Reefsi 240 gallon In-Wall Build
- Thread starter Reefsi
- Start date
Reefsi
New member
Equipment Recap:
240 Gallon DT
100 Gallon Acrylic DIY sump
6 Kessil A360WE
1 4x80 ATI Powermodule T5
1 Skimz 201 Monzter Skimmer
Apex Gold system w/
3 total Energy bar 8
WXM Module
PM1 Module
LSM Module
VDM Module
Extra temp/PH probes
2 Ecotech MP-40's(supplemental flow)
1 Water Blaster HY10,000(return pump)
Geo 624 Calcium Reactor
5lb CO2
Aquarium Plants Regulator
CaribSea ARM media
2 Finnex 500w Heaters
2 Jumbo BRS reactors GAC/GFO
Mag Drive Model 5(Changing to Mag drive model 7 for more flow)(Reactor Pump)
Test Kits
PO4(Hanna checker and Milwaukee checker)
NH4(Salifert and ATI)
NO2(Salifert)
NO3(Salifert)
Calcium(Red Sea)
Alkalinity(Hanna checker)
MG(Red Sea)
ATO(Toms AL20)
RO/DI (BRS 4 stage)
Adding:
Ozone with air dryer coming this week
240 Gallon DT
100 Gallon Acrylic DIY sump
6 Kessil A360WE
1 4x80 ATI Powermodule T5
1 Skimz 201 Monzter Skimmer
Apex Gold system w/
3 total Energy bar 8
WXM Module
PM1 Module
LSM Module
VDM Module
Extra temp/PH probes
2 Ecotech MP-40's(supplemental flow)
1 Water Blaster HY10,000(return pump)
Geo 624 Calcium Reactor
5lb CO2
Aquarium Plants Regulator
CaribSea ARM media
2 Finnex 500w Heaters
2 Jumbo BRS reactors GAC/GFO
Mag Drive Model 5(Changing to Mag drive model 7 for more flow)(Reactor Pump)
Test Kits
PO4(Hanna checker and Milwaukee checker)
NH4(Salifert and ATI)
NO2(Salifert)
NO3(Salifert)
Calcium(Red Sea)
Alkalinity(Hanna checker)
MG(Red Sea)
ATO(Toms AL20)
RO/DI (BRS 4 stage)
Adding:
Ozone with air dryer coming this week
zoomonster
New member
Great build... We are using a lot of same/similar gear and it should be interesting to see how it goes since your well ahead of me. I wish I had the luxury of a basement or a room behind the tank but the lack of basement at least is just part of living in FL. If I did have a basement I wouldn't need a tank :eek2:
BTW great job on the sump. I've done lots of DIY but never really tackled acrylic other than repairing some stuff over the years.
BTW great job on the sump. I've done lots of DIY but never really tackled acrylic other than repairing some stuff over the years.
Atomic081
Member
Ya ill be there. Its a great frag swap.
Reefsi
New member
Did tank maintenance today. I have been checking ammonia daily but its been tough to read and I was guessing .25 because I thought it was tough to read. Today was my first actual visible reading at .50 I also confirmed this with a ATI and Salifert so today is the actuall sign of the cycle starting.
Tank Parameters:
SG: 37
PH:8.16
PO4:0.00
NH4:0.50
N02
idn't test
NO3: Didn't test
Calc: 400
Alk. 2.36
Mg: 1160-1200
Also tried my calcium reactor today and the pump is broke....
Tank Parameters:
SG: 37
PH:8.16
PO4:0.00
NH4:0.50
N02
idn't testNO3: Didn't test
Calc: 400
Alk. 2.36
Mg: 1160-1200
Also tried my calcium reactor today and the pump is broke....
Reefsi
New member
How would I program my Apex for my ATO to run for a min time of 7 min?
Im confused the with ON or OFF statement following then Min time statement I thin. Basically this programming here is telling my ATO to not run until its been triggered for 1 minute, then is the Min Time telling it to run for 7 minutes minimum or to not run again for 7 min?
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If SW1 OPEN Then ON
If SW2 CLOSED Then OFF
Defer 001:00 Then ON
Min Time 007:00 Then OFF
Im confused the with ON or OFF statement following then Min time statement I thin. Basically this programming here is telling my ATO to not run until its been triggered for 1 minute, then is the Min Time telling it to run for 7 minutes minimum or to not run again for 7 min?
Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If SW1 OPEN Then ON
If SW2 CLOSED Then OFF
Defer 001:00 Then ON
Min Time 007:00 Then OFF
Reefsi
New member
Started added supplements to the tank to bring parameters to were I want them, I will then hold the parameters using my calc reactors. My main concern for now is Ca, Mg, and Alk. I am aiming for 440-460 Ca, 1400-1500 Mg, and 8-9 Dkh. Thats what I am aiming for I am not saying I CAN hold them at that level, Its going to be a tough in the beginning but I think I can keep them relatively close.
