Upgrade from 100L to 250L

[Admiraltian]

Looking fwd to more updates & pics!!

[FaLong]

Alright! Objective for the weekend achieved:

-The sump is now filled up with 35L (I bought at the LFS to save time)

- I bought 4kg of live rock that I will leave temporally in the sump

I have put a pipe to connect the pump and drive the flow from phase 3 to phase 1 of the sump.

I will wait one week and observe. Then, I will top up enough water in the main tank to reach the overflow and connect the pump in the sump to the return pipe.

Do you think I will have an amonia spike in the sump water or the bacteria in the live rock will be able to handle it?

[Dave Lim]

Hmm ur sump design. Where u intend to place the protein skimmer? The LR portion??

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[FaLong]

Hmm ur sump design. Where u intend to place the protein skimmer? The LR portion??

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Yup. I plan to move the LR to the display tank and put there the skimmer.

Here are more details about my sump design. Any advise is welcome!

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/138030-Set-up-new-sump

[Dave Lim]

What uv u using? Don use china type one, have seen 1 melt before. At least the coralife uv twist will be better

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[FaLong]

In only one day, amonia in the sump tank has growth much more than I expected.

On the other hand NO2 is growing and there are already trace of NO3. I hope using the LR will help to reduce the cycling process.

This also has raised a point I didn't think about it before: I will need some extra water for getting rid of the amonia, before connecting the tanks.

[FaLong]

BONUS:

I managed to save these new friends who came hidden in the LR. They were trying to run away from amonia, so I could trap them and move them to my display tank:

- 1 starfish

- 2 crabs

- 1 hermit crab

- 1 snail

- 1 lobster look alike crab

[FaLong]

What uv u using? Don use china type one, have seen 1 melt before. At least the coralife uv twist will be better

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I still don't own one. I will get one when the sump starts running.

[JMW]

hmm how come there's ammonia spike? Thought you using LR from your existing tank?

Btw, that looks like a pistol shrimp? It has only one big pincer right?

[daveyy]

Actually. I use stability to start my tank. It helps.

I also use my skim mate from my other tank to kick start the cycling process.

Within 2 week. Tank fully cycle. Fish go in on the 15th day.

Uv shouldnt be on as good bacteria might be free floating. Only on for 24hr before u intend to put fish inside

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[FaLong]

hmm how come there's ammonia spike? Thought you using LR from your existing tank?

Thats exactly the CORRECT way to do it, and how I should have proceed... but I became overambitious, I thought that I could top up some extra LR that I will need for my DT. I am afraid that now I have screwed it and now is like having to different aquariums. I guess that trying to get a shortcut has only brought me to a longer wait...

Btw, that looks like a pistol shrimp? It has only one big pincer right?

Yes, exactly! Is it coral friendly? Shall I keep it or better remove it?

[JMW]

Yup the ammonia spoke is most prob from something that has died inside the new LR? You can ID which are the new rocks right? One way to cfm which LR is the problematic one, can try the smell test   as long as it stinks & doesn't smell like the sea, that salty smell, means there's something inside causing your ammonia spike.

otherwise, just leave it in there & dose bacteria? But the concern is that you already have livestock which won't be happy with the ammonia....personally I would remove that bad LR & not let cause more mess.

pistol shrimp I don't think will disturb coral, but I have not had one so maybe some of the other forumers here can help advise too

[josephwzr]

Wah life rock with so many freebies

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[josephwzr]

But looks like thrs a pistol shrimp in thr. They tend to dig alot, create alot of sandstorm, and also will drag all ur corals on the same bed everywherem

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[expert]

great patient and nice upgrade.i like your tank and cabinet design

[FaLong]

[3 October UPDATE]

Here is how the execution of my strategy looked like: new salt water bought from Ah Beng, additional life rock bough at Sea Life, and all the long pipes to allow the cannistier filter continue working for the display tank.

At the end I activated the pump, but I put a flexible piple to connect phase 3 with phase 1 in the sump, so it gives some movement to the water.

Edited October 21, 2015 by FaLong

[FaLong]

[10 October UPDATE]

My ideas has failed again! I expected the LR to be curated, but it is creating a huge ammonia spike in the sump. Luckily the display tank continues running independently with the canister filter and its parameters remain stable. I notice something wrong was going on when suddenly I noticed that there were many worms going out of the rock and dying. I manage to save some new friends (http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/topic/138119-new-friends-from-live-rock/)

As I panicked  I made another mistake: half of the week I decided to go to Ah Ben to buy more saltwater and do an almost full water change of the sump. I was afraid that the ammonia would kill the bacteria in the new LR, but indeed, the ammonia kills fishes but feeds this bacteria!. I just did a lot of extra work for nothing, and probably delaying the curating process of these rocks.

At least I had some good idea after reading comments on this forum: I added one of the little rocks I had in my display tank to see if it would help to propagate bacteria faster...

[FaLong]

[17 October UPDATE]

Eureka!!! Adding the rock from my display tank to the sump, has done the miracle! Ammonia has gone down from over 8 to 0. NO2 has also going down during the week and very low NO3. I went again to Ah Beng for another 30L of salt water. I got rid of the old sump water, just in case, and replaced it with this fresher one.

I moved all the LR to the display tank (all but one, with very weird black texture on it http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/topic/138120-black-texture-on-lr-surface/), just to find out that I need much more than the extra 3.5 Kgs I bought. (task for next weekend I guess, but this time I will cure them before in a pail!)

The great news is that (FINALLY) the sump is connected to the display tank. I have removed the canister filter, put its media in a net, and put it on the first phase of the sump.

[FaLong]

Since the sump has been running, I have noticed that the water is much more clear!

It has been almost a month since I move to this new system, and the first algae seems to start to appear. I am not sure what is it, but the sand in the side of the aquariun near a window is becoming brownish, and some circles are appearing on the glass.

Shall I clean it or let it be until everything gets more stable?

[FaLong]

During the last days I am also much conscious about how unsafe is the sump system: if there is any failure water can overload anywhere and make a huge mess in your apartment.

I am getting paranoid about this point, and continuously checking the levels to try to prevent a clog than can suppose water coming out from the tank. I read a lot about flow valves, but most online comments seems to be against them, as they can create more problems than what they solve. The problem is that some times I need to travel for two weeks, and I will feel very worried if something goes wrong. Any ideas how to prevent it?

Besides, I am trying to reduce as much as possible the level of noise from the aquarium, as it is in the living room, near the sofa. I put some wool covering outflow hole of the display tank, as it was doing a terrible sink hole noise. Do you think this is a safe solution? Or it may clog the whole a cause the water spill out of the tank?

[Guest]

Hi bro it will clog the tank if your sponge get stuck, remove the sponge and take a picture so we can give a good advise how to add a durso pipe in it

[Neutral]

During the last days I am also much conscious about how unsafe is the sump system: if there is any failure water can overload anywhere and make a huge mess in your apartment.

I am getting paranoid about this point, and continuously checking the levels to try to prevent a clog than can suppose water coming out from the tank. I read a lot about flow valves, but most online comments seems to be against them, as they can create more problems than what they solve. The problem is that some times I need to travel for two weeks, and I will feel very worried if something goes wrong. Any ideas how to prevent it?

Besides, I am trying to reduce as much as possible the level of noise from the aquarium, as it is in the living room, near the sofa. I put some wool covering outflow hole of the display tank, as it was doing a terrible sink hole noise. Do you think this is a safe solution? Or it may clog the whole a cause the water spill out of the tank?

hi bro.. The filter will sure clog.. Please remove.. U may read about herbie overflow.. Hope it helps.

Cheers.

 

[FaLong]

Hi bro it will clog the tank if your sponge get stuck, remove the sponge and take a picture so we can give a good advise how to add a durso pipe in it

Thanks, bro. Where can I buy a durso pipe?

[Guest]

Hardware shop. Hahaha. Just look for the pvc pipe, you need a elbow and a straight one

[FaLong]

Hardware shop. Hahaha. Just look for the pvc pipe, you need a elbow and a straight one

It has been a giant leap for a man, but one small step for mankind!!!

After two desperate weeks looking in every uncle hardware store, I had been finally able to do it!

It works like a charm. No noise, and the little hole in the cover is one of the greatest miracles in science! Incredible how important it is.

Challenge accomplished: 0 noise, and big important security improvement.