# New aquarium plumbing question



## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Building some new plumbing. Will need to use PVC cement. Since it only contacts the PVC an I plan on using as little as possible, how long should I wait before using the plumbing?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I just did some PVC plumbing in the last couple of weeks!Use the cement(and cleaner) as you normally would(don't be thin).Let it dry for as long as you can,for me it was 1 hour.Then rinse and soak it in warm water for a 1/2 hr.Then rinse again and you should be good to go.Smell it (if you're high out of your head already from it) and see if it seems ok.I rushed the whole proceedure with my 180g(replacing pump with DC) and therefore installed a large bag of activated carbon for safety.I left it in for 1 week.
The next week I did the same on my 120 reef(from NJ) but didn't feel the need for carbon so just installed(maybe soaked a little longer).The first one was a lot more piping(from basement to livingroom,but the second was shorter so it rinsed well and had no smell.)
I have had no problems with either tanks 1 and 2 weeks later.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

This is plumbing going from the canister to the tank and back (customflo kit)...still ok?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If you're using regular PVC it should be the same?Rinse it good if you can't soak it after glue dries and add some carbon to the filter for a week or so.
Better yet (if you have the time) glue and hook it all up and run the filter into a bucket for awhile(1hour or so) this should replace rinsing and soaking easily.
Don't permanently attach to filter use a union or some form of fitting that will allow at least partial disassembly.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Thanks! I have all the pieces glued together for the intake and output plumbing. They're outside drying now. Will let them sit for about an hour. Then I'm going to let them soak in the bathtub for about an hour. I assume this is to facilitate the process of removing chemicals from the glue? There was some overflow because I followed suggestions and didn't skimp on the glue...I mean, I didn't over do it. I've glued PVC before, just not for an aquarium, so I used just enough to mate the parts. Anyways, there is some extra that I assume once dried shouldn't be a problem. I have one large bag of charcoal left. I might just wait until I get home from work tomorrow to put it all together. That way the glue is 100% dry, has soaked, and I can go grab some more charcoal bags. I won't be up long enough to enjoy it anyways once everything has dried and soaked. 

As always thanks for your help.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Good lord! That was a huge pain in the A**!

First let me say this: canister filters that have a prime button or are self priming--do not try that with this customflo kit. It does not work. I spent about 30 minutes priming...and priming...and priming...you get the idea. It did nothing. Remembered reading that the top of the intake U-tube has a cap on it....so you can prime it. I'm still a newbie so I had no clue what to do with it until I got so worn out from priming my canister, that I decided to fill the tube with water, cap it, prime the canister once then QUICK! PLUG IT IN!

It churned, and sloshed, and struggled, then worked!!! Then churned, struggled, sloshed, and worked for good this time.

I've never had to work so hard to get my siphon-effect working fast enough before. But it's up and running. I think maybe the different size intake tube had something to do with this. It's nearly double the girth of the original canister intake tube. 

Anyways, I'll post a pic once I get it prettied up in the tank. I just had to pass out once I finally got it actually flowing. Sorry if there are spelling errors in this post...I'm too tired to go back and correct anything.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Good deal. Love the fill caps at the top of the lines. Most of my larger Eheims came that way, but a few of them didn't and I changed them over to this type of spray bar Eheim Water System Installation Sets . They have saved me a lot of pain I think. A little trick I have learned along the way, and I will caveat that it may not work with your setup, is to loosen that cap and re-tighten it just before I turn my filters back on from doing my water changes. the water in the lines will shift when you do this and it makes it have a better chance t start, especially if you have a done a pretty large water change, my weekly practice. If your lines are clear or you can see the water, also helps with any priming issues you can have, you can watch the water move from doing this and see how it will help before you turn the power back on.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Ok, here's the final product! My plants do a good job of hiding the in and out tubes.

It's working great!


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Anther shot


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Back side


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## dam718 (Nov 25, 2013)

You're right, can't see much...  But what I can see is looking good. Now that you have things running again, does it seem to have an effect on flow? Or was this change more to get rid of the cheap Marineland intake and spray nozzle?


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

I have wanted a spray bar on this tank since I got it. I even tried building one, but it was cheap looking and didn't work well...after removing it from the tank, I set it aside and within a week the think was filled with nasty mold! Ew!

I never really liked the stock output nozzle, except the massive flow. I wanted to create more of a barrel roll effect in the tank and knew the spray bar would do it. One thing I've noticed is that the turbulence in the water column is gone, my plants barely sway any more. I have achieved the rolling effect, but it is very subtle. You can see tiny bubbles rolling in the tank if you look closely, but it doesn't look like a hurricane anymore.

I was also able to remove my power head (for now) which is one less piece of equipment using electricity and creating turbulence, since the spray bar runs the entire length of the tank.

After watching it for a while, I may decide to use the power head as a circulation pump. Just depends on how it looks, circulation-wise. It's a marineland maxijet 400 and pretty bulky.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Your tank looks great!Hope this all works out for you.We will get you to go live plants if you hang out long enough(bad influences we are!).Really like your set up.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Looks like good surface movement, which is what I always strive for.

Now...if we could get some live plants in there we will have completed your training.  j/k I think you should think about it though.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

I agree. I would love live plants. Would have to find some that could work with my current setup though. Marineland hoods with white and blue LEDs. No clue what the kelvin rating is on them. I really like the look of live plants, especially the little grass types. Any thoughts?

Thanks for your compliments. That means a lot coming from you guys.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Simple low/med light plants are ;anacharis,hornwort,java fern,java moss,anubias.I started with all of them and still keep them.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Will they survive in a standard size 55gallon? I hear the lights aren't really powerful enough for deep penetration, so they would need to grow towards the light

Also, would a planted tank with these intricate plants be harder to vacuum?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

The java fern,java moss and anubias don't get planted in substrate usaully(can't burry the rhizome)and the moss hass no root structure.They can be tied to wood or rocks or left to move around freely.The anacharis and hornwort can be left to float or planted in gravel.They will grow tall enough to reach the surface of your tank.The anacharis is very common and cheap.May even be pretty tall when you purchase it if your lucky.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

And what about maintaining them? How does the plant hermits nutrients? What about CO2?

Is there a thread for new planters to check out?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Vacuum a planted tank? I do every now and then I guess. Not something I worry about with all of the stem plants that I have.

To get started you could get some of the plants that Tom mentioned and I will add Crypts and Vallisneria. They are lower light plants and all you may have to do is make sure your bulbs are in the right spectrum, 5500-10000k. Later if you find that you like it and want to move on to some stem plants there are a few low light ones.

You may have to add some low level fertilization but if your light is low, so should your need for ferts be. CO2 is always nice to have. Most people don't realize the difference it can make in your plants. However, this is not something you need at this point. For some reason everyone on here believes it is only to be used if you "need" it. It is also nice to have.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

I feel like if I was to do a planted tank, I might as well do it right and get the satellite led plus kit and a glass canopy. I'm getting married in October and so all my funds are currently being diverted into that. Afterwards, I will probably have some wiggle room but currently the fiancée is Reminding me pretty regularly that we still have a lot to pay for. 

For now, some low cost, low maint low light plants could be cool. Eventually I would like to have a grass bottom setup with a couple pieces of large driftwood on which to grow some lush greenery. Some of these heavily aqua scaled tanks I've seen make me drool!


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