Marty's 450g (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter marty9876
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The pellets will take a few days to get heavy so you can turn them up without issue
Ever have a fish project work out as you expected? Doesn't happen often for me but I got lucky on this one!
Operation 'move the sump a foot to the right' went very well. Overall objective was pump consolidation, ozone reactor make work worth a crap and future proof for bigger pumps.
When I had he ETSS skimmer on the right with its pump intake from raw tank wanted I was tight on space for the other pumps on the other side. Ultimately I was hitting the ATO bin with the back of the pumps. The second Jebae DC 12000 pump was on its way out and I always was a little nervous running these externally anyways. The ozone reactor has been giving me fits for about two months even trying a mag 5 (what it's rated for) or a Ehiem 1262. I really wanted to get the Iwaki 40 which was driving the ETSS skimmer to drive the ozone reactor and other tanks in the basement.
Cutting pipes, scrubbing out the sump and other odds and ends too about 5 straight hours. Few upgrades, added a float switch to the sock tray so when the socks plug I get a txt message. Skimmer drains into its own 5 gallon bucket now. No need for a float switch to shut it off since the skimmer will drain back into itself if the cup fills. Cleaned up the wires, a little...
Anyone know how to stop the skimmer foam from coming out of the top of the cover? This was cleaned 24 hours ago.
Bestest part of the past few days work- I have an official home for the garbage can. This thing has always been in the way. I'm so excited.
Operation 'move the sump a foot to the right' went very well. Overall objective was pump consolidation, ozone reactor make work worth a crap and future proof for bigger pumps.
When I had he ETSS skimmer on the right with its pump intake from raw tank wanted I was tight on space for the other pumps on the other side. Ultimately I was hitting the ATO bin with the back of the pumps. The second Jebae DC 12000 pump was on its way out and I always was a little nervous running these externally anyways. The ozone reactor has been giving me fits for about two months even trying a mag 5 (what it's rated for) or a Ehiem 1262. I really wanted to get the Iwaki 40 which was driving the ETSS skimmer to drive the ozone reactor and other tanks in the basement.
Cutting pipes, scrubbing out the sump and other odds and ends too about 5 straight hours. Few upgrades, added a float switch to the sock tray so when the socks plug I get a txt message. Skimmer drains into its own 5 gallon bucket now. No need for a float switch to shut it off since the skimmer will drain back into itself if the cup fills. Cleaned up the wires, a little...
Anyone know how to stop the skimmer foam from coming out of the top of the cover? This was cleaned 24 hours ago.
Bestest part of the past few days work- I have an official home for the garbage can. This thing has always been in the way. I'm so excited.
AIO bio pellet update: so far really excited. Nitrate is was down from what I can tell, an honest 16 ppm now from somewhere in the 32 ppm range. I kinda freaked out as I wasn't expecting any change but I think I figured out what's going on- the pellets are feeding the existing bacteria in the system from my vinegar dosing efforts. I'm basically flooding the system with carbon food source for the bacteria. Makes me wonder if I just needed to use more vinegar.
Phosphate rose to .10 with no lacl3 dosing, really not a bad rise for me. I turned back on light lacl3 dosing to keep things on the lower side once I get the carbon dosing dialed in.
There is a ton of crap that comes off these biopellets. On their own I can plug. 10 micron 7x16 sock in 24 hours, switched to the standard 200 micron socks.
About 1/2 the cyno went away in the display tank, bonus!
Phosphate rose to .10 with no lacl3 dosing, really not a bad rise for me. I turned back on light lacl3 dosing to keep things on the lower side once I get the carbon dosing dialed in.
There is a ton of crap that comes off these biopellets. On their own I can plug. 10 micron 7x16 sock in 24 hours, switched to the standard 200 micron socks.
About 1/2 the cyno went away in the display tank, bonus!
The skimmer foam should stop within a couple weeks, just a side effect of the pellet start up. The foam clogs the ventilation holes on the cup and the cap will chatter to release the air pressure. Good times!
