Honestly, after looking at it again, I will never believe you if you say otherwise. that is a front-loaded filter sock washing machine. the laundry basket of filter socks next to it seals the deal.
well done sir. well done.
Marty's 450g (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter marty9876
- Start date
Honestly, after looking at it again, I will never believe you if you say otherwise. that is a front-loaded filter sock washing machine. the laundry basket of filter socks next to it seals the deal.
well done sir. well done.
Yup. Was always the plan, never thought I'd actually do it. Got the washer as a fixer upper and was able to do the repairs for under $30. Works pretty well!
Few non picture updates:
Needed to round out a BRS order for free shipping so I added and ORP probe. That lead to a full blown ozone setup. Thanks to Jonty for lending me a ozone reactor and carbon reactor. Finally got things dialed in and things seem to me progressing nicely. Biggest change so far is the skimmers performance seems to be significantly improved based on subjective analysis- the nasty skimmate is way nastier. ORP value itself is maybe up 10 points, was at 350 for a base line starting point which isn't bad in and of itself. I always planned on running ozone, timing was not really planned out. My goal is increased skimmer output, water clarity (never was an issue), frying bad things (likely not really much of an impact) and overall another tool to help combat my heavy feeding.
Started carbon dosing. BRS 1.1 pump with Red Sea NoPOX. I'll likely switch to vinegar in the near future, I had some and it was easiest to start with this product. I'm ~ 2 weeks in and having great results. I'm not really sure where my NO3 sits, it's always pink on either high range or low range (factor of 15x difference between the ranges, Red Sea test). I always thought is was around 2-4 since I always used low range. I tried the high range and got basically the same color, confusing. My PO4 has dropped from crazy levels to .08-.04 on last nights test. This is with a light dosing of LaCl3. My overall plan is to eat up as much NO3 and PO4 as I can and mop up the rest of the PO4 with either LaCL3 or GFO.
Issues: Carbon dosing is plugging up my 10 micron sock daily (need micron sock for LaCl3 dosing). DT had some algae issues which I think are on the mend, got some cyno now. I got some cyno last time I tried carbon dosing, my plan is to just stick it out until I get on a maintenance dose and hope the cyno goes away.
Next steps: Once I get my water chemistry stabilized (dosing automated taking care of most everything), and I find some cash, it's time to start stocking corals in mass. I have daily conversations with myself and majorly up-sizing my skimming, that's an expensive proposition.
Current thinking: I thought a lot about setting up another ATS. For me, fuges/ATS's just have never been able to make a sizable dent in PO4 accumulation. I spent a lot of effort sizing & pricing an ATS on steroids, it's a lot of money for the current recommended lighting (LED version). Maybe a couple of T5's would be good enough, not sure. All in all, for me, algae hasn't showing me the ability to export waste on the level I create it to date.
I worry about bacteria and things going off the rails and the bacteria sucking all the O2 out of the system. Everything is well vented and high surface agitation but it's my biggest worry with a high fish load (that and cyno yuck!).
Live stock are all doing great. ~ 1 week into carbon dosing the Flame Angels started doing the spawning dance again, it's been awhile since I've seen that.
Needed to round out a BRS order for free shipping so I added and ORP probe. That lead to a full blown ozone setup. Thanks to Jonty for lending me a ozone reactor and carbon reactor. Finally got things dialed in and things seem to me progressing nicely. Biggest change so far is the skimmers performance seems to be significantly improved based on subjective analysis- the nasty skimmate is way nastier. ORP value itself is maybe up 10 points, was at 350 for a base line starting point which isn't bad in and of itself. I always planned on running ozone, timing was not really planned out. My goal is increased skimmer output, water clarity (never was an issue), frying bad things (likely not really much of an impact) and overall another tool to help combat my heavy feeding.
