Ed Reef's '295-gallon Peninsular ZEOVit SPS tank'
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Ed Reef
New member
WATER PARAMETER UPDATES….
WATER PARAMETER UPDATES….
Anyway, water parameter results from this weekend……
- Temperature â€"œ 26.3 degree C
- Salinity â€"œ 1.026
- Ph â€"œ 8.20 (high Ph â€"œ could be due to the fact my veranda window is open this whole week and there is a typhoon coming so lot’s of strong winds or my probe need cleaning)
- NO3 â€"œ 5 (Salifert â€"œ higher than last week)
- dKH â€"œ 9.0 (Old Salifert test kit â€"œ difference of 1 drop - higher than last week)
- dKH â€"œ 8.6 (New Salifert test kit â€"œ down from last week)
- dKH â€"œ 7.5 (API test kit â€"œ start changing to yellow on 7 drop and completely yellow on 8 drop - same as last week)
- dKH â€"œ 8 (Elos test kit â€"œ up from last week)
- Ca â€"œ 420 (Salifert test kit â€"œ down from last week)
- Ca â€"œ 400 (Elos test kit â€"œ down from last week)
- Mg â€"œ 1380 (Salifert test kit - same as last week)
- Mg â€"œ 900 (Elos test kit â€"œ drop from last week)
- PO4 â€"œ 0.00 (Salifert â€"œ untraceable)
- PO4 â€"œ 0.08 (D&D PO4 â€"œ continue to come down from last week 0.14)
- Potassium â€"œ380 (stable)
PO4 seem to be getting under control (coming down weekly) with weekly monitoring….my Diatom and red slime Cyno is slowly reducing so will vacuum sand bed today. Hopefully in two to three weeks time, I can get it to acceptable level and start adding corals again.
Tested also my SW mix and my RO water for PO4 using D&D and the results as follows:
- SW Mix: 0.045 PO4
- RO Water: 0.008 PO4
Seem my bucket of TMPro is producing quite some PO4. Well, got another bucket and half to used up and by then my Reefer Best Salt (RBS) should be here.
I also need to get a TDS meter. Might also be time to get a new RO unit or maybe RODI altogether?
WATER PARAMETER UPDATES….
Anyway, water parameter results from this weekend……
- Temperature â€"œ 26.3 degree C
- Salinity â€"œ 1.026
- Ph â€"œ 8.20 (high Ph â€"œ could be due to the fact my veranda window is open this whole week and there is a typhoon coming so lot’s of strong winds or my probe need cleaning)
- NO3 â€"œ 5 (Salifert â€"œ higher than last week)
- dKH â€"œ 9.0 (Old Salifert test kit â€"œ difference of 1 drop - higher than last week)
- dKH â€"œ 8.6 (New Salifert test kit â€"œ down from last week)
- dKH â€"œ 7.5 (API test kit â€"œ start changing to yellow on 7 drop and completely yellow on 8 drop - same as last week)
- dKH â€"œ 8 (Elos test kit â€"œ up from last week)
- Ca â€"œ 420 (Salifert test kit â€"œ down from last week)
- Ca â€"œ 400 (Elos test kit â€"œ down from last week)
- Mg â€"œ 1380 (Salifert test kit - same as last week)
- Mg â€"œ 900 (Elos test kit â€"œ drop from last week)
- PO4 â€"œ 0.00 (Salifert â€"œ untraceable)
- PO4 â€"œ 0.08 (D&D PO4 â€"œ continue to come down from last week 0.14)
- Potassium â€"œ380 (stable)
PO4 seem to be getting under control (coming down weekly) with weekly monitoring….my Diatom and red slime Cyno is slowly reducing so will vacuum sand bed today. Hopefully in two to three weeks time, I can get it to acceptable level and start adding corals again.
Tested also my SW mix and my RO water for PO4 using D&D and the results as follows:
- SW Mix: 0.045 PO4
- RO Water: 0.008 PO4
Seem my bucket of TMPro is producing quite some PO4. Well, got another bucket and half to used up and by then my Reefer Best Salt (RBS) should be here.
I also need to get a TDS meter. Might also be time to get a new RO unit or maybe RODI altogether?
Ed Reef
New member
MY WAVES ARRIVED …..!!
MY WAVES ARRIVED …..!!
China Postal Service called and YES, my 2 unit of Vortech mp40w Gen 2 finally arrived from US.
