Help me with my system! (1 Viewer)
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Thankfully, i've never had the need so no experience with poly filter or the resins. I'd think the resins would likely be a better investment since they can be regenerated. Just about all the major manufacturer's ( Kent etc. ) have a heavy metal resin.
I suggested the polyfilter because you can identify the metal by the color the pad turns, so if by chance it is copper, you can know. Do the resins indicate what they've taken up?
I have no experience with either ( thankfully ), just from the kent directions to the resin it states it changes color but doesn't specify which color for what .....I have a hunch though that are doing the same thing as the polyfilter just larger quantity and regenerative.
"Tan beads turn a slight shade of light blue, green or gray, depending on pollutant, indicating exhaustion.
"Tan beads turn a slight shade of light blue, green or gray, depending on pollutant, indicating exhaustion.
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coralline?
Another thought.....how's your coralline algae growth? Do you have any and if so how much? Any big spots where the coralline is bigger then a fifty cent piece? Invariably, if a tank is not showing much for coralline algae you're not going to have much in the way of coral growth or health...
T.
Another thought.....how's your coralline algae growth? Do you have any and if so how much? Any big spots where the coralline is bigger then a fifty cent piece? Invariably, if a tank is not showing much for coralline algae you're not going to have much in the way of coral growth or health...
T.
OP
OP
Thanks for the input guys, and thanks David for agreeing with me on the flow thing.
Matt, I replaced 95% of my sand bed chasing this problem at least six months ago, with no change in results thus eliminating that variable. I have tossed around the option of going BB, but I doubt the sand is the issue.
Wes, and Eric- my pH swings from 7.88 to 8.1. It was higher when I was doing kalk religiously but with no calicium demand it was pointless. Salinity is always 1.024-1.025, and never strays. I use coralife salt and the levels are quite good to starty so I need to add very little to WC water to compensate. I like this more than the IO I had been using for years that was considerably deficient.
Troy- Plenty of coralline, both in the display and sump; so everthing is getting calcium. I would really appreciate a second set of eyes, thanks for the offer!
It does strike me as strange that everyone's house plumbing is copper but yet we get no copper in our tanks, perhaps I need to look into either the pad or media metal removers. What could it hurt at this point? I am willing to try anything, after all I spent over 200 bucks on new sand on a whim of hope!
Matt, I replaced 95% of my sand bed chasing this problem at least six months ago, with no change in results thus eliminating that variable. I have tossed around the option of going BB, but I doubt the sand is the issue.
Wes, and Eric- my pH swings from 7.88 to 8.1. It was higher when I was doing kalk religiously but with no calicium demand it was pointless. Salinity is always 1.024-1.025, and never strays. I use coralife salt and the levels are quite good to starty so I need to add very little to WC water to compensate. I like this more than the IO I had been using for years that was considerably deficient.
Troy- Plenty of coralline, both in the display and sump; so everthing is getting calcium. I would really appreciate a second set of eyes, thanks for the offer!
It does strike me as strange that everyone's house plumbing is copper but yet we get no copper in our tanks, perhaps I need to look into either the pad or media metal removers. What could it hurt at this point? I am willing to try anything, after all I spent over 200 bucks on new sand on a whim of hope!
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I don't know that it says much, but your switching salt brands seems to be about the same time as the trouble.
I bought a bucket of that coralife salt. If my arm is in it too long, it starts to burn. I don't have the problem with IO. I haven't noticed any difference in the corals though. Could be related some how?
I bought a bucket of that coralife salt. If my arm is in it too long, it starts to burn. I don't have the problem with IO. I haven't noticed any difference in the corals though. Could be related some how?
With a proper functionining RO/DI unit, copper water lines is a non-issue. But if coming from the rocks etc. ro/di would help. One thing forgot to ask though is how do other inverts do. Snails live for long periods of time. If so, copper or other heavy metals may not be an issue. But really at this point, I think It's worth the $10-20 bucks to try the filters.
Flow could become an issue when you have really large colonies but you have enough experience that you would know when that time comes. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like that will be an issue for a while.
