Another Build Thread You Won't Read

TangerineSpeedo

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2022
Messages
2,188
Reaction score
3,019
Location
SoCal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I could not figure out why the return chamber kept getting overfilled. My plumbing is spot on, then I realized what was happening. My red sea is back siphoning because the ato storage is higher than the sump level. So I have to use their stupid siphon block which is so gigantic and stupid it doesn't work with my trigger ato reservoir. It has to be in the dang reservoir so my five gallons is barely four now. This unit at the time seemed like a slam dunk buy. But all the little extras are poorly thought out, its insanely loud, inaccurate ato monitoring, the temp is never right. So all these extras I thought made it worth the price don't really work. The temp gauge is so high in the sump it's always five to ten degrees off what the controller and glass say.

So anyway. I guess that's "fixed" now.
I think using a siphon break in par for the course on most ATO set ups. Also you can adjust the temperature reading to match your correct one. Reef Beat- Home- Temp button to next screen, Hit center temperature button > next screen scroll down to temperature adjustment.
IMG_1914.png

IMG_1915.png
IMG_1916.png
IMG_1917.png
 

Troylee

all about the diy!!!!!
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Messages
18,425
Reaction score
14,529
Location
Vegas baby!!!!
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I could not figure out why the return chamber kept getting overfilled. My plumbing is spot on, then I realized what was happening. My red sea is back siphoning because the ato storage is higher than the sump level. So I have to use their stupid siphon block which is so gigantic and stupid it doesn't work with my trigger ato reservoir. It has to be in the dang reservoir so my five gallons is barely four now. This unit at the time seemed like a slam dunk buy. But all the little extras are poorly thought out, its insanely loud, inaccurate ato monitoring, the temp is never right. So all these extras I thought made it worth the price don't really work. The temp gauge is so high in the sump it's always five to ten degrees off what the controller and glass say.

So anyway. I guess that's "fixed" now.
Not familiar with the Red Sea siphon break but on all my top offs I just use a tee on the return line from the pump cause the store bought ones always fail… tee it into the pump line just below the top off the top off container and it will squirt a little back in your resi but never fail.
 

CBonito

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 20, 2023
Messages
1,114
Reaction score
1,299
Location
Detroit Area
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Not familiar with the Red Sea siphon break but on all my top offs I just use a tee on the return line from the pump cause the store bought ones always fail… tee it into the pump line just below the top off the top off container and it will squirt a little back in your resi but never fail.
Exactly.
 
OP
OP
Devisissy

Devisissy

Kiss My Wrasse
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
704
Reaction score
1,055
Location
Inland Northwest
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Not familiar with the Red Sea siphon break but on all my top offs I just use a tee on the return line from the pump cause the store bought ones always fail… tee it into the pump line just below the top off the top off container and it will squirt a little back in your resi but never fail.
I would love to but red sea's hose size is some weird size. None of my T's fit. I tried after reading your post. So their stupid siphon it is .
 

Troylee

all about the diy!!!!!
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Messages
18,425
Reaction score
14,529
Location
Vegas baby!!!!
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I would love to but red sea's hose size is some weird size. None of my T's fit. I tried after reading your post. So their stupid siphon it is .
Hard tubing of soft? Either way I normally just get it hot with a lighter and stretch it and then cut it to the size I want lol.. if it’s not a standard size.. currently I have 3/8” vinyl hosing going into a 1/4” Ro push lock tee. I can take pics when I get home.
 
OP
OP
Devisissy

Devisissy

Kiss My Wrasse
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
704
Reaction score
1,055
Location
Inland Northwest
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think using a siphon break in par for the course on most ATO set ups. Also you can adjust the temperature reading to match your correct one. Reef Beat- Home- Temp button to next screen, Hit center temperature button > next screen scroll down to temperature adjustment.
IMG_1914.png

IMG_1915.png
My temp is always wrong. I adjust it and it goes back out again. It got me so paranoid I bought another thermometer. So now I have four in the dang tank. All are reading within a degree of each other but the dang red sea. I never needed a siphon because I had an all in one. The tank was above the reservoir so it's just me being dumb and learning something new. The tubing on this thing is large. Bigger than tunzes but smaller than my largest T. Losing a gallon isn't the end of the world I guess.
 
OP
OP
Devisissy

Devisissy

Kiss My Wrasse
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
704
Reaction score
1,055
Location
Inland Northwest
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That valve takes up about the same amount of real estate as the Neptune one. I am actually using both systems in one reservoir. I do lose about a gallon because if I had the valve any higher there could be a possibility that it could squirt out the back on to the floor. (IM res). Because the res is so easy to fill I have made my peace with it.
lol squirt.
 
OP
OP
Devisissy

Devisissy

Kiss My Wrasse
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
704
Reaction score
1,055
Location
Inland Northwest
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Today I learned that the return chamber of my sump is a horrible place to dose. I put my magnesium in, waited two hours then tossed in my alk...slurry city. A dang mess. It's still a mess. I sucked most of it up. There is just no movement in my sump. This is going to be an issue when I start dosing with the pump.

Also day five on the reef hd and no change in the byropsis at all. I think it got bigger?

So I'm going to throw a pump in that back chamber I guess. Another thing to plug in. Don't know if I can fit one next to the reactor. Annoying.
 

