375-500G Projected Build - need some input
- Thread starter 02tts
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17 hours later it's at 8.02 and holding there. May run hose outside for testing but doubt it will be better than that, but going to try it to be sure.
I also have to lower the salinity when ready for a water change, it's way too high, 35.9 which is around 1.027 - 1.028
Too much salt on the last batch I did.
Ammonia holding out good but nitrites are still off the chart, to be fair it's only been a week since the cycle has been started.
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I also have to lower the salinity when ready for a water change, it's way too high, 35.9 which is around 1.027 - 1.028
Too much salt on the last batch I did.
Ammonia holding out good but nitrites are still off the chart, to be fair it's only been a week since the cycle has been started.
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375-500G Projected Build - need some input
The two running for the return are fine. The one running the closed loop did go out within a week but I think came defective.
The one running the closed loop system is on full blast during the day and drops to 30% from 9 to 6am.
I will say the power packs run hot, temp gun shows 127-129 degrees on the closed loop. The others run at 108-113.
Also, if you're going to get one make sure it comes with the plastic power brick which is the new adapted model. The difference is in the amperage, the plastic bricks, made by the same Taiwanese company offer higher amperage of 4.4amp draw vs the aluminum ones which are lower. Personally I would of opted to keep the aluminum body, better build, higher temp threshold given the material and overall better build - plus easy to mount as they are equipped with pres rolled mounting holes, plastic bricks have no such feature. Given how hot these power packs get I'm surprised they opted for plastic, I can see these burning out eventually or becoming a liability from a fire hazard perspective. 127-129 degrees on the outer plastic casing is hot, no matter how you look at it. Which begs the question how hot the inside gets.
But anyway, I'm just being picky I guess. Design of the plastic pack is still top notch, it's Taiwain not China so there is some QC and you can tell.
Performance and for what they are they seem like great pumps. They are QUIET pumps. I would not run these inside a sump, too much heat transfer in my opinion. I run all 3 externally which is also why I'm able to keep my tank at 79 degrees (for now) living in Florida and without a chiller or fans.
I do recommend them.
They are super quiet.
If you run at 49-50% you will have to be next to it to hear it.
If you have one pump you won't even know the tank is on unless you look for water movement.
I would not have done my 500g setup if it wasn't for these pumps and the ingenuity of the Bean Animal overflow as the tank is in my living or family room next to where we sit down to watch TV so sound concern was a big deal.
Hope that helps.
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The two running for the return are fine. The one running the closed loop did go out within a week but I think came defective.
The one running the closed loop system is on full blast during the day and drops to 30% from 9 to 6am.
I will say the power packs run hot, temp gun shows 127-129 degrees on the closed loop. The others run at 108-113.
Also, if you're going to get one make sure it comes with the plastic power brick which is the new adapted model. The difference is in the amperage, the plastic bricks, made by the same Taiwanese company offer higher amperage of 4.4amp draw vs the aluminum ones which are lower. Personally I would of opted to keep the aluminum body, better build, higher temp threshold given the material and overall better build - plus easy to mount as they are equipped with pres rolled mounting holes, plastic bricks have no such feature. Given how hot these power packs get I'm surprised they opted for plastic, I can see these burning out eventually or becoming a liability from a fire hazard perspective. 127-129 degrees on the outer plastic casing is hot, no matter how you look at it. Which begs the question how hot the inside gets.
But anyway, I'm just being picky I guess. Design of the plastic pack is still top notch, it's Taiwain not China so there is some QC and you can tell.
Performance and for what they are they seem like great pumps. They are QUIET pumps. I would not run these inside a sump, too much heat transfer in my opinion. I run all 3 externally which is also why I'm able to keep my tank at 79 degrees (for now) living in Florida and without a chiller or fans.
I do recommend them.
They are super quiet.
If you run at 49-50% you will have to be next to it to hear it.
If you have one pump you won't even know the tank is on unless you look for water movement.
I would not have done my 500g setup if it wasn't for these pumps and the ingenuity of the Bean Animal overflow as the tank is in my living or family room next to where we sit down to watch TV so sound concern was a big deal.
Hope that helps.
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Last edited:
375-500G Projected Build - need some input
This morning ph is at 8.08 so the scrubber is working well.
