My 72 Bowfront Build Revised Thread

[jsker]

no bubbles should be in the overflow line. Try to take a piece of air tubing and running it up in there to suck out any air you see. If that doesn't work, stop the return pump and start over.

Give the skimmer a day to break in. Open up the gate all the way, unscrew ther air restrictor screw all the way, and crank up the motor if it's a DC. After a day fine tuning is in order. Take off the collection cup and have the bubbles come up to the top of the neck without overflowing. Replace collection cup and leave it alone for a day or 2. Based on the color of your skimmate, we can adjust from there.

Sump life is chaotic at first, but once you get it all figured out, you'll never run another tank w/o one!

Do you have an ATO?

I am playing with the overflow this morning, I closed the valve on the over flow down to the sump about a 1/3 and the seems to stop the air in the line issue, overflow from pulsing and making noise. The overflow line is 1.25 and the up line is 3/4 , 8' of line with a 50" rise for the sump to the top of the tank. I think the pump is to small for the line coming down? The pump is 660gph the over flow is rated to about the same. The over flow line is about 12' with a horizontal run then the drop to the sump.

I pulled off the skimmer collection cup last night and let the skimmer run. this morning I dialed down the speed and raised the sump level to about 7 inches and have the skimmer set at half speed and not slowly adjusting me foam to where is just at where the skimmer cup connects to the main part of the skimmer.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Sounds like the skimmer should pull aome stuff today. Why is out that you say your return pump may not be enough?

 

[jsker]

Sounds like the skimmer should pull aome stuff today. Why is out that you say your return pump may not be enough?

It seem the the overflow is starved (it was making the slurping noise till I close the down valve by a 1/3. The overflow fills then drains down a bit and fill again(pulsing). When I picked up the pump, we had(Chris a saltysupply) a conversation about the distance and height of the return my create head pressure and that I would have to make some adjustments. I am still move a good deal of water though

 

[john.m.cole3]

how's the skimmer doing?

 

[jsker]

I was hooking up the Apex and the HOB overflow was leaking were the flex tube joins the PVC. Spent most of the day getting the leak fixed, but so that I can still separate the overflow from the flex line.

The skimmer seems to be doing what you recommended, there was thick dark green stuff in the cup.

I have another half hour before I fire everything up again.

Thank you for ask

 

[jsker]

Fired up the tank, and no leaks, Now to reset the Apex settings, that will be all day tomorrow with trial and error

 

[jsker]

Apex set back up, best thing I discovered was to take time and read the Apex manual. In the manual Apex suggest to create a table for programming. Here is my table

 

[jsker]

The tank look so much cleaner without the HOB filter, Heater, and Apex probes gone. now to get ride of the hair algae and all will be good

 

[revhtree]

Looking good!

 

[jsker]

Thank you @revhtree

 

[john.m.cole3]

The tank look so much cleaner without the HOB filter, Heater, and Apex probes gone. now to get ride of the hair algae and all will be good

OMG look at the difference that makes! Super Clean!!! And I like your clean back glass, very sharp!

 

[jsker]

I am going to order the Marine Pure spheres and I think I am going to get a suction tube to clean the very thin sand bed to get the nitrates down. Do you think clean the sand bed is going over board?

 

[john.m.cole3]

I'd do a 4"-6" section a week

 

[john.m.cole3]

This is where we are going in the next year I am betting

 

[john.m.cole3]

This our video maestro in our forum. His 72

 

[jsker]

This is my try at video with editing

 

[jsker]

This is where we are going in the next year I am betting

I am about a third of the way there

 

[jsker]

This our video maestro in our forum. His 72

I going there, that is really nice

 

[john.m.cole3]

This is my try at video with editing

i don't see a video

 

[jsker]

i don't see a video

I have to figure out the file format for youtube, that was like stabbing in the dark. I have a much clearer video up now, I have switch the video out a couple of times. I am going to shoot something tomorrow and play with the save upload resolution. Premiere Pro is a really cool program, we could do some cool stuff.