Setting up my RSM Refugium
- Thread starter Reefmack
- Start date
I am trying the airline tubing now. Here is what Jeff sent me.....
"
Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done with the prefilter design to eliminate all noise and air. A lot depends on the flow rate and how the hose is routed to the sump. You might try adjusting your flow rate to see if it changes the noise.
Another trick you might try is to take a three to four foot long piece of standard 1/8" airline and snake it down through the drain hose all the way to your sump, then, slowly start removing the airline and somewhere along the removal you should find the "sweet spot" where the air accumulates and this air will vent via this airline.
Jeff
"
Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done with the prefilter design to eliminate all noise and air. A lot depends on the flow rate and how the hose is routed to the sump. You might try adjusting your flow rate to see if it changes the noise.
Another trick you might try is to take a three to four foot long piece of standard 1/8" airline and snake it down through the drain hose all the way to your sump, then, slowly start removing the airline and somewhere along the removal you should find the "sweet spot" where the air accumulates and this air will vent via this airline.
Jeff
LPSLuver
New Member
Yep. Thats what I did and it got rid of the burping. But that wasn't good enough for me. I bought an Aquasilencer from Champion Lighting and a 1 inch to 3/4 in reducing bushing and plugged the sucka in. Made myself an air silencer (pill bottle drilled on both ends with tubing in one side and another piece out of the other side, filled loosely with prefilter material) for the air that came out of the tubing for the Aquasilencer. Now it is "relatively" whisper quiet.
bryceK - Not yet. I'm hoping to get it going when I'm off Thanksgiving week. That'll give me time to get it all hooked up and tested a few times to be sure the siphon restarts. I've had the baffles in the tank, the Lifereef siphon, return pump, tubing, fuge mud, etc. for weeks now, and just looking for the time to set it up and test it out when I'm not rushed. All I really need is chaeto.
bryceK - if you get that 29g fuge set up let us know! Thanks for answering my email questions too.
Well, I'm one step closer to getting mine set up. I leak tested the tank again, now that the baffles are in. No tank leaks, but I did have a very small pinhole sized leak between the 2nd & third chambers. It probably would have made no difference, but it's been drained, dried and a bit more silicone to that one spot.
Excuse my lousy silicone job. The baffle kit I got via Ebay had the baffles cut a bit too small on the sides, and I had to make up for it but putting a lot of silicone in to fill in the spaces. Plus it was my first attempt at this, and to me it's not the easiest stuff to work with.
One good thing - the depth of the first chamber for the incoming water is a perfect depth for the Tunze 9002 skimmer that I've had on the shelf for over a year. I can just drop it in and use my DIY magnet setup on one side to hold it in place. The water line will be right at the water line marked on the Tunze:
I'm hoping to get the Lifereef siphon set up, and the unit running in the next day or two. More updates then.
Well, I'm one step closer to getting mine set up. I leak tested the tank again, now that the baffles are in. No tank leaks, but I did have a very small pinhole sized leak between the 2nd & third chambers. It probably would have made no difference, but it's been drained, dried and a bit more silicone to that one spot.
Excuse my lousy silicone job. The baffle kit I got via Ebay had the baffles cut a bit too small on the sides, and I had to make up for it but putting a lot of silicone in to fill in the spaces. Plus it was my first attempt at this, and to me it's not the easiest stuff to work with.
One good thing - the depth of the first chamber for the incoming water is a perfect depth for the Tunze 9002 skimmer that I've had on the shelf for over a year. I can just drop it in and use my DIY magnet setup on one side to hold it in place. The water line will be right at the water line marked on the Tunze:
I'm hoping to get the Lifereef siphon set up, and the unit running in the next day or two. More updates then.
Well, I finally pinned myself down and got the sump/refugium installed. Took the better part of the day to be sure I did things right. I started out by heating & areating two 5 gallon buckets of salt water made 2 weeks ago. I'd put the unit in the tank yesterday, and my 2.5 gallon ATO reservoir, as a "fit test". I thought I'd better make sure my measurements were correct before pulling everything out of the back compartments (ATO sensors, Remora skimmer, and media basket). Removing that stuff and cleaning it up was a major job in itself. I'll miss the Remora - it has always done a great job of skimming. But, I'm hanging on to it just in case I ever remove the refugium for some reason.
