Ahbrit]

that would actually be a lot of fun

[Michael7979]

Maybe Roger can hook it up (meeting there)and we can make some for his tanks OR the kids can make some to sell OR whatever.

[Chief]

I smell a school fundraiser. Could be good for everyone. They might be able to get the materials donated, make some rock and have a huge rock sale. I'm in. (icon)

Jay

[Fenmere]

You mean like a 'bake sale' :)

[Ladiebuggy]

so why is it that I have become a junior member now instead of a member?
Susie

[Flashardy]

They make door glides that hold 100LBS per 1, so two would hold 200LBS. may or may not help you? yes that is a cool idea though, i was thinking the same thing to when i made mine.

[Michael7979]

You mean like a 'bake sale' :)



MMMMMMMMMMM........cookies.hungry yahoo popcorn (drooler)

[Ladiebuggy]

Now I am totally freaked out. I finally got all the parts and hooked them up. I thought it would be nice to get the system up and going before going to bed. I work at 6 am, so this was a commitment at 11 pm. Well, the sump got lots of water backed up into it, and about 10 gallons poured out on the floor before I could figure out how to make it stopwasnt me . Well, at midnight I went to bed more cunfused:confused: than ever and with y tank still not going. today I am going to attempt to figure out what went wrong. I am guessing that I have one of the pumps pumping the wrong direction. Maybe even both because the skimmer had water pouring out the top as well. If all else fails, I have a tank to throw my living rocks at.
Susienutty violin :mad: :mad: DOH! DOH! :mad: :mad:
(stupid)

[impur]

Did the flood happen while the tank was running? You might just have too much water in the system. Or you might have more flow than the overflow can handle. Try putting a ball/gate valve on the return line and throttle it back a bit. Can you dial down the skimmer to the min water level to keep it from overflowing?

[Ladiebuggy]

I had to take some ponder time, and when I went back to my project, I realized that I had ignorantly turned on the whole system at once, so I was not able to see if the proble came from the skimmer or the sump to tank loop. I was able to problem solve and found that the water came down the tube that had been pumping it up from the sump. I stuck a block under the outlet and now it is at water level. This has solved the first problem. My next problem is that the skimmer just pumps in, but has no bubble action and then the water pours out the top. I don't know what is going on with it. A friend that is more familar with skimmers came over a looked at it but was not able to figure it out. It is a Jebo 520. Does anyone have any experience with one?

On a good note, my water is in great shape and I have been able to now begin to put some creatures in. I started this project in December, so to get the first fish in is very rewarding. To keep it alive will be even more rewarding.

Susie

[impur]

Sounds like you need a syphon break. Drill a small hole just under the water line on the return line. This will add air to the line and break the back syphon. Then you can get rid of the block.

As far as the skimmer, is the venturi blocked? Can you blow into the airline and see air going into the skimmer chamber?

[Ladiebuggy]

That makes perfect since about the hole to break the flow going backwards. Thanks for the tip. As far as the skimmer goes, I can blow air in through the tube. I am perplexed and frusterated at the thing, so for the mean time I hooked a couple of hang off the back skimmers to help with water quality.

I put some fish in the tank, and they are doing great. It is fun to finally see something swimming around. I picked up three Blue Tangs from Cichlids and Salt. They are about 1" to 1 1/2" and totally cute. Their blue and yellow show up great under the MH400's.

Susie