It stabilized at 8.02 using the co2 scrubber, the rest I believe is due to the kalk dosing (mixed into the off the ato water), the difference between now and before is that the co2 was making the ph lower even after dosing with kalk, it would increase by a factor of .01 and quickly start dropping again in no time.
Now, it holds it and I can increase it with kalk in ato and since fish only I can keep the kalk dosing low so that the ph change is very minimal.
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This morning ph is at 8.08 so the scrubber is working well.
It stabilized at 8.02 using the co2 scrubber, the rest I believe is due to the kalk dosing (mixed into the off the ato water), the difference between now and before is that the co2 was making the ph lower even after dosing with kalk, it would increase by a factor of .01 and quickly start dropping again in no time.
Now, it holds it and I can increase it with kalk in ato and since fish only I can keep the kalk dosing low so that the ph change is very minimal.
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Awesome thank you when i get i will defiantly be going with the metal now
375-500G Projected Build - need some input
So for those following or interested I have been running the co2 scrubber and ph stays right about 7.98 to 8.0 (this is measured using the Neptune Apex on the second add-in PM2 which allows for a more accurate reading by hooking up the temp and ph probe on that unit, if I run it on the main unit the reading is higher and if I run it on the ORP/pH slot it comes in around 8.25-8.30, why the difference I don't know, may have something to do with the ORP/pH port, waiting to hear from Neptune a I do have another bank QT tank with a ph probe and reads the same if I swap the probes so I know the probes are accurate and calibrated) @ a temp of 78.3-79 and a conductivity measure of 31.9ppt.
I then ran the line outside, which only added about 5ft to the house line and within 10-15min ph dropped to 7.93 from 7.96. I let it run for a day and it dropped to 7.89 and stayed there, so a co2 scrubber is most certainly a better option that outside air at least where I live (South Florida - which is strange given the amount of vegetation down here). So I put the co2 scrubber back and within 15min I was back up to 7.96.
Still doing a Fishless cycle so although there is living matter in the tank there is no real bioload so we'll see what that will equate to once I add fish which should hopefully be this week as it looks like the tank may be close to cycling.
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So for those following or interested I have been running the co2 scrubber and ph stays right about 7.98 to 8.0 (this is measured using the Neptune Apex on the second add-in PM2 which allows for a more accurate reading by hooking up the temp and ph probe on that unit, if I run it on the main unit the reading is higher and if I run it on the ORP/pH slot it comes in around 8.25-8.30, why the difference I don't know, may have something to do with the ORP/pH port, waiting to hear from Neptune a I do have another bank QT tank with a ph probe and reads the same if I swap the probes so I know the probes are accurate and calibrated) @ a temp of 78.3-79 and a conductivity measure of 31.9ppt.
I then ran the line outside, which only added about 5ft to the house line and within 10-15min ph dropped to 7.93 from 7.96. I let it run for a day and it dropped to 7.89 and stayed there, so a co2 scrubber is most certainly a better option that outside air at least where I live (South Florida - which is strange given the amount of vegetation down here). So I put the co2 scrubber back and within 15min I was back up to 7.96.
Still doing a Fishless cycle so although there is living matter in the tank there is no real bioload so we'll see what that will equate to once I add fish which should hopefully be this week as it looks like the tank may be close to cycling.
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Last edited:
375-500G Projected Build - need some input
One thing I forgot to mention is the rate of exhaustion. Which if you look at the Aquamaxx reactor used, it exhausted the media in 12-14 day. So it's not very economical at all, at least not for this size of a tank. At this rate, I'll go through this 5G bucket of Sodalime in I would guess 3-6 months. We'll see, I'm going to see exactly how long it lasts me.
But may be be drilling a hole soon enough.
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One thing I forgot to mention is the rate of exhaustion. Which if you look at the Aquamaxx reactor used, it exhausted the media in 12-14 day. So it's not very economical at all, at least not for this size of a tank. At this rate, I'll go through this 5G bucket of Sodalime in I would guess 3-6 months. We'll see, I'm going to see exactly how long it lasts me.
But may be be drilling a hole soon enough.
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You're most likely right. I'm sure an algae scrubber would also address this and nitrates but they are too loud for my taste.
