T.W.'s 20 gallon Nano

[alberthiel]

Alright, I pulled the ammonia source since the cycle has started. Now we wait...and wait...and wait . This is the tough part for sure. I was asking Albert about something I saw in my tank the past few days. After looking at pics, I think it may be feather dusters. Gives me something to look at until I can get some livestock put in. I doubt they will make it through the cycle but who knows right?
Water Parameters as of this morning:
Ammonia 1.0
Nitrite 1.0
Nitrate 0-20 ( gotta love "guess that color" accuracy huh?)
SG 1.026 (will drop this to 1.025 with first water change)
Temp 78 F ( I was thinking my return pump would help heat a bit more giving the 50w heater a break but I am going to add a second 50w heater shortly)
pH 8.0

Hard to tell whether they will make it or not if they are Dusters ... but who knows they may ... then again it could be something else ... we'll have to wait and see.

Yes now it comes down to Patience till your tank fully cycles and that is going to take a tittle while longer ... Your nitrite has not spiked yet and is only just starting to appear ... so may another 2 or 3 weeks ...

 

[T.W.]

Update:

Ammonia is down to .50 ppm and NitrItes are up to around 5.0 ppm.

I have not been running the skimmer or the lights, just the powerheads. Should I turn the skimmer on?

I also charted it so I can visualize the spikes and drops. Also for reference later on.

 

[alberthiel]

Update:
Ammonia is down to .50 ppm and NitrItes are up to around 5.0 ppm.
I have not been running the skimmer or the lights, just the powerheads. Should I turn the skimmer on?
I also charted it so I can visualize the spikes and drops. Also for reference later on.

Looks like you are getting there. The nitrites will go up some more and then drop suddenly, usually overnight to zero ppm. But you still have ammonia and before that happens it will be zero.

You can leave the skimmer and lights off. Note sure if you have seen this article but it is an in depth analysis of the Nitrogen Cycle
Aquarium Chemistry: The Nitrogen Cycle: New Developments and New Prospects — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog It is very detailed and deals with the latest findings on it

 

[T.W.]

Yes it seems to be plugging along nicely. I just realized today is the start of Week 3 for my cycle! I am still watching those little dudes that resemble feather dusters. No change except the one I up front now has a turquoise color to it instead of black.

 

[alberthiel]

Yes it seems to be plugging along nicely. I just realized today is the start of Week 3 for my cycle! I am still watching those little dudes that resemble feather dusters. No change except the one I up front now has a turquoise color to it instead of black.

Sounds good. Going along nicely and that may be dusters indeed so hopefully they will make it through the cycle. Do keep me posted will you. Thanks

 

[T.W.]

I will Albert. I Have Nothing Else To Do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:tongue:

My family thinks I am looney for staring into an empty tank all the time. I get right up to the glass and grab my flashlight and start looking around!

 

[alberthiel]

I will Albert. I Have Nothing Else To Do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:tongue:

My family thinks I am looney for staring into an empty tank all the time. I get right up to the glass and grab my flashlight and start looking around!

Yes I know what you mean, my late mother in law used to tell my wife that all she saw of me was the back part (well you know what I mean) as I was always doing the same and amazingly enough one always finds something one has not yet seen before.

Just wait TW till the tank has cycled and you start seeing HH's that somehow got into your tank ... as long as it is not Godzilla however you should be OK

 

[Dixie_reefer]

I really like this tank and really really like your diy overflow. I may do something similar with my 36 that way I dont have to drill any holes!

 

[alberthiel]

I really like this tank and really really like your diy overflow. I may do something similar with my 36 that way I dont have to drill any holes!

Yes it does look real nice indeed and you are correct ... drilling holes is no fun unless you have all right tools and equipment and have done it a few times IME

 

[T.W.]

Thanks. The overflow is pretty easy to build. There are a couple of assembly videos by the guy that made it plus a diagram that makes it even easier. Just make sure to use a good siphon valve and make sure it is air tight. My first build went into the trash can because I used a cheap valve and gorilla glue to try and seal it. My second edition I used a better valve and 2 part plumbers epoxy.
I am still trying to think of a way to make the valve replaceable. If the valve breaks that entire section of overflow would have to be replaced. Although not a huge cost factor it sure would simplify things if you could pop in a new valve.