I was getting a little worried as the last tracking from USPS was it arrived somewhere in China on August 24 but after that there is no way I can trace the whereabouts and you guys know how large China is!! :eek2:
Anyway, very excited about this new Gen2 pumps and will do my usual review on this product
Packaging:
Love the sticker on the box ‘NEW AND IMPROVED’ Other than that, the overall box packaging is no different than their previous Gen 1 version.
Packaging inside is very simple as you can see but the pump and controller is well protected by bubble wrapped!!
Power Adapter:
The power adapter is quite sleek looking, similar to those laptops power adapter
MY WAVES ARRIVED …..!!
China Postal Service called and YES, my 2 unit of Vortech mp40w Gen 2 finally arrived from US.
I was getting a little worried as the last tracking from USPS was it arrived somewhere in China on August 24 but after that there is no way I can trace the whereabouts and you guys know how large China is!! :eek2:
Anyway, very excited about this new Gen2 pumps and will do my usual review on this product
Packaging:
Love the sticker on the box ‘NEW AND IMPROVED’
Other than that, the overall box packaging is no different than their previous Gen 1 version.
Packaging inside is very simple as you can see but the pump and controller is well protected by bubble wrapped!!
Power Adapter:
The power adapter is quite sleek looking, similar to those laptops power adapter
Ed Reef
New member
Vortech Cont'
Vortech Cont'
Controller:
The controller looks similar to the Gen 1 version â€"œ no where on the controller stated that this is for Gen2 version so makes me think there is no change in the original controller â€"œ someone correct me if I’m wrong!!
The wireless Wave driver are capable of controlling up to 7 different Vortech, with one acting as a ‘Master’ Pump and the rest of the 6 pumps acting in ‘Slave’ mode.
Master pump broadcast signals in five different mode setting:
- Constant Speed Mode
- Lagoon Random Mode
- Reef-Crest Random Mode
- Short Pulse Mode
- Long Pulse Mode
The Slave pumps will behave exactly the same as the Master pump but with a choice of in-sync with the master pump or the opposite!! The wireless signal range is roughly 10 feet.
The controller can also be set-up for Night Mode, (which is by default 10 hours) with 50% of the max speed of your original Day Mode setting is produce. Only problem I see here is when you loose power due to electricity failure or you off it for general cleaning, you have to reset up the Night Mode again.
The controller don’t have a separate button for Feed Mode, unlike Tunze Controller but to enable Feed Mode, simply ‘press and hold’ the Mode button for three second. The pumps will then spin slowly for 10 minutes and the resume their prior operating settings.
What I like most is regardless of your master/ slave pumps configuration; all pumps will enter Feed Mode when the mode is selected on any one pump. This is great as after a while, I can just see myself forgetting which is the master controller
There is an option to get a Batter Backup to the pump but I didn’t go for this option as the battery back-up is expensive and can be easily replace with a cheaper UPS for computers and last much longer :lol2:
Only one thing I don’t like about the controller is there is no ON/OFF switch so you have to unplug it each time you want to take it out for servicing but easy fix for me as I can hook it up to my control box with an On/OFF switch :beer:
Vortech Cont'
Controller:
The controller looks similar to the Gen 1 version â€"œ no where on the controller stated that this is for Gen2 version so makes me think there is no change in the original controller â€"œ someone correct me if I’m wrong!!
The wireless Wave driver are capable of controlling up to 7 different Vortech, with one acting as a ‘Master’ Pump and the rest of the 6 pumps acting in ‘Slave’ mode.
Master pump broadcast signals in five different mode setting:
- Constant Speed Mode
- Lagoon Random Mode
- Reef-Crest Random Mode
- Short Pulse Mode
- Long Pulse Mode
The Slave pumps will behave exactly the same as the Master pump but with a choice of in-sync with the master pump or the opposite!! The wireless signal range is roughly 10 feet.
The controller can also be set-up for Night Mode, (which is by default 10 hours) with 50% of the max speed of your original Day Mode setting is produce. Only problem I see here is when you loose power due to electricity failure or you off it for general cleaning, you have to reset up the Night Mode again.
The controller don’t have a separate button for Feed Mode, unlike Tunze Controller but to enable Feed Mode, simply ‘press and hold’ the Mode button for three second. The pumps will then spin slowly for 10 minutes and the resume their prior operating settings.