CBonito

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 20, 2023
Messages
1,114
Reaction score
1,299
Location
Detroit Area
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Today I learned that the return chamber of my sump is a horrible place to dose. I put my magnesium in, waited two hours then tossed in my alk...slurry city. A dang mess. It's still a mess. I sucked most of it up. There is just no movement in my sump. This is going to be an issue when I start dosing with the pump.

Also day five on the reef hd and no change in the byropsis at all. I think it got bigger?

So I'm going to throw a pump in that back chamber I guess. Another thing to plug in. Don't know if I can fit one next to the reactor. Annoying.
Can you dose into your overflow?
 

TangerineSpeedo

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2022
Messages
2,188
Reaction score
3,019
Location
SoCal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Today I learned that the return chamber of my sump is a horrible place to dose. I put my magnesium in, waited two hours then tossed in my alk...slurry city. A dang mess. It's still a mess. I sucked most of it up. There is just no movement in my sump. This is going to be an issue when I start dosing with the pump.

Also day five on the reef hd and no change in the byropsis at all. I think it got bigger?

So I'm going to throw a pump in that back chamber I guess. Another thing to plug in. Don't know if I can fit one next to the reactor. Annoying.
The chamber that is in between your scrubber and the return chamber, the one with the dosing line holder in it, That does not have high flow? What is your GPH running through the sump? ish... Do you think you can boost that?
 
OP
OP
Devisissy

Devisissy

Kiss My Wrasse
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
704
Reaction score
1,055
Location
Inland Northwest
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Can you dose into your overflow?
No, eurobracing.
The chamber that is in between your scrubber and the return chamber, the one with the dosing line holder in it, That does not have high flow? What is your GPH running through the sump? ish... Do you think you can boost that?
There is flow there. Not a ton but some. I think it was because it was a corrective dose.

I have no idea what my flow rate is. I'm guessing around 850-900. The pump goes up to 1600 and is running at about 60-65%. I can turn the pump up. Each step up is 2.5% according to the manufacturer. I did the math through my sump using the manufacturer's numbers and counting the little notches on the controller I am running about 960 gallons per hour. Give or take. That seems more than reasonable. I might still turn it up a notch.
 
Last edited:

Troylee

all about the diy!!!!!
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Messages
18,425
Reaction score
14,529
Location
Vegas baby!!!!
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No, eurobracing.

There is flow there. Not a ton but some. I think it was because it was a corrective dose. I have no idea what my flow rate is. I'm guessing around 850-900. The pump goes up to 1200 and is running at about 70-75%. I can turn the pump up.
I have my dosing lines “All4reef and kalk” fed into my sump directly in front of my return pump. Works great!
 
OP
OP
Devisissy

Devisissy

Kiss My Wrasse
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
704
Reaction score
1,055
Location
Inland Northwest
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have my dosing lines “All4reef and kalk” fed into my sump directly in front of my return pump. Works great!
I might be able to do that. If I buy a magnetic dose line holder. I was going to dose in the baffle. Where the water is forced down. I'm going to see what kicking the return pump up a notch does.
 

TangerineSpeedo

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 8, 2022
Messages
2,188
Reaction score
3,019
Location
SoCal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No, eurobracing.

There is flow there. Not a ton but some. I think it was because it was a corrective dose.

I have no idea what my flow rate is. I'm guessing around 850-900. The pump goes up to 1600 and is running at about 60-65%. I can turn the pump up. Each step up is 2.5% according to the manufacturer. I did the math through my sump using the manufacturer's numbers and counting the little notches on the controller I am running about 960 gallons per hour. Give or take. That seems more than reasonable. I might still turn it up a notch.
You would be surprised on how much flow is reduced with any turns or deviations increasing head pressure.
In that small dosing chamber it funnels the volume of your water through a narrow space. It should be a high flow-ish place.
 
OP
OP
Devisissy

Devisissy

Kiss My Wrasse
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
704
Reaction score
1,055
Location
Inland Northwest
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
You would be surprised on how much flow is reduced with any turns or deviations increasing head pressure.
In that small dosing chamber it funnels the volume of your water through a narrow space. It should be a high flow-ish place.
I think it will be fine. The issue was dumping 18 oz of mag in there and expecting it to move some where. This morning I just dumped it in the display. Well, little by little.
 
OP
OP
Devisissy

Devisissy

Kiss My Wrasse
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2015
Messages
704
Reaction score
1,055
Location
Inland Northwest
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok so it wasnt the mag hitting the soda ash. It was just soda ash. It hits the water and turns into snow. Weird. I mean I know why, I just never noticed. In the display and sperated and dissolved within seconds.

I turned up the pump and it sounds like the time Jim Bob used old coffee cans to makeshift a sewer system in his house boat. The EPA had to do a write up on the environmental impact jim bob's sewer cans will have on generations to come.

The noise doesn't bother me but I have to learn to not worry about it. I'm constantly waking up on the middle of the night and flashlighting the tank to make sure there is nothing wrong. My cabinets are almost done so that should help the sound a ton.
 

Reefing threads: Do you wear gear from reef brands?

  • I wear reef gear everywhere.

    Votes: 20 13.8%
  • I wear reef gear primarily at fish events and my LFS.

    Votes: 10 6.9%
  • I wear reef gear primarily for water changes and tank maintenance.

    Votes: 1 0.7%
  • I wear reef gear primarily to relax where I live.

    Votes: 22 15.2%
  • I don’t wear gear from reef brands.

    Votes: 82 56.6%
  • Other.

    Votes: 10 6.9%
Back
Top