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Setting up a saltwater tank-Tank build thread sorta


evilknieval69

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Sounds like its the air to pump, is the chamber full of a tornado like swirl of micro bubbles and water? The skimmer works mint cause I had it on my rock cureing tank, so it must be a small but easy to do set-up problem. Is your water level up near the top of your tank? and did you take the top off the venturi cap? Is the air line from the venturi cap attached to the skimmers pump? If you cant sus it I'll come down :D unless there is someone near buy that can help?? :hail:

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venturi cap is off and pipe is connected to pump. there is sort of a swirl inside but not alot.... water level is about 2 cm down from the top, cant see how this can make a difference though...

I will have a good play around in the morning and should be able to get it going...

Another thing that could be wrong.... How is tha pipe in the middle supposed to go?? it has the black seal in one end and just nothing on the other. you sent it with it inside it so it is still in there. what does that do?......

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The black seal is at the top of that tube and the tube should sit dead center in the main chamber. There is a X mount in the base of the main chamber to make sure the middle tube is in its correct place. It may have moved around in the post. Have a good play around with it coz that might be where the prob is. If only I could find a big enough box to send it down ready to go :oops:

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ok, i have just spent 20 minutes turning the skimmer pump on and off, emptying the cup, adjusting everything.... ad i still have no skimmer going....

I do everything im meant to, and the water still pours over the top, and the cup fills up...

I even attached an air pump to the venturi pipe to get more air in but it didnt change anything.... I know it has to settle in and build up crap on the inside, but i can see that never happening/changing what it is doind, the water just pours over the top so fast and hard, there is no way it will ever change unless a not so grunty pump is on there, or the water flowing back into the tank, has a bigger gap to escape from, so more water gets released and let gets pushed up into the cone...

Im just guna wait untill someone is around who knows what they are doing and can set it up for me... until then, i will do lots of water changes :lol:

Something else i did this morning though, is i went over to bunnings and bought three 45 degree bends, 6 hose clamps and 15 metres of black irrigation pipe (all things just like steve-s' stuff on his nano) and it all cost $8.80.... i needed about half a metre of the pipe, but they only sold it in bundles.....

I made up a cool little system and now have the 1200LPH pump, in behind the rock in the corner, with a pipe coming straight up from it, across the top of the tank, then blowing down toward the other end.... its quite nice, as the pump is now not visiable.......

Pics to come!!!

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is the skimmer full of bubbles? It should be to the point that you can't reaaly see the water just a big foaming white mass. If it's not doing this there is something wrong. Also if you do have foam and it the water is coming over the top it's more likely too much air than not enough, often when they first startup they foam like crazy and you have to reduce the air

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hmm, when i start the pump and let it run, no air is sucked in the venturi pipe at all, just water blowing out, so thats why i put the air pump on it...

But maybe it is too much air, cos that would then work like an UGF or air powered filter by lifting the water up with the bubbles wouldnt it...

I might have to have a try again with the air pump, but have the hose kinked so not so much air gets in..

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It is a strange one that you cant get it working. PM me your address again and I'm going on a road trip :D I dont sell things that dont work and its a good excuse to visit my mate up Kennedy Bay. BUT try raiseing the collection cup right up the main chamber and be patient, have a bucket to top up the tank level if need be and just stick it out. I did clean it out, so it will overflow alot. I got the petshop guy around when I brought it coz I had the same problem.... it just takes time. If it doesnt work I'll come down............make sure you have some VB in the fridge :wink:

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IT WORKS!!!

I fiddled around more and more and it finally is working!!!!

Now i just need to work out how to stop the microbubbles going into the tank....

Any ideas?? i was thinking of making a little perspex box around it with baffles or something..??

Thanks for all your help shaneo and everyone else :hail:

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Well done, no stopping you now.

NO WAY!!! :lol:

Now i just need to sort the microbubbles out, and wait till the tank is cycled, then i will have to get some inverts or something :bow::bow:

This is soooo exciting!!

EDIT: I soooooo want to post some pics, but dont have a camera i can use.... monday night at the latest!!! :roll:

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I'm just curious, what did you actually do that fixed it?

damn , this is the part i left out on purpose :oops: :oops:

I had the air line....going into the wrong place....

I didnt have a clue on where it was meant to go, to be honest, i didnt even know it needed it... I put it onto the outlet part of the pump, where there is a little bit sticking out it goes on to.

I finaly realised it went on the inlet one, and it worked a treat

:oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:

I didnt have the slightest clue in the whole wide world how a skimmer works anyway, and have never seen one work so i thought i did pretty good to figure it out and have it running nicely right now....

Rogan :oops: :lol: :oops:

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:lol:

Long time ago, someone ran a bloopers thread, and trust me, your one is mild by comparison to some!

Having never seen a skimmer before you did well! :D

Bet you're feeling pretty good about the whole thing, be interesting in a while to hear back how you think the skimmer has affected things.

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:lol:

Long time ago, someone ran a bloopers thread, and trust me, your one is mild by comparison to some!

Having never seen a skimmer before you did well! :D

Bet you're feeling pretty good about the whole thing, be interesting in a while to hear back how you think the skimmer has affected things.

well its good to hear that then....

Hell yes im feeling good about it, it has all happened so fast, just cant wait to get some sort of life in the tank, like snails and crabs :P

P.S. i would like to see that thread 8) anybody know where it is :lol:

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Microbubbles have settled down already!!

Brown Diatoms and a little bit of hair algae have hit so its coming along well :lol:

Havent got any test kits except for nitrites yet because i bought a co2 regulator for my planted tank instead 8)

I will buy a master test kit on thursday (payday050.gif) and hopefully it will be cycled in a few more weeks then i can add some snails...

Where is the best place to get snails for my tank?? surely someone on here has them breed like crazy in there tank and can send me some :D

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Ohk, Finally, some pics, they are very bad, with brown algae all over the front glass in couldnt be bothered scraping off cos i want to go too bed but i promised pics on monday and it is now wednesday so i thought i better post some...

This one is with the flash and makes it look realy yellow and disgusting :lol:

DSC00001Small.jpg

This one is a better shot that shows the rock work on the left hand side better

DSC00003Small.jpg

This is a sideways shot of the skimmer that i couldnt be bothered turning around....

DSC00004Small.jpg

This is a shot from the left end showing the back of the rock and my 1200lph powerhead and the black pipe coming off it, going straight up then to the front, then bending back round and blowing at the rock

DSC00006Small.jpg

And this last one shows the whole setup with lights, HOB filter, HOB skimmer and rock etc. the flash makes the water look yellow, but it is actualy very clear (carbon :hail: )

DSC00007Small.jpg

It looks hideous ATM cos of all the brown hairy algae all over the rocks and the brown slimy algae all over the glass, might try get some better pics, when i can be bothered and i arent so tired.....

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