Started carbon dosing. BRS 1.1 pump with Red Sea NoPOX. I'll likely switch to vinegar in the near future, I had some and it was easiest to start with this product. I'm ~ 2 weeks in and having great results. I'm not really sure where my NO3 sits, it's always pink on either high range or low range (factor of 15x difference between the ranges, Red Sea test). I always thought is was around 2-4 since I always used low range. I tried the high range and got basically the same color, confusing. My PO4 has dropped from crazy levels to .08-.04 on last nights test. This is with a light dosing of LaCl3. My overall plan is to eat up as much NO3 and PO4 as I can and mop up the rest of the PO4 with either LaCL3 or GFO.
Issues: Carbon dosing is plugging up my 10 micron sock daily (need micron sock for LaCl3 dosing). DT had some algae issues which I think are on the mend, got some cyno now. I got some cyno last time I tried carbon dosing, my plan is to just stick it out until I get on a maintenance dose and hope the cyno goes away.
Next steps: Once I get my water chemistry stabilized (dosing automated taking care of most everything), and I find some cash, it's time to start stocking corals in mass. I have daily conversations with myself and majorly up-sizing my skimming, that's an expensive proposition.
Current thinking: I thought a lot about setting up another ATS. For me, fuges/ATS's just have never been able to make a sizable dent in PO4 accumulation. I spent a lot of effort sizing & pricing an ATS on steroids, it's a lot of money for the current recommended lighting (LED version). Maybe a couple of T5's would be good enough, not sure. All in all, for me, algae hasn't showing me the ability to export waste on the level I create it to date.
I worry about bacteria and things going off the rails and the bacteria sucking all the O2 out of the system. Everything is well vented and high surface agitation but it's my biggest worry with a high fish load (that and cyno yuck!).
Live stock are all doing great. ~ 1 week into carbon dosing the Flame Angels started doing the spawning dance again, it's been awhile since I've seen that.
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Can you set up a separate sock for the LaCl drip? You might want to just change socks more frequently, once you get that 4ppm to zero it should improve even with your feeding.
You might want to consider bio pellets . You can then pipe the output directly to a skimmer instead of having it grow all over the tank and end up in your sock, it might also help speed up extraction.
You might want to consider bio pellets . You can then pipe the output directly to a skimmer instead of having it grow all over the tank and end up in your sock, it might also help speed up extraction.
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Maybe. I have a 180g and 75g tied into a common drain line to a common sump with the sock. I dose LaCl3 into the 180's drain (12' of drain distance for the Lacl3 to interact with) and I carbon dose into the 75g (cryptic live rock unlit tank). The end result is both tanks end up in one sock.
I skipped bio pellets, seemed most reports I read are people not having success with them. I suspect most of that is user error (managing flow, bio pellet amounts) and equipment (recirc vs. flow through) but in theory liquid carbon dose is pretty simple. Tough part is tweaking all the levels and different export methods.
Great fish pics Marty!
As for your filtration it seems way too complicated for me to add any good feedback. As a biopellet user though, they are quite good at what they do. Usually too good. Thats what leads to problems when both nitrate and phosphate drop to zero and things start starving.
As for your filtration it seems way too complicated for me to add any good feedback. As a biopellet user though, they are quite good at what they do. Usually too good. Thats what leads to problems when both nitrate and phosphate drop to zero and things start starving.
jlanger
@thatfishcookieguy
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Good to know that there's someone to ask about dosing Red Sea's NO-POX.
I picked up a Kamoer Dosing System over the Labor Day sales, but I'm waiting to set it up after the new carpet is installed.
I've been using the NO-POX periodically, but I want to get it automated so I can see if it works as advertised.
Those are some nice pics, but I'd love to see "Corals en masse"!
I picked up a Kamoer Dosing System over the Labor Day sales, but I'm waiting to set it up after the new carpet is installed.
I've been using the NO-POX periodically, but I want to get it automated so I can see if it works as advertised.
Those are some nice pics, but I'd love to see "Corals en masse"!
A guy on Reef Central had his grad students run NoPox through a mass spectrometer (NMR machine thingier) and its:
6:1 EtOH:AcOH (ethanol : acetic acid). The AcOH is ~3%.
So you can make your own NOPOX (roughly) by adding 1 part vinegar to 1 part 30% ethanol.
Or in laymansa terms per Randy "if you mix one part vinegar to one half part vodka and one half part water, you'll be pretty close. If you want to get even closer, add a little more vodka and a little less water."