What I like most is regardless of your master/ slave pumps configuration; all pumps will enter Feed Mode when the mode is selected on any one pump. This is great as after a while, I can just see myself forgetting which is the master controller
There is an option to get a Batter Backup to the pump but I didn’t go for this option as the battery back-up is expensive and can be easily replace with a cheaper UPS for computers and last much longer :lol2:
Only one thing I don’t like about the controller is there is no ON/OFF switch so you have to unplug it each time you want to take it out for servicing but easy fix for me as I can hook it up to my control box with an On/OFF switch :beer:
Ed Reef
New member
Vortech Cont'
Vortech Cont'
Pump:
Another thing which is a concern to me is apart from the sticker on the box, the pump itself have no indication it’s a Gen 2 version so I’m a little worried as to “how we know it’s the ‘NEW AND IMPROVED’ version†especially since it’s the magnet that is supposed to have improved :hmm5:
Checking the RC â€"œ Sponsor site for this info and the information I got is the Gen 2 version magnet is black coated whiles the Gen 1 version is a clear metal looking surface!!
Also if the screws and nuts are plastic, then it’s Gen 2 version!! Mmm wonder what type screws they used for Gen 1 version :lol:
Maintenance:
Removing the nozzle from the wet side is a simple firmly press down the nozzle with your palm and twist counter clockwise. Once the nozzle is removed, it’s a matter of rinsing it with running water or for extreme cases, soaking it in vinegar or in my case soaking it in D&D Ezy-Clean :dance:
Pin Spacer:
On the dry side, there is plastic casing, which they called ‘Pin Spacer’ which can be adjusted to different thickness of your glass tank. YES, the max thickness is ¾†so for those 1†tank, I don’t think it will work.
Vortech Cont'
Pump:
Another thing which is a concern to me is apart from the sticker on the box, the pump itself have no indication it’s a Gen 2 version so I’m a little worried as to “how we know it’s the ‘NEW AND IMPROVED’ version†especially since it’s the magnet that is supposed to have improved :hmm5:
Checking the RC â€"œ Sponsor site for this info and the information I got is the Gen 2 version magnet is black coated whiles the Gen 1 version is a clear metal looking surface!!
Also if the screws and nuts are plastic, then it’s Gen 2 version!! Mmm wonder what type screws they used for Gen 1 version :lol:
Maintenance:
Removing the nozzle from the wet side is a simple firmly press down the nozzle with your palm and twist counter clockwise. Once the nozzle is removed, it’s a matter of rinsing it with running water or for extreme cases, soaking it in vinegar or in my case soaking it in D&D Ezy-Clean :dance:
Pin Spacer:
On the dry side, there is plastic casing, which they called ‘Pin Spacer’ which can be adjusted to different thickness of your glass tank. YES, the max thickness is ¾†so for those 1†tank, I don’t think it will work.
Ed Reef
New member
Vortech Cont'
Vortech Cont'
Size Does Matter:
SIZE DOES MATTER â€"œ and in our case, the smaller the better :thumbsup: I cannot believe how small the wet part is!! I know it’s small but until you hold it in your hands that you realize how small it truly is!!
Attention To Details:
Now, you can tell the quality of a product with the attention to details. Ecotech Marine really thinks of all the small details as it even comes with a black sponge for the pump (to protect fish I think from getting caught in there) and also cord mounting clips and black wire tie ready to be used to mount the pump wire in place!!
Speed:
The pump pushes out over 3,200 gallon per hour (12,000L/h) each :rollface:
I will be testing them out this weekend to see how much more flow two of these vortech will give my current tank!! :bounce3: :bounce3: :bounce3:
Vortech Cont'
Size Does Matter:
SIZE DOES MATTER â€"œ and in our case, the smaller the better :thumbsup: I cannot believe how small the wet part is!! I know it’s small but until you hold it in your hands that you realize how small it truly is!!
Attention To Details:
Now, you can tell the quality of a product with the attention to details. Ecotech Marine really thinks of all the small details as it even comes with a black sponge for the pump (to protect fish I think from getting caught in there) and also cord mounting clips and black wire tie ready to be used to mount the pump wire in place!!