Early on in today's tank work I did what I have always been afraid I'd do. I took off my glasses and set them on the carpet next to the tank. You guessed it - I got up and stepped on my glasses and pretty much flattened them! If you've ever seen the movie The Christmas Story, you can sympathize with me in that I felt just like Ralphie when he dropped his glasses and stepped on them. More than a couple 4 letter words spewed from my lips. Thank goodness I was able to bend the wire frames back into shape and get the lens that popped out back in place. Can't even tell they got stepped on - phew!
I then filled the sump/fuge with the aged SW, and hooked up the fittings and tubing for the siphon and return pump, and sucked the air out of the U-tube and equalized the 2 chambers. Said a tank prayer and started the return pump and everything seemed OK, but I had to adjust the flow on the return pump a few times, and finally turned it all the way down. And the noise was totally awful! A loud, repetitive sucking/gurgling noise that drove my wife upstairs, and she could even hear it up there. I was at the point of shutting down and undoing everything till I decided to try the Lifereef suggestion of inserting airline tubing down through the overflow pipe and pushing it almost all the way down to the sump. It worked! No noise at all now, other than a barely noticeable trickle noise as the water enters the first chamber of the overflow box. In fact the tank is now quieter than it has ever been! The water pouring out of the Remora use to make some noise, but now I the tank is almost silent.
Here's the unit running. My old CPR HOB refugium light fits perfect across the tank, and the lip on both ends keeps it in place very well - the light is quite bright. I still need some chaeto & rock in the refugium section. The Tunze ATO sensors are on the front left, Tunze 9002 skimmer in the right section. I placed bags of SeaGel (carbon and Phosguard mixture), and Purigen, under the bubble trap sponge on the left:
With my ATO reservoir in place:
The return fitting and Lifereef siphon in the back. That tubing on the left is some excess airline tubing (silencer) that I didn't cut off - I took the excess and routed it through the 3 holes left for the RSM hinge - keeps it nice & tidy:
Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Tunze skimmer will start skimming soon. I'll have the fuge light on the same timer that my moonlights are on, so the chaeto can do it's thing on a reverse light cycle.
Early on in today's tank work I did what I have always been afraid I'd do. I took off my glasses and set them on the carpet next to the tank. You guessed it - I got up and stepped on my glasses and pretty much flattened them! If you've ever seen the movie The Christmas Story, you can sympathize with me in that I felt just like Ralphie when he dropped his glasses and stepped on them. More than a couple 4 letter words spewed from my lips. Thank goodness I was able to bend the wire frames back into shape and get the lens that popped out back in place. Can't even tell they got stepped on - phew!
I then filled the sump/fuge with the aged SW, and hooked up the fittings and tubing for the siphon and return pump, and sucked the air out of the U-tube and equalized the 2 chambers. Said a tank prayer and started the return pump and everything seemed OK, but I had to adjust the flow on the return pump a few times, and finally turned it all the way down. And the noise was totally awful! A loud, repetitive sucking/gurgling noise that drove my wife upstairs, and she could even hear it up there. I was at the point of shutting down and undoing everything till I decided to try the Lifereef suggestion of inserting airline tubing down through the overflow pipe and pushing it almost all the way down to the sump. It worked! No noise at all now, other than a barely noticeable trickle noise as the water enters the first chamber of the overflow box. In fact the tank is now quieter than it has ever been! The water pouring out of the Remora use to make some noise, but now I the tank is almost silent.
Here's the unit running. My old CPR HOB refugium light fits perfect across the tank, and the lip on both ends keeps it in place very well - the light is quite bright. I still need some chaeto & rock in the refugium section. The Tunze ATO sensors are on the front left, Tunze 9002 skimmer in the right section. I placed bags of SeaGel (carbon and Phosguard mixture), and Purigen, under the bubble trap sponge on the left:
With my ATO reservoir in place:
The return fitting and Lifereef siphon in the back. That tubing on the left is some excess airline tubing (silencer) that I didn't cut off - I took the excess and routed it through the 3 holes left for the RSM hinge - keeps it nice & tidy:
Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Tunze skimmer will start skimming soon. I'll have the fuge light on the same timer that my moonlights are on, so the chaeto can do it's thing on a reverse light cycle.
redseareef
RS Sponsor
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNG! Whats all this about??? I thought we bought the all in one system here? I thought that's wha the max was all about???
LOL..............:Looks really nice RM. HAs the Tunze started skimming yet? Is that the Tunze nano skimmer?
You should be able to get your phosphates down even lower! Then have extra room too for secret frags to hide from the wife.....................LOL
LOL..............:Looks really nice RM. HAs the Tunze started skimming yet? Is that the Tunze nano skimmer?
