Crazy DIY Surge (Hrmmm)

[Adam]

OK, so about 5 months ago I had a DIY surge made out of a custom acrylic box--the type of surge idea that uses a U-tube and gravity...it used no moving parts. Well I took it down a few weeks after I set it up(months ago) and well, I tried to set it back up but the acrylic box was broke in way too many places and cracked too, sooo.....

I found a old Red Sea salt bucket(the square type) and well I drilled a hole in the side of it about 5" up for the U tube type thing for the surge plan. I got the idea out of Anthony Calfo's book...somewhere in the tidel section about Knobby Knees and mangroves...SO I drilled that hole, fitted those pvc peices togeather with pvc glue, let that dry, then I put lots of aquarium silicone around the inside and outside and smoothed it with my finger to make a decent seal. (some got in a cut and kinda burned...so I washed my finger off and used another finger...). Anyway, it is half dry now and I hope(hope) to use a maxi jet 1200 to fill this surge up for the siphon break. (I have to test it out before installing it, of course.) It better work. Because if it doesnt I cant drill another hole...well mabe...I might just have to adjust the pvc tube inside until the siphon thingy works. On the old one I had....it never let the siphon go and it didnt work very well...made thousands of bubbles and noise...what the heck this one will to. Ohh well I cant wait to test the thing out tomorrow. (no pics fer you no cam ) Anyway...I will seee how it works tomorrow(it better work...)


What inspired me to set up one of these again on my reef??? Those darnded Algae Turf Scrubbers at Inland Aquatics in Terra Houte, IN!!! (I went there today..spent mabe 3-4 hours there) Anyways, there corals looks oo healthy waving back and forth it the outpup of the dump bucket of the ATS systems...I want to hopefully somewhat re-create that in my aquarium...only problem is salt spray(sea spray???) and the water level (uhh ohh!) It did rise up and down quite a bit in the last surge tank thing I made...


SOOO!...who has one of these on their aquarium...seggustions...comments...opinions???

WEEEEE!!!!!

[nyfireman3097]

you have any pics of it ?
Nick

[Adam]

OK...it did not work..err..surge.

The water got to the top of the U, and then just poured out of the other tube outside the container as the water was being filled inside the container. What could have caused this??? Does the pipe inside the container need to go further down? Or higher up?

[nyfireman3097]

lol keep tring bro
Nick

[Adam]

NEVERMIND!!!

I was testing it wrong! I tested it without the other pipe out of the container being under water! Now that it is underwater, and I tested it with a long return pipe(simulating how long it will be above the aquarium) with the return a few inches under the water,.....it works! It creates a little...then more...then even more bubbles...then it comes out all at once in a strong burst! I am going to have it set up all day outside to make sure it always works...it it starts to siphon incorrectly then I will drill a hole in the top of the U and have a airline tubing going down to where it sucks in water for the siphon, so that it always breaks the siphon correcty. I tested it out with a water hose on very low to simulate a maxi jet 1200 filling it. we will see if it is working at the end of the day... :-0

[nyfireman3097]

AWESOME show me some pics
Nick

[Adam]

errr....I hooked it up and the silicone seal broke and it is leaking all over my lights....so I had to unplug it and am going to have to fix that seal.

It was working for a few minuites though...I dont think the surge is as strong as i wanted it to be but hey...it has to be better than a powerhead....I will keep ya updated....

[nyfireman3097]

please do also pics pics pics lol
Nick

[Adam]

If you'll notice in the first post I made

no pics fer you no cam

[Adam]

OK, I re-siliconed it, let it dry pretty well...and hooked it back up. It works like a charm.(Really...what is a charm???)

Anyhow, I drilled that hole in it with the peice of airline tubing so that it could stop the siphon better and it works really good. Provides a powerful surge once every minuite to the aquarium with lots of air...but it is really not that bad at all...not even half of much air as the last surge I built.

Keep in mind that this surge is built out of a red sea salt bucket, and silicone, and PVC glue, and PVC pipe. Thats it. It is really easy to build...takes 30 minuits to drill the holes and PVC glue and silicone the surge bucket itself. Takes about 10 mins to figure your how you want the piping and to pvc glue it all togeather.

So now on my 75 gallon I have for flow: a DIY 3-4 gallon a time surge bucket on the left side of my tank, and on the right side I have a Sea Swirl 3/4" model connected to a mag 9 in the sump.

And you wanna know what I really like???

The flow is never the same! It is always random from the turning sea swirl and the occasional surge!


WWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[nyfireman3097]

Awesome bro
Nick

[Adam]

ok it still works, only the maxijet 1200 supply keeps falling off the tube supllying the water. I built another one that is 6 gallons everytime it surges...these things are POWERFUL. I mean, on the 6 gallon one I made...when the water comes out...it is crazy. I am going to have to put some Crushed coral on top of the one on my 40 long. if blows the fine sand all around. build one man, BUILD ONE!!!

[nyfireman3097]

could you drfaw a diagram for me
Nick