It will be a very nice setup, you will have many stocking choices, we're looking forward to the completed project.........
150 Gallon Build Thread ... From the Start
- Thread starter WaywardSon
- Start date
Coy, tried to get this Paint photo to upload as a PM reply but couldn't; check the color arrows below with descriptions below:
Yellow arrow: This should be your CO2 line to the pressurized tank. By the looks of it, you're already connected correctly. The piping runs down into the bottom of the reactor chamber. You'll see the CO2 bubbling up from the bottom of this piping. This is how I count my bps and why I don't need a bubble counter.
Red arrow: You do need this second stem Coy and it comes in real handy. Connect a piece of scrap airline tubing to the top of this thread at the red arrow. You can use this stem to BLEED any trapped gas out of the reactor chamber. This will be important when you need to purge your Eheim unit after cleaning for restart. Water will slowly bleed out this airline tubing to depressurize the chamber and restore max water flow. You control the bleed using the....
Orange arrow: There is a small dial here. Turn this dial to control the bleed off of the chamber. When in closed position, it is water tight (I've never had any problems). There is no need to turn or otherwise tweak with the stem itself. That is what this valve is for.
Re: the cycle startup. If I were you, I would bust open the canister filter on your existing tank and remove (steal) about 1/3 to 1/2 of the biomedia. Replace the media you remove with new media and it will repopulate with bacteria in no time; I have done this a hundred times and I've never experienced a mini-cycle as a result. Take the old media and scatter it across all three Eheim units in the 150. This will greatly speed up the cycle time and if you're lucky, might even give you an "instant" cycle within a day or two. You already have some ammonia sources in the tank (plant matter, driftwood breakdown) but you could either add a few danios (fishy cycle) or add straight ammonia (fishless).
If you elect to use the old media to seed the new, wait a few days and check your a/n/nitrate levels. If you look good (0/0/some nitrate), add some danios and let the tank cycle a few more days. My guess is that you'll be cycled in no time using this method.
Yellow arrow: This should be your CO2 line to the pressurized tank. By the looks of it, you're already connected correctly. The piping runs down into the bottom of the reactor chamber. You'll see the CO2 bubbling up from the bottom of this piping. This is how I count my bps and why I don't need a bubble counter.
Red arrow: You do need this second stem Coy and it comes in real handy. Connect a piece of scrap airline tubing to the top of this thread at the red arrow. You can use this stem to BLEED any trapped gas out of the reactor chamber. This will be important when you need to purge your Eheim unit after cleaning for restart. Water will slowly bleed out this airline tubing to depressurize the chamber and restore max water flow. You control the bleed using the....
Orange arrow: There is a small dial here. Turn this dial to control the bleed off of the chamber. When in closed position, it is water tight (I've never had any problems). There is no need to turn or otherwise tweak with the stem itself. That is what this valve is for.
Re: the cycle startup. If I were you, I would bust open the canister filter on your existing tank and remove (steal) about 1/3 to 1/2 of the biomedia. Replace the media you remove with new media and it will repopulate with bacteria in no time; I have done this a hundred times and I've never experienced a mini-cycle as a result. Take the old media and scatter it across all three Eheim units in the 150. This will greatly speed up the cycle time and if you're lucky, might even give you an "instant" cycle within a day or two. You already have some ammonia sources in the tank (plant matter, driftwood breakdown) but you could either add a few danios (fishy cycle) or add straight ammonia (fishless).
If you elect to use the old media to seed the new, wait a few days and check your a/n/nitrate levels. If you look good (0/0/some nitrate), add some danios and let the tank cycle a few more days. My guess is that you'll be cycled in no time using this method.
/\ /\ Awesome is right. Thanks Vader. I must be missing something (not hard to believe) but the bleed valve, if you will, seems to be fixed - I can't turn it. Dah!
/\ /\ Double Dah!! I didn't think I was that dense - LOL! It's a wonder the water even stayed in the tank!
Here we go - goggles on and I am going in ...
Here we go - goggles on and I am going in ...
I have worn away much of my right patella (that's the kneecap for those not medically inclined LOL) installing, reinstalling, tweaking and re-tweaking the filtration setup and the UV/CO2 loop in my Asian tank.
Complex setups = complex installs
The good news is that once you're done, you're done and with a setup as robust as yours, you can rest easy that it ill do a superior job.
CO2 reactor = no questions re: am I getting enough diffusion? + less parts (no bubble counter) + bombproof reliability + no in-tank diffuser (clutter and one more thing to clean) = better plant growth and a more appealing setup
UV Sterilizer = NO green water... ever + NO bacterial blooms.... ever + protction against water-bourne protozoans (including ich) + other nasties = healthier specimens
You have not lived until you've had to clean up 50-75 gallons of water from the floor; whether its the washing machine, the dishwasher, water heater, tank springs a leak, you forgot to screw down the canister filter after servicing, etc. it WILL happen at some point
Complex setups = complex installs
The good news is that once you're done, you're done and with a setup as robust as yours, you can rest easy that it ill do a superior job.
CO2 reactor = no questions re: am I getting enough diffusion? + less parts (no bubble counter) + bombproof reliability + no in-tank diffuser (clutter and one more thing to clean) = better plant growth and a more appealing setup
UV Sterilizer = NO green water... ever + NO bacterial blooms.... ever + protction against water-bourne protozoans (including ich) + other nasties = healthier specimens
You have not lived until you've had to clean up 50-75 gallons of water from the floor; whether its the washing machine, the dishwasher, water heater, tank springs a leak, you forgot to screw down the canister filter after servicing, etc. it WILL happen at some point
You have not lived until you've had to clean up 50-75 gallons of water from the floor; whether its the washing machine, the dishwasher, water heater, tank springs a leak, you forgot to screw down the canister filter after servicing, etc. it WILL happen at some point
Reminds me of my old riding days... When it comes to motorcycles there is an old saying. "There are two kinds of riders... Those who HAVE gone down, and those who WILL!" and it's true. I got real lucky when I finally put one down at about 50 MPH! Cracked a couple ribs and broke my right hand, and that was it. Hopefully, the day I spring a leak it will only be a couple gallons before I can catch it and stem the flow! :eek3:
Sounds like you got away lucky crime :thm: Reminds me of a similar sentiment back from my rock climbing days (on lead, sport climbing outdoors)... those that have taken a big fall and those that will
Re: catching the leak before it turns into a flood, a use these inexpensive battery powered puppies throughout the house (including next to all of the fish tanks/filters) and they certainly help me sleep at night:
http://www.thewateralarm.com/specia...water-sensor&gclid=CK7Iur-BlJkCFRo-awodGQ4icQ
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