Let me know if you want some test subjects. I have lots of sps/acro frags around all the time. Several which I have already sold some 20-30 frags from and not many locals left to sell them too....
Flow could become an issue when you have really large colonies but you have enough experience that you would know when that time comes. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like that will be an issue for a while.
Let me know if you want some test subjects. I have lots of sps/acro frags around all the time. Several which I have already sold some 20-30 frags from and not many locals left to sell them too....
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it all starts with salt......
Hmmmm..... coralife salt, i haven't heard many good things about that brand and sps coral growth/ health....if it were me i'd go back to the intant ocean and supplement. i used coralife myself a long time ago and was never impressed with how livestock looked or grew
hard to test for something like that though so more of an opinion than hard fact. at least i know for sure that instant ocean walks the walk.....
Hmmmm..... coralife salt, i haven't heard many good things about that brand and sps coral growth/ health....if it were me i'd go back to the intant ocean and supplement. i used coralife myself a long time ago and was never impressed with how livestock looked or grew
hard to test for something like that though so more of an opinion than hard fact. at least i know for sure that instant ocean walks the walk.....
Where you using coralife long before your downfall ? Like Troy says, I've heard quite a few good things about the salt in recent parameter testing but not really wanting to risk a switch especially when everything is doing so good using Instant Ocean ( w/ CA& MG supplementation ).
OP
OP
About the salt, I switched to it 1: because I read the tests which yielded better numbers on all elements than IO or RC (David, I remember you mentioning it not lokking too bad) 2: I see the awesome results peggy gets with it at all-reef. She colors up and grows sps very well, and she has uses much less equipment or supplementation than most of us (however she does big WC's to compensate.
Matt- I switched to this salt about 4 months ago, I have been chasing this problem since I set up the 120 almost 2 years ago.
Inverts all do fine, that's the part that really baffles me. I have a tubeworm population like crazy. I am constantly scraping them out of the sump.
Matt- I switched to this salt about 4 months ago, I have been chasing this problem since I set up the 120 almost 2 years ago.
Inverts all do fine, that's the part that really baffles me. I have a tubeworm population like crazy. I am constantly scraping them out of the sump.
Ben, you mentioned pods, but have you been able to keep snails alive? If not, I'd lean towards heavy metal filters as first plan of action and see what happens.
OP
OP
I have basically never lost a snail except from gorilla crabs early on. Remember I just had them spawn not too long ago...
Snails would likely be one of the first to go if copper was involved so makes that no very likely but certainly wouldn't hurt to try heavy metal sponge. Mostly, from a lack of not really sure what else could be.
OP
OP
That's what I thought...
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couple of simple ideas....
I'm assuming your measuring your salinity with a refractometer. If you are, when was it calibrated last and what solution did you use?
Do you run carbon?
With the amount of water changes you are doing metal toxicity shouldn't be a problem....
I'm assuming your measuring your salinity with a refractometer. If you are, when was it calibrated last and what solution did you use?
Do you run carbon?
With the amount of water changes you are doing metal toxicity shouldn't be a problem....
Do you use the grounding probe along with a GFCI ? Using a grounding probe without GFCI can using the sw as a conductor. I'd think fish would show signs of stress though if that were the case. Certainly worth looking into deeper if you haven't already using a volt meter.
OP
OP
Never used a refractometer. I guess I never seen a need as my salinity never changes. Probably wouldn'r hurt to compare to my deep six
When I had explosive growth I was using a HOB filter with the little carbon/ filter pads. I stopped for a long time with the new tank but have been using it lately to improve light penetration.
Yeah, grounding probe with no gfci. I'll check it out with a voltmeter but I don't think im leaking any voltage. Fish are all fine and I have never gotten a zap.
When I had explosive growth I was using a HOB filter with the little carbon/ filter pads. I stopped for a long time with the new tank but have been using it lately to improve light penetration.
Yeah, grounding probe with no gfci. I'll check it out with a voltmeter but I don't think im leaking any voltage. Fish are all fine and I have never gotten a zap.