I wouldn't worry too much about tumble rate as long as there's enough movement to detach the biofilm build-up from the pellet surface. Over the past couple years running them, my tumble rate has been all over the place (on purpose, I swear). The flow-through rate plays a bigger role in how the bacteria process the water, but without a lot of coral you may as well just err on the high side
I'm interested to see if they manage your phosphates- I can't understand how the all-in-one pellets could work as advertised.
I wouldn't worry too much about tumble rate as long as there's enough movement to detach the biofilm build-up from the pellet surface. Over the past couple years running them, my tumble rate has been all over the place (on purpose, I swear). The flow-through rate plays a bigger role in how the bacteria process the water, but without a lot of coral you may as well just err on the high side
I'm interested to see if they manage your phosphates- I can't understand how the all-in-one pellets could work as advertised.
Yea, I'm not 100% sure how AIO bio pellets could ever really work as advertised. I've concluded its either by shear GFO action (small GFO grain size, dust In essence with a uber high surface area due to small particle size) or by having the GFO and carbon source right 'next' to each other the bacteria eats the trapped phosphate because it just happens to be there. Ok, that last one might be a stretch.
If it's by shear GFO alone that's all good the down size is all the GFO powder needs to be captured somehow. Always a sock for them maybe.
My system tacks on about .05/day of phosphate without lacl3. During this short time the rise I saw with lacl3 off was roughly half that, unsure if that's from GFO alone off the pellets or just overall increase in carbon source and all that doing its things.
I'm not expecting po4 control alone with these, if they helped out a ways that would be great. Long term I'm like to not run micron socks and maybe setup once of those lacl3 reactors out of a old ro system the guys have been playing with here.
If it's by shear GFO alone that's all good the down size is all the GFO powder needs to be captured somehow. Always a sock for them maybe.
My system tacks on about .05/day of phosphate without lacl3. During this short time the rise I saw with lacl3 off was roughly half that, unsure if that's from GFO alone off the pellets or just overall increase in carbon source and all that doing its things.
I'm not expecting po4 control alone with these, if they helped out a ways that would be great. Long term I'm like to not run micron socks and maybe setup once of those lacl3 reactors out of a old ro system the guys have been playing with here.
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Congrats on finding a home for your garbage can!
That must have been keeping you awake at night.
Just how much crap is your skimmer pulling out if you're thinking ahead to the skimmer cup getting full?
If the bucket does fill up enough to fill the hose and cup, how do you plan to get the skimmate to the drain without creating a big mess?
I do really like the idea of placing a switch with the socks to alert you of when they are getting too dirty. Great idea!
BTW... I started on your panels. I'll spend more time on them next week.
That must have been keeping you awake at night.
Just how much crap is your skimmer pulling out if you're thinking ahead to the skimmer cup getting full?
If the bucket does fill up enough to fill the hose and cup, how do you plan to get the skimmate to the drain without creating a big mess?
I do really like the idea of placing a switch with the socks to alert you of when they are getting too dirty. Great idea!
BTW... I started on your panels. I'll spend more time on them next week.
1/2 gallon a day maybe.
Few drivers for my concerns, I like to set things up to run unantended for weeks at a time (and then I check on it daily anyways). Secondly, certain foods (or at least mass quantities of certain foods) seems to cause a gallon or so to kick out. Still working through that one. Third, once the cup is half full or more it's really heavy and pretty unwieldy. I've concluded the odds of me making it a year not dropping and breaking the cup were pretty low.
Regarding what happens when the whole mess gets full, I've worked up multiple options. A. Don't let it get full B. Pull the 1/2" feedback drain tube and let the skimate drain into the sump (it came from there right? Odds are the skimmer overflowed at this point and it's really wet skim anyways) C. Stick a hose in the cup and siphon it out (yuk, really yuk) or option D. Pull the 3/4 drain line off (it's a slip fitting) and drain into a bucket.
Option A or B sounds most likely.
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The AIO is an ablative pellet so the tumble rate is important from my experience, the shear is important. The pellet is a pretty straight forward blend of GFO and Biopellet plastic blend. You get a better GFO effect as the surface is removed and exposes fresh surface area of GFO to absorb the PO4. I have run these now for 7 months and have tried all options and have found the following.
