Progress on my new tank setup, comments please

[clowntrigger]

That is right, the water chamnber will be at least 3/4 full, cos this is the height that they recomended. I have not fix it up yet as by filling the extra water column, my sump level will drop to very low. Thus I need to mix some more sea water before I will fix it there. I could however, simulate it over the weekend by just placing the Dorso pipe there for viewing. You need to be sure that the durso pipe fix tighty into the bulkhead as any blackout, you will have to image those extra 3/4 full in the chamber will flow down to your sump and if your sump is not able to take that extra amount of water, good luck I think plumber tape should be able to provide the tightness needed, just in case you need to remove it for servicing.

[Phang]

Heeheehee.... get a big sump lah....

A REALLY BIG ONE!!!

[clowntrigger]

Phang, maybe you should show a picture of you swimming inside the sump, just like what AT does to his fish tank I hear some yeah from the audience

[Cedric]

Hi,

I'm using plumber's tape to secure my durso pipe to the bulkhead as well, works fine. I think you would like the durso to be as high as possible. My overflow column is almost all entirely filled with water and my durso is just below it to eliminate the noise from water falling. Also, I had to make a screen to prevent snails from climbing into my durso. I have no idea how it got into the overflow bx but it did get into my durso and choked the pipe. Luckily the tank did not overflow!!!

Also, can you let us know the what pump and flowrate you are using for your H&S skimmer??? Thanks in advance!

[clowntrigger]

hi cedric

the model for my H&S skimmer can be view at the following URL, I think the flow rate is 2000l with pressurize, I think.

http://www.hs-aquaristik.de/Englisch/Absch...innenengl6.html

[hongqixian]

Clowntrigger,

I still think a DSB in the main tank would be a bad idea in the long run but it's your choice. Are you familiar with the shallow sand bed vs. dsb debate?

[clowntrigger]

Hong, please enlighten me wow this is getting interesting... I believe lots of people would like to know.

[Phang]

Phang, maybe you should show a picture of you swimming inside the sump, just like what AT does to his fish tank I hear some yeah from the audience

Yeah... If i cut myself into few portions...

head in 1 compartment,

Leg in the left compartment..

the other leg in the other compartment...

YUCKS........

[Achilles Tang]

Clowntrigger,

I still think a DSB in the main tank would be a bad idea in the long run but it's your choice. Are you familiar with the shallow sand bed vs. dsb debate?

Ron Shimek, the DSB expert, had a 4 year old tank crash recently and did some research. Supposedly, it was caused by the buildup of toxic heavy metals in his tank.

He is still doing a lot of study on this as it is just ONE tank, and there are many people with DSB tanks still going strong after seven years... so there's no need to panic.

If this research is true, then it looks like we have to replace all the sand and liverock after 4 years!

The buildup of trace metal elements to toxic levels could be attributed to heavy feeding or using additives....

Oh well, Ron Shimek is getting a lot of flak for panicking people with DSBs now, but like I said, no conclusive evidence has been posted yet.

There are more positive effects from a DSB then any negative ones.

[ZeRoC00l]

Regardng the Durso's stand pipe.. I made it, but it is SO noisy... worst than without the stand pipe....

Now just place a layer of floss over the hole, and almost no noise...

I'll try to play with the hole size, since it does affect the noise level..

Anyone with better luck than me in using the standpipe?

Maybe can tell when where i go wrong..

Thanks

[Morgan]

Regardng the Durso's stand pipe.. I made it, but it is SO noisy... worst than without the stand pipe....

Now just place a layer of floss over the hole, and almost no noise...

I'll try to play with the hole size, since it does affect the noise level..

Anyone with better luck than me in using the standpipe?

Maybe can tell when where i go wrong..

Thanks

Suggest you buy a pvc ball valve and regulate the water flow. This will reduce the noise. It work for me. It the ###### of air that cause the noise.

[hongqixian]

Ron Shimek, the DSB expert, had a 4 year old tank crash recently and did some research. Supposedly, it was caused by the buildup of toxic heavy metals in his tank.

He is still doing a lot of study on this as it is just ONE tank, and there are many people with DSB tanks still going strong after seven years... so there's no need to panic.

If this research is true, then it looks like we have to replace all the sand and liverock after 4 years!

The buildup of trace metal elements to toxic levels could be attributed to heavy feeding or using additives....

Oh well, Ron Shimek is getting a lot of flak for panicking people with DSBs now, but like I said, no conclusive evidence has been posted yet.

There are more positive effects from a DSB then any negative ones.

Really? I heard R. Shimek getting flak for advocating DSBs in the first place. Anyway, one would have thought that he would have noticed his tank inhabitants slowly becoming weaker or less active than before if it was due to a slow metal buildup.

But anyway, clowntrigger, what I heard was that a DSB is just like a septic tank slowly building up toxins over time and crashing when the bed is disturbed (ie opening the 'septic tank').

No worries yet, I seem to remember that you haven't even't put in the extra sand for the deep sand bed yet right?

It might be wise to temporarily postpone the DSB thing and read up more on this at the forums at www.saltaquarium.about.com . Do a search on DSBs in the forum site. I think you don't need to sign up as a member to search for the DSB debates, just view the threads as a 'guest'. Then you can form your own opinions. A week extra won't hurt your tank.

Good luck!

P.S AT I don't mean you're necessarily wrong but I just feel differently about this issue so no offense OK?

[clowntrigger]

please see the attached pictures of the Durso pipe that I have made. ZeRoCOOL, I do not know why yours are so noisy, but mine is like a gem, it is like no sound at all, Phang can justify it as he was at my place over the weekend.

[Phang]

Yeah, Really silent......

Like it very much.....

[clowntrigger]

Can anyone help to identify what is this? This is seen clawing on the glass at night, thanks.

[clowntrigger]

Sorry posting so many, but this is the new look as of last Sunday after a addition of another 21kg of live rocks, total there are 42kg of live rocks.

[spade]

ClownTrigger,

Very nice setup that u hv and tks for the post on the durso pipe Still looking high and low to get a new tank within "affordable" budget. my current 2ft is crowded, and the lionfish is getting bigger and bigger, and wallop up all my cleaner shrimps

[hongqixian]

I think some people actually alter the Durso to get rid of the sound but I don't know much. Anyway, nice tank, Clowntrigger, I like the new clean look (unnatural though it may be!)

[hongqixian]

Err, amendment to prev. message. I really like your live rock arrangement! Think I will save the pics for future inspiration. Where did you get the rocks( I hope i didn't miss that on an earlier post) ?

P.S I believe the crawly thing is a bristleworm.

[clowntrigger]

all the rocks I have are from Sealife. I thought bristleworm got lot of legs?

[bawater]

i most probably am wrong but it could be one of the many types of worms that make ur sand bed Live- i got lots in mine & sometimes i catch them against the glass while they burrow across the front. But mine are brown.

its a worm & once fishes go in,sooner or later somethins gonna eat it.

My picasso used to hydrojet the sand to get them & since i've taken him out their population is growing again.

[Phang]

all the rocks I have are from Sealife. I thought bristleworm got lot of legs?

And also lots of bristles.... heeheeehe......

Btw, These worms are common with my previous setup too.... when I'm still with undergravel.....found them, some up to 4 inches under my sand bed...looks like earthworms..... might be critters that help the turnover of the sandbed.......

Does brittlestars developed from legs.... ????

Cos it does look like a brittlestar's broken leg..... my brittlestars always breaking legs.....

[Seawater]

Hi, how do you ensure that the Durso pipe can cope with flow rate of the pump? A friend of mine who have an Eheim 2200 l/h find that the 1" pvc piping reduce to 1/2" bulkhead cannot cope. Any idea how to rectify that?

[Phang]

You mean supply of water to main tank is greater than water to sump tank???

I think then that has to do with the outlet size of your overflow....

My 2 cents.....

Lower the supply of water into your mains.....

[clowntrigger]

Basically for a durso pipe to work, the diameter must be at least 1" or more, thus if you have a 1/2" pipe going back to the sump, you cannot use the durso pipe.