near disaster; disaster waiting?

ReefTourist · 03/05/2006, 05:46 PM

Ok, sorry for the long post in advance...

NEAR DISASTER:
I had to leave the house for ~24 hours this weekend.
I just setup all of the new gear for my new tank, and was in the process of filling it with its first fill of RO/DI using a Python Clean&Fill setup with a siphon. The siphon was between the topoff container elevated above the sump and the sump.
So after hooking up all the new gear, and having filled the display 1/2 full with all the RO/DI water, and the sump partially filled, I left the siphon in place, and just turned off the flow with the valve near the inlet tube on the Python. I left the nearly empty 27g topoff container filling; relying on the float valve to shut off the RO/DI unit, and planning on returning the next day to turn on the siphon flow.

I return home to find that the topoff container is a hair from full (a slow drip still coming through the float valve). I shrug, open the Python valve, and hear water running in the other room. I quick run to the tank to find the sump overflowing!

Quick thinking I turn on the return pump to send the extra to the half full tank. It looks like it couldn't have been overflowing long since there is only a small area where I can get water to push up through the carpet.

So why did the siphon continue with the Python valve shut off? Does it not completely close?

Lesson learned: don't leave siphons unattended, even when you think they're paused.

DISASTER WAITING?
I have a cat that loves to play with water. He insists on going around the the open backside of the stand and attacking the bubbles from the drain line. He also insists on climbing across the top of my OuterOrbit light fixture... and he's ~14 lbs.... going to the far end, reaching around, and batting at the turbulent water in the display. Annoyance aside; is it a potential tank killer if his cat litter touching paws are playing in the tank??

What do you cat owners do to control your cat's access?

-RT

Bandsaw · 03/05/2006, 05:54 PM

A cat that loves Water??? Weird Cat

Best sit down with him/her and have a heart to heart talk - for all the good it will.

"O look - my pet human got me some new fish toys - lets play!!"

ReefTourist · 03/05/2006, 06:09 PM

Exactly. I suppose I could tramatize him with water by throwing him in the shower.... or if I was thinking I could have dropped him in the tank before refilling it with RO/DI. Other ideas? Anyone want a dog-playing/water-loving friendly lap cat?

On the Python issue: I know the instructions say not to leave the valve closed w/ pressure behind it for long, but does siphon pressure count?

Joshthenosh · 03/05/2006, 06:14 PM

not to be horrible, but leaving a siphon unatendend , is probbaly the stupidest thing ive read so far

Bandsaw · 03/05/2006, 06:16 PM

Tramatize him! Heck, the way cats are - it would make him vindictive enougth to go swiming for fish.

I'm afried I have never had any experience with this Python device. Is it like a check valve? Defective maybe?

Zigzag Man · 03/05/2006, 06:22 PM

Personally, with a 14-lb cat (jeeze that's a big one) I'd be worried that it would dump the light fixture into the tank... that could get pretty messy (I'm having visions of the cat on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation here).

I saw video once of a person's parakeet that loved to take baths in their topless tank... that is until one of their fish grabbed ahold of it's leg and gave it a good dunking... after that they had no more problems.

Maybe you could remove the light fixture, and if the cat is anything like mine, it won't realize that the light is gone until they're about to land where it's supposed to be... the cat may get a bit wet (well, soaked actually), but I don't think it will be a problem anymore.

PatMayo · 03/05/2006, 06:27 PM

All you have to do is get a squirt bottle filled with water. When the cat gets near the tank or on the tank where you do not want him squirt him with the water.

I have my tank sitting close enough to the wall that the cats can't get behind it. I have 2 Seal Point Siamese purebred applehead cats. They are brothers. One is 14.5 pounds and the other is 9.5 pounds. Both have there claws and are well behaved. I trained them right fortunatley. Yes cats can be trained but you have to start young. I had em flown up from San Diego from a breeder I know. Got em when they were 11 weeks old. They are simply gorgeous animals that just love their humans. Other than my wife and kids they are my best friends. (Boy that's lame isn't it, talk about no life.) But I digress.

The lesson learned is never leave anything filling, emptying or otherwise working that isn't totally kept in a tank. Thus the reason for a large sump that will hold enough water when the power goes off.

