Brew's 187g slice of the ocean

[Brew12]

Close call!

Yup. I'm glad I was home but still not overly pleased. The pump was only 5 months old and had just been cleaned last month. Sicce has a better reputation than this. I just hope they honor their warranty.

 

[cycled123]

Oh no that sucks! I need to look into getting a back up return pump

 

[Bronc]

Woke up this morning to a failed return pump. The rotor in my Sicce had broken in half during the night. Fortunately, all my livestock seems to be ok and the temp only dropped to 75F. I'm sure the O2 was a bit low but everyone still seemed happy.
The biggest problem is that I wasn't as prepared for this as I should have been. I ended up having to use 2 part epoxy, half a roll of electrical tape, and cut apart an old fitting to make an older return pump work. I just didn't expect a Sicce to fail in under 6 months. Needless to say I have a new pump on order and I'll work with Sicce on getting a warranty replacement. I didn't have time this morning to see if it was just the rotor or if the stator is damaged too. I'll contact Sicce once I get that figured out.

That stinks! I’ve had a return pump die overnight as well and it isn’t a good feeling.

 

[Brew12]

That stinks! I’ve had a return pump die overnight as well and it isn’t a good feeling.

I am just hoping this thing doesn't have a come apart before I can get the new pump installed tomorrow. That would make me unhappy. It would also make a mess.

 

[Brew12]

Took the time last night to pull the motor apart. I have also submitted my warranty claim. If nothing else, I will be much better prepared if this ever happens again.

 

[ksed]

Looks like a week point there. Very thin.

 

[Brew12]

Looks like a week point there. Very thin.

I think it was a manufacturing defect. It looks like the shaft may have been a little off center leaving the magnet but it was centered where it attached to the impeller. This likely put a stress on the rotor shaft at the failure point and gave out with fatigue.

I have to say that I am impressed with Sicce's warranty response. I was able to submit everything electronically very easily. They approved my claim within 2 hours of submitting and are shipping out a new rotor to me. Couldn't have been easier. I would have preferred not to have the failure, but this is a very high quality response.

 

[Barrett]

Nice to hear there are still companies out there where a warranty still means something.

 

[Brew12]

Ok, a new return pump is installed and running nicely. Still have some work to do to dial in the overflow but its good enough for now. I also tore down my QT system and got that cleaned up. It was a busy night last night and morning. I also realized that I haven't posted a new FTS since I rearranged the rock work. So, here it is.

Not exactly worthy of going to the front page in my more formal section but I continue to be pleased with how it is coming along. Can't wait for my Battlebox comes this week! More coral is the one thing this tank really needs. Those 14 to 18 coral will really help. In about a year when they grow in....

Also, a special shout out to @4FordFamily
As always, his advice on Tang aggression has proven invaluable. I now have 6 tangs in my system. Using an acclimation box and mirror once again led to no major problems. Yes, they still posture a little but nothing more than a little pushing. Everyone is allowed to eat. At this point I'm done adding fish other than a female green mandarin until my coral grows in. I want a little more shelter before I add a school of anthias and call the fish stocking complete.

 

[ksed]

Looking great!!!

 

[4FordFamily]

Ok, a new return pump is installed and running nicely. Still have some work to do to dial in the overflow but its good enough for now. I also tore down my QT system and got that cleaned up. It was a busy night last night and morning. I also realized that I haven't posted a new FTS since I rearranged the rock work. So, here it is.

Not exactly worthy of going to the front page in my more formal section but I continue to be pleased with how it is coming along. Can't wait for my Battlebox comes this week! More coral is the one thing this tank really needs. Those 14 to 18 coral will really help. In about a year when they grow in....

Also, a special shout out to @4FordFamily
As always, his advice on Tang aggression has proven invaluable. I now have 6 tangs in my system. Using an acclimation box and mirror once again led to no major problems. Yes, they still posture a little but nothing more than a little pushing. Everyone is allowed to eat. At this point I'm done adding fish other than a female green mandarin until my coral grows in. I want a little more shelter before I add a school of anthias and call the fish stocking complete.

Glad that it worked out for you, friend! Your tank is looking fantastic!!

 

[Brew12]

Looking great!!!

Glad that it worked out for you, friend! Your tank is looking fantastic!!

Thanks guys, I really couldn't be more pleased!

I do want to admit an almost oops on my part. Even with my new mandarin in a QT tank I would have sworn it was a female. Once I got it in the DT the fact that it is a male was very obvious. Glad I couldn't find a male at my LFS when I looked! It kept its fin so tightly clamped the entire time it was in the QT that the point was completely hidden. Now, he is a happy little bug hunter.

 

[Bronc]

The tank is looking really good!!!

 

[Brew12]

The tank is looking really good!!!

Thanks Bronc. I'm keeping things pretty simple. I am doing a maintenance dose of Vibrant and I am also giving Chroma a try. I've been impressed enough with Vibrant that I wanted to see if their other products were as good. Otherwise its just filter socks, chaeto and skimming. Haven't even done a water change. Not enough coral to worry about trace elements very much. And Battlecorals should be coming this week!!!! ;Woot;Woot;Woot

 

[Bronc]

Thanks Bronc. I'm keeping things pretty simple. I am doing a maintenance dose of Vibrant and I am also giving Chroma a try. I've been impressed enough with Vibrant that I wanted to see if their other products were as good. Otherwise its just filter socks, chaeto and skimming. Haven't even done a water change. Not enough coral to worry about trace elements very much. And Battlecorals should be coming this week!!!! ;Woot;Woot;Woot

I’m super excited to see your Battlecorals! You’ve got to take lots of pics!

 

[najer]

Looking great, can't wait to see the coral injection.

 

[Brew12]

I was just doing my chemistry checks and realized I have never posted my results before. So...

Alk:7.5
Calc:430
Mag:1400
NO3:5
PO3:0.05

I still have so few coral for my water volume that I have almost no alk/calc consumption.
As for feeding, I have been feeding 1/3 a sheet of nori once a day but I am going to up that to a half sheet now that I have added the 3 yellow tangs. Every morning they get 1 cube of PE mysis and every night they get a chunk of LRS. I qualify as a heavy overfeeder. All but my newst fish are... umm.... healthy size.
I do add phytoplankton (algae barn) and the occasional coral food. I only do that when I feel like it which is one to 3 times a week.

 

[GWHouston]

I used Flexseal on the inside of mine. Very glad I did as I’ve had my sump overflow.

Has anyone ever considered or used an overflow pan from an AC guy? Was thinking of having one made to the IS dimensions of my stand and putting the outlet through the floor for a tie in to the plumbing drain pipes.

 

[Brew12]

Has anyone ever considered or used an overflow pan from an AC guy? Was thinking of having one made to the IS dimensions of my stand and putting the outlet through the floor for a tie in to the plumbing drain pipes.

Its been done by quite a few people. I think that makes a lot of sense when you have a setup in a fish room and can direct a drain somewhere.

 

[GWHouston]

What’s taking so long.

My wife' status and favorite quote when building her a house deco piece...Something about Rome needs to be inserted here.