My nano entry

[jlscrug]

Originally Posted by gamerunr

5 days... Better get busy Good Luck!

Okay Bill, your turn. Where are the pics of YOUR new tank???? C'mon you've been tankless for over 6 months, move to New York, set up a new tank and posted no pics. Party foul...

[jlscrug]

Pic 1 - first attempt at lowering the noise level and splash
Pic 2 - raising the durso did not work. Although it raised the water level, there was no 'overflow' and subsequently the surface was not being skimmed. I decided to raise the water line by attaching some clear acrylic to the inside, just above the trim line.
Pic 3 - back view of downspout modification (it didn't work either)
Pic 4 - Water reservoir. Will hold just over 2 gallons and only needs to be refilled about every 4-5 days with the auto top off. Beats the heck out of a milk jug
Pic 5 - This was a pic when the tank was up and running...before the meltdown...should be back up and running within the week.

I have also decided to add a sandbed because I cannot get the flow I wanted and I am too lazy to siphon every day...should be back up and running within the next 7 days...with a sweet new skimmer...that should be quiet and low heat

[gamerunr]

One day I will learn to take pics tht are worth a darn, actually I am attending a local club meet on Sunday where there will be an instructional seminar on photography. I really need help in this area.Check my gallery on reefcentral for my attempts at photography (wenright) You'll see that I've even had to steal one of your photos. After this weekend I should have more pics posted there including a whole tank shot.

[jlscrug]

Now that I am over my little bout of killing everything in my tank with a brand new but faulty Jager heater, another peril finds its way to my door. My issue is that my durso is LOUD. The little plug in the top was drilled with a 1/8" hole...which evidently wasn't enough because it would be whisper quiet followed by a rush of water that sounded like flushing a toilet followed by another brief period of whisper quiet then etc, etc, etc. I alleviated the quiet-flushing cycle by drilling another, larger 'breather' hole in the top of the plug on the top of the stand pipe but now it is too dang loud.

I increased the flow on my CLS from a Mag 5 to a Mag 7 and in the process, down graded the return from a Mag7 to a Mag5 and this helped...a little...mostly with the water noise/splash as it enters the sump. My previous set up was very quiet but had a HOB overflow which drained to the sump via on of those highly flexible, ribbed hoses like you see on a pool pump. I think the trick there was that it was on a long taper to get to the sump...and it was only returning flow from a mag3. I have been just about ready to switch hobbies from reef tanks to catapults (Like on TLC where they throw cars and pianos) and my first projectile would be this tank. But.......

After much trial and error and listening to countless friends tell me their configurations, I have yet another new overflow drain/durso set up. I figured out that all of the complicated drain configurations (T's, 45 deg.s, expansion chambers...on and on) I managed to come up with still did not give me the affect I was listening for so I scrapped it all and started over again. This time it is much simpler. I drilled a 3/8" hole in the top cap of the durso then inserted a 3/8" pneumatic hose. For the connection from bottom of durso to sump, I installed a 3' piece of spa flex and coiled it around in the stand so that the water path is a long sloping decent. The tank should be refilled tomorrow and the pics will follow.

[hng]

Originally Posted by jlscrug

My issue is that my durso is LOUD. The little plug in the top was drilled with a 1/8" hole...which evidently wasn't enough because it would be whisper quiet followed by a rush of water that sounded like flushing a toilet followed by another brief period of whisper quiet then etc, etc, etc. I alleviated the quiet-flushing cycle by drilling another, larger 'breather' hole in the top of the plug on the top of the stand pipe but now it is too dang loud.

If you take a look at the original Durso website http://www.dursostandpipes.com/ he describes that exact same problem. It's due to backpressure and not the size of the airhole. Take a look at his solutions and it may help you.

[jlscrug]

Thanks for the link. It also says that the durso should be made of 1.25" plumbing then necked down just before it enters the bulkhead. His explanation was "Trust me". I believe him but I have one of those minds that is not satisfied with "trust me"...now I HAVE to know why...going to try it next time I go to HD just to see what difference it makes.

[tdwyatt]

John,

sorry to have been out of touh on this project for so long, One of the QBIG fixes for the dursos is to use an adjustable valve at the top (a 3/8" threaded john guest valve works extremely well, and a piece f hose can be run to a remote location for air if desired), as well as the reduction of the pipe at the bottom. This llows the weight of the water itsef as a column topull the air in a more uniform manner, as the more water there is to move, the more resistant it will be to "cycling" of the water level, so findng the sweet spt with the valve is much easier. If you're oming up anytime soon, I'll show you some of these set up and running. Not too sure about the angled setup for the actual durso pipe, but I imagine it will work. I'd like to see a picture of the long sloping pipe you're speaking of.

Remember, I have stuff here growing for you...

[hng]

I was reading about what silicone to use and I read somewhere (can't remember which thread) that the silicone 2 for kitchens and bath contained a copper compound as the anti-mildew additive. Don't know if that's true or not, maybe someone else will know. Anyway, if it does contain copper, that might explain some of the problems you've had. Maybe you can test for copper?

[jlscrug]

Some updates of the new plumbing, etc.
Pic 1 - I decided to go ahead and put the starboard back in the tank even though it will be covered. I will be using 3" PVC to keep the rock off the sand bottom and I wanted a little buffer between the PVC and the glass...figured it can't hurt.

Pic 2 - (middle left) CLC plumbing with shutoff valves just in case.

Pic 3 - (top right) Same thing as #2 but from behind the stand.

Pic 4 - (bottom left) Shot of the contraption I came up with to quiet down the rush of water...it worked a little...just a little.

Pic 5 - (bottom right) This is how I made the long slope with the spa flex pipe. It drastically reduced the noise of the water entering the sump...in fact it is almost silent now.

Although the total noise level is livable I am still going to try a few more things...probably what Tom said...to see if I can virtually eliminate all noise.

[jlscrug]

What a month this has been...unfortunately very little of my efforts have been focused on the tank. I take my last final tomorrow night...guess they save the best for last because it is physics...I think I can make a 50 on the final and still keep my 4.0 for the semester sooooo...anyway, here are the most recent pics. As it stands now, my tank is in two or three pieces. All of my livestock is in a little 15 gal with my hood/lights/and auto top off. The main tank has been sitting in our bedroom running with salt water and live sand...or trying to be live sand...and the rock that I will place in the tank for final display is still cooking. I am getting very little sediment but there is a very small patch of algae hanging on for dear life...or at least there was last weekend when I did a water change on it. Anyway, just in time to meet the dead line, here is this month's update with pictures...

[tims]

this things on?...helllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooooo

[gwen_o_lyn]

John- what's happening??

Haven't seen you around.

How did those finals go? Keep us posted

[jlscrug]

Originally Posted by gwen_o_lyn

John- what's happening??

Haven't seen you around.

How did those finals go? Keep us posted

Good news: Finals were fine...another 4.0 semester

Bad news: I am totally out of reefing. I've sold the tank, all of my equipment, everything but the stand which is now in my son's room being used for his snake...which is significantly cheaper to keep. I never could make myself get back into it after the faulty heater killed everything. I gave what livestock I accumulated to Tom at the BBQ. I am totally engrossed in school as this summer semester is off to a roar. I will conclude my graduate program August 7th...pending this semester which is 9 more hours of physics, 4 in astronomy, and 3 in psychology of learning and the brain.

Gwen, I turned in the e-portfolio last Thursday and it was a hit ...I am about to get rid of this pc and get a Mac