You should be able to get your phosphates down even lower! Then have extra room too for secret frags to hide from the wife.....................LOL
Hah - look who's talking abou the all-in-one - he who's chopping up his hood to add extra lighting! LOL 
Nothing from th Tunze yet - it's only been a couple hours so no biggie. I think I may have to raise it a bit - it may be lower than the water line. I'll give it a day or two. Yes - it is the 9002 nano skimmer - got it used but practically new condition for $100 over a year ago from a guy that gets free equipment to test for a period of a month or so. Wish I had that deal!
Nothing from th Tunze yet - it's only been a couple hours so no biggie. I think I may have to raise it a bit - it may be lower than the water line. I'll give it a day or two. Yes - it is the 9002 nano skimmer - got it used but practically new condition for $100 over a year ago from a guy that gets free equipment to test for a period of a month or so. Wish I had that deal!
redseareef
RS Sponsor
Yea, ya got me there!!!! LOL! Looks great. Let me know how you like that Tunze Nano. Curious to hear how it does compared to your hang on job. Now, the tank water hits the skimmer after the fugium chamber right? Did you take down your hang on skimmer now?
Tank water goes to the sump section first (right side), with the skimmer in it, then to the refugium section, then through a small U shaped section with a bubble trap sponge, then through some SeaGel and Purigen underneath the sponge, and last into the return pump chamber, where the ATO sensors also are. In my setup the water travels right to left, then back up to the back chamber of the RSM, next to the heater chamber. Yep - the Remora hang on is in storage now. There is now nothing in the back, other than the siphon, the return line, and the two RSM powerhead pumps.
Evaporation now will show up in the return chamber, and that's where it gets topped off. No more dealing with plugged filter pads or media bags changing the water level in the back affecting the ATO sensors, or starving the pumps. The tank and back section should have a constant water level now.
The Lifereef siphon was tested a dozen times today as I turned the return pump off and on making adjustments. It restarted every time, which is reassuring.
Evaporation now will show up in the return chamber, and that's where it gets topped off. No more dealing with plugged filter pads or media bags changing the water level in the back affecting the ATO sensors, or starving the pumps. The tank and back section should have a constant water level now.
The Lifereef siphon was tested a dozen times today as I turned the return pump off and on making adjustments. It restarted every time, which is reassuring.
mrfishy
Member
hi reefmack
will have to stop coming on this forum, it costs me soooooo much money !!!!
just asked lifereef for delivered price to uk for prefilter box
great to see i don't have to get rid of the hood as i have heavily modified the lighting already.
will now have to find a tank that will go into my cabinet as well as my chiller and phosphate reactor
looks like you have made a fantastic job of it well done
thanks for info on bottling calcium whilst i go :snowski: in the new year but i decided to try a dosing pump with seachem calcium/ mag mix running off my aquatronica setup
it has been running over a week now, dosing 1ml at a time 5 times per day been testing every day and results are spot on
cheers
drew
will have to stop coming on this forum, it costs me soooooo much money !!!!
just asked lifereef for delivered price to uk for prefilter box
great to see i don't have to get rid of the hood as i have heavily modified the lighting already.
will now have to find a tank that will go into my cabinet as well as my chiller and phosphate reactor
looks like you have made a fantastic job of it well done
thanks for info on bottling calcium whilst i go :snowski: in the new year but i decided to try a dosing pump with seachem calcium/ mag mix running off my aquatronica setup
it has been running over a week now, dosing 1ml at a time 5 times per day been testing every day and results are spot on
cheers
drew
mrfishy - the aquatronic system sounds great. That might be tough finding a tank that will also allow the chiller and reactor to fit in the cabinet. If you just want a sump to put a skimmer and return pump in maybe a 5 gallon tank or container? Are you going to pull the RS skimmer out? You might have to to fit an overflow on, plus a return line.
mrfishy
Member
hi rm
going to go the tunze route
the chiller is only 7x6x13inch and can be attached in any orientation as the only moving parts are the small cooling fans
will have to think about phosphate reactor they are running at zero and don't want to go backwards on that one !!!
the aquatronic is superb, it controls my led strips,dosing pumps,measures ph,temp/redox and soon will have salinity probe in there
i can also download all the readings to give me graphical format for each week
going to go the tunze route
the chiller is only 7x6x13inch and can be attached in any orientation as the only moving parts are the small cooling fans
will have to think about phosphate reactor they are running at zero and don't want to go backwards on that one !!!
the aquatronic is superb, it controls my led strips,dosing pumps,measures ph,temp/redox and soon will have salinity probe in there
i can also download all the readings to give me graphical format for each week