[AcidGambit]

I fine-cleaned the tank and painted the back with Plasti-Dip. The outside has the rubberized texture that you would expect. The inside is a mirror black finish. This should really make the seiryu stone pop. The plan is to let it sit for at least a week before I install the bulk heads so that the Plasti-Dip can cure and hopefully not peel when I tighten the bulkheads. My PVC source is out of the some the fittings I need--the silver lining is that it will force me to give the Plasti-Dip plenty of time to cure.

 

[Discusluv]

So cool! Of course the tank looks sleek and stunning
Really looking forward to this journal with shell dwellers. Ive never kept them but Ive heard their behaviors are fascinating. Please do lots of updates setting up tank to fit their requirements, feeding, breeding behaviors, etc... it will be a great resource for others interested in these fish.

 

[AcidGambit]

So cool! Of course the tank looks sleek and stunning
Really looking forward to this journal with shell dwellers. Ive never kept them but Ive heard their behaviors are fascinating. Please do lots of updates setting up tank to fit their requirements, feeding, breeding behaviors, etc... it will be a great resource for others interested in these fish.

Will do! I work from home and this tank sits to my left side, so I'm really looking forward to being able to observe these guys through the day.

 

[reddhawkk]

Java fern does well in my African tanks, maybe give them a try.

 

[Blue Ridge Reef]

Yeah, I was going to say that I grew most everything in my Tanganyika tank. Any epiphyte plants like Anubias, Bolbitis, Java fern and such especially. I had luck with Vals, Crypts, and I've never had dwarf chain swords grow so fast as in that tank. I wouldn't assume that because hardness is beyond the care sheet recommendation that they won't grow, you pretty much have to just try different things and see how they do. This is going to be a sweet set up, can't wait to see how it progresses!

 

[AcidGambit]

Thinking out loud here, I may use some trident java fern in spots along the base of the rock, with some anubias nana mini higher up to simulate larger plants that grow at lower elevations, etc. Bolbitis are an interesting option. I didn't think that they would thrive in the hard, basic water that I will be targeting.

 

[AcidGambit]

Slow progress, unfortunately. But I think I finally have my plumbing figured out. The unfortunate reality is that my stand, which works really well with the rest of the decor in my office, is not meant for plumbing a fish tank. I have to place the sump off to one side and there isn't much vertical height to work with. I think I finally have it figured out (mix of hard plumbing and tubing) and my remaining parts should arrive sometime this week. Here are some progress pictures.

 

[mourip]

Nice sump! I wanted to do a sump for my current build but, like you, found that the tank stand was challenging. My compromise was to get a canister filter with a built in heater but now find that the flow is a bit weak.

 

[AcidGambit]

I figured out the plumbing, so here are some pictures of the outside of the tank.

I'm hoping to leak test in the next few days.

 

[AcidGambit]

Ugh, leak test failed today. I was most concerned about the leak occurring at one of the return bulkheads or the bulkhead between the overflow box and the tank. Oddly enough, however, it occurred on one of the bulkheads for the drain connections on the overflow box (closest one in the image below). I'm not sure what I am going to do yet. Of course it occurred on the part of my plumbing where I couldn't fit a union to ease disassembly and reuse!

Here's a picture of the sump for those that are interested.

I also learned a few things today. First, keep your returns pointed up when filling, not down. I didn't have the return pump plugged into the controller yet and the returns started a siphon down to the sump because they were pointed down below the drain level. Luckily, I caught it with the shutoff valves less than half an inch from the top of the sump.

Also, it looks like my pump has more than enough power to overwhelm the primary drain, so I'll need to really ramp it down when I get everything figured out.

 

[AcidGambit]

I've figured out what I am going to do. I am going to cut the old plumbing off of the overflow box and start over with new bulkheads. The downside is that this will put the tank on hold for at least another week while I wait for parts to arrive in the mail. But it is preferable to trying to fix the problem with silicone and potentially leaving a latent problem waiting to fail. The other plus is that this will allow me to better route the drains into the sump using PVC, which should eliminate some minor kinking I had at the entry to the sump chamber.

 

[andrewss]

Very nice! Interested to see where it goes!

 

[AcidGambit]

I took advantage of the downtime to mount up my control electronics. New PVC fittings should be here on Sunday.

 

[AcidGambit]

Look ma, no leaks! The first run through I cranked down on the one bulkhead so hard that I separated threaded portion from the flange. Second time through was a charm and the plumbing fits better. I have some more tweaks, like making the emergency drain higher to get rid of the remaining gurgle. But this is very exciting!

 

[[email protected]]

nicely done

 

[Hendy8888]

Really interested to see your flow pattern with the rear outflows once it's planted. One thing that caught my attention in a previous post was the water back siphoning through your return lines. Can your sump take all the backflow when the pump turns off or do you have another method like syphon breaks/check valves?

Can't wait to see this progress.

 

[AcidGambit]

Really interested to see your flow pattern with the rear outflows once it's planted. One thing that caught my attention in a previous post was the water back siphoning through your return lines. Can your sump take all the backflow when the pump turns off or do you have another method like syphon breaks/check valves?

Can't wait to see this progress.

Most of the recommendations that I've read say that you shouldn't rely on check valves to prevent your sump from overflowing. I adjusted the angle of my returns so that the sump can handle the amount of water that siphons into it when the return pump is off. The thinking is that siphon breaks (which are typically small holes) can also clog fairly easily, so it's best to just rely on sump volume to make it work. As it stands, I don't have much wiggle room when the return pump is off, so I'll probably add another link of Loc-Line to my returns so that I can lift the return nozzles further up.

 

[AcidGambit]

The crazy thing about this setup is that the fan on the Neptune Energy Bar is louder than the water sounds from the sump/overflow/return pump. They're truly silent. In fact, today I was using an "ocean wave" noise generator while working at my desk because my tank wasn't creating any noise!

 

[AcidGambit]

All equipment, including the light is setup and working well. I now have full control of my return pump speed, light intensity, and light color from one location. Next step is to drain the tank so that I can move the stand back against the wall.