Regards,

Pat

Zigzag Man · 03/05/2006, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Joshthenosh
not to be horrible, but leaving a siphon unatendend , is probbaly the stupidest thing ive read so far

If you're not trying to be 'horrible', then why even post crap like this?
I think the person that started this thread was asking why didn't the siphon stop even though they closed the valve that was supposed to stop it... and they've already realized that to be on the safe side, you shouldn't even leave a (supposedly) stopped siphon unattended.

In the future, if you feel like dumping your opinion on everybody about somebody's perceived lack of intelligence, please keep it to yourself. It's posts like yours that completely drag these forums into the gutter, and why I spend the majority of my time elsewhere.

ReefTourist · 03/05/2006, 06:39 PM

Yes it was the stupidest thing I've done so far. Live and learn. Thought that the valve would hold up. I'm not sure what type of valve it is.

At least the sump is oversized (even for when the power is off), and held all but maybe a pint of water that ended up on the floor before I caught it.

Bandsaw · 03/05/2006, 06:50 PM

PatMayo, sounds like nice cats. I used to have all kinds of fuzzy critters - cats, dogs, cattle, sheep, pigs, you name it.

At age 17 I went to the big city to further my noodle - my ongoing sinus and never ending cold went away. As it turns out, I was alergic to hair. Go figure - all those years.

No worries now. My wife would not hear of having a hairy thing in the house (except for me and my hairy mushrooms). My kids still want to visit my Moms for the cat. Also calls long distance just to ask what the cat is doing

ReefTourist · 03/05/2006, 06:52 PM

It's a Python Clean&Fill No Spill found here .

and yes, the lights falling into the tank is much worse than cat litter, and is also a concern.

03/05/2006, 05:46 PM	#1
ReefTourist Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Culpeper, VA Posts: 108	near disaster; disaster waiting? Ok, sorry for the long post in advance... NEAR DISASTER: I had to leave the house for ~24 hours this weekend. I just setup all of the new gear for my new tank, and was in the process of filling it with its first fill of RO/DI using a Python Clean&Fill setup with a siphon. The siphon was between the topoff container elevated above the sump and the sump. So after hooking up all the new gear, and having filled the display 1/2 full with all the RO/DI water, and the sump partially filled, I left the siphon in place, and just turned off the flow with the valve near the inlet tube on the Python. I left the nearly empty 27g topoff container filling; relying on the float valve to shut off the RO/DI unit, and planning on returning the next day to turn on the siphon flow. I return home to find that the topoff container is a hair from full (a slow drip still coming through the float valve). I shrug, open the Python valve, and hear water running in the other room. I quick run to the tank to find the sump overflowing! Quick thinking I turn on the return pump to send the extra to the half full tank. It looks like it couldn't have been overflowing long since there is only a small area where I can get water to push up through the carpet. So why did the siphon continue with the Python valve shut off? Does it not completely close? Lesson learned: don't leave siphons unattended, even when you think they're paused. DISASTER WAITING? I have a cat that loves to play with water. He insists on going around the the open backside of the stand and attacking the bubbles from the drain line. He also insists on climbing across the top of my OuterOrbit light fixture... and he's ~14 lbs.... going to the far end, reaching around, and batting at the turbulent water in the display. Annoyance aside; is it a potential tank killer if his cat litter touching paws are playing in the tank?? What do you cat owners do to control your cat's access? -RT

03/05/2006, 05:54 PM	#2
Bandsaw Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Eastern Ontario (above Sudbury) Posts: 720	A cat that loves Water??? Weird Cat Best sit down with him/her and have a heart to heart talk - for all the good it will. "O look - my pet human got me some new fish toys - lets play!!" __________________ VE3SZB Failure is not an option - It is a requirement if you expect to learn anything. Click on my home page button for pictures of my aquarium. Current Tank Info: 75g Display, CPR SM Aquafuge, 8g sump, 20g tall fuge, Maxspect R420R LED, KoralLin 1502 CaRa, EV-180 Skimmer

03/05/2006, 06:16 PM	#5
Bandsaw Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Eastern Ontario (above Sudbury) Posts: 720	Tramatize him! Heck, the way cats are - it would make him vindictive enougth to go swiming for fish. I'm afried I have never had any experience with this Python device. Is it like a check valve? Defective maybe? __________________ VE3SZB Failure is not an option - It is a requirement if you expect to learn anything. Click on my home page button for pictures of my aquarium. Current Tank Info: 75g Display, CPR SM Aquafuge, 8g sump, 20g tall fuge, Maxspect R420R LED, KoralLin 1502 CaRa, EV-180 Skimmer

03/05/2006, 06:22 PM	#6
Zigzag Man Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Chico, CA Posts: 491	Personally, with a 14-lb cat (jeeze that's a big one) I'd be worried that it would dump the light fixture into the tank... that could get pretty messy (I'm having visions of the cat on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation here). I saw video once of a person's parakeet that loved to take baths in their topless tank... that is until one of their fish grabbed ahold of it's leg and gave it a good dunking... after that they had no more problems. Maybe you could remove the light fixture, and if the cat is anything like mine, it won't realize that the light is gone until they're about to land where it's supposed to be... the cat may get a bit wet (well, soaked actually), but I don't think it will be a problem anymore. __________________ David Current Tank Info: 125g 3/4" Acrylic Cube (36"x36"x24") - 312w T5HO - 250w 10K XDE HQI PFO - Mag 18 return, 6 MJ-1200 • Downsizing to a 24g Nano! Ain't life strange?

03/05/2006, 06:27 PM	#7
PatMayo Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 2,843	All you have to do is get a squirt bottle filled with water. When the cat gets near the tank or on the tank where you do not want him squirt him with the water. I have my tank sitting close enough to the wall that the cats can't get behind it. I have 2 Seal Point Siamese purebred applehead cats. They are brothers. One is 14.5 pounds and the other is 9.5 pounds. Both have there claws and are well behaved. I trained them right fortunatley. Yes cats can be trained but you have to start young. I had em flown up from San Diego from a breeder I know. Got em when they were 11 weeks old. They are simply gorgeous animals that just love their humans. Other than my wife and kids they are my best friends. (Boy that's lame isn't it, talk about no life.) But I digress. The lesson learned is never leave anything filling, emptying or otherwise working that isn't totally kept in a tank. Thus the reason for a large sump that will hold enough water when the power goes off. Regards, Pat __________________ 90 AGA Megaflow (Setup 1-24-06) 120 Lbs. Liverock EuroReef RS 100 Skimmer 2 X 150 MH 2 X 96 watt PC Actinic 2 Clarki Clowns (31 months old) 1 Niger Trigger (Owned 6 months) 2 Tunze 6055 PH Current Tank Info: 90 AGA Megaflow To Be Mixed Reef

03/05/2006, 06:09 PM	#3
ReefTourist Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Culpeper, VA Posts: 108	Exactly. I suppose I could tramatize him with water by throwing him in the shower.... or if I was thinking I could have dropped him in the tank before refilling it with RO/DI. Other ideas? Anyone want a dog-playing/water-loving friendly lap cat? On the Python issue: I know the instructions say not to leave the valve closed w/ pressure behind it for long, but does siphon pressure count?

03/05/2006, 06:14 PM	#4
Joshthenosh Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 188	not to be horrible, but leaving a siphon unatendend , is probbaly the stupidest thing ive read so far

03/05/2006, 06:39 PM	#9
ReefTourist Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Culpeper, VA Posts: 108	Yes it was the stupidest thing I've done so far. Live and learn. Thought that the valve would hold up. I'm not sure what type of valve it is. At least the sump is oversized (even for when the power is off), and held all but maybe a pint of water that ended up on the floor before I caught it.

03/05/2006, 06:50 PM	#10
Bandsaw Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Eastern Ontario (above Sudbury) Posts: 720	PatMayo, sounds like nice cats. I used to have all kinds of fuzzy critters - cats, dogs, cattle, sheep, pigs, you name it. At age 17 I went to the big city to further my noodle - my ongoing sinus and never ending cold went away. As it turns out, I was alergic to hair. Go figure - all those years. No worries now. My wife would not hear of having a hairy thing in the house (except for me and my hairy mushrooms). My kids still want to visit my Moms for the cat. Also calls long distance just to ask what the cat is doing __________________ VE3SZB Failure is not an option - It is a requirement if you expect to learn anything. Click on my home page button for pictures of my aquarium. Current Tank Info: 75g Display, CPR SM Aquafuge, 8g sump, 20g tall fuge, Maxspect R420R LED, KoralLin 1502 CaRa, EV-180 Skimmer

03/05/2006, 06:52 PM	#11
ReefTourist Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Culpeper, VA Posts: 108	It's a Python Clean&Fill No Spill found here . and yes, the lights falling into the tank is much worse than cat litter, and is also a concern.