• Help a beginner

  • Aaron580

I decided to bring a piece of the sea home. Initially, I was guided by a website. I glued together an aquarium measuring 1400*450*600, with an approximate volume of 350 liters without the overflow. Now I don't know how to decorate the overflow. What should I come up with for the drain? The diameter is 35mm. What should I put in the sump? It will be placed in a stand, with dimensions of 1270 in length, 530 in height, and 330 in width. What kind of protein skimmer should I use? What pipes should I use? Should I make the overflow with bio balls? I welcome any advice. Please share your thoughts. I am attaching photos.

Lindsey3362

Great start. Congratulations. The drain is made of PVC pipes. They bond tightly, easily, and neatly. There is Nibco in Epicenters or FIP in Kyiv. The first has an inch pitch and is white, while the second has a metric pitch and is gray. The quality is the same. In the sump - a foam filter, an algae scrubber, and a return chamber - of course. Just make sure to allow more space for KW and KR. Bio balls, in the opinion of many, are yesterday's news in aquaristics. I don't think it's worth getting hung up on - that's my opinion.

Marie5348

It's funny how people have pieces of 350 liters, while here I barely scraped together 50 liters... So, according to the first link, the decorations are from dry reef rocks (S.R.K.), which I think are optimal in terms of price and appearance. Many are already planning (I read on different sites) to start with parts of dry reef rocks (S.R.K.) and parts of live rocks (J.K.). As for the rest, I don't know - in my case, I don't even know what to call it if it's not a sump and there's no chamber.

Cheyenne2747

Many have already launched on parts of J.K. (living stones) and S.R.K. (dry reef stones).

Randall7906

I have already bought eco-plastic pipes that are glued with a special soldering iron, but I see that everyone else has white ones and the joints are not visible, probably glued with adhesive. Is it possible to use my pipes? What kind of valves should I install there? What should the filling be? Metal (I'm afraid of oxidation) or plastic? What kind of foam gun do you recommend to fit in height? Should I buy a ready-made one, make it myself, or order it somewhere?

Anne

Ecoplast is PP - polypropylene. It is welded with a special soldering iron. In principle, it can also be used, just make sure there is no metal in the fittings (if needed). PVC pipes are convenient because they can be glued accurately and neatly with adhesive, without a soldering iron. Permanently.

Joshua9847

Isn't the drain hole I left in the shaft too small? 60*120? For a volume of 350 liters, it can be fixed before I fill it with water.

Alyssa1438

Counter question... Where can I find bulkhead fittings for drainage? So I don't have to attach glass to the aquarium with glue... (I apologize for the slight off-topic...)

Sherri1320

Here I "pass". Let more knowledgeable people answer.

Jeffery7866

There, where the PVC pipes are (see above), it is called "transition to the container." Here is the address in Kyiv with PVC from FIP. They have a lot of things in stock. They ship with Avtolux.

John5528

I was about to fill it with water, but they say the hole is too small((( There is a 35mm drain hole at the bottom, but they say it's not enough(((( It needs to be 50mm. Can it be re-drilled? And how? Nearby, there is a 25mm hole for lifting.

Amber9312

In my opinion, a 25 mm drain is more than sufficient for a lift. As for the drain, it all depends on what type it will be; if it's a Durso, it narrows at the bottom. For my 280-liter tank, the drain should be 32 mm at the top and narrow down to 16 mm at the bottom. The hole in the column is drilled at 35 mm, which is for a fitting with an inner diameter of 25 mm. The top is 32 mm, then it transitions to 25 mm, and so on, reducing as needed. There are websites with calculators available.

Chad9037

The drain will be standard, there is already a 35 mm hole for it, they say it needs to be drilled out to 50 mm and then transitions to 35 and 25.

Marie5348

In this case, drilling into the glass means finishing the existing hole. I don't recommend it in most cases as the outcome is often unsuccessful. So, ask around; maybe something can be figured out with what you have—there's always a solution. Good luck.

John

1. There is no emergency drain in this scheme. It must be done. 2. Direct the return to the aquarium. An extra flow won't hurt. 3. Remove all the galvanized parts. They will rust through in six months. The return will shoot right away.

Tonya

Could you please clarify why an emergency drain is needed? The return is directed to the aquarium; it might just be invisible in the photos. What should I use to clamp it then? I want to install a plastic pipe, but the connections still need to be connected with a flexible hose. What should I use to clamp it then?

Michelle1505

What if they didn't manage to squeeze it in...?

Amber6362

In my opinion, bio-spheres are a pointless gimmick. It would be better to invest in the same mine of J.K. (living stones) – the benefit would be five orders of magnitude greater.

Samuel6138

how to place it there, chop it into pieces so that it can fit into the mine?