The thing I like about the hole through the wall or the co2 scrubber that the change is minimal, sometimes it doesn't change all day. Which allows me to have a 7.9-8.0 pH without having to chase an 8.2-8.3 setting using things like pH buffer. The less things I have to add, maintain and keep tabs on the happier both the wife and I are
Next will be a reactor with denitrate media, so it buys me more time in between water changes and allows me to stock a little higher. Have to see which media yields the best results, thinking Seachem since it doesn't seem to leech anything back, but I understand there are other bio pellets that may work better so will have to do some homework.
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So, because I just can't help myself, I'm going to drill a hole AND use the co2 scrubber to see the effects. Better doing it now before I put livestock in there since the tank will be cycled by tomorrow if I'm right given recent water tests. I suspect the media should last longer since the co2 concentration outside is definitely lower than inside, which means it should not have to remove as much co2, thereby not exhausting the media as quick. That's the logic anyway. With a brand new batch of Sodalime the ph jumped to 8.07 this am and I still have no lights as the top canopy is not done. I suspect once I put the lights on, the pH will climb even higher.
We'll see.
Going to drill hole and setup today.
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We'll see.
Going to drill hole and setup today.
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375-500G Projected Build - need some input
So for you expert chemists out there, explain this to me:
I drilled a hole and I am sucking outside air AND still passing it by the co2 scrubber, yet, it my ph dropped from 8.07 to 8.02 in 1 hour!?!?
How the heck is that possible??? There is no way the co2 concentration outside is higher than inside my house...??? I just don't see it. I don't even have a single live plant inside the house. We'll see if it drops any more.
I'm stumped here...thoughts?
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So for you expert chemists out there, explain this to me:
I drilled a hole and I am sucking outside air AND still passing it by the co2 scrubber, yet, it my ph dropped from 8.07 to 8.02 in 1 hour!?!?
How the heck is that possible??? There is no way the co2 concentration outside is higher than inside my house...??? I just don't see it. I don't even have a single live plant inside the house. We'll see if it drops any more.
I'm stumped here...thoughts?
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375-500G Projected Build - need some input
Makeshift waste collector cup. Will be air tight once I get the John Guest fittings and will also be putting in a float switch so that it turns off the skimmer once the water reaches a certain level to protect against overfilling. May even make a little shelf on the top to house a bag of carbon to keep the smell to a minimum - going to Lowes in a bit to see what I can come up with
On a separate note, the skimmer is producing a much, much tighter and smaller set of bubbles which should equate to better overall skimming. Also, the height of the skimming stays constant which was not the case before, it would go up and down like a yoyo within 60-120sec. Now it's a steady height. This is a difference that is easy to see in a controlled tank with no livestock and where things are not changing. I suspect that in the coming days as I start to add livestock and food that skimming should prove to be effective, more so then by not using external air, given what I am seeing.
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Makeshift waste collector cup. Will be air tight once I get the John Guest fittings and will also be putting in a float switch so that it turns off the skimmer once the water reaches a certain level to protect against overfilling. May even make a little shelf on the top to house a bag of carbon to keep the smell to a minimum - going to Lowes in a bit to see what I can come up with
On a separate note, the skimmer is producing a much, much tighter and smaller set of bubbles which should equate to better overall skimming. Also, the height of the skimming stays constant which was not the case before, it would go up and down like a yoyo within 60-120sec. Now it's a steady height. This is a difference that is easy to see in a controlled tank with no livestock and where things are not changing. I suspect that in the coming days as I start to add livestock and food that skimming should prove to be effective, more so then by not using external air, given what I am seeing.
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Aquamaxx Biomaxx reactor on order to be used with bio pellets to keep nitrates down as the system gets established. I think after that I should be done with the workings of the tank. Just need to finish top cabinetry and of course stock it.
For those interested I do very much like the quality of both the PM and Aquamaxx products. Great precision, quality craftsmanship and quality material. No I didn't and don't get any discounts, just calling it like it is.
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For those interested I do very much like the quality of both the PM and Aquamaxx products. Great precision, quality craftsmanship and quality material. No I didn't and don't get any discounts, just calling it like it is.
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Not pretty I know but this entire section will be covered by paneling to complete the peninsula aspect of the design so, this won't be seen - and I didn't have to drill the nice wall, used an existing cable outlet to punch through so wife was happy!
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