1. Tumble aggressively in a recirculating reactor ( AIO pellets are heavy and require a lot of flow to tumble properly)
2. High flow rate through the reactor (2-400 GPH)
3. you must use a filter sock on the reactor effluent line
1. Tumble aggressively in a recirculating reactor ( AIO pellets are heavy and require a lot of flow to tumble properly)
2. High flow rate through the reactor (2-400 GPH)
3. you must use a filter sock on the reactor effluent line
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2009
- Messages
- 2,523
Thought about it. First would be a swabbie, almost got the wife talked into a swabbie for Christmas!
Primary reason I'm not worried about a skimate locker/having a float switch on the skimate bucket is the fail condition for internal skimmers would be to overflow into the sump. System keeps working even in a fail condition. External skimmers are a whole neither matter, when those fail your room floods then the ATO empties itself I to the tank, which floods the room more, and then you system runs dry and the kids need braces. Really bad cycle with external skimmers and over runs.
That, and my apex break out box is out of inputs.
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Oh I have one I'm not using I will sell for a very reasonable price
I'll give you 1/2 what the ozone and carbon reactors set me back from you.
Remind me not to publicly mock a guy who borrowed me stuff for nothing.
Thought about it. First would be a swabbie, almost got the wife talked into a swabbie for Christmas!
Primary reason I'm not worried about a skimate locker/having a float switch on the skimate bucket is the fail condition for internal skimmers would be to overflow I to the sump. System keeps working even in a fail condition. External skimmers are a whole neither matter, when those fail your room floods then the ATO empties itself I to the tank, which floods the room more, and then you system runs dry and the kids need braces. Really bad cycle with external skimmers and over runs.
That, and my apex break out box is out of inputs.
The standard one has its own switched outlet so you don't need to tie it into a controller. My skimmer used to run wild every now and then before I put a switch on it. It wasn't the overflow that was the problem (because it drained into the sump) but the foam would spray out of the holes in the top of the lid and go all over. Not kidding, it would make a mess. Nasty stuff 3' up the walls and all over the other equipment and floor. If nothing else make a shield that would catch the spray out the top and direct it downwards into the sump.
I keep picturing that bucket getting dumped over someone's head Gatorade style. That thing is working nicely. If you're still having a problem with dry from blocking the vent holes and pushing the lid off, I hear that you can put silicone grease on the foam directing ring in the skimmer lid. That will cause the bubbles to burst upon contact so that all you get is liquid in the skimmer cup.
Skimmer bucket challenge?
Pure gold here, many thanks for the idea. Works great, completely changes the dynamic of the skimmer. No more nasty foaming all over the place hole plugging can't see nothing collection cup anymore. Stuff comes up, stuff goes right down.
Flooded the slimer drain bucket, twice.
Can't figure out why one of my float switches doesn't work. It's the one that shuts off the skimmer for high water levels (see prior gripe).
Nitrates rose a bit. May have something to do with stopping vinegar dosing (Jonty was right). I have my reasons for stopping, maybe they will be right mayb I just delayed things 6 weeks.
Phosphate still walks up fairly briskly, upping the lacl3 dosing.
Got a few SPS colonies in the 'frag' tank doing ok. Algea grows fast in there, I've got some tangs I need to get out of QT to help gat tank out.
Not progress I was hoping for but all in all should be at least pointed in the right direction.
Can't figure out why one of my float switches doesn't work. It's the one that shuts off the skimmer for high water levels (see prior gripe).
Nitrates rose a bit. May have something to do with stopping vinegar dosing (Jonty was right). I have my reasons for stopping, maybe they will be right mayb I just delayed things 6 weeks.
Phosphate still walks up fairly briskly, upping the lacl3 dosing.
Got a few SPS colonies in the 'frag' tank doing ok. Algea grows fast in there, I've got some tangs I need to get out of QT to help gat tank out.
Not progress I was hoping for but all in all should be at least pointed in the right direction.