Deborah2682

emergency backup. The situation is that a wrasse gets into your overflow. They are beautiful creatures but sometimes like to jump. The overflow loses 50% of its power. The pump drains about 20 liters from your third sump compartment and spills a bit on your carpet. Although this doesn't matter if there's enough height in the aquarium. Then the emergency backup doesn't matter. But judging by the photo, you don't have any reserves. 2. You go to the radio store and buy plastic clamps (or whatever they're called) size 4 for you. (They are self-tightening.) Their size is 4 mm x 250 mm, and you tighten them with pliers.

Shelby3182

Don't put anything in the mine.

Caleb6320

According to my calculations, the pump will drain 10-15 liters before shutting off, and there are 20 liters left to the edge of the aquarium, but I think I should lower the comb a little bit.

Craig7302

I would make an emergency drain.

Dawn6148

Where to place it? Should we put some kind of grid on it?

Johnny

Here's what I got, I'm afraid that if I use plastic clamps they might not hold up((( What else needs to be done?

Heather9815

Hang the lamp and start the foam. Everything else is great. I like it.

David4089

I poured in salt, bought two bags of argonite sand. I'm looking to see if I need more; what do you recommend regarding stones? I was thinking of making a lamp myself, and I also want to hang a bag on the drain.

Jessica6754

When the stones arrive, it is preferable to have the light already on. The bag is not really necessary. It's just a hassle. It gets clogged constantly if it's the right kind. Or it doesn't filter at all if you hang one that doesn't get clogged.

Karen81

Do you have any advice about lighting? Otherwise, I'll be doing it myself for six months)))))))))) And where is the best place to get stones? There are a lot of different opinions here...........

Susan9583

Stones at a or in "iReef" call Denis or e.

Laurie3842

I poured in two bags of sand, and it resulted in this murky water. The foam generator initially produced foam but has stopped now. I suspect I need to add a fine fraction to the filter.

Thomas1044

Good people, please recommend a light, I am going to order a lid and put something there.

Sarah

something like this

Javier5186

Can you tell me why a valve is needed on top of a Durso? Air is being sucked in through it, causing bubbling in the sump, but when I removed it, everything works perfectly.

Wanda666

It is needed for sucking air from above! And for eliminating the "toilet bowl overflow" effect from the shaft. It just needs to be adjusted...

Christine

But if the faucet is pulling bubbles in the opposite direction(((( I removed it and everything is very good, no toilets))))))))

James8887

Everything cannot be fine without a tap. Without a tap, your overflow works on the principle of a siphon: water accumulates, accumulates, accumulates... and then spills over with a characteristic gurgling at the end. The tap allows you to adjust the overflow without gurgling (the right amount of air is siphoned in). Usually, no extraneous sounds occur during this process.

Brian

Everything is working fine for me (maybe I'll post a video today). To keep the water level stable, I adjusted the drain valve; when the lights go out, it drains to the Durso level, and when the lights are on, it pulls all the air out of the Durso and works.))))

Monica

How are light and drain related?

Joe

You can order light cheaply from a. Recently, a lamp was sold at the "flea market"!

Tasha

I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that.

Lindsey3362

Ah, so you are going the wrong way, comrade. It turns out that you have choked the drain valve - that's why it doesn't make any noise. Assuming you don't have an emergency drain, it's a direct path to flooding (desalination...). This adjustment will get out of whack or clog sooner or later. P.S. I also didn't understand the connection between the light and the drain.

Cassandra1840

I meant that when the power goes out, all the water drains through the Durso and ends up in the sump, and when the power is back on, the water level in the aquarium rises slightly but then the water is still drawn into the Durso along with the air that gets compressed there. When the drain is clogged, the water from the pump's intake chamber is pumped out, and the pump will turn off, while all the pumped-out water remains in the aquarium.

Sydney

Ah, I see, you referred to the return pump's power as "light": everything seems wrong somehow: there is no emergency drain, there is a risk of draining the return compartment (the pump may fail), which in turn leads to a disruption in circulation...

Christopher4108

I plan to install a water level cutoff sensor for the pump. As for the emergency system, I know, but when I was setting up the aquarium, no one told me that it was necessary((( I will have to manage without it somehow((( And here is the video, what else can anyone suggest?

Vincent

So if everything is okay for you and everything is so wonderful, and you no longer need the advice of forum sailors (who have many years of experience), why did you create the topic "Help a newbie"? Is it just to confuse everyone? I don't understand you.

Karen2578

I didn't mean to offend anyone, as I am really a beginner and have been involved with the sea for a couple of months. I just want to fully understand how everything works, and I am grateful to everyone for their answers and advice.

Alicia5489

Don't take offense, you will have questions in a couple of years too; we are all eternal students, only some are too shy to admit it, or pride prevents them. The sea is a mystery and an eternal search.

Nicole7268

Today I arrived from Tarkhany) I said hello to the jellyfish, but it didn't survive the journey(((( I brought another hermit crab and about ten little ones)))) I released three into the aquarium, I'll see how they adapt))) my first life in the aquarium))

Joseph9203

Well, now get ready...

Deborah2682

Judging by the actions, the person hasn't read the forums at all...

Colin1418

will take root well