Rick Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Can I say I hate sumps in here?......I really really do. I am so tired of re-working the flow on this thing...you have no idea. I would almost pay someone in frags to come and re-vamp my stuff as I can't seem to figure out what to do. Almost or would? I may be willing to come over and help figure it out in exchange for a frag or two. I already will be going over in that general area sometime soon to help set up an RO/DI unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 I am starting to think would. I am going to mess with it for a couple more days... We can talk via pm....sorry for the thread hijack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpunk Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 2 are better. The T increases the chance of something clogging the pipe at that point. yea if a clog happens in there you are hosed(laugh)... Another option is to leave it but put 2 T's side by side with two lines going into the sump. It will keep it clean and allow for a blockage. That way you still have the flow from both if one does get clogged to try and plunge it out by valving off the good one still. I would use a gurgle buster in those overflows too unless you don't care about the bad sound it is going to constantly make. How did your sump end up turning out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted November 14, 2009 Author Share Posted November 14, 2009 Sump turned out good, just slid a piece of acrylic I had in there for a final chamber. This is the plumbing I ended up with. Got another question for you lighting guys. I tore apart my Compact flouresent light. Cheap knock off. Worked good for the last year or so on my tank, but has had some issues. I would like to try and retrofit the parts into my canopy. Looking at the ballast it say can be used for CF or T5HO. I would rather go with T5's since I think they light much better, not to mention CF's are really spendy. Can this be done and how? Also, would you just mount the reflectors to the roof of the canopy and mount the ballasts elsewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 .... I would rather go with T5's since I think they light much better, not to mention CF's are really spendy. Can this be done and how? Also, would you just mount the reflectors to the roof of the canopy and mount the ballasts elsewhere? Yes, it can be done. Search for a wiring diagram for the ballast. The website for it probably already has diagrams showing the different ways the ballast can be wired up for various lights. You will also need the endcaps for the T5's and the bulbs of course. I'm pretty sure the endcaps are the same as a normal flourescent light though so HD or Lowe's should have them. Personally I think I would try to mount the ballast inside the hood. That would keep it closer to the lights, above water level, and the wiring wouldn't need to be extended as far between the lights and ballast. If you have a better place in mind though it really will not make much difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 So would each ballast just run one lamp or two? would two be good enough lighting for a 55gal? Wow, its weird, I think I asked less questions when I set up my 180. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 Looks like 1 http://www.ace-ballast.com/articles/pdf/TSS-UV96PBXMS.pdf So I can get the end caps at lowes or HD. Best place locally to get t5 bulbs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 Looks like 1 http://www.ace-ballast.com/articles/pdf/TSS-UV96PBXMS.pdf So I can get the end caps at lowes or HD. Best place locally to get t5 bulbs? I think Patrick has a bunch. I'm sure others do as well but he is probably the closest. Be sure you get the bulbs first to be sure the end caps are right. I know the normal T12 and T5 bulbs use the same endcap but I'm not sure if the high output T5 is the same or not as a normal T5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 Final plumbing unless anyone sees anything wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 You should mount your powerstrips before anything else. Make sure you account for evap and such also. I am going to be embarking on moving my power arrangement here shortly and I am seriously regretting not doing this before setting up the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 You should mount your powerstrips before anything else. Make sure you account for evap and such also. I am going to be embarking on moving my power arrangement here shortly and I am seriously regretting not doing this before setting up the tank. Oh yeah, nothing is set in place yet, just seeing how things look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpunk Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 Final plumbing unless anyone sees anything wrong. I think I would shorten it up to just below the water line to make sure that the water circulates as much as possible. Like that you will just be pushing the fresh water through and some of the old will stay in the first chamber. Also is there any reason you put notches in the tall sump wall? I think I would either try to seal those up or notch the whole thing all the way across. If you are pushing any bit of water at all it's going to bottle neck and probably push hard through those sides and create air bubbles. May be worth a quick test with a storage container and the pumps to see how it reacts?(scratch) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 Well mostly because I suck with my router. I just have a small router table and I couldnt get all the way across without doing it freehand and that would look really bad. Ill fill it up tommorow and see how it works, I can fix it if it poses an issue. Thanks for the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 If you're doing a retrofit for the T5's, I would suggest waterproof end caps. Unless there is a lot of distance between your lights and the water, you are likely to get some splash, which will corrode them and can cause real problems. Alternately, you could put some kind of splash guard like a clear acrylic sheet over the whole thing to keep from getting salt etching on your reflectors, as well. Rick's right, it doesn't matter a whole lot where the ballasts are located. Just a matter of how much wire you have to work with, etc. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted November 18, 2009 Author Share Posted November 18, 2009 Yeah I looked at home depot and lowes and didnt find anything. I guess I will order some up online. Got the plumbing glued up and some aragonite in. Kinda holding up till I can afford some rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 How many lights do you need to do? I have some extra end caps from a couple of shop lights I tore apart that may work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted November 18, 2009 Author Share Posted November 18, 2009 Do they not have to be specific for T5? If so I have some shop lights laying around that are not being used? The water proof endcaps are pretty cheap online. Just need 2 pairs of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Do they not have to be specific for T5? If so I have some shop lights laying around that are not being used? The water proof endcaps are pretty cheap online. Just need 2 pairs of them. Normal T5 and T12 use the same end caps. I.E. Normal shop light end caps should work. You will need to double check though to make sure the T5 used for aquarium lighting has the same ends as a normal T5 bulb. You can probably just measure the distance between the prongs on one of the bulbs and compare it. Or just go to Petco or Petsmart and grab both bulbs and check the ends. If I ordered online I would go with the waterproof but I just use the end caps and ballasts from the shop lights since they are cheap and I can put the ballast to use as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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