OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef
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jnarowe
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tank is all cleared up. I cheated a bit and tossed a Mag 12 into the sump with the output going into a 25 micron sock.
Corals are strange. a few are suffering and the rest are still growing well. I have a digitata that completely bleached while another piece near it is just getting bigger.
I messed with my RO/DI today and basically I have just added a whole bunch of resin to get me by until I can figure out what the problem is. It may actually be my pressure pump as it acted a little strangely today. I couldn't get it up over about 55 psi and it did some kick-back.
I am seriously considering scrapping both units and going with a commercial grade one. I hate to spend the money but really I am using a home-grade product and over-working it.
Corals are strange. a few are suffering and the rest are still growing well. I have a digitata that completely bleached while another piece near it is just getting bigger.
I messed with my RO/DI today and basically I have just added a whole bunch of resin to get me by until I can figure out what the problem is. It may actually be my pressure pump as it acted a little strangely today. I couldn't get it up over about 55 psi and it did some kick-back.
I am seriously considering scrapping both units and going with a commercial grade one. I hate to spend the money but really I am using a home-grade product and over-working it.
sherm71tank
Premium Member
Hey Jonathan! I have a new bottle of Crater Lake with our name on it! Let's rebuild something! :beer: Before you go to scrapping we should take them both down and double check the plumbing from start to finish. It might be something that was overlooked. Anyhow, http://www.grindhousemovie.net/ when are we going?
sherm71tank
Premium Member
Well, you don't have to live here but it helps! Damn this is the best vodka I have ever had!
http://bendistillery.com/bnds_clv.html
http://bendistillery.com/bnds_clv.html
jnarowe
New member
Plenty of room for fuzz here Hop. 
When I lived in CA I rarely saw one. Here, we have state, PD, WestNet, etc...seems there's a lot of drug growing/manufacturing going on around here. Always a good chance of a halide seizure! :lol:
Housing market is climbing rapidly but you can still buy a house on land for less tan you paid for yours. I was a bit surprised when you told me about that considering your location. You could start a cold tank and get livestock just minutes from your house though!
Sherman: I'll hit grindhouse anytime you want. Did you watch UFC last night???
I don't like the sound of that...where is the "WE" in that???
I am going to work on the tank all afternoon so call me if you need to get out of the house.
When I lived in CA I rarely saw one. Here, we have state, PD, WestNet, etc...seems there's a lot of drug growing/manufacturing going on around here. Always a good chance of a halide seizure! :lol:
Housing market is climbing rapidly but you can still buy a house on land for less tan you paid for yours. I was a bit surprised when you told me about that considering your location. You could start a cold tank and get livestock just minutes from your house though!
Sherman: I'll hit grindhouse anytime you want. Did you watch UFC last night???
I don't like the sound of that...where is the "WE" in that???
I am going to work on the tank all afternoon so call me if you need to get out of the house.sherm71tank
Premium Member
I want to go to Erics this morning and check out his fish. I asked him to get me a pair of Watanabe Angels in and he emailed me that he got them in.
jnarowe
New member
Plenty of marine patrol here...our stupid town of 7,000 with less than 1/2 sq. mi. of water in a dead-end bay, has what we locals refer to as the drug runner boat. No idea why they need it, but it is a sweet machine.
Things have gone up a lot since I bought me house in '98, but back then I got it for under $200K. It's 4,100 sq. ft. plus 1,500 sq. ft. of garage and shop on 2.5 acres with a creek and a stream. Now it's worth about $500K un-remodelled. So it's certainly not as cheap as it was, but still better than a lot of areas I have lived in before.
Sherman: I am at the store and have to take Ari to the Dojo at 10:30. WOuld love to go to Eric's with you if you can wait until noon. Call me!
Things have gone up a lot since I bought me house in '98, but back then I got it for under $200K. It's 4,100 sq. ft. plus 1,500 sq. ft. of garage and shop on 2.5 acres with a creek and a stream. Now it's worth about $500K un-remodelled. So it's certainly not as cheap as it was, but still better than a lot of areas I have lived in before.
Sherman: I am at the store and have to take Ari to the Dojo at 10:30. WOuld love to go to Eric's with you if you can wait until noon. Call me!
jnarowe
New member
can't believe you didn't wait and you brought home a watanabe pair--You are too crazy Sherman!
Made a little progress today and another screw up. After wrangling with the RO/DI system for hours, Sherman came over and we went through it testing each part and checking it all out. We came up with nothing....really bizarre. Sherman split and I continued to mess with it, removing parts that I don't need etc. to no avail. I finally got 3 - 4 ppm out of the membranes but my effluent was about the same.
When I was testing and switching stuff around, I had one unit going to the secondary DI cartridge and the effluent stopped running. That was a big "AHAH!" moment. I pulled it apart and turned the cartridge over, doing the same for the other unit. Finally! I got 3ppm from the membranes and 0 ppm from the effluent. Finally figured it out, and how embarrassing is that??
So that means the water I have been using has had varying degrees of nutrients in it for quite a while, and I think I can assume the problems with the coral health to be at least partially related to that.
I also attempted to clean out a sump. That has not been going well as I really don't seem to have a good method. This time I decided to remove the rubble (on Sherman's recommendation) to make it easier to deal with detritus. It didn't go so well because as soon as I removed some rubble, the water totally clouded and I couldn't see what I was doing. I got out about 10 - 15 lbs. and then pumped the water out of the sump while it was full of suspended detritus. It is really bad to be honest and I need to make this a weekly routine.
