I'm restarting my system any question or suggestions are welcome.

basile

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Well today was the day i restarted a 2 tank system; a 150 G reef tank and a 75 G display refugium both starfire custom made tanks. I thought i'd be easier.

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Beside just filling up with water i had to come up with a plan. My biggest concern was my back wall which is stuck to the back and can't be removed.

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Those are ceramic plates that are 10 more porous than rocks and do an incredible filtering job. it better be at $500 a panel , bought from Germany i had the following problem.

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How do i clean these guys without taking them out. My research and the advice of most ; nothing. Aside from brushing the surface, nothing can be done with stationary rocks or sculptures,( as i have 2 removable sculptures).

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The best way , is to fill up with tap water and let the 7 month old DRY tank regain its moisture, then scoop up the let over gunk after its emptied . I've already have the sand partially cleaned in buckets.

So while the tank is being partially revive, i'm heading to the sand buckets, for a final rinsing, 4 full buckets of it. YUK!

I give myself a week to complete this endeavor while my back wall is marinating in tap water and vinegar.

After that, saltwater and the rock sculpture will be reunited for the cycling for the next 3 months.

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The rest of the plan is to figure out what worked and didn't worked in the last operation. By the way i didn't shut down because of a bad move, i lost my job and my health, end of explanation.

I found out,what i can and could do better this time. Some things like an NPS zone and the stalactite are in review.Any questions or suggestions are welcome.

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basile

basile

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I've discovered a fault in my sump . It would of gone unnoticed if my set up had been on the previous carpet. thank God i changed that to ceramic. I was able to see a wet spot and after careful observation of the growing spot into a puddle i knew then a drip was there. Grrrrrrr

So i have to start by changing my sump.

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You can see here the design, why is it like this; the middle metal frame first and then the fact that to remove it from the side would mean emptying an entire book shelve on the left side. So i chose to make it in two sections. IT'S A FLAWED CONCEPT! Primarily because the weight of the two modules aren't the same and stress is working against the seem of the lighter(right side) module. Where the drip is actually, right below the bulkhead. So don't ever go for a multiple modules.

So my solution is a custom made polyethylene sump. Formed in one piece; it'll be impervious to stress and cracking. At $549 its a bit steep but for my peace of mind; priceless.

My polyethylene RODI drum perfect and very sturdy. The sump will be 1/2 inch thick.

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The new sump will be bigger too, 57"x 18" x 15"h all white so less mess to see,lol easy to clean.

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I've also made a few modification according to my observation on the previous one.
The incoming pipe will go directly into the 2 socks to reduce noise from overflow lip. I've lowered the height of the sump to give me easier access to my skimmer, the sump will be longer to give more room for the skimmer and the reactors .
 
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