Speed:
The pump pushes out over 3,200 gallon per hour (12,000L/h) each :rollface:
I will be testing them out this weekend to see how much more flow two of these vortech will give my current tank!! :bounce3: :bounce3: :bounce3:
melev
Well-known member
A correction - a computer UPS can not run the Vortech longer, unless you are talking about a beast of a UPS. Here's why:
The IceCap Battery Backup is a large battery that is constantly plugged in. It tops itself off as needed (red light - charging, green light - charged). It is a 12v battery. From the BB, a wire connects directly to the VorTech driver. It supplies 12v of power to the driver, which allows the pump to run 24 hours, or two pumps (with two wires) for 12 hours.
A UPS converts its battery power to a/c power (110v). You have to plug the VorTech power supply into the UPS, and then the 110v is converted down to 12v with the 'sleek looking laptop' power supply. The upconverting of power to 110v and then back down to 12v loses power. Like I said, if it was a monster UPS, perhaps it would be able to run a pump (30w) of power for 24 hours. The best way to tell is to try it out.
Keep in mind I'm talking about the power I'm familiar with. I don't know what you use in China. I'm thinking you can even get a power cord from any monitor you own and plug it into the black brick so as not to have to deal with 110v. It seems like those power supplies know how to tell the difference, because when I took my Dell laptop to Switzerland, all I needed was a cheap power cable. The power supply just knew what to do. I think I paid 6 Francs to get a cord. What power do you have there?
The IceCap Battery Backup is a large battery that is constantly plugged in. It tops itself off as needed (red light - charging, green light - charged). It is a 12v battery. From the BB, a wire connects directly to the VorTech driver. It supplies 12v of power to the driver, which allows the pump to run 24 hours, or two pumps (with two wires) for 12 hours.
A UPS converts its battery power to a/c power (110v). You have to plug the VorTech power supply into the UPS, and then the 110v is converted down to 12v with the 'sleek looking laptop' power supply. The upconverting of power to 110v and then back down to 12v loses power. Like I said, if it was a monster UPS, perhaps it would be able to run a pump (30w) of power for 24 hours. The best way to tell is to try it out.
Keep in mind I'm talking about the power I'm familiar with. I don't know what you use in China. I'm thinking you can even get a power cord from any monitor you own and plug it into the black brick so as not to have to deal with 110v. It seems like those power supplies know how to tell the difference, because when I took my Dell laptop to Switzerland, all I needed was a cheap power cable. The power supply just knew what to do. I think I paid 6 Francs to get a cord. What power do you have there?
Ed Reef
New member
Thanks Marc - I think u're right !!
well, can always get these back-up batteries at a later stage. Problem is it's hard to justified the cost of these 2 batteries where I can get a generator back-up for under USD200 but will need to be manually started up during power failure 
We are using same as European power 220v
BigJay
New member
I bought the Icecap battery, because it keeps oxygen exchange going in the tank even when I'm out of town.
In case of emergency, you probably only really need to run one pump (the master).
Post pics when you get them running, and let us know which mode you like the best (reefcrest for me).
In case of emergency, you probably only really need to run one pump (the master).
Post pics when you get them running, and let us know which mode you like the best (reefcrest for me).
Ed Reef
New member
WATER PARAMETER UPDATES….
WATER PARAMETER UPDATES….
Water parameter results for this week……
➢ Temperature â€"œ 26.0 degree C
➢ Salinity â€"œ 1.026
➢ Ph â€"œ 8.16 (Ph came down from last week of 8.20)
➢ NO3 â€"œ 2 (Salifert â€"œ came down from last week 5)
➢ dKH â€"œ 8.3 (Old Salifert test kit â€"œ lower than last week)
➢ dKH â€"œ 8.6 (New Salifert test kit â€"œ same as last week)
➢ dKH â€"œ 7.5 (API test kit â€"œ same as last week - start changing to yellow on 7 drop and completely yellow on 8 drop)
➢ dKH â€"œ 8 (Elos test kit â€"œ same as last week)
➢ Ca â€"œ 400 (Salifert test kit â€"œ down from last week)
➢ Ca â€"œ 390 (Elos test kit â€"œ same as last week)
➢ Mg â€"œ 1170 (Salifert test kit - drop from last week)
➢ Mg â€"œ 1250 (Elos test kit â€"œ went up from last week)
➢ PO4 â€"œ 0.00 (Salifert â€"œ untraceable)
➢ PO4 â€"œ 0.06 (D&D PO4 â€"œ continue to come down from last week 0.08)
➢ Potassium â€"œ380 (stable)
All params seems to be in-line with my PO4 getting better by the week :rollface: My cyano is getting loose and coming off the sand beds and rocks, with some disappearing on it’s own so whatever I’m doing IT’S WORKING!! :smokin:
Warning: for those who is using Salifert for dKH recommend to get another brand for a 2nd opinion as what I notice over the weeks testing with multiple brands; Salifert dKH is very inconsistent.