So once I had the water removed, I re-filled with fresh SW. Because it was still very cloudy, I then ran a Mag pump into a 25 micron sock to help clear it up. I let it settle for a couple hours and then fired up the return pump, only to seriously cloud the display again. Dammit!
So I still don't have this down and it is really bugging me. I did notice some slimy filaments coming out of the rock structure while the tank was cloudy, and also saw a wrasse eating it...***??? :lol:
Made a little progress today and another screw up. After wrangling with the RO/DI system for hours, Sherman came over and we went through it testing each part and checking it all out. We came up with nothing....really bizarre. Sherman split and I continued to mess with it, removing parts that I don't need etc. to no avail. I finally got 3 - 4 ppm out of the membranes but my effluent was about the same.
When I was testing and switching stuff around, I had one unit going to the secondary DI cartridge and the effluent stopped running. That was a big "AHAH!" moment. I pulled it apart and turned the cartridge over, doing the same for the other unit. Finally! I got 3ppm from the membranes and 0 ppm from the effluent. Finally figured it out, and how embarrassing is that??
So that means the water I have been using has had varying degrees of nutrients in it for quite a while, and I think I can assume the problems with the coral health to be at least partially related to that.
I also attempted to clean out a sump. That has not been going well as I really don't seem to have a good method. This time I decided to remove the rubble (on Sherman's recommendation) to make it easier to deal with detritus. It didn't go so well because as soon as I removed some rubble, the water totally clouded and I couldn't see what I was doing. I got out about 10 - 15 lbs. and then pumped the water out of the sump while it was full of suspended detritus. It is really bad to be honest and I need to make this a weekly routine.
So once I had the water removed, I re-filled with fresh SW. Because it was still very cloudy, I then ran a Mag pump into a 25 micron sock to help clear it up. I let it settle for a couple hours and then fired up the return pump, only to seriously cloud the display again. Dammit!
So I still don't have this down and it is really bugging me. I did notice some slimy filaments coming out of the rock structure while the tank was cloudy, and also saw a wrasse eating it...***??? :lol:
wilson0204
Member
more pics please
jnarowe
New member
can't post pics of a cloudy dispay, and I am so torqued about the corals I am going to wait for a whie to post any pics. I am in a funk about what is going on in the reef.
hopefully I will get it straightened out soon, but I have so much other work to do I can only spend a small amount of time on it. I am definitely going to redesign my RO/DI system to run off of electronic float switches that will shut down the booster pump and close a solenoid valve when the water tank is full.
My lawn is growing like a weed, and so are the weeds...big mistake buying a large property.
hopefully I will get it straightened out soon, but I have so much other work to do I can only spend a small amount of time on it. I am definitely going to redesign my RO/DI system to run off of electronic float switches that will shut down the booster pump and close a solenoid valve when the water tank is full.
My lawn is growing like a weed, and so are the weeds...big mistake buying a large property.
sherm71tank
Premium Member
When are we gonna have that bbq?
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melev
Well-known member
The filaments must be webs from vermetids getting a snack. They like particulates. Some fish and even some corals will extend polyps or slime to catch the free-floating stuff.
The DI was upside down? Are these standard 10" cartridges? If so, the rubber washer should always be on top, and many have an arrow stamped into the plastic to help remind you.
Odds are production rates will increase now that the water flows through them the right direction.
For detritus, what I have done is used a MaxiJet or Rio pump. Add a length of tubing to both ends of the pump (inlet and outlet). Place the outlet tubing into the filter sock, and use the inlet tubing to siphon out all the detritus. It will pump right into the sock and the water will stay relatively clear, plus you don't waste any water in the process. The pump's intake may clog if you suck up larger pieces of rock, coral or shells. If you don't wait too long between cleanings, this isn't a big task.
jnarowe
New member
Thanks Marc, and yes, I had the cartridges in wrong...unbelievably stupid, and I don't even want to look to see an arrow.
I tried using a powerful Mag pump to vacuum the sump in exactly the same way you are describing but it was tough going. I removed some more rubble and will keep taking a few handfuls out each day. Hopefully by doing it slowly that will keep the water clear and also avoid shocking the system.
I need to continue swapping out sand in my RDSB/Fuge as well. I am seriously thinking about going BB in that to give the macro more room and cut down on chores. I just don't get enough time to do all the maint. I should be doing.
What I am going to do is change my routine to include vacuuming the sumps every time I do a water change. That will keep it nice and clean...and then there's the display. I have pile of detritus in there too and it is wicked hard to vacuum that. I think I will take Sherman's suggestions to arrange the rock for better under-flow and move the Vortechs lower so that the bottom gets stirred better.
I tried using a powerful Mag pump to vacuum the sump in exactly the same way you are describing but it was tough going. I removed some more rubble and will keep taking a few handfuls out each day. Hopefully by doing it slowly that will keep the water clear and also avoid shocking the system.
I need to continue swapping out sand in my RDSB/Fuge as well. I am seriously thinking about going BB in that to give the macro more room and cut down on chores. I just don't get enough time to do all the maint. I should be doing.
What I am going to do is change my routine to include vacuuming the sumps every time I do a water change. That will keep it nice and clean...and then there's the display. I have pile of detritus in there too and it is wicked hard to vacuum that. I think I will take Sherman's suggestions to arrange the rock for better under-flow and move the Vortechs lower so that the bottom gets stirred better.
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