 

[alberthiel]

Thanks. The overflow is pretty easy to build. There are a couple of assembly videos by the guy that made it plus a diagram that makes it even easier. Just make sure to use a good siphon valve and make sure it is air tight. My first build went into the trash can because I used a cheap valve and gorilla glue to try and seal it. My second edition I used a better valve and 2 part plumbers epoxy.
I am still trying to think of a way to make the valve replaceable. If the valve breaks that entire section of overflow would have to be replaced. Although not a huge cost factor it sure would simplify things if you could pop in a new valve.

Yes I can see that it is a bit tricky as most overflow boxes are IME .... as they do require all kinds of fail-safes built in and that is what the trick usually is ... getting it right :0
Thanks

 

[Rikerbear]

Thanks. The overflow is pretty easy to build. There are a couple of assembly videos by the guy that made it plus a diagram that makes it even easier. Just make sure to use a good siphon valve and make sure it is air tight. My first build went into the trash can because I used a cheap valve and gorilla glue to try and seal it. My second edition I used a better valve and 2 part plumbers epoxy.
I am still trying to think of a way to make the valve replaceable. If the valve breaks that entire section of overflow would have to be replaced. Although not a huge cost factor it sure would simplify things if you could pop in a new valve.

This may be exactly what I have been looking for for my display refugium I have planned. Very clever!

 

[DBarsotti]

Great build, Stand looks awesome! Good job. Keep the pictures coming


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[T.W.]

Thanks D. I may have mentioned it before but I had to restrict my drain side to around 50% flow so the maxi-Jet 900 could keep up! Pretty good flow and I have not noticed any major micro bubble issues. I did drop the drain as far as I could into the sump though. The whole system is silent except for the return pump. It growls a bit especially if I let the evap go to long. lol

 

[alberthiel]

Thanks D. I may have mentioned it before but I had to restrict my drain side to around 50% flow so the maxi-Jet 900 could keep up! Pretty good flow and I have not noticed any major micro bubble issues. I did drop the drain as far as I could into the sump though. The whole system is silent except for the return pump. It growls a bit especially if I let the evap go to long. lol

So was the drain letting out more water than what the return pump could handle or how exactly was the imbalance between the two created as I am not quite sure I understand what was going on. Usually only as much water can go down to the sump as the return pump puts back in the tank, but maybe you have it set up in another manner in which case I am missing something I guess

 

[LukeG]

So was the drain letting out more water than what the return pump could handle or how exactly was the imbalance between the two created as I am not quite sure I understand what was going on. Usually only as much water can go down to the sump as the return pump puts back in the tank, but maybe you have it set up in another manner in which case I am missing something I guess

I think he's running a full siphon and had to restrict the flow to keep the siphon from breaking.


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[T.W.]

You got it Luke.
I had to restrict the drain side to get a balance between drain and return water flow. With my drain valve open it would clear out the weir tube in about 2 seconds. The drain flow was so strong that the return could never catch up and the drain would starve. With the drain valve choked down a bit I can keep the water in and out balanced.

Hope that helps to clear it up:bigsmile:

It should be mentioned that I stink at explanations. Much better with show and tell method. Sorry.

 

[alberthiel]

You got it Luke.
I had to restrict the drain side to get a balance between drain and return water flow. With my drain valve open it would clear out the weir tube in about 2 seconds. The drain flow was so strong that the return could never catch up and the drain would starve. With the drain valve choked down a bit I can keep the water in and out balanced.

Hope that helps to clear it up:bigsmile:

It should be mentioned that I stink at explanations. Much better with show and tell method. Sorry.

Yes now I see what was happening and good you caught it and fixed it or you would have had a tank overflowing if after the siphon broke, if it did not restart but I think there are DIY 's out there to prevent the siphon from breaking + restarting when necessary .. but if you got it fixed then I think you are OK

 

[T.W.]

The siphon is never broken and it will automatically restart if the flow is ever interrupted and later resumed. I went and toyed around with the drain valve. What happens when I open it fully is the water level in the weir drops close to the bottom, micro bubbles increase in the sump drain section but flow does not stop. Possibly what was happening was due to not having a prime in the system during initial start up.

 

[alberthiel]

The siphon is never broken and it will automatically restart if the flow is ever interrupted and later resumed. I went and toyed around with the drain valve. What happens when I open it fully is the water level in the weir drops close to the bottom, micro bubbles increase in the sump drain section but flow does not stop. Possibly what was happening was due to not having a prime in the system during initial start up.

Glad to read it TW which means to me that you have figured out what can go wrong and have taken steps to prevent it from doing so. Power to you !