BigPete86 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Going to have to cut & rejoin the pvc for the repair, halfway between pump & fitting by the looks of it. Like you say Simy not much room for expansion & pvc isn't very flexible. Could be an adjustment I'm not seeing that could be done but looks like it's all pretty fixed. Soph where does your pump outlet lead into the tank (where does the water go back into the tank? Split weir or bottom of inside of tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 7 minutes ago, simy696 said: being fixed like that not alot of room for expansion and contraction of the pipe work either plus the vibration stress the pump probably puts on it would re think how they done it personally. shame it wasnt a few weeks back sixx i was over in melbourne. Lol catch the early bird flight tomorrow. I'm hoping it holds up until I can find someone that knows what they are doing to fix it. Being that the guys are closed until Wednesday and the guy that installed it isn't back until the end of Feb I'd assume going to a different shop they would probably tell me they wouldn't fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 its been running a few months id suggest its more too doo with the way theyve installed it rather than a installation issue if that makes sence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 3 minutes ago, BigPete86 said: Going to have to cut & rejoin the pvc for the repair, halfway between pump & fitting by the looks of it. Like you say Simy not much room for expansion & pvc isn't very flexible. Could be an adjustment I'm not seeing that could be done but looks like it's all pretty fixed. Soph where does your pump outlet lead into the tank (where does the water go back into the tank? Split weir or bottom of inside of tank? Split Weir Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 with rain water pump installs we all ways have a flexible hose of some description at the pump allows for this sought of issue. also being above ground it wouldnt be white plastic it would then lead to blue line or a copper line with threaded fittings to a fixed point like that. makes it alot easier to dismantle and repair if mistakes are made. mind you i got deep pockets and never make mistakes. except i got into fish and pockets not so deep any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 3 minutes ago, simy696 said: its been running a few months id suggest its more too doo with the way theyve installed it rather than a installation issue if that makes sence. It's only been running for a week! Was meant to be running end of Dec but had set backs because of Xmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Soph, Its probably safe to assume that its not going to dump your tank. Its just a slow tank drip. We all get them as its usually a part of fine tuning a new tank. I'd have a glass of wine, relax and ring the guys on wednesday. Worrying usually doesn't help Check it tomorrow and if the drip is the same speed then just wait it out imo. If the leak is coming from a threaded joint then you are completely safe. There is no way from the join to come apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 maybe just a tighten up then at least its dripping into sump so no great urgency its not damaging your stand or floor or walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 2 minutes ago, Chuckmeister said: Soph, Its probably safe to assume that its not going to dump your tank. Its just a slow tank drip. We all get them as its usually a part fine tuning a new tank. I'd have a glass of wine, relax and ring the guys on wednesday. Worrying usually doesn't help Check it tomorrow and if the drip is the same speed then just wait it out imo. If the leak is coming from a threaded join then you are completely safe. There is no way from the join to come apart. You always put my mind at ease Chuckmeister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 yep agree with chuck wait till wednesday and get them to come fix it i doubt it will get much worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Thanks fellas, must say that this forum really puts my mind at ease. The amount of input from everyone is fantastic. i will keep you all updated and fingers are crossed that it doesn't get any worse b4 they come to fix it. Time to play with the lights again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2Hell Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 annoying eh from what I see it is on the pump side but I don't see a major problem so long as the bulkhead fitting for the return isn't where its leaking from the return pipe has a saddle screwed to the cabinet so the pipe won't move and it is dripping back into the sump my guess is they forgot to apply sealant to the pipe as you have noted .... no blue stuff does the return water come in from the back of the tank or a pipe through the bottom of the tank ? this will help determine the water level it will need to be dropped to work on the plumbing so there is no back flush from the weir or return Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2Hell Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I find the media they used in the sump strange especially the first chamber they have loaded bio balls into when it's submerged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staplez Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Thread on the bulk head appears wet, so I would say bulk head isn't seated correctly or just needs an extra turn to tighten it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 6 hours ago, Link2Hell said: annoying eh from what I see it is on the pump side but I don't see a major problem so long as the bulkhead fitting for the return isn't where its leaking from the return pipe has a saddle screwed to the cabinet so the pipe won't move