help, pvc mess

i was building a pvc over all day today and got it all set (pvc primer, and cement). I attached it to the sump, tank, and refugium. on the label it say wait 2 hours for cement to cure, but being me I got swept up in seeing if it worked and let it run for about 5min. I ended up waiting only 1 hour for it to cure. I quickly looked at my clowns to see if they were ok but they were swimming very slowly and looked pretty bad but at night my clowns usually look like they about to die, very slowly swimming at the top of the tank. could the cement kill them? what should I do?

so far im just gonna turn off the overflow and just run a powerhead, and a heater inside the tank, so that means no protein skimmer, no sump, no filter. Is this what I should be doing? also the overflow I built is EXTREMELY LOUD, any simply remedys?

thanks so much for the help

 

What cement and primer did you use? Did you make sure it was for potable applications?

 

Have a QT setup asap. Make all new water and try to keep the temp as close to the DT as possible. You needed to let that cure longer. Be careful moving the clowns. More stress on top of their current state wont be of any help.

 

I use the Oatey regular clear pvc cement and purple primer and have never had a problem letting a joint set for ten minutes. I have made a few modifications to my sump, so I glue as many of the pieces ahead of time that I can, but I have to shut the whole system down for the last joint or two. I'm sure not going to keep the pump off for two hours, we're not making pressure fittings here. The only time that I've heard of a problem was when a lfs owner made a freshwater air supply and didn't let the glue fully cure. The fumes quickly killed some of his Koi.

 

I am with Jerry above me.

I glued all the pvc in my 200g tank for the return and the overflow piping with the same cement and primer as he uses, and I fired it right up after a short cure time. No issues for me either, but I used to subscribe to the belief that you had to wait 24 hrs before it was safe to use.

Can you post a pic of your overflow? maybe we can see what is making it loud. Does it gurgle and flush like a toilet all the time?

 

sorry camera is missing some hardwear but Ill try my best to explain it one part at a time...

all 1" pvc

1. overflow box
2. 8" long pvc pipe (down)
3.tee fitting (one side to fuge one to sump)

...To sump... fuge doesnt matter its blocked off with a ball valve right now
4. 8" long pvc pipe (right)
5. 90deg. elbo (down)
6.about a 24" pvc pipe with ball valve down to sump

 

pvc glue works by a chemical reaction. worked on a commercial minnow farm for years with top notch water quality. that glues bonds in seconds no need to wait two hours. that is not your problem. have glued 12 inch pvc for water wells with tons of pressure on them and maybe waited 5 minutes just to make sure. no problems. plus all the pvc cement glue and cleaner at the local hardware stores i've ever seen is safe for me to use on my waterlines so wouldn't cause fish any harm. you should look for other problems.

 

It is probably due to the sudden influx of all that new water. Think af adding a fish with no acclimation, it would be sort of similar.
I agree the wait isn't the issue, assuming you used a safe cement (not all are). I fired my sump up right after I was done with the plumbing, probably no more than 10 minutes wait time.

 

sounds good pack. i recently plumbed a sump my tank and everything took 3 or 4 days to get used to the change in flow and other aspects it made. even my one and only clownfish was bashful for a day or two.

 

thanks a lot for the help both of them are doing great now, their gills are showing a bit but i think that should go away since theres no ammonia. its pretty cool thought now with the noise. I just put 2 filter pads in the pipe, only downside is that I got to clean them every 2-3 days.

oh ya by the way is it possible for a clownfish to host a powerhead? I swear to god the two of them never leave the thing now. its pretty funny though, sometimes the little one swims in front of it and gets shot like 2 feet, and the bigger one swim after him.

but everyone, thanks so much for the help, Im glad theres so many kind people here