return pump stopped

[tatties]

hey all, gotta
Reef Octopus VarioS-6 Controllable DC Circulation Pump

so im at work till sunday (fire dept) and the wife just told me the return pump stopped and everything is beeping!

so with my apex i turned everything off that needs to be, and she noticed both 15min and 60min lights blinking on the reef octo controller. im stuck at work. how long can my tank last like this before something bad happens? i turned the heater off in the sump and the skimimer along with all dosing. i have the powerhead in the DT on minimal to keep circ in the DT. im hoping i can get home sunday and take the return pump apart real quick and all is well.

 

[Mjrenz]

If your wife can put the heater in the dt you would probably be fine with the power head keeping circulation, your sump would most likely become fairly toxic by the time you get home, though

 

[JDnKY]

I would turn your circulation pumps up to at least normal if not a little higher. The Varios has a power plug sticking out the bottom of the controller, have your wife unplug it for a couple of minutes and plug it back in to see if it resets. You need to keep your flow up and now you’re missing the flow of the return pump. I recently had to shut mine off and things were fine for several days before I added a carbon filled canister filter and ran that way for about three weeks. Hopefully resetting the Varios will fix it.

 

[tatties]

thanks guys. i think i might be able to go home in the morning to take apart and see if its just a blockage. temp should be good for 12 hours. house stays at 70 overnight.

 

[JDnKY]

If your wife can put the heater in the dt you would probably be fine with the power head keeping circulation, your sump would most likely become fairly toxic by the time you get home, though

If your temp probe is in the sump, then have her make sure the heater is set properly before moving it to the DT and move it to a regular outlet or turn the outlet to ON via Fusion.

 

[Mjrenz]

thanks guys. i think i might be able to go home in the morning to take apart and see if its just a blockage. temp should be good for 12 hours. house stays at 70 overnight.

It should be ok but stability is everything with reefing, I'd still recommend having her move the heater

 

[Mjrenz]

If your temp probe is in the sump, then have her make sure the heater is set properly before moving it to the DT and move it to a regular outlet or turn the outlet to ON via Fusion.

Good point

 

[tatties]

not sure i understand that heater post?

i have another heater for my rodi station, same heater. only problem is there is no room on the energy bar for it, and no way to control the temp in the DT?

 

[Mjrenz]

not sure i understand that heater post?

i have another heater for my rodi station, same heater. only problem is there is no room on the energy bar for it, and no way to control the temp in the DT?

A lot of people rely on the Apex to control temp and set the thermostat on the heater higher than the temp the Apex maintains

 

[tatties]

A lot of people rely on the Apex to control temp and set the thermostat on the heater higher than the temp the Apex maintains

that is exactly my setup. i have the thermostat around 82-84. and apex keeps at 77.7

 

[KrisReef]

A tank will handle a temperature drop a lot easier than a runaway heater. It's pretty warm in SoCal this evening. GL

 

[tatties]

A tank will handle a temperature drop a lot easier than a runaway heater. It's pretty warm in SoCal this evening. GL

thats what im going with. 70 gallons cant drop that much in 12 hours with ambient at 70. just hoping when i get home that its a simple fix. i dont have a backup return pump!

 

[Mjrenz]

that is exactly my setup. i have the thermostat around 82-84. and apex keeps at 77.7

Can she move the temp probe to the display tank also? That way you can still let the Apex control it. Tanks can handle a temp drop better but stability is still best

 

[JDnKY]

not sure i understand that heater post?

i have another heater for my rodi station, same heater. only problem is there is no room on the energy bar for it, and no way to control the temp in the DT?

Sorry about the confusing post. If you have the Apex controlling the heater via the temp probe settings, the temp probe in the sump, and you move the heater from the sump to the DT then the heater will not be controlled correctly by the temp probe in the sump. You would have to make sure the temp controll was set properly on the heater before moving it to the DT. Some heaters don’t have a temp controller and are always on unless your aquarium controller turns the power off. My heater does have a temp setting but I keep it set a little high so it will always come on when the Apex tells it to. I trust the temp probe in Apex more than the one in the heater but still keep another thermometer in the DT so I can see any changes outside of Apex.

 

[tatties]

Can she move the temp probe to the display tank also? That way you can still let the Apex control it. Tanks can handle a temp drop better but stability is still best

i dont think she can, not the easiest setup to move.

 

[JDnKY]

thats what im going with. 70 gallons cant drop that much in 12 hours with ambient at 70. just hoping when i get home that its a simple fix. i dont have a backup return pump!

I’ve seen my 180 temp drop 5 degrees in a couple of hours. You’re right it’s probably Not critical but stability is always best.

 

[tatties]

Sorry about the confusing post. If you have the Apex controlling the heater via the temp probe settings, the temp probe in the sump, and you move the heater from the sump to the DT then the heater will not be controlled correctly by the temp probe in the sump. You would have to make sure the temp controll was set properly on the heater before moving it to the DT. Some heaters don’t have a temp controller and are always on unless your aquarium controller turns the power off. My heater does have a temp setting but I keep it set a little high so it will always come on when the Apex tells it to. I trust the temp probe in Apex more than the one in the heater but still keep another thermometer in the DT so I can see any changes outside of Apex.

i have the
Finnex Electronic Controller Aquarium Titanium Tube with Heater Guard

i have an extra. should i throw the extra in the DT and keep at say 75ish? hard to trust that and goto sleep.

 

[Mjrenz]

i have the
Finnex Electronic Controller Aquarium Titanium Tube with Heater Guard

i have an extra. should i throw the extra in the DT and keep at say 75ish? hard to trust that and goto sleep.

I would say it depends on how old the heater is and if you've used it before and it was reliable. Most heaters are at least somewhat reliable if they're newer but there's always a risk

 

[JDnKY]

i have the
Finnex Electronic Controller Aquarium Titanium Tube with Heater Guard

i have an extra. should i throw the extra in the DT and keep at say 75ish? hard to trust that and goto sleep.

If you don’t trust it, I wouldn’t. If you do put it in, put the heater in flow and if it has a separate thermometer then move it away from the heater. If the heater isn’t in flow then the hot water will hang by it and if the thermometer is too close the other side of the tank can get cooler than you want.

 

[Mjrenz]

If you can convince your wife to turn the heat up in the house that would help as well if you really don't want to use a heater in the tank