If you wanted to make your own.
6:1 EtOH:AcOH (ethanol : acetic acid). The AcOH is ~3%.
So you can make your own NOPOX (roughly) by adding 1 part vinegar to 1 part 30% ethanol.
Or in laymansa terms per Randy "if you mix one part vinegar to one half part vodka and one half part water, you'll be pretty close. If you want to get even closer, add a little more vodka and a little less water."
If you wanted to make your own.
jlanger
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Now Marty is giving free dating advice...
Lazy ipad update. My quest for reef levels of water quality in a tank with a lot of fish continues. Carbon dosing (from nopox to vinegar only) continues, I need to remind myself daily to be committed to it.
I had achieved perfection with po4 via lacl3 dosing, was able to maintain .08 levels for weeks in a fully automated fashion until I convinced myself I was po4 limited for no3 reduction. Yup, you read that right I was so special I was limited in the exact opposite way of the rest of the world, I'm that special. Or, bad test kit..l. So I shut off and lacl3 dosing and wholly crap, .62 in no time. Vinegar is making a dent, I think no3 was well over 40 when I started. Down to 32 now, I upped the dosing. I'm practically topping off with vinegar now, Brs dower runs like 10 hours a day now.
Fish all doing well. I'm a little worried about my regal angel in the dt. There's just so much more aggressive and larger angels in there he gets nipped up a bit. I might but his butt in the frag tank.
Trying a nem pictured above, hit and miss. Did the cipro treatment, the deflating has reduced but still not in a very good place. Bleaching is going away slowly.
If I can keep my po4 below .1 and no3 under 15 ( ideally under 4) I'll start buying corals, Sps. Either way I need to start getting some common stuff at least in the tank.
Still tempted to go nuts on a monster skimmer, just a lot of money right now.
I had achieved perfection with po4 via lacl3 dosing, was able to maintain .08 levels for weeks in a fully automated fashion until I convinced myself I was po4 limited for no3 reduction. Yup, you read that right I was so special I was limited in the exact opposite way of the rest of the world, I'm that special. Or, bad test kit..l. So I shut off and lacl3 dosing and wholly crap, .62 in no time. Vinegar is making a dent, I think no3 was well over 40 when I started. Down to 32 now, I upped the dosing. I'm practically topping off with vinegar now, Brs dower runs like 10 hours a day now.
Fish all doing well. I'm a little worried about my regal angel in the dt. There's just so much more aggressive and larger angels in there he gets nipped up a bit. I might but his butt in the frag tank.
Trying a nem pictured above, hit and miss. Did the cipro treatment, the deflating has reduced but still not in a very good place. Bleaching is going away slowly.
If I can keep my po4 below .1 and no3 under 15 ( ideally under 4) I'll start buying corals, Sps. Either way I need to start getting some common stuff at least in the tank.
Still tempted to go nuts on a monster skimmer, just a lot of money right now.
How did you have the sulfur reactor set up and why didn't you like it?.....................Or did you build it and then decide not to use it afterall?
One of these days I hope you get the monster skimmer. It would look really cool next to your sump getting fed directly from your display.
One of these days I hope you get the monster skimmer. It would look really cool next to your sump getting fed directly from your display.
Converted a old k2r calcium reactor to be a recirculating reactor and then the plan was to go through 2x aragonite reactors (Brs ones) to up the pH. Basically built everything and then decided not to use it. Correct recommendations are 1% of system volume in reactor media! I used older sizing recommendations. Needless to say 1 galling of media sounds like it wouldn't be enough from current reports.
Biggest reason I stopped is using two active filtration method to control no3 sounds more complicated than I should play with. Multiple passive filters are all good, multiple active in this instance sounds like I'm being overly impatient.
Biggest reason I stopped is using two active filtration method to control no3 sounds more complicated than I should play with. Multiple passive filters are all good, multiple active in this instance sounds like I'm being overly impatient.
jlanger
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Loved the shot down the length of the tank. Your water is soo clear! I'll bet the bottom of the tank would look pretty neat covered in coralline.
