Converting to a reef... Can I do it?

I think I should be fine with the mandarin... I kept one for over a year successfully, but got rid of him when I added the eel...

Also, I have 100+ lbs of LR which has been going for a little over 2 years... Plus I'll prob buy this guy from a LFS which has had success feeding him frozen food also...

As for the skimmer...

I don't know... Ha-ha... It went from overflowing to no skimmate at all, all day today... I finally was able to get the water level inside the skimmer adjusted properly, however tonight will be the test... I'll be sleeping extremely light, because it will obviously be left unattended while I sleep, and I don't want to wake up to another flood.
 
well HERE WE GO AGAIN... It's 3:15am, and my skimmer is overflowing AGAIN!!!

I opened the valve all the way again to try and drop the water level, but it did nothing... I'm gonna let it go for another fifteen minutes or so, before I stick the tube that runs from the skimmate cup to a collection bucket, back into the sump and go back to bed.

So far it's pumped out 2 gallons of WATER... Clear, not tea or brown colored at all...

This is ridiculous... I'm calling the maufacturer Monday.
 
ok... 3:25am now, and after pumping about 2-1/2 gallons of water out, the water level in the skimmer dropped back to normal.

I think this is because I opened the j/g fitting valve the whole way though. I'm sticking the skimmate tube into the sump just in case it decides to go crazy again before the morning.

I'm planning on doing another 20g water change tomorrow... LATER TODAY!!! anyway...

Goodnight all... or rather goodmorning...:mad2: :mad2: :mad2:
 
Here's some updates on troubleshooting... No more overflows after 3:00am this morning...

I mad some adjustments to the skimmer stand. It's lowered now, so the J/G fitting nozzle is completely submerged.

Also I added a 90 degree elbow to the intake from the tank, Now bubbles created from the incoming water rise instead of being pushed down into the sump, where the mag 5 pump used to sit.

Third... I rotated the mag 5 so now the intake nozzle faces away from the intake from the display tank. The goal was to reduce bubbles from being sucked into the pump... Just a guess on my part.

Oh... and I also added a container that I had in my garage for the skimmate collection attachment, a tube runs from the nozzle into a hole cut in the lid of the tote.

Here's some pics.

165449SkimStand1.jpg


165449SkimonStand.jpg


165449SkimComplete.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11017926#post11017926 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty8
ok... 3:25am now, and after pumping about 2-1/2 gallons of water out, the water level in the skimmer dropped back to normal.

I think this is because I opened the j/g fitting valve the whole way though. I'm sticking the skimmate tube into the sump just in case it decides to go crazy again before the morning.

I'm planning on doing another 20g water change tomorrow... LATER TODAY!!! anyway...

Goodnight all... or rather goodmorning...:mad2: :mad2: :mad2:
Click to expand...

you don't want it emptying into your sump. why not wait til the morning and run it while you are there to watch.
 
Here's the instructions I have showing the in-sump installation methods.

165449SkimInst.jpg


And here's where I think my problem is... The arrow points to the recommended water level inside the skimmer. When my skimmer overflows, it is about a 1/4" above this line... Even when I have the gate valve open the whole way.

Open/Left Turn = Lower water level

Closed/Right Turn = Higher water level

165449SkimInst2.jpg
 
Well if it keeps overflowing I'll try it above the water line.

Does anyone know the recommended salinity level for a reef tank...

I have 1.026 - 1.028 as a guideline... Is this correct.

Also, when dosing calcium.. I am still trying to get up to the recommended level. What is the a maximum amount of calcium I can add to the water at a time. The bottle says once daily... It's just taking forever to get my calcium level up. I'm wondering if there are do's and dont's to dosing calcium.

Thanks.
 
There is no "right" level for salinity. The main thing is that you keep it fairly consistent. However, with that said, 1.024 - 1.026 is generally agreed on as being a great range and many things thrive in this vicinity. With that said, I don't think you'd want to keep animal at 1.065 etc... You get the idea.
 
Gotcha... Thanks...

Updated Parameters:

Temp 79.5
Salinity 1.022
pH 8.0
Alk 3.5
Calcium 380

Still Struggling:
Phos 0.5
Nitrate 100

Doing a 20g water change in a few hours.

I guess the good thing is that all my levels are staying fairly constant. From my results so far it looks like Calcium should be at an acceptable level next weekend.
 
Calcium from what I understand, should remain fairly constant unless you have a lot of things which use calcium, (clams, corals, etc..) Arag-alive helps to keep these things in check, along with routine water changes. 10% weekly is great. Once your calcium really begins to dip though, adding it is a good idea.

Again just what I have learned from research, certainly not the calcium police by any means :rollface:
 
Just ordered a Phos-Ban 150 and a Mini-Jet 404 from MarineDepot to try and get this phosphate problem under control... Should be here Tuesday hopefully.

Any Nitrate solution ideas, outside of mass water changes, until my skimmer kicks in???
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Filter and heater for 125G
Replies
4
Views
255
wvned
wvned
T
New 55g setup. Advice for fish appreciated
Replies
6
Views
453
Uncle99
Uncle99
E
Which RODI system to buy?
Replies
18
Views
601
Uncle99
Uncle99
S
Tank is not cycling
2 3
Replies
44
Views
985
wvned
wvned
M
Back to this wonderfull hobbie after 10 years
Replies
4
Views
299
griss
griss
Back
Top