and it is dripping back into the sump my guess is they forgot to apply sealant to the pipe as you have noted .... no blue stuff does the return water come in from the back of the tank or a pipe through the bottom of the tank ? this will help determine the water level it will need to be dropped to work on the plumbing so there is no back flush from the weir or return Pipe from the bottom of the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 2 hours ago, Staplez said: Thread on the bulk head appears wet, so I would say bulk head isn't seated correctly or just needs an extra turn to tighten it. Staplez not sure if it is leaking just from the black piece (threaded piece) or both that and the pipe directly below it. It is a slow leak, like a drop every so often which makes me think it's only from the top and just running down which makes both appear wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 6 hours ago, Link2Hell said: I find the media they used in the sump strange especially the first chamber they have loaded bio balls into when it's submerged How should it be? I posted a pic of their set up earlier on in this thread and sounded by the comments that it was a good set up. As noted, this is my first sump set up and have no clues about how and where everything should be for optimal results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I got my info from here and googling sump not hard too doo and some good home documentarys on how to set them up and how they work. at the end of the day it's just info what you Doo with it is up to you. I've checked out a few lfs and they all like bio balls. But easy to pull em out and put what you think will work for your situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Bio balls are not designed to be submerged. They normally have a plate over the top that drip water (you can get an idea at around 1 minute 50) evenly over the balls and this is how the biological setup of the balls are established. Being submerged greatly decreases its effectiveness. The way your sump appears to be setup is for media that is designed to be submerged such as ceramic noodles , marine pure , eheim substrat. Just about every major company sells submersible material for sumps. There are cheaper ways to achieve the same effect too if you don't mind diy'ing. I use aquaclay ( expanded hydroponic clay) in my sump bagged as well as bagged noodles. In your sump photo on page 4 I see in the last chamber you have ceramic noodles. That would be what I would have in place of your bio balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccal Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Agree with Chuck and Chris,,, in the situation of total submersion, there are Definetely better bio medias to choose from. But the bio-balls submersed can be greatly improved by placing air diffusers underneath and having a turbulent rise of course bubbles rising through the entire cluster. The bio balls in the first chamber is a strange one, but it's likely a poor mans means of creating a mechanical trapment. It would be a messy exercise to remove these to clean out the crap, maybe balls wrapped in netting would allow faster extraction. But much better alternatives are avaliable,,, like different grades of porosity being black sponge and finer grades of Jap mat. Personally I'd go jap mat on top to catch coarse particles then black sponge under to catch finer particles. I think people saying your set up is good, is more to do with the actual sump design, not nessesarily the medias in it. Everyone has different ideas and techniques, when they all get thrown at you it gets confusing,, most things work, and some things work much better than others, but essentially most things work and not to detrimental to your fish. More focus is needed though, once your fish grow big or your heavily stocking, other wise tanks not set up completely at the best level may only fault in things like having crystal clear water. hope my jazz makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 9, 2016 Author Share Posted February 9, 2016 Ok I'm ready to break the bloody tank:( walked in this afternoon and I notice the tank had more water in it than what is meant to be in there so quickly opened the cabinet and to my horror the water from the sump had more than halved! Switched the pump off and water dropped back into the sump. I have had a 8cm pleco in there the last couple days and I can't find him anywhere. (Tank has nothing but substrate in there.) is it possible he is stuck down there and is causing this or do I have another problem on my hands? Headache after headache atm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 he stuck in the sump ? would he fit in the overflow pipe ? had myne get stuck in there once had to pull him out by the tail lucky his tail still sticking out of the overflow pipe. if he was stuck in the overflow pipe he would reduce the flow to the sump hence causing the problem you have. you can get different attachments to go over the overflow to stop that happening depending how yours is done too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 9, 2016 Author Share Posted February 9, 2016 He's not in the sump, had a look down there. Again not sure how all this works. ? sorry for the crappy pic but best I could do reaching over the tank with an iphone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 overflow box by the looks cat fish in there ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophSixx Posted February 9, 2016 Author Share Posted February 9, 2016 I can't see him in there. If he were in there would it still reduce the flow so much? Or could it be some other cause? Could he be stuck down the pipes somewhere and if so how would I get him out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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