Habitat - Indoor :: 150 gallon build begins

[steve]

Might be a good idea to pick up a water alarm or two. Everything looks great, good luck with the testing.

[WMah]

water alarm for the tank and brute or the room?

[steve]

I was thinking for the tank.

[WMah]

in case it overflows?

[steve]

Yeah, just a lot of water there... I guess I've been reading about a few accidents recently.

[litefoot]

Trying to watch photos carefully , any floor drain ?
Also see lots of RJ11 wire but what about electrical outlets? Some modern houses have 20amp outlet , older only 15amp. Make sure it has a GFCI ! You will have a lot of watts running all the time plus what else in that room already on the line ! Seeing more than one outlet does not mean each on an separate line , most all in a room are on a single line . If you know of an independent line I would plan on that and most are not located where you would want you setup ! If you use an extension cord please use the proper gauge. Lite 16 gauge cords are cheap and lots buy that but will over heat and worst , longer they are even worst. I only buy 12guage cords , same as wire in wall , never trips a breaker from over heating or cause fires.

[WMah]

no drains if it floods it'll fill my basement lounge and drain down the stairs into the cellar which does have a drain lol. As for cables i have to rip out a bunch of the old stuff most aren't even plugged in but they were run behind a whole bunch of shelving and I haven't had the time to move them so i could get the tangled cables out. it's all a big bundle of knots. most of the basement electronics are just old stuff that hardly ever gets used anymore. but I will be needing to get some extension cords

[litefoot]

Just stay away from those lite duty cords , cheap yes also lose amperage the longer they are. Were as a 12 gauge cord even in 100" say start with 15 amps will hold 15 amps at the other end !
If no drain what are you planning for water changes? Some will still be needed !

https://www.google.com/search?q=12+gaug ... 5741472185

[WMah]

I have a modified python setup that runs down to my cellar that has a deep worksink. (only python thing i'm actually using is the siphon and hook lol the faucet attachment drains waaay too slow passively. I picked up some heavy duty extension cords made for cars. I hope those are sufficient

[steve]

I picked up a small pump for water changes... so much faster that just a siphon. When you have a lot of water, any time-saving strategy is huge

[WMah]

hrm that's a pretty good idea. which pump did u use?

[litefoot]

I'm a "packrat" never throw anything out . Had some old pond master pumps used for waterfalls... (200gph) Always looking for anyway to do maintenance easier with river rocks. Also had a free FX vac that was crap to me ! Only use tube with valve see photo. Works great just for water changes too ! But with river rock I always vac. You have sand so a sifter would be better but as far as water changes say any pump about 200 or more gph would do going downstairs. When they package things for a specific use they normally cost more. To me any after market can do the job , shop around or you may have one laying around.

[WMah]

with this setup would gunk (java moss, pieces of scute, etc) cause issues with the pump impellor/motor since there's no filtration prior to it?

[WMah]

I have zero experience with using pumps lol which is one of the reasons why i didn't make a diy mechanical filter and opted with the fx6

[litefoot]

The 1 1/2" tube has that white part it's a strainer inline to catch anything big. If it got clogged , a twist remove / clean strainer twist back , keep going. Since I did not like the FX vac system I only used the 1 1/2" tube because it has that red valve that I make use of. Now and then yes some small trash builds up on pump inlet . It's a magnetic motor can't hurt it. That's why I like the pond master pumps , remove four cover screws rinse clean and once in a while pull impeller out and rinse it to. Very simple and nothing to hurt !

For me I only buy pumps where I can connect tubing to (inlet and outlet) ! I hate pumps with those snap on screens to filter the water. This one in photo was an old fountain pump by pond master and works for my 150 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank. It's only 200gph and pulls every thing out the river rocks . 3" deep of rocks. You may like one little bigger. Oh , I also buy pumps that have a flow valve built in see photo. That way if too much flow I have the option to crank it down.