Parameters today:
PO4:0.00
NH4:0.00(Weird cause it was at .5 yesterday)
NO2:0.00
NO3:0.00
Calc:440(Added yesterday)
Mg:1220(Added yesterday)
Alk: 2.46 meq/l (Added yesterday)
I also added more Alk and Mg today, I will until I being my levels up to were I want them. Then I will turn the ca reactor on.
Parameters today:
PO4:0.00
NH4:0.00(Weird cause it was at .5 yesterday)
NO2:0.00
NO3:0.00
Calc:440(Added yesterday)
Mg:1220(Added yesterday)
Alk: 2.46 meq/l (Added yesterday)
I also added more Alk and Mg today, I will until I being my levels up to were I want them. Then I will turn the ca reactor on.
Reefsi
New member
Added 2 new things to the tank, hopefully I can get them installed this weekend.
1. Ozotech Poseiden 200 ozone generator
2. Co2 Scrubber
I have read and heard great things about the ozone generator and want to really test this thing out.
As far as the Co2 scrubber goes, my PH is staying right at about 7.94-8 I really want it upwards close to 8.2. I don't have the availability to run a line outside so I'm hoping this Co2 scrubber works.
1. Ozotech Poseiden 200 ozone generator
2. Co2 Scrubber
I have read and heard great things about the ozone generator and want to really test this thing out.
As far as the Co2 scrubber goes, my PH is staying right at about 7.94-8 I really want it upwards close to 8.2. I don't have the availability to run a line outside so I'm hoping this Co2 scrubber works.
zoomonster
New member
Interesting... I've never had an issue controlling PH but I've never run a Ca Reactor until this build. The CO2 scrubber is something interesting I'll keep in mind for the future. I guess a lot of factors like local air quality determine that need. The question I would ask is are you sure its not your effluent return that's causing the low PH or leaking CO2? That's the reason I added the Nextreef ML1 to my build so I can fill it with aragonite and run the effluent through it to raise the PH before returning to tank. In reality for what I did I probably should have just bought a dual chamber reactor to start.
Reefsi
New member
Thing is I haven't even ran the calcium reactor yet with Co2. I have kept the calcium reactor for the last 2 days but have yet to turn on the Co2. I looked into degassing the effluent in case I need to do so. I read that there can be counteracting effects with degassing, for instance it will raise the Alk higher than the Ca and add the 2 at an unbalanced ratio. I am hoping this Co2 scrubber works, I know the problem is where my tank is located. Its in the basement in the utility room, the house was built and finished by me in 2008 I know all of the appliances are vented 100% to code. So I know its not an appliance that's leaking excess Co2, just don't get great air movement in the room it is in.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks for the suggestion!
zoomonster
New member
Yeah I will wait and see on the effluent return when it can be tested. If I don't need the ML1 for it I'll find some use for it like an air scrubber. I saw someone using one of the BRS reactors for an air scrubber but a BRS dual reactor would be great for a air cleaner/scrubber though.
Reefsi
New member
Ya I actually have a BRS reactor that has been laying around from one of my older tanks. I'm just going to throw some sodalime in it tomorrow and see how it does. I never thought of a dual, but then again the air is all being drawn from the same place regardless of any Co2 scrubber.
Reefsi
New member
Been a little bit since I updated. Ill snap a few pictures tonight.
One change
Adding Ozone to the aquarium was more than I expected. Originally I thought it was a simple generator and that was it(lack of reading on my part). I since then purchased an air dryer, luft pump, and avast marine ozone reactor. I will be reworking some of my plumbing to incorporate my ozone. It should work in this order. Airdryer > Ozone Gen > Ozone out > Venturi Injection to Ozone Reactor > GAC Reactor > Into tank.
I will snap some pictures and draw up more in depth how I will add this.
Co2 Scrubber
Added this in hope to bring up the PH some in the tank as it has been hanging at about 7.9-8. I used an old BRS reactor I had and threw in some sodalime and hooked it up to the intake of the skimmer. I have not noticed a change in PH at all. It has been on for about 3 days.
Cycle
Strange how the cycle occurred in this tank. Really only seen a 2 day spike of traceable ammonia, had a weird bloom of cyano/diatoms. Once the ammonia was gone so was all the cyano and diatoms. Friday I added a bunch of snails consisting of Nerite, Dwarf cerith, Florida Cerith, and Nassarius snails. Only added about half the amount I want to add.
Parameters
Since the ammonia spike back about 8 days ago there has not been any traceable nutrient levels. PO4: 0.02 Everything else: 0.00
CA Reactor
Got my Alk, Ca, and Mg at the levels I wanted and turned on the Co2 to my CA reactor. I just wanted to measure how much it would raise my CA in a 24 hour period. To do this I turned my CA reactor on for 2 days without the CO2 making sure to the effluent was at 40mg per day. Once I confirmed his I turned the Co2 on and kept the PH at 6.9 inside the chamber. I then measured my Ca right before turning it on and then again 24 hours later. I had 410 prior to turning it on and 24 hours later got about 425-430. I then turned off my Co2 off while leaving the recirculating pump run until I start adding corals and notice an uptake of Ca, Alk, and Mg.
One change
Adding Ozone to the aquarium was more than I expected. Originally I thought it was a simple generator and that was it(lack of reading on my part). I since then purchased an air dryer, luft pump, and avast marine ozone reactor. I will be reworking some of my plumbing to incorporate my ozone. It should work in this order. Airdryer > Ozone Gen > Ozone out > Venturi Injection to Ozone Reactor > GAC Reactor > Into tank.
I will snap some pictures and draw up more in depth how I will add this.
Co2 Scrubber
Added this in hope to bring up the PH some in the tank as it has been hanging at about 7.9-8. I used an old BRS reactor I had and threw in some sodalime and hooked it up to the intake of the skimmer. I have not noticed a change in PH at all. It has been on for about 3 days.
Cycle
Strange how the cycle occurred in this tank. Really only seen a 2 day spike of traceable ammonia, had a weird bloom of cyano/diatoms. Once the ammonia was gone so was all the cyano and diatoms. Friday I added a bunch of snails consisting of Nerite, Dwarf cerith, Florida Cerith, and Nassarius snails. Only added about half the amount I want to add.
Parameters
Since the ammonia spike back about 8 days ago there has not been any traceable nutrient levels. PO4: 0.02 Everything else: 0.00
CA Reactor
Got my Alk, Ca, and Mg at the levels I wanted and turned on the Co2 to my CA reactor. I just wanted to measure how much it would raise my CA in a 24 hour period. To do this I turned my CA reactor on for 2 days without the CO2 making sure to the effluent was at 40mg per day. Once I confirmed his I turned the Co2 on and kept the PH at 6.9 inside the chamber. I then measured my Ca right before turning it on and then again 24 hours later. I had 410 prior to turning it on and 24 hours later got about 425-430. I then turned off my Co2 off while leaving the recirculating pump run until I start adding corals and notice an uptake of Ca, Alk, and Mg.
zoomonster
New member
I'm going to have to do some reading on ozone reactors which are newer to me. Every setup I have ever had was air pump, air dryer, ozone gen, ozone output to ozone port on skimmer. I usually have had a carbon cap on the skimmer that captures any excess ozone and also mitigates any stench of skimmate. Plus the tank always has carbon somewhere to remove excess ozone from the water. That was the method I was planning to use when I add ozone. Never really mentioned it on my build because I already had the parts boxed away from my last tank including a Delzone Z0300. I had my fill of overpriced hobby ozone units (Saunders, Red Sea etc) over the years that never lasted more than 1-2 years whether UV or corona based and went to spa units. That delzone probably needs to be replaced but it was less than $100 to start for a 300mg unit. Granted it was a bit of overkill but it was always controlled via Neptune and ORP probe.
I'm not sure I really get the benefit of ozone in a separate system other than maybe helping control ozone escape. Well I guess it also saves wear and tear on skimmer etc because ozone resistant or not nothing is ozone proof (yellowing, cracking, melting plastic etc). The main benefit of ozone to me was always oxidizing waste within the skimmer making the skimmer more efficient. Like I said more reading to do...
I'm not sure I really get the benefit of ozone in a separate system other than maybe helping control ozone escape. Well I guess it also saves wear and tear on skimmer etc because ozone resistant or not nothing is ozone proof (yellowing, cracking, melting plastic etc). The main benefit of ozone to me was always oxidizing waste within the skimmer making the skimmer more efficient. Like I said more reading to do...
Reefsi
New member
Ya I really need to do a lot more reading myself on it. I have read everything Dr. Randy Holmes has put out about ozone but I still have a few questions. The biggest test will be seeing it in action, I'm excited to see what changes/benefits it brings to the table. I think the bigger the tank the more the Ozone gen is actually needed because of the depth of the water and clarity wanted. Thought it was a simple 250 dollar cost, which wasn't bad, It actually ended up being closer to 1000 I'f I added up the Air pump, Air Dryer, Ozone Gen, Ozone reactor, and GAC reactor. Good thing I have a seperate pump supplying all my reactors with plenty of flow for it, I also am hooking it up inline with me GAC so that saved me the cost of buying a GAC. So I think it was close to 600ish.
