My new 500max led build

Whitey1973

Active Member
I've always turned my return off on my old tank just to stop food going straight down the over flow, when you do your water changes do you turn your return pump off and then siphon from the sump? And what about fresh water do you pump back into sump or tank? Sorry for all the questions again so early


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SPR

Well-Known Member
The food wont go down the overflow depending on what your feeding. Frozen cubes and pellets sink and get blown around. I just drop them in and off they go! I don't use flake anymore but that can sometime go down. Once you get some fish nothing will go to waste - their greedy pigs at least mine are!

When i do a water change I have 2 methods. Yes the main return, auto top off (have a look on my build thread for the tunze and 90 litre RO I have under power centre), skimmer etc are turned of with both.

The first way i do it is when changing 2 buckets, around 60 litres. I just take 60 litres out of the sump using a 5 litre plastic jug from the left hand side and put 60 litres of fresh salt water exactly back in. Done and very easy. My sump is probably bigger than yours so this maybe easier on the Max 650.

The 2nd way i do it is when i want to clean any rubbish out of the sump. This is were I use the Python and basically suck all the water and rubbish out and it goes straight down the outside drain. Works very well. And i then fill the sump back up (with my 5 litre jug) with fresh sea water and it takes around 4 x 27 litre buckets roughly. This is a bigger water change, twice as much as above.

You could use a pump to transfer the water but by the time you've plugged it in and set up, its just easier to use a jug, at least it feels like it anyway. You might have less space in the 500 so the pump may be a better option for you.
 

Nobbygas

Well-Known Member
Shaun. I notice that you say that you complete the water changes with a 5 litre jug! Whenever I have to move large amounts of water, I use an old Eheim Compact 300 pump. You can buy them for less than twenty quid.
 
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SPR

Well-Known Member
Shaun. I notice that you say that you complete the water changes with a 5 litre jug! Whenever I have to move large amounts of water, I use an old Eheim Compact 300 pump. You can buy them for less than twenty quid.

I know, but to me if I do a 2 bucket water change (60litre) it only takes about 5-10 minutes and it's done and I don't have to wait / or set up the pump. I have the Python for a larger change/sump clean out but that takes longer.

I did actually yesterday take out a Eheim 1000 which was spare as I used it originally to run rhowaphos. I might actually try it to see how much easier it is
 

Nobbygas

Well-Known Member
I've always turned my return off on my old tank just to stop food going straight down the over flow, when you do your water changes do you turn your return pump off and then siphon from the sump? And what about fresh water do you pump back into sump or tank? Sorry for all the questions again so early


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I used to switch off my Return Pump to feed, but I found the re-start to be too traumatic ! So I asked around, and the general consensus seemed to be just throw the food in ! Any food dragged into the downflow will be caught by the socks, and they tend to be cleaned every couple of days?
For a water change, yes, switch off the return pump, close the ATO feed, and take water from the Sump, and put the new water back into the Sump, then restart !
 

Whitey1973

Active Member
Well it's been 5 days and all seems to be going ok, protein skimmer has gone on after using ATM Colony ( this will definitely be the first thing I change!!!)

Ammonia 0ppm

Ph 8.1

Nitrate 0.5 ppm

Nitrite 0ppm

Phosphate 0.3ppm ( rowaphos reactor now up an running)

Calcium 500ppm

Alkalinity 11.5 dkh

Magnesium 1500ppm

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Nobbygas

Well-Known Member
Looking good !
I noticed your clip for the Nori. I gave up on them as the fish seemed to be scared of it. I now just use an old frag plug, and use it to weigh down a piece of Nori and place it on top of some rock.
 

Whitey1973

Active Member
Looking good !
I noticed your clip for the Nori. I gave up on them as the fish seemed to be scared of it. I now just use an old frag plug, and use it to weigh down a piece of Nori and place it on top of some rock.
My coral beauty that I've had for 6 months has always been fine with it and the yellow tang that I got on Saturday has took to it straight away... but I like your idea looks more natural
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Whitey1973

Active Member
I've had another brain wave[emoji362][emoji362][emoji362][emoji362][emoji362] What about coral gluing some small pieces of rock to either side of the clip and drop that in???


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SPR

Well-Known Member
Great pictures!

What the stuff at the bottom of sump at from middle. Is it filter wool or something ?
 

Whitey1973

Active Member
I just buy the pillow stuffing sheets off flea bay, it's surprising how much crap it drags out!! I'm changing it every 3 days a the minute, I think I've got the start of the dreaded diatoms!!!!


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Nobbygas

Well-Known Member
Some diatoms are a good sign.
I buy large bags of filter floss wool. I think it costs just a few quid. I put some into the socks, mainly to stop the gurgling noise, but in addition it does pull a lot of crap out. I don't bother rinsing it out, just bin it and replace with new.......now, if only I could remember why I stopped putting in the gap between the carbon section and the return pump section......
 

Whitey1973

Active Member
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It dose it's job this is only 2 days old!! I will replace with new tomorrow, I've still got the 3 bags of carbon in the sump but plan on using a reactor the same as my rowaphos one very soon, I like running a bit of floss but it's each to there own, some will say it's good others will say it's bad, it's what ever works for you, as long as my nitrates stay in check and I keep replacing it regularly then it must be doing something as pictures don't lie


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emvanburen

Well-Known Member
I used to switch off my Return Pump to feed, but I found the re-start to be too traumatic ! So I asked around, and the general consensus seemed to be just throw the food in ! Any food dragged into the downflow will be caught by the socks, and they tend to be cleaned every couple of days?
For a water change, yes, switch off the return pump, close the ATO feed, and take water from the Sump, and put the new water back into the Sump, then restart !
I agree. The restart is very traumatic. I just let it run.


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emvanburen

Well-Known Member
My diatom bloom was quite a mess. The mesh socks filled after a few days. No way I could run felt. Then it crashed and things are much better.

While I love the socks, I kinda want the ability to trap sump debris or sock cleaning debris before it goes back to the pump. So I will be using pads or floss on the carbon tray sometimes.


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SPR

Well-Known Member
I haven't ever used the filter wool until last week.

My Rhowaphos reactor keeps clogging with debris from the sump so I got the wool from eBay and dropped it in left hand side of my sump to see what happens and also change the filters more regularly. I'm not going to clean it, I'll just throw away once it looks a bit funky as it cheap enough on eBay.

If you put the wool in the carbon chamber just before the pump, just make sure it doesn't form a 'dam' and slow water flow to the pump as when I first set my tank up, the carbon bags did exactly this and I was straight on the phone to Kevin not realising what had happened! I think I was running to full carbon bags at the time!
 

Whitey1973

Active Member
I brought my filter wool from eBay and change it twice a week( throw it away also) don't get any dam problems, I've just always found it just finishes the water of nicely, been shopping today, 4 Halloween hermit crabs and 5 turbo snails to help clean up my diatom bloom!!! and 6 green chromis
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