lastlight's 225

lastlight · #1 10-22-2009, 03:41 PM

I'm so impatient (even after a year and a half or whatever it's been!). I almost dumped the sand into the display to check it out but backed out last second. Told my wife I didn't wanna get in there and lay rocks out in the sand lol.

Voided a few warranties I'm sure doing all this. My light, power strips and osmolator pump all needed their power cables spliced and extended. One other extension I need to do is the osmolator return. I need it to feed into my display overflow because the reservoir is pretty high in the other room. Did a test last night and it siphons into my sump after the pump is shut off.

One other thing I haven't done yet is sort out my overflow. I need something to keep fish from going over. Right now I'm thinking of one of these:

- leave the weir as is (quiet). Just put a strainer on my pipe ends and fish out the odd fish etc that goes in.
- rig something using fishing line stretched tight across the overflow opening. Would not alter flow since it's so thin (quiet) but I'd need to be creative to mount it.

Parker · #2 10-22-2009, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

One other thing I haven't done yet is sort out my overflow. I need something to keep fish from going over. Right now I'm thinking of one of these:

- leave the weir as is (quiet). Just put a strainer on my pipe ends and fish out the odd fish etc that goes in.
- rig something using fishing line stretched tight across the overflow opening. Would not alter flow since it's so thin (quiet) but I'd need to be creative to mount it.

I used eggcrate on mine, but I'm thinking it might be better if the fish entered the overflow instead of possibly getting stuck on top of it and cooking under the lighting or flopping the the wrong way and ending up behind the tank.

TheMikey · #3 10-22-2009, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

- rig something using fishing line stretched tight across the overflow opening. Would not alter flow since it's so thin (quiet) but I'd need to be creative to mount it.

Is it possible for you to get in there with a small drill bit? If possible you could just drill matching holes on either side of the acrylic and tie on your fishing line. It would be easy to snug up horizontally... not sure about if you want to go vertical or not.

Additionally, forgive me if I'm picturing your overflow problem in the wrong idea. Perhaps if you were to post a pic of what you're trying to solve it might give the great minds on the board some visual cues

Delphinus · #4 10-22-2009, 04:33 PM

I use gutter guard over the eggcrate on my overflows to keep small fish out of the overflows. Bigger fish it's not a worry. I find my FW tank some fish at first are small enough to still fit through, but it's better than nothing.

Problem with adding stuff water flows through (eggcrate, gutter guard or anything for that matter) is that it becomes a place algae can grow where grazers can't get at it. In my 110g cube I have to pour boiling water over the overflow eggcrate once every 2-3 months or so just to keep them clear.

Parker has a good point, something I sort of learned the hard way with my first eel - sometimes it's better to let them get into the overflow instead of somewhere else. I had had my eel tank locked down so that there was no way he could get into the overflow - so instead he ended up getting out of the tank some other way. Had he just gone into the overflow or sump, it would have been .. possibly less fatal for him.

So there could be something to the idea of just putting strainers on the pipes and "just deal with it" when a fish inevitably finds his way in there. FWIW, that is my plan for my 280g - just eggcrate for the overflow, and strainers for the standpipes, and a net nearby.

lastlight · #5 10-22-2009, 04:37 PM

Here's the only decent shot of the overflow cutout. It's all glass so no drilling.

I'm really liking that idea. My water goes over so smoothly and quietly that I'd hate to disturb that. I think I'll screen the pipes somehow good call guys.

Anyone know if a bulkhead strainer could fit over 1.5" or do I need to prime and glue it?

Delphinus · #6 10-22-2009, 04:44 PM

You can get strainers for 1.5" for sure. The ones I have (got them from BRS, great supply of that sort of thing there) are threaded. Slip would be nicer just so it's easier to get off to clean once in a while. (Don't glue the strainer on.) With threaded sometimes it gets kind of hard to turn to get off.

lastlight · #7 10-22-2009, 05:40 PM

Strange I couldn't find them to purchase on their site. I had looked when I originally got my plumbing from them. My pipes are sch 80 so I hope they'll still slip inside. If not I'll have to rig something but it's way easier than fishing line hehe.

Delphinus · #8 10-22-2009, 05:58 PM

Hmmm yeah now I can't find them either. Maybe I didn't get them there after all. J&L has them for sure: http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...t_ID=pl-bhst15

Surely Red Coral has them as well, since they're usually pretty good with obscure plumbing bits like that.

fishytime · #9 10-30-2009, 11:02 PM

I would offer you a solution, but Im to busy bragging about my tank

Delphinus · #10 10-30-2009, 11:39 PM

Doug your keyboard is broken! It missed an apostrophe and an o there.