Pete's 280 log

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13275874#post13275874 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BigJay
I think that the aqualifter can "push" farther up than it can "pull". I'll have to look into that.

Your parameters were close. Your phosphates were almost undetectable. There wasn't enough color to qualify for 0.02 ppm, the lowest setting on the card. Your nitrates were dead in between 5 and 10, so I'd say 7.5 or 8ppm. The parameters are really good for your tank size and larger bio-load. Not everyone's system has to process "Jabba The Hutt's" waste load. :lol:

Bring me all of your FILM algae!

haha :lol: even looks like him (kinda)

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13276036#post13276036 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RyanBrucks
Hey Pete quick question about your Solenoids,
are you using the 120v kind? I got my 120V AC solenoids from MTC like you recommended and I am about to hook one up, but it occured to me that maybe using the full 120 volts is a bit more risky??? What are you thoughts on that?

yes - I'm using the 120vac. I thought about going the low voltage route but didn’t. Transformers would require more space then I have available on my controller making me use extension cords and to mount the transformers remotely, something I wanted to avoid. I guess I saw the extra wiring and extra interfaces as added risk that offsets the low voltage safety somewhat.

Depending on the application, if you can work in the transformer remotely, I think the low voltage ones do add a degree of safety to the system.

they have 12vdc, 24vdc, 24vac

Note: the 120vac do get a little warm, but not to bad. They use 6w each and have more then enough power for the application. The low voltage use half the watts (not sure about loss in the transformer though), they have less power but I'm sure they still have plenty of power for what we need.

HTH

 

[psteeleb]

DKH checked at just under 6.8. So the half gallon of Kalc with normal 8oz dosing didn't quite keep up. This confirms my needs for 2 part are around 10 oz a day each. I added a little over 1 tsp of baked baking soda, this should have increased DKH to just under 7. I'll test again tomorrow, with a gal of Kalc and 2, 4 oz dosing's of 2 part I should be around 7.2 in 24 hours. I'll see how good my math is in 24 hours.

Ph at MH lights out, 10:00, was 8.27, attinics off at 11:00 it only dropped to 8.26, it's now 11:30 and the Ph has dropped to 8.22.

I'll manually turn on the pumps for the Kalc stir and fill here in a couple minutes and readjust the controller to open the solenoid at Ph= 8.15, off at 8.20.

My Ph probe is at the end of the circulation cycle so it won't be an immediate read, tank P will actually be a bit higher. I dose 2 part and Kalc into the area between the skimmer section and pump suction, from there the pump returns water to the display, circulates around the tank, overflows to the drain where about 25% goes into my refugium. The Ph probe is in the refugium.

 

[psteeleb]

here are a few pictures of the reactor turning on

first all off

it takes 5 minutes to fill the upper container with the slow feed

while the water is filling the top tank the reactor kicks on and stirs up the kalc

 

[Hop]

Looks good... I've always been nervous about the reactor being on at the same time to was dripping into the tank... But I guess I was doing heavy kalk slurries when I was trying to keep my pH up right after I set the tank up and saw some dinos in the fuge.

 

[melev]

Pete, how long or how often do you have it mixing the kalk?

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13280545#post13280545 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Pete, how long or how often do you have it mixing the kalk?

from what I've picked up from people that use it as top off 24/7, they mix 3-4 times a day for about 5 minutes each time.

This will be mixing (and filling) late at night as the Ph starts to drop. I hope to eventually get 2 batches (maybe 3) into the tank from about midnight to noon before lights are on. Running this at night when evaporation is down may be a minor issue, worse case I run my fans to force more evaporation at night.

Ph is at 8.18 and holding - argg, I may bump the on to 8.20 so I can get a read on the drip rate and go to bed.

here is a video of the fill and mix. I'll set the timer for 5 minutes

 

[Hop]

I only have mine go twice a day for one minute each time. It stays saturated quite well even evaporating about 5-7 gallons a day...

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13280587#post13280587 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hop
I only have mine go twice a day for one minute each time. It stays saturated quite well even evaporating about 5-7 gallons a day...

nice - so mixing for the 5 minutes as the tank fills should be plenty long

 

[psteeleb]

Water level is dropping about 3/16" in five minutes. 4" is a gallon (or a full load), so this should take just over an hour. Ph is holding at 8.17. I'm tweaking the valve closed a tad bit more to slow it down some, but with the safety solenoid in play at Ph 8.2, it should be good regardless. I'm calling it a success for now, and a night.

 

[BigJay]

I'm looking forward to your resulting ph and alk readings.

