LaCl Reactor

Speaking of nitrates, in my frag tanks, my nitrates are almost nonexistant. My PO4 is very high no matter how much GFO and WC's I do :9( I added some fish and feed them 3 times daily and the nitrates are not going up. I don't think my bacteria like PO4...lol I stopped dosing vinegar weeks ago in the frag tanks because of the nitrates being so low. Any suggestions would be helpful :0) Can't take the LaCl setup to the basement...my DT tank needs it :0)
 
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40g frag tank? Complete water change sounds the easiest to me!

terri_ann said:
Speaking of nitrates, in my frag tanks, my nitrates are almost nonexistant. My PO4 is very high no matter how much GFO and WC's I do :9( I added some fish and feed them 3 times daily and the nitrates are not going up. I don't think my bacteria like PO4...lol I stopped dosing vinegar weeks ago in the frag tanks because of the nitrates being so low. Any suggestions would be helpful :0) Can't take the LaCl setup to the basement...my DT tank needs it :0)
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I think you should feed your fish any way you d*$# well please ;)

As long as you can stomach (or control) the dosing complications, you should do whatever makes you and your fish happy!

terri_ann said:
Now, Now Insomniac, Play Nice!:lol: Yes, I have gone through LC like it's going out of style. I do LOVE to feed my fish but I don't think it's ALOT:rolleye1: They are healthy and long-lived I must say:thumbsup: I just have an overstocked tank :facepalm: It's not "my" fault that Dori and FoxyFace could be a nice meal for a family:eek1: :wave:
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insomniac2k2 said:
40g frag tank? Complete water change sounds the easiest to me!
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Well not really. I have a 30 plumbed into it as well with a 40B sump so I figure I have a good 90 gallons.

I tried dripping LC a couple times and didn't have success.:blown: The 5 micron socks overflowed in just a few minutes. I wonder if I could dose some ammonia and get the nitrates up that way without killing the fish and corals? I could take the fish out, I guess :0)

I'm having a zoa fire sale this weekend. It would be nice if I could sell off at least 100 frags ;0) I could move the remaining frags into my 20L, DT and 40B. Then I would give the rocks an acid bath and start over. I HATE PO4!! :blown:
 
insomniac2k2 said:
I think you should feed your fish any way you d*$# well please ;)

As long as you can stomach (or control) the dosing complications, you should do whatever makes you and your fish happy!
Click to expand...

:lol: My fish are happy but the corals get upset:rolleye1: I just can't win for losing! :headwally:
 
terri_ann said:
Well not really. I have a 30 plumbed into it as well with a 40B sump so I figure I have a good 90 gallons.

I tried dripping LC a couple times and didn't have success.:blown: The 5 micron socks overflowed in just a few minutes. I wonder if I could dose some ammonia and get the nitrates up that way without killing the fish and corals? I could take the fish out, I guess :0)

I'm having a zoa fire sale this weekend. It would be nice if I could sell off at least 100 frags ;0) I could move the remaining frags into my 20L, DT and 40B. Then I would give the rocks an acid bath and start over. I HATE PO4!! :blown:
Click to expand...

good thought, and someone I've read has tried this - but there will be some stress to your inhabitants as NH3/4 is MUCHO toxic where moderate levels of NO3 are not. There is actually a large thread in the advanced forum on this topic. The most readily accessible form of NO3 I've found that is cheap and local (to me) is KNO3 in the form of 'stump remover' from the hardware store. It adds a few potassium ions, but that's not a huge deal.. especially since I dose potassium anyway. There's also another widely used form I believe is NaNO3 which you can also get...

Here's the thread. If you are considering this, I highly recommend a thorough read of this... if you can get past a certain individual who thinks VERY highly of himself - his posts (once you get past it) are almost humorous... but probably not in the way he intends. Some of this gets fairly deep, too.. so it can take quite a while for some of these posts to 'soak in'... I don't think I absorbed a lot of it... but at least have a good understanding of basic concepts from it. :)

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showt...ighlight=dosing+nitrates+to+reduce+phosphates
 
Reactor layout

Reactor layout

This is not done yet, but I put it back online yesterday. I haven't made anything pretty yet. I just randomly mounted 2 reactors in my garage. I'm running a maxijet 1200 out of my sump and through my garage wall. That feeds my first chamber (mixing). Then on to my next chamber.

Presently im testing the 5 micron sediment filter, but I actually like my original design or packed filter floss and carbon. So I've decided to put a 3rd chamber online in the near future. The floss and carbon will be in chamber 2. The last chamber will be the 5 micron sediment filter. The outgoing water will dump right into my recirculating skimmer (as in pictures).

