Zak's 4ft

DSB's need to be very big, about as big as the footprint in your DT to work properly, so dont loose sleep over it :) .. For the Liver rock, you should get some salt, mix it in some RO water in a bucket. Get the SG to 1.020 at least, put a circulation pump in and then keep the rock there. You dont really need a heater now because its pretty hot
 
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Thanks Tremayn,

Iv done just that.. its gonna be about 2 weks before everything is up and running, is there anything else i can do in the meantime to keep the rocks happy and healthy?
 
I will definitely change the size of the return chamber, thanks guys for all the input. If theres a Reeftek fundi out there, can you please tell me the ideal EXTERNAL water level of the skimmer chamber ie, the sump water level.. Indicate in cm as per attachment :)

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Oh and add a little air pump to the bucket with the live rock just to oxygenate the water. Message Annoying with regards to the water level for the TS3 as he has one :)
 
Update

Here's an update..

DT finally arrived..

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Sump construction in progress, i have increased the size of the return chamber as recommended by MASA..

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Couple of questions:

1. How necessary is the deflection plate over the DSB? There will be about 12cm of water above the DSB..

2. Can anyone shed some light on a Durso? How do i build it an where can i find the fittings?

3. Iv purchase crushed coral sand, of about 1mm (maybe less) grain for the DT, is this ok?

4. Recommendations on substrate for DSB? Where in JHB can i find playsand of good quality for DSB? Is it worth purchasing Arag Alive?
 
zak said:
Here's an update..


Couple of questions:

1. How necessary is the deflection plate over the DSB? There will be about 12cm of water above the DSB.. you want the water to flow slowly over and across the sand, this is improve the usage of the dsb

2. Can anyone shed some light on a Durso? How do i build it an where can i find the fittings? search masa for durso stand pipe or go to Durso Standpipes

3. Iv purchase crushed coral sand, of about 1mm (maybe less) grain for the DT, is this ok? thats perfect, you would only need to go thicker if your livestock require it, gobies, sand sifting stars etc

4. Recommendations on substrate for DSB? Where in JHB can i find playsand of good quality for DSB? Is it worth purchasing Arag Alive?
i use reggies play sand and clean it until water is clear, dont waste your money on araga-live for dsb, unless you adding a thin layer on top to start the cycle, but then i would rather use carib-sea miracle mud
Click to expand...

Tank looks awesome :)
 
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Hey bud, if your sump is going underneath your DT, you've got a problem..... I own that exact same tank and a TS3 will never fit in there. I have a TS2 and it just fits.... If you going to have your sump outside of your cabinet then its fine or use the TS3 externally...

I'm looking forward to seeing your setup growing, so that I can see how our 2 identical systems will progress.

So tagging in on this one...:peroni::peroni:
 
Hey Maxi,

According to my measurements, the skimmer should fit.. I had the wooden stand reinforced with steal. So basically the cabinet is built around the steal stand. The entire skimmer will fit in through the back of the stand, whilst the collection cup easily comes out through the front. I bought the skimmer first, so i knew exactly what to aim for when purchasing the DT and stand..
 
I only found the playsand in Babyboom, I never found play sand at reggies and I went to 3 different ones in JHB :whistling:
 
zak said:
Hey Maxi,

According to my measurements, the skimmer should fit.. I had the wooden stand reinforced with steal. So basically the cabinet is built around the steal stand. The entire skimmer will fit in through the back of the stand, whilst the collection cup easily comes out through the front. I bought the skimmer first, so i knew exactly what to aim for when purchasing the DT and stand..
Click to expand...

Ok cool... good thinking there.... Sigh... wish I had done more research before getting the impulse to buy first and ask questions later.... in 3 months I went from a little sump to two, am on my second skimmer already, gave away a big bag of bio balls, ceramic rings, etc, bought 39w T5's then decided on 54w, etc.... :p
 
Tremayn,

Tell me about this Babyroom where is it situated? Hows the quality of the playsand,silicates etc? Have you had any issues?
 
Iv got a problem with the overflow, please help..

I fitted a durso, theres no noise from the DT but lotsa noise from the pipes under the DT. And the water entering the sump has lots of bubbles.. is this normal?
 
zak said:
Iv got a problem with the overflow, please help..

I fitted a durso, theres no noise from the DT but lotsa noise from the pipes under the DT. And the water entering the sump has lots of bubbles.. is this normal?
Click to expand...

bubbles are normal.if you want you can take a stocking with a cable tie and put it around the pipe entering the sump to help stop the bubbles from splashing all over the place.dont make it too tight so that you can take the stocking off to clean it out or to replace it.now the noice issue you can try add a ball valve to your overflow pipe.try put it where it will be easy to acces and just close it slightly so that the water entering the sump will build up slightly and stop gurggling in the pipe.just watch your water level in your overflow that it doesnt raise to much and overflow.play with it untill you happy with the noise and your water level.
hope this helps;)
 
Thanks Clinton, What is a ball valve and where can i get one? Does the ball valve go into the DT or the sump end of the overflow?
 
zak said:
Thanks Clinton, What is a ball valve and where can i get one? Does the ball valve go into the DT or the sump end of the overflow?
Click to expand...

a ball valve is a fitting where the pipe comes in from each end.it has a little handle on the top wich turns the ball inside the valve to regulate the water flow.you can attach the valve to the pipe wich comes down into your sump.either just below your overflow or just before it enters the sump.depends how easy it is for you to reach it.you can get them at any hardware store (mica build) ect ect.just make sure it is PVC and of course the right dimension to fit your overflow pipe.;) i havnt got a pic of one but if you wanto see what it lookes like you can google it.the guys at the hardware store will know what you looking for.
 
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I could only get ball valves from mica in the pool section.. If you have 55mm pipes then you will find the plumbing in the pool section... Before you glue the ball valve in place, just check that you can open and close it properly.. Lol after I filled my tank up I realised that I could only close it a little
 
I got a 50mm ball-valve at Builders about R200 later.. What do i use to stick it in place, something non-toxic?

I found the recommended playsand at Baby zone. Anyone used this before?

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that sand is ok, just wash it properly. Do not believe what is printed on the bag.

I silicone all my plumbing. It will not last, but at least it allow me to run it a while, then to dismantle it and redo with PVC weld. And I always change stuff, so I tend to never get to the PVC weld part.
 
Why won't silicone last? Iv used silicone to glue some joints on the piping on my return pump, if you say it won't last, im a little worried..
 
They can leak easier than PVC weld. I think its mostly because of movement that silicone allow where PVC weld is rigid. I had one joint that leaked. And I could not get to it.

But then again, I had a joint on my big tank, done with PVC that leaked.

But I like doing the joints with silicone. Allow me to change and re-use.

But on closed loops, I would rather use PVC weld. Depends on internal pressure and pump strength.
 
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