Setting up my Octo 30B sump

[BigUgliesNY]

Hi everyone, I am new to saltwater and I purchased an Octo Lux T-90 48 gal ATO tank with an Octo 30B Sump, Octo INT-150 Protein skimmer and return pump. My question is, from my picture...am I set up correctly? My heater is in the chamber of the skimmer. The adjustable wall on the left side of the sump is down. Does it need adjusting?? Where would I put any bio stones etc? What about macroalgae? Where would it go?

 

[Peace River]

I also have an Octo sump. The heater is in the same chamber as mine. I would raise the wall so you have about 8” of water in the middle chamber and then adjust the simmer from there. There is not really a place in the sump for macro algae because of the ATO chamber.

 

[BigUgliesNY]

Thank you so much. I sure I will be back with more questions. lol

 

[BigUgliesNY]

Thank you so much. I sure I will be back with more questions. lol

Hey Peace River, got a question about the blue airhose that i attached to the bottom of my tank. The bottom is connected to a float valve. When i add water to the ATO chamber up top, water pours out where the airline is connected. I know it was inserted securely. Also, the rear tank chambers are creating a awful gurgling water sound. My water level in the display tank will not get any higher than 2 1/2 inches from the top. Any suggestions?

 

[Peace River]

If I understand correctly, the water leak is coming from the connection of the blue hose to the float valve. It is possible that the hose is not fully seeded. Also, try to pull gently on the hose to see if the top ring of the white socket backs out about an eighth of an inch (just enough room to put a spacer lock in between the top ring and the rest of the float valve). As far as the gurgling, that sounds like air is getting into the drain probably in the overflow box. Can you provide a picture of the plumbing in the overflow box? Depending on whether you have two or three drain pipes, the you will want to explore either a herbie or a bean animal overflow setup.

 

[BigUgliesNY]

Ok, being a non finesse gorilla sometimes, I pulled the line a little to hard resulting in the first pic. The white residue is from a waterproof putty I temporarily stuck up there praying I wouldn’t get a flood. Did I kill it? Can I just get a replacement for what I broke?

 

[Peace River]

You may need to replace the whole float but you should be able to find a replacement.

For the overflow, are there any pipes that fit in those holes?

 

[BigUgliesNY]

Yes I have the 3 pipes connected. Main flow, secondary flow and return. The only thing missing is the blue auto top off hose line with a soon to be new head attachment.

 

[Peace River]

What about any piping in the overflow box itself? Check out the following link for one of several possible ways to configure the piping in the overflow box: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/content/post/md-2017-08-durso-herbie-bean-animal-overflow

 

[BigUgliesNY]

I feel like a dimwit. Is the overflow tank the same as the entire back of my octo tank. I have a “slim flow” box on the inside bottom of my DT where all the pipes attach to including the ATO blue hose. Are these overflows something to add? Is it even possible? Im banging my head into the wall.

 

[Peace River]

Not at all! It’s not you. The Octo lux is a great system with poor documentation. When you add to it the fact that I forgot about the slim flow then it is no wonder your a bit confused. Check out the BRS series on this system and focus on the drain line valve adjustment to help you with the noise. Here is a link to one of the videos, but you may want to watch the whole series (I think there are 4 or 5 videos): .

 

[BigUgliesNY]

Hi again, i lost most of my fish and inverts. I checked my parameters with Red Sea test kits. My reading on the nitrates was less than .5 ppm. Had water tested at lfs and it was .25. Its hearbreaking. My question is, with weekly water changes..can i add seachem purigin bags into my filter sock?

 

[BigUgliesNY]

Not at all! It’s not you. The Octo lux is a great system with poor documentation. When you add to it the fact that I forgot about the slim flow then it is no wonder your a bit confused. Check out the BRS series on this system and focus on the drain line valve adjustment to help you with the noise. Here is a link to one of the videos, but you may want to watch the whole series (I think there are 4 or 5 videos): .

Hi Peace, I have a question about my ATO. It's gravity fed through the Octo slim flow. I got it working again and it only fills the chamber when the ball float is in a 45 degree angle. It cuts off when the float is straight down???? There is a reason I am a cop and not an engineer...but to me it sounds a little shaky