I tested my skimmer with high and low water flow coming from my reactor. Do to the nature of my c-skim skimmer, it seems to make little to no difference (not affected by the changed flow rate introduced by the reactor).

Being that the c-skim is a recirculating, it is unlikely that NO LC will ever touch my DT.
 

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I've been thinking about the issue of precipitate clogging 5 micron socks. Old school sand filters (pool type, not fluidized) are great for filtering sediment, would that be effective for this type of precipitate as well? I think it would be very effective but have no experience with this.

From what I've read most problems with FSB's arise from the biological processes they rely on. Although a pool type sand filter is a totally different concept (mechanical vs. biological filtration), I'd think the most likely source of trouble is the same- undesirable byproducts of bacteria growing deep in the sand. I'd think regular back flushing of the filter would avoid problems from this (although the plumbing involved for the backflushing might be a deal breaker for some people).

One could take it a step further as well- 24v actuators are relatively inexpensive so it would be quite simple to automate the whole process with a controller.

It seeeeems like a good idea, but unfortunately I've said "well it looked good on paper" far more times than I'd like to admit.
Thoughts?

-edit- FWIW I found a source claiming a good sand filter can remove particles down to 5-20 microns in size, with size 20 silica sand recommended. But would this introduce silicates..? http://ppoa.org/?page_id=399
Another source claiming removal of particulates >10 micrometers http://www.eusaswim.eu/Documentation/downloads/Paper-on-filtration.pdf
 
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A sand filter would definitely work, but the cost of maintenance would be too high for me (time and money to create a maintenance free solution).

Heck, even my solution without a 3rd chamber may be considered overkill. Even know it may be overkill, its virtually maintenance free. That's always my focus when i create solutions for myself.

Not to say that the sand filter wouldn't work. It just may be more trouble than what it's worth.

Just my 2c

Laardvark said:
I've been thinking about the issue of precipitate clogging 5 micron socks. Old school sand filters (pool type, not fluidized) are great for filtering sediment, would that be effective for this type of precipitate as well? I think it would be very effective but have no experience with this.

From what I've read most problems with FSB's arise from the biological processes they rely on. Although a pool type sand filter is a totally different concept (mechanical vs. biological filtration), I'd think the most likely source of trouble is the same- undesirable byproducts of bacteria growing deep in the sand. I'd think regular back flushing of the filter would avoid problems from this (although the plumbing involved for the backflushing might be a deal breaker for some people).

One could take it a step further as well- 24v actuators are relatively inexpensive so it would be quite simple to automate the whole process with a controller.

It seeeeems like a good idea, but unfortunately I've said "well it looked good on paper" far more times than I'd like to admit.
Thoughts?

-edit- FWIW I found a source claiming a good sand filter can remove particles down to 5-20 microns in size, with size 20 silica sand recommended. But would this introduce silicates..? http://ppoa.org/?page_id=399
Another source claiming removal of particulates >10 micrometers http://www.eusaswim.eu/Documentation/downloads/Paper-on-filtration.pdf
Click to expand...
 
Anyone seeing any issues with LC flocculent build up in the reactor doing this?

Insomniac2K2,
Have you been able to safely reduce your PO4 levels long term using your reactor, without issues to live stock?

I have read the full thread, so my apologies if these questions have been previously answered.
 
My reactors get a yellowish sheen on them over time. It seems to come off pretty easily with a kitchen scrub brush and water or water/vinegar mix.

I was running my reactor for quite some time without issue. I took it down when i moved and then decided to leave it offline for no reason other than to see how fast my phosphates rise.

Needless to say, they ran up fast. My reactor is now back online. I will be taking a reading in the next few days.

So far, all tank wildlife are just fine. This includes yellow and purple tang.
 
What was your PO4 while dosing?
How often were you dosing?
What were they when you stopped dosing?
Thanks for the replies on this and on the other thread.
 
I always keep my PO4 near .07. I do not push for super low numbers. When i stopped reactors to move my tank, i think my last reading was .08

All dosing varies based up how much your tank produces. I found that I have a reduction dose and a maintenance dose. My reduction does seems to be 15s on every 3.5m on a 1.1ml doser. My maintenance dose seems to do a relatively good job to keep my numbers where they belong. That dose was something like 15s on every 7m or so. I don't recall exactly, but it is back a bit in the thread.

If you do decide to go the reactor route, you will quickly get a feel on your tanks production and be able to adjust from there. I was only checking every few weeks after a while.
 
Thanks for the information.
IIRC you are dosing via Drew's/BRS 1.1 pump?
Do you dose 24/7 or only at certain times of the day?
 
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