Some tank upgrades

[99trev]

Spent about 5 hours on 2 separate upgrades (although somewhat related).

History:
I have a fuge that sits above my DT. It is supplied by my canister filter, and is drilled in one side to gravity feed back into the DT.  The PVC that I had returning back to my tank had a lot of bubbles in it.  I played with several different ideas, and came up with a design that kept the bubbles on the surface of the water.  This did not affect the view in the DT, but I started to notice that  I was getting a "mist" on my canopy and my lights.  I would wipe it off every couple of days, but the reflectors and wires that go to the lights, and the wood were just starting to build up a lot.  Somewhat like a protein skimmer using my canopy and lights as the catch basin.

Work:
SO. I got an old HOB filter, removed the pump, and put in some baffles.  The fuge now drains into the filter where it gently flows back into the DT without any bubbles or mist.  To put the HOB filter in place and plumb it, I had to remove the canopy.

SO while the canopy was off, I removed all of the lights, reflectors, mounting brackets, etc.  Cleaned up everything, removed salt, mist, muck...  And added in a new 3' reflector (and light).  That in turn needed it's power supply to be plugged in, but my timer only had 2 outlets (for "day"), so I build a small wood panel that all of the T5 power supplies mount to. Those go to a power strip (that had to have some minor modification)...

So here is the finished projects:




This has now led me to a question (for those brave enough to have read all my ramblings thanks.).  In the HOB return that I made I put in a foam filter piece, but could I add some bio balls? Or something that 'good' things can grow on?  I am not planning on putting any lights on it, so it would only get what it gets from the other lights (and that is not much).

[Bergy]

i wouldnt add bio balls or anything for biological filter medium to grow on...  as those items usually trap bad bilogical crap, literally...


You can add carbon or any other number of filter medias, (impregnated pads with ammonia reducers, etc...


but, the mantra is, if it aint broke dont fix it...


good luck and good job on being handy/creative

Spent about 5 hours on 2 separate upgrades (although somewhat related).

History:
I have a fuge that sits above my DT. It is supplied by my canister filter, and is drilled in one side to gravity feed back into the DT.  The PVC that I had returning back to my tank had a lot of bubbles in it.  I played with several different ideas, and came up with a design that kept the bubbles on the surface of the water.  This did not affect the view in the DT, but I started to notice that  I was getting a "mist" on my canopy and my lights.  I would wipe it off every couple of days, but the reflectors and wires that go to the lights, and the wood were just starting to build up a lot.  Somewhat like a protein skimmer using my canopy and lights as the catch basin.

Work:
SO. I got an old HOB filter, removed the pump, and put in some baffles.  The fuge now drains into the filter where it gently flows back into the DT without any bubbles or mist.  To put the HOB filter in place and plumb it, I had to remove the canopy.

SO while the canopy was off, I removed all of the lights, reflectors, mounting brackets, etc.  Cleaned up everything, removed salt, mist, muck...  And added in a new 3' reflector (and light).  That in turn needed it's power supply to be plugged in, but my timer only had 2 outlets (for "day"), so I build a small wood panel that all of the T5 power supplies mount to. Those go to a power strip (that had to have some minor modification)...

So here is the finished projects:




This has now led me to a question (for those brave enough to have read all my ramblings thanks.).  In the HOB return that I made I put in a foam filter piece, but could I add some bio balls? Or something that 'good' things can grow on?  I am not planning on putting any lights on it, so it would only get what it gets from the other lights (and that is not much).

[KYLE.801]

 

Im with Bill, I wouldnt add any bio balls.  I have some in my overflow to help the water trickle down and not be so noisy and they are due for a cleaning.  Im not looking forward to it. 

[99trev]

Thanks for the input.  It seems that bio-balls are not the "fix all" that they are made out to be in the stores. 

I was "dreaming" about other things I could do with this added space.  I am now thinking this might be the perfect place for my drip system (still building), and ATO line to run into (Since I don't have a sump).  It is somewhat high flow area. some turbulence for mixing, hidden behind my canopy, so tubes and hoses will not be seen going into the tank (however the ATO float will still be in the tank... still looking for ideas on that one).

OR could I put the heater in it?  I would have to do a little cutting to the baffles to make room for it, but it could fit.  If this is OK to do, I am thinking the temperature probe would still stay in the display tank, a little ways away from the returning water.  That would clean up the DT a bit more (by removing the "dangling" heater.  The suction cups will just not hold up against my turbo snails, so I have just let it hang.  It is one of the titanium ones, so I am not too worried about it being pushed around the tank just a little.   

[psykokid]

bio balls are great for shooting out of mini potato cannons or wrist rockets..

[Learner]

bio balls are great for shooting out of mini potato cannons or wrist rockets..

It would seem they are worth having then...lol

[Bergy]

+1 on relocating the heater to there.  andyea, you can seperate the sensor from the heater location... for better temperature control...

[99trev]

Well my "mods" have been running for almost a month now.  While I don't have the major "misting" that I had before, I am still having some bubbles (and some micro bubbles that just "drift" around in the tank what seems like forever). 

I have tried adding in some baffles, some foam filters, and different PVC angles and positions (with the outlet above the waterline, below the waterline, tipped so half in half out. Keeping the return into the tank below the water level (so no "waterfall"), above the water level (having a "waterfall"), and none of them have seemed to help.

My next idea is to change output from my fuge.  Since the tank is drilled in about the middle (from top to bottom), I have a 90 deg elbow that points up, and then a tube that points up, so that controls the water line in the fuge, but I am thinking that is where the source of the air getting into the system is.

I was thinking about removing the elbow, and tube, and adding in a ball valve to control the flow out of the tank. "Tuning" it so that the outlet is always below the water level, and then no air can get into the system.  But thinking into that further, if there is a power outage, the fuge will continue to drain down to the outlet. Then when power comes back on, my water level would not be correct (until I could close the ball valve to fill the fuge, then open it to match the flow coming in, thus maintaining the water level).   BUT if that removes the bubbles, and power outages are rare... but if there is something else that I am not thinking of... I would hate to come home and see that they system has overflowed and emptied the tank (and flooded the house).

Any other suggestions??