IM 30G L Build

[CodyRVA]

Stand build underway, so far so good. I sourced my wood from a local mill (poplar). I built 2 stands before with big box store lumber and after using legit square lumber, I’ll never go back!

 

[CodyRVA]

Made some progress on the stand today.

 

[CodyRVA]

Staging the stand/tank.

 

[CodyRVA]

Alright, finally getting around to providing an update on the build. The stand is taking way longer than I expected, finding little time to devote to it. Finally in the final stages though. I just need to finish the drawer. I plan to create a front panel to access the sump, but I can work on that while the tank is cycling.

I ran into some trouble with my original 10G sump. It's simply too small. The excess water that will drain from the display to the sump during a power outtage exceeded the negative/available space in the sump. This is in part due to the skimmer I bought, it requires 8-10 inches of water and it's eating up a lot of space. Fortunately, Petsmart has 20G tall tanks on sale. It's a tight fit, but it should work. I plan on sectioning off a chamber at the end of the sump as my ATO. Next steps are to mock up some cardboard baffles for the sump design, hopefully mirroring the plan from the 10G design, ordering the acrylic baffles and finishing the drawer so I can start plumbing. Most of my plumbing parts have already been delivered, no doubt I missed something though.

 

[CodyRVA]

Newly mapped out sump. Looking for ATO cover ideas.

 

[CodyRVA]

Sump baffles staged. Final stages of the stand paint.

 

[CodyRVA]

I’ll add details later, quick update.

 

[CodyRVA]

Sump done, had to modify the stand a bit to fit the larger sump dimensions. Drawer and knobs installed. Plumbing is almost done, couple fixes are pending. Knobs for the main panel have been sourced, just need to get the panel itself, which will likely be acrylic. Next step is to finish & fix the plumbing, then water test.

 

[Rhetoric]

Your carpentry skills are on full display here. What a great and well thought out build. Can't wait to see what you do with the "wet side" looks like it's almost time!

 

[CodyRVA]

Water test is under way. Had an issue right away with the seals and the overflow box, the painted back of the tank was preventing a seal. The box itself is also a tad off flush due to the limited space and uniseals I installed, hopefully cleaning off the paint fixed the issue, otherwise I’m gonna have to cut my plumbing.

There’s a mountain of noise too. A YouTube post added a tip for this overflow box to add a 45 to the primary drain and that solved that noise. But, the noise going into my sump is very loud due to the use of the media cup. Not sure how I’m gonna fix this yet… open to suggestions!

 

[CodyRVA]

Oh, we’re getting close!

 

[CodyRVA]

Officially cycling.

 

[CodyRVA]

Update: still cycling, of course. Dosing ammonia every few days. Using an old bottle that seemingly has lost its potency, the bottle is probably 10 years old at this point. But, dosing every other day seems to be doing the trick. Still reading 0 ppm on nitrite and nitrate.

 

[Tahoe61]

Update: still cycling, of course. Dosing ammonia every few days. Using an old bottle that seemingly has lost its potency, the bottle is probably 10 years old at this point. But, dosing every other day seems to be doing the trick. Still reading 0 ppm on nitrite and nitrate.

I had a bottle of Ammonium Chloride that was only 3 months old and the Ammonium had evaporated. I bought Ammonium Bicarbonate and made up a batch.
I had no idea that Ammonium doesn't last very long.

 

[CodyRVA]

Quick chemistry update... This comes after a heavy dose of potentially old Ammonia. I can confirm the ammonia I'm using is a bottle from Ace Hardware and again, it's at least 10 years old, containing 10% Ammonium Hydroxide. In the past 1-2 caps spiked the ammonia levels and the cycle was full steam ahead. I've dosed probably 10 caps into this system so far and it finally seems like we're there.

PH: 7.9
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 1.0 ppm
Nitrate: Did not test

 

[CodyRVA]

Electrical organization, probably temporary, but good enough for now.

 

[CodyRVA]

Chemistry Update:

PH: 7.9
Ammonia: 0.5 ppm
Nitrite: 1.0 ppm
Nitrate: 40 ppm
Salinity: 1.025

 

[CodyRVA]

I was having issues with my gate valve, thread here. Specifically, it was very hard to adjust and super sensitive. I originally plumbed my primary return to drop into a media basket, but it looks like I'm going with almost no filter media on this build. By removing the basket and extending the primary return into the water, the gate valve adjustments have improved. It is still fairly sensitive which is odd, but it's definitely better.

I also removed the manifold I originally built. It was clunky, in the way and simply not necessary. What I was gaining by not needing an extra pump for a reactor, I was giving up in space and ease of access for my entire pump. Simply put, not worth it. I probably won't put another manifold on a system unless I have a dedicated fish room and an over sized sump seated a distance away from the display. Sucks that I essentially burned money on plumbing parts, but I was able to rebuild the return with leftovers so no additional parts were needed.

 

[CodyRVA]

We are cycled.

 

[CodyRVA]

Picked up a Royal gramma and a pair of lightning maroon clowns. Also got my reactor and skimmer going.