 

[BigJay]

Update: Pete's unable to post now due to some net issues. Here's how the new kalk reactor is going.

psteeleb wrote on 09/03/2008 10:16 AM:
Jay - I can't update (won't post) form work. I think our firewall slows it down so much it times out

heres what I've been trying to post all morning

I got up at 4 am to check things. The solenoid shut down with the water box still half full. Ph was at 8.18, so it shut down earlier as it already dropped some. I dosed 4oz ea of 2 part knowing this would spike the Ph up to 8.23, or so, and went back to bed.

Checked things again at 7am. The box had emptied, so Ph dropped to 8.15, opened the solenoid and completed the Kalc dose. Ph was now at 8.18. I then checked the water level in the sump thinking it may be a little high from the gallon dose overnight, but it was dead on from what I could tell. I did my morning dose of 2 part, checked Ph a couple minutes later; as expected 8.23 (dosing always increases the Ph about a half point).

I'll check DKH later today and if everything looks good, I'll set this to dose twice a day; once and midnight, and again at 6 am. So far, so good.

 

[psteeleb]

Dkh tested at 7.0

I was looking forward to a 7.2 but that would have been a 24 hour cycle. I had to take the test later in the day so some drop would be expected.

Ph is 8.22, pretty much normal for this time of day.

 

[psteeleb]

I was doing an inspection of corals, PE was great even more then normal on some sps. Then I saw one of those snail and clam killing whelks. It is now garden fertilizer. I spotted one a while back, so I checked into them. Then I saw a total of three but could not get to them, but over a couple weeks was able to get two of them. I almost gave up on this third one thinking it may have died. But he just kept hidden pretty well as they tend to only come out at night, I finally got the bad boy.

 

[BigJay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13287336#post13287336 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by psteeleb
I was doing an inspection of corals, PE was great even more then normal on some sps. Then I saw one of those snail and clam killing whelks. It is now garden fertilizer. I spotted one a while back, so I checked into them. Then I saw a total of three but could not get to them, but over a couple weeks was able to get two of them. I almost gave up on this third one thinking it may have died. But he just kept hidden pretty well as they tend to only come out at night, I finally got the bad boy.

Woot! Good job on the catch. Is it possible that the whelk was bothering your clams and not the fish? Glad you got him out of there, I don't understand how you caught him in your deep tank. I imagine it would be gone by the time you could climb the ladder and reach in.

It sounds like your corals are thoroughly enjoying the high PH and stability you're providing them with the new kalk drip. Keep us posted on your alk and ph.

 

[BigJay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13287336#post13287336 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by psteeleb
I was doing an inspection of corals, PE was great even more then normal on some sps. Then I saw one of those snail and clam killing whelks. It is now garden fertilizer. I spotted one a while back, so I checked into them. Then I saw a total of three but could not get to them, but over a couple weeks was able to get two of them. I almost gave up on this third one thinking it may have died. But he just kept hidden pretty well as they tend to only come out at night, I finally got the bad boy.

Woot! Good job on the catch. Is it possible that the whelk was bothering your clams and not the fish? Glad you got him out of there, I don't understand how you caught him in your deep tank. I imagine it would be gine by the time you could climb the ladder and reach in.

It sounds like your corals are thoroughly enjoying the high PH and stability you're providing them with the new kalk drip. Keep us posted on your alk and ph.

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13288394#post13288394 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BigJay
Woot! Good job on the catch. Is it possible that the whelk was bothering your clams and not the fish? Glad you got him out of there, I don't understand how you caught him in your deep tank. I imagine it would be gine by the time you could climb the ladder and reach in.

yeah - I got lucky, I found him on the big rock structure on the right side of the tank only about 12" below the surface

I do blame a previous clam death on the whelks but not this. I'm pretty sure they sting larger prey with a poison dart making them sick / lethargic before they consume them. The nip marks on the edges of the mantles did not fit the profile - I'm pretty sure it was a fish. The good news is the clams are looking better and bigger every day.


here's a picture of the first one I saw back in Feb

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13288394#post13288394 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BigJay
It sounds like your corals are thoroughly enjoying the high PH and stability you're providing them with the new kalk drip. Keep us posted on your alk and ph.

the kalc drip stopped last night. apparently with cutting the valve back so much, add in the check valve and a piece of kinked tubing the minimal head pressure appears not to be enough to get past the check valve on start up after the solenoid opens.

The check valve appears to be there to prevent a back flow siphon from occurring in the event you feed the reactor from below with a pump. Considering my application it seems not to be needed so I removed it and replace the kinked tubing. I'll see if it works tonight.

 

[psteeleb]

sometimes I wonder where my pods keep disappearing - then I'll see stuff like this.

sweeeet aren't they
:bigeyes:

 

[psteeleb]

couple more shots

they start to close up when I put a light on them as you can see in this series of pictures