- If you have to drain the tank for some reason, the sea salts will be wasted.
- If you are using "live sand", the freshwater used in the test will kill the inhabitants in the sand.
- If you have any growth or critters in your live rock, the freshwater will damage it/them.
- Installing live rock and substrate can be a pain, so why do it more than once?
How to Test the System
- Check and tighten all hose connections.
- Fill the aquarium (and sump, if you are using one) with freshwater.
- Wipe the exterior of the tank and the entire area dry.
- One at a time, plug each pump into the power strip.
- Check each connection for leaks.
- If you are going to be using a protein skimmer, there will be no waste produced, but you can check for bubble production and test out the pump that will be used to run it.
If you are using a sump, make sure that it does not overflow as the sump pump stops pumping and tank water is siphoned back into the sump. If the sump starts to overflow, turn the pump back on and remove some of the water from the sump. Restart the system and retest it.
One method to prevent siphoning tank water back into the sump is to drill a small hole in the sump pump return pipe above the tank water line in the tank. In the event of a power outage (and whenever the return pump is turned off) the small hole will allow the siphon to be broken.
Next we are going to Install Substrate & Sea Salts
