Step-by-step account of my first reef (with lots of pics)
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Bax
Premium Member
I used to leave my Mag return pumps on and shut off my CLs. It pulled some foods out, but the fish were able to capture more in the lower flow. I think the Mags, especially the smaller ones (i.e. 5 & 7s) will have a more difficult time re-starting against head. Where your CL dose not see the head, only frictional loss.
I don't run a CL at the moment, but my 75 g had a Pan World 50XPX that never gave me a problem in a full year of operation. Cleaned it when I moved. A second CL on that set up used a Mag 9.5 which I had to replace once.
I don't run a CL at the moment, but my 75 g had a Pan World 50XPX that never gave me a problem in a full year of operation. Cleaned it when I moved. A second CL on that set up used a Mag 9.5 which I had to replace once.
Dudester
Premium Member
melev - Glad to see you're still lurking here, Marc. I've pretty much decided that options 1 and 2 are the way to go since I will continue to drip kalk. I actually have a lot of catch-up to do on your thread. I stopped receiving update notices over a month ago, and I find myself back on page 26 
.
Bax - Thanks for the info as well. I looked at the Pan World pumps, but the footprint is far too large to fit in the return section of my sump. Guess I'll just have to get some more muriatic acid.
Hey, isn't this thread gonna split soon?
.Bax - Thanks for the info as well. I looked at the Pan World pumps, but the footprint is far too large to fit in the return section of my sump. Guess I'll just have to get some more muriatic acid.
Hey, isn't this thread gonna split soon?
Great thread by the way, I have been following it for a while :thumbsup:
I'll have to agree with gkarshens and melev. I have a mag 5 I ran for probably 5-7 with minimal cleaning....started dripping kalk and not only my mag 5 I use for return but also the mag 3 I have on the Urchin skimmer froze up and required cleaning.
Thanks for all the progress documentation and allowing us to join you along the way :beachbum:
I'll have to agree with gkarshens and melev. I have a mag 5 I ran for probably 5-7 with minimal cleaning....started dripping kalk and not only my mag 5 I use for return but also the mag 3 I have on the Urchin skimmer froze up and required cleaning.
Thanks for all the progress documentation and allowing us to join you along the way :beachbum:
Dudester
Premium Member
I am so jealous! I don't think I am willing to do away with dripping kalk, despite its risks and the inconvenience it's causing me. For one, I have no space to store a calcium reactor. Secondly, I don't want to have to add any more 2-part solution than I already add, which is more than the maximum that ESV recommends. I guess I'll just have to adjust to a little more tank maintenance, which really isn't so bad IMO. Hey, it beats pruning bryopsis (been there, done that!).
I purchased a wet/dry filter that had a mag 5 as a return probably 5-7 YEARS ago and it's been running ever since with no issues.
I recently decided to go from FO to maybe a reef or FO with LR and started dripping kalk. Needless to say once I started doing that both of my mags started to freeze up so I took Melev's advice & started cleaning them every few months in muriatic acid. No more issues
I recently decided to go from FO to maybe a reef or FO with LR and started dripping kalk. Needless to say once I started doing that both of my mags started to freeze up so I took Melev's advice & started cleaning them every few months in muriatic acid. No more issues
techreef
Premium Member
like i need more crap stuffed in my stand, but can you guys elaborate on calcium reactors? It kind of sounds like if I would add one of those, I wouldn't need to add calcium and alk. supplements. Is that right? I just bought my first corals, so I'm getting up to speed with managing calcium and alk levels now that I have a drain on them.
Dudester
Premium Member
You are correct in that you would not need to add any 2-part solutions if you were using a calcium reactor, since this would provide all of the calcium and buffering capacity that your system would need. I'm not going to pretend to be any type of authority on the subject, especially since I've never even used a Ca reactor personally, but the concept is pretty simple. A reactor chamber is filled with a calcium-containing substance, and CO2 gas is pumped into the reactor at a desired rate. The CO2 dissolves and fluidizes the calcium, which is then dripped into the system. The rate at which the CO2 gas is pumped in and the rate at which the calcium-rich solution is added to the system are both controlled so that pH is maintained at an appropriately-selected range. This is an oversimplified explanation, but I think it's correct. Those in the know should feel free to correct me if I'm wrong (which is highly likely). I do know that you'd need to store the reactor as well as a CO2 tank with a regulator and solenoid, and all of these devices occupy space, something that my cabinet sorely lacks. Also, for a small system like mine, it may be considered impractical to use a calcium reactor. With your 90g reef and the RK2, which has the ability to function as a pH controller, you might want to consider this, techreef? Of course you'd still have to find somewhere to hide the equipment, but you could easily build a little box adjacent to your main stand and plumb it in. Just a thought.
jnarowe (Jonathan, is it?) - Could you imagine what a Hammerhead would do to my little tank? I think it would blow the walls right off!
techreef
Premium Member
Thanks for the great explanation Dudester. That really clears that up. It's very tempting, but...
...i've already got one "little box" adjacent to my stand that conceals the 30G breeder tank that I use to hold 7 days of RODI water and my autotopoff system. (may edge out the RK2 as the best equipment purchase I've made!) Wifey would not be happy to see the little box family grow. :rolleye1:
...i've already got one "little box" adjacent to my stand that conceals the 30G breeder tank that I use to hold 7 days of RODI water and my autotopoff system. (may edge out the RK2 as the best equipment purchase I've made!) Wifey would not be happy to see the little box family grow. :rolleye1:
jnarowe
New member
hehe...what I meant was that I just use the one Sequence for return flow which nets out to about 4200 gph and the rest is from Vortechs. For a 1000g display that is considered by most to be under-flow for the return, but I don't believe that a lot of return flow is needed. Just enough to get the job done.
I think you could alter your pump situation and greatly reduce maintanance and heat issues. Essentially my entire system runs on the one pump, and I have a spare ready if there is a problem. