So you got a new fish tank Newbie (Continuation)

[funloven]

I don't mean to lead you off the subject, but ... I haven't been hear in a while and I need to refresh my memory about flow so I can explain it better to my DH. It seems to me that I have read terms such as 10x, 40x, etc. that are in reference to flow. Can you please remind me what this stands for and what exactly is recommended, please and thank you.

:rollface:

 

[WaterKeeper]

Sure Fun,

I always say that a tank should have at least a 10X turnover rate as a minimum. Now a days many reefers are going much higher with 20-30X times the tanks volume being very common. Those that favor a BB approach need these high rates the most as it creates somewhat of a Venturi effect on the rock pores and helps denitrification. With tanks using a DSB the real high rates can be somewhat of a problem as they stir up the sand so much. With high efficiency pumps so available in this era it is only a matter of preference as to how high one can go. If you have at least 10X flow you should be OK, especially if you can provide that flow throughout the tank using a manifold type return.

 

[funloven]

Thanks WK. I am getting approx 1100 gph return with my pump for my 125 gal. tank and I am currently in the process of trying to figure out how best to distribute that. I don't plan of having a huge bio-load like a lot of the beautiful tanks you see on RC so hopefully this 10x will be sufficient. Time will tell.

I tried adding some additional flow by hiding a powerhead in the bottom back of my tank behind the LR and then fed a line up the back and towards the front to which I attached a spray bar. Good concept but didn't get the flow force I was looking for, the PH was large and difficulty to position back there and so was very noisy probably from fibrationing off of something (although I never could figure out what), and was also sucking the DSB and making it look like it was raining sand granuels. :eek1: So I chucked that idea.

Next am going to try placing a Ts on my returns and adding additional spray nozzles ( I call them octopus legs cuz' that's what they look like to me; I know there is a correct name for them but I don't know what it is) to see if that will work. This will decrease the amount of flow per nozzle but I don't think the overall gph return will be reduced and hopefull it will disperse the flow better to eleminate some dead spots I have.

I am really trying to avoid adding visible powerheards. I have considered the oscillator or wavemaker idea but there are so many to choose from that I find it very confusing and for each model there is one good comment that goes for every bad comment.

What do you think? Any other ideas?

:rollface:

 

[WaterKeeper]

I know what you mean Fun. When shopping for a return pump one whats to see if it can pump against a discharge head. Very often pumps can have high discharge volumes stated in the specs but that is only at zero head. Other pumps, designed to povide vertical lift, will usually be more appropiate in an situation where the pump is located out of sight. Use the Head Loss Calculator to size the pump. You can plug in pumps to figure what you need.

 

[deeppitt]

Wow!
I had estimated my flow at about 1700 GPH. I just rebuilt my sump and included a channel where I could measure the water speed. Then, knowing the channel cross-sectional area, I calculated the actual water flow. It came out to be about 2400 GPH.
I just tried this head loss calculator, and it says I should have 2480 GPH! Amazing... the calculator was pretty much dead-on.

Who would have thunk.....

 

[WaterKeeper]

The current edition of the Head Loss Calculator is very much new and improved. They updated it about a year or two ago and it is really nice indeed.

Fun,

You miight consider building a Closed Loop to improve flow.

 

[Cuby2k]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7483871#post7483871 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by deeppitt
Wow!
I had estimated my flow at about 1700 GPH. I just rebuilt my sump and included a channel where I could measure the water speed. Then, knowing the channel cross-sectional area, I calculated the actual water flow. It came out to be about 2400 GPH.
I just tried this head loss calculator, and it says I should have 2480 GPH! Amazing... the calculator was pretty much dead-on.

Who would have thunk.....

Your channel measurement sounds cool, how do you measure the velocity of the water?

 

[deeppitt]

The channel is immediately downstream of my bubble trap so there are always a few bubbles that get through. The channel is about 24 inches long. I just watch the bubbles as they move down the channel and try to determine the fast and slow layers of the flow. I then simply stopwatch a variety of bubbles and average.

For a more accurate measure, I need to make something to homogenize the flow at the front end.

Because of the non-homogeneous flow, I considered my initial measurement a bit of a hack, which is partly why I was so surprised to see it roughly agree with the head loss calculator.

I am now working on a top-off add-on to the sump and interfacing it all to a protein skimmer so I haven't had the time to get a better measurement. I could get so much more done if I didn't have to work for a living.