Also finally Carolline algae is starting to appear on my dead rocks so that’s another good sign
Another good news is it’s been over two months now that I don’t see Ich returning into the tank and have not lost a fish to ich since then
WATER PARAMETER UPDATES….
Water parameter results for this week……
➢ Temperature â€"œ 26.0 degree C
➢ Salinity â€"œ 1.026
➢ Ph â€"œ 8.16 (Ph came down from last week of 8.20)
➢ NO3 â€"œ 2 (Salifert â€"œ came down from last week 5)
➢ dKH â€"œ 8.3 (Old Salifert test kit â€"œ lower than last week)
➢ dKH â€"œ 8.6 (New Salifert test kit â€"œ same as last week)
➢ dKH â€"œ 7.5 (API test kit â€"œ same as last week - start changing to yellow on 7 drop and completely yellow on 8 drop)
➢ dKH â€"œ 8 (Elos test kit â€"œ same as last week)
➢ Ca â€"œ 400 (Salifert test kit â€"œ down from last week)
➢ Ca â€"œ 390 (Elos test kit â€"œ same as last week)
➢ Mg â€"œ 1170 (Salifert test kit - drop from last week)
➢ Mg â€"œ 1250 (Elos test kit â€"œ went up from last week)
➢ PO4 â€"œ 0.00 (Salifert â€"œ untraceable)
➢ PO4 â€"œ 0.06 (D&D PO4 â€"œ continue to come down from last week 0.08)
➢ Potassium â€"œ380 (stable)
All params seems to be in-line with my PO4 getting better by the week :rollface: My cyano is getting loose and coming off the sand beds and rocks, with some disappearing on it’s own so whatever I’m doing IT’S WORKING!! :smokin:
Warning: for those who is using Salifert for dKH recommend to get another brand for a 2nd opinion as what I notice over the weeks testing with multiple brands; Salifert dKH is very inconsistent.
Also finally Carolline algae is starting to appear on my dead rocks so that’s another good sign
Another good news is it’s been over two months now that I don’t see Ich returning into the tank and have not lost a fish to ich since then
Ed Reef
New member
STREAM 6201 STOP WORKING??
STREAM 6201 STOP WORKING??
Seem like it knows I’m getting new pumps and today one of my 6201 stop working!! I dismantle all the parts and did a cleaning and soak in warm water for over 5 min and after that it works back again.
However, the propeller blade just refuses to stay in place and keep jumping up/down?? I don’t know what’s going on but I posted in the Tunze sponsor forum so hopefully Roger can advice me soonest !!
STREAM 6201 STOP WORKING??
Seem like it knows I’m getting new pumps and today one of my 6201 stop working!! I dismantle all the parts and did a cleaning and soak in warm water for over 5 min and after that it works back again.
However, the propeller blade just refuses to stay in place and keep jumping up/down?? I don’t know what’s going on but I posted in the Tunze sponsor forum so hopefully Roger can advice me soonest !!
CHASDB
Member
Did you soak your parts/pump in vinegar maybe it's calcium build up? Try swapping impellers with your other pump.
I have been very frustrated with Saliferts dKH kit too. So I been using LaMotte and just tried Elos, wow I like it alot, easy to see color change from blue to yellow.
Definitely good news being ich free. Thanks for posting your fight with ich, that will definitely help my build. I will catch groups of fish in my old system QT, treat and release in the new tank. This will help the more docile fish get established and build up my biological filtration.
I have been very frustrated with Saliferts dKH kit too. So I been using LaMotte and just tried Elos, wow I like it alot, easy to see color change from blue to yellow.
Definitely good news being ich free. Thanks for posting your fight with ich, that will definitely help my build. I will catch groups of fish in my old system QT, treat and release in the new tank. This will help the more docile fish get established and build up my biological filtration.
ReefingBuddha
New member
I just had a problem with my 6101 as well, a soak and a replaced impeller fixed the problem.
Congrats on beating the ich, seems like your in the clear... (hope I didn't just jinx you)
Congrats on beating the ich, seems like your in the clear... (hope I didn't just jinx you)
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