Oldude's new 400 gal tank build

[24storm]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14051865#post14051865 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Oldude
It took about 9 hours for my R/O system to kick out the 400 gallons but the tank is full and about 3 boxes of salt added.

Floor tiling should be done in the next few days.
So far I am quite disappointed in the closed loop. I have to dial the flow back about 1/3 so the overflow doesn't fill with air bubbles that get sucked into the system and make the water look ugly. Any suggestions?

400 gallons in 9 hours what kind of ro unit do you have Holy cow. When i did mine it took 3 days to get 300 gallons.

Keith

 

[OnlyCrimson]

Haha yeah i was wondering that too. Some RO unit you got! This tank is going to be great

 

[tonyf]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14052770#post14052770 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bricky
I have a friend that put his intake in the overflow. He's not happy as it causes too much water to crash over the overflow. He's now looking at adding a bunch of Tunze's. I know it's not a solution, but only someone elses experience.

I have my CL intake to the Hammerhead from the weir ... my weir is across the full 3' width of the tank and there's so much water going over that I keep the water level in the weir less than an inch below the display water level. I have the Aquamedic overflow grille with each second tooth removed and it flows to the top of the teeth. You can just see it on the left of this photo.

 

[tonyf]

Got things the wrong way around ... first should have congratulated Oldude on his new tank and especially those magnificent sps ... they've just scrambled my brain!

 

[Jar*Head]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14051865#post14051865 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Oldude
It took about 9 hours for my R/O system to kick out the 400 gallons but the tank is full and about 3 boxes of salt added.

Floor tiling should be done in the next few days.
So far I am quite disappointed in the closed loop. I have to dial the flow back about 1/3 so the overflow doesn't fill with air bubbles that get sucked into the system and make the water look ugly. Any suggestions?

First i would like to congrats you on the new tank. Second, make sure you test all the parameter on the new salt (RBS). I know it is the new generation with much more improvement over the last generation but always be careful with these salt as i have had pretty sad experience with it in the past with the 2nd gen.

 

[Oldude]

Thanks you guys.
Jar*Head, yeah I found this particular batch of salt has an alk reading that is pretty high.

To help ease the new tank into the system I have been using the new tank water for H2O changes and replacing it with the old tank water. I have done a 10% wc in the old tank for 3 days in a row & so far so good. I also added some rock from my sump and today a school of chromis to help move things along with the cycle. I hope to have them plumbed together (temp) pretty soon but unfortunately I am out of town next week so that will put me behind schedule a bit. My old sump can't take the extra volume from the new tank if there's a power outage so I will hook that up when I get back.

 

[Jar*Head]

Greg, high alk and high pH is what i have encounter in the past....

 

[michika]

When you say its testing high in alk, what kinds of readings are you getting? I was debating switching over to RBS today.

 

[marcus.breaux]

sounds like an awesome idea

 

[Oldude]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14069703#post14069703 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michika
When you say its testing high in alk, what kinds of readings are you getting? I was debating switching over to RBS today.

It was about 15 DKH.....yikes.

 

[michika]

Um yeah, yikes is a nice way of putting it...

Were/are you using RBS currently in your setup? Do you find that the salt mixture, if you use it, in general is a good choice for SPS tanks, with or without a dosing regiment, e.g. Zeo, Prodibio, etc.?

 

[Ian]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14074168#post14074168 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Oldude
It was about 15 DKH.....yikes.

Good thing you tested. That could have been deadly...

 

[Oldude]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14074376#post14074376 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michika
Um yeah, yikes is a nice way of putting it...

Were/are you using RBS currently in your setup? Do you find that the salt mixture, if you use it, in general is a good choice for SPS tanks, with or without a dosing regiment, e.g. Zeo, Prodibio, etc.?

I have been using it exclusively for about 8 months and found it satisfactory until now. I am considering switching to H2Ocean but it may be a while since I bought 10 boxes of RBS a few months back on a special deal in preparation for the new tank.

 

[Oldude]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14074691#post14074691 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ian
Good thing you tested. That could have been deadly...

Yeah it's a pain. I am trying to cycle it through my system to bring the alk back to around 8 DKH where I like it. This may take a while. Any ideas on a quick way to fix 400 gallons of high alk water?

 

[Ian]

PM Randy Holmes-Farley. Im sure he can tell you...

 

[Oldude]

As usual I have to do things the hard way, so now the tank is up and full of water I have come to the conclusion I need to level it. It is out about 3/4" end to end. :mad2: Time to go buy a 4 ton jack so I can shim up the one side.

 

[Oldude]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14074727#post14074727 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ian
PM Randy Holmes-Farley. Im sure he can tell you...

Another great idea. I think I'll try that, thanks.

 

[Jar*Head]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14074724#post14074724 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Oldude
Yeah it's a pain. I am trying to cycle it through my system to bring the alk back to around 8 DKH where I like it. This may take a while. Any ideas on a quick way to fix 400 gallons of high alk water?

Try to check your pH after the salt mix for 24hrs. I used to have the same amount of DKH with 9ish pH. I remember posting a thread on Zeovit forum and they told me to put couple bottle of club soda inside my salt mix container to lower the pH and DKH. After 2 bottom of 16oz club soda i drop the pH down to 8.0 but my salt mix turn milky color

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14074753#post14074753 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Oldude
As usual I have to do things the hard way, so now the tank is up and full of water I have come to the conclusion I need to level it. It is out about 3/4" end to end. :mad2: Time to go buy a 4 ton jack so I can shim up the one side.

Do you have anything to pump out the majority of the water into? I wouldn't shift a tank full of water.

My own reef is down slightly on one end, and for years I've just wanted to jack it up to level. :lol: Argh, I just can't take that risk with the tank full of water and livestock.

 

[delphinus]

Borrow a number of rubbermaids and tanks and pump the water out and then level it. I can probably lend you around 100gal of garbage cans and spare tanks. Too bad I'm holding about 100lbs of rock in my 50g rubbermaid otherwise it'd be closer to 150g. But I'm sure between 4 or 5 of us we can hold all the water in the tank. Let me know.

I myself wouldn't dream of lifting the tank with water either... Maybe it's do-able I don't know but to me that's the stuff of nightmares.

Things look very good otherwise Greg, coming along very nicely.