 

[Cuby2k]

Great idea deeppit

 

[funloven]

Where is everybody on this thread!? WK are you out there? I have a question about using bleach. I slightly remember reading in one of the forums about using a bleach solution to clean certain equipment but I don't know what bleach solution they were talking about or what and how exactly you can clean with it.

Any help for me :hmm2:

 

[ratherbediving]

I think using bleach is okay, as long as it doesn't contain fragrances or other chemicals. You would have to be 100% sure that none of the bleach was still there when you put the equipment back in contact with the water-- after you rinse it off, I'd make sure it dries off completeley before putting it back in.

 

[funloven]

So can you use regular 'plain' laundry bleach and does it need to be diluted? And can you clean anything with it?

After rinsing well should all traces (if any remain) of the bleach disappear when the item is complete dry - there will be no left over film that will reconstitute when the item becomes wet again?

Hope these questions don't sound too redundent but I'm rather nervous about this.

 

[reverendmaynard]

Personnaly, I would use vinegar rather than bleach. Unless you leave large amounts of residue, it'll have no affect on the tank even if it gets in.

 

[funloven]

So how does Viinegar work to clean items?

I suppose it would be helpful if I told you want I want to clean first. The trays that hold the filter pads are looking a bit discolored/reddish brown in places. I clean them weekly with plain water and scrub them with an old toothbrush but I can't seem to get in the tight corners very well so I'm looking for something that might clean them up a bit better so they are white again.

 

[WaterKeeper]

Sorry gang but I've been away for medical reasons and haven't checked things out for awhile. Fun, bleach works best on organic residues like dead algae or sponge material. I use about a cup to a gallon of water for cleaning. I just let it soak for a couple of hours until the object looks clean. I rinse it well and, as you said, let it completely air dry. That removes any remain traces of bleach. You can also add some thiosulfate or other dechorinating agent into the final rinse if you want to be extra sure. It is probably wise to take that step if the item is very porous, like rock or dead corals.

Vinegar is good to use for calcium deposits that bleach won't remove. Using it full strength is best but you can dilute it 3 to one for mild deposits. Once again soak the item and rinse it well after that. You really don't need to let it dry as a little vinegar won't harm the tank.

Even better for removing calcium deposits is citric acid. I mix a half cup of citric with a gallon of warm water and use that to soak the soiled item. Like vinegar, the citric only needs a little rinsing and any residue is harmless to the tank. It sounds like you have some iron deposits perhaps and citric is much better at removing them than vinegar. It is harder to find these days but if you look around you can find Mrs. Wages Citric Acid in the canning section of some stores for about $3 for a quarter pound.

 

[deeppitt]

Aptasia question:
I just got a rock from a local aquarist with some Zoo's on it (very lovely), and after having it in the tank for a day, I have noticed three to four Aptasias growing on it.

Should I:
1. get a peppermint shrimp and put it in the vicinity
2. take the rock out and chuck it
3. place the rock elsewhere in some isolation with perhaps a peppermint shrimp
4. attempt to remove the zoos and move them to a healthy rock
5. put a copperband butterfly in the tank
6. something else I haven't thought of yet

Experienced aquarists: what say you?

Thanks!

 

[funloven]

I seem to keep my aptasia under control with Aptasia Gone that I get from the LFS. There is also something called Joe's Juice that you can purchase through your LFS that I have heard works pretty well also.

 

[Red_Six]

I am not exactly experienced but I removed two small aptasia with some kalkwasser paste. I just mixed the kalk with a drop of water, lifted the rock out of the tank and caked it over the little guys. By the time the kalk dissolved away the aptasia was gone.

 

[WaterKeeper]

Good advice Red,

Nuking an aip is a good move. These little anemones have a tendency to multiply and be fruitful to the N ^th degree. Pitt's ideas are OK but hitting these little buggers with a KW paste works every time.

As far as I'm concerned, the KW initiative is probably the best and cheapest way to eradicate the Aips; Pit.

 

[IslandCrow]

Just nuked a bit of aptasia last week with some kalk paste. It really does work like a charm. As long as you can get to it, you don't even have to move the rock it's attached to. I've also had good luck with peppermint shrimp, but something in my tank seems to think they're quite tasty, since they always go MIA within a month or two (it's been suggested it may be my brittle star, but who knows). Anyway, because of that, I've given up on the peppermints and gone the kalk ruite. Besides, the peps didn't seem to actually get rid of the aptasia. They'd eat it, and it'd crop back up after awhile. They kept it well under control, though.

Speaking of Kalk, the Walmart in my area just started stocking Mrs. Wages pickling lime. Is it wrong that a 30 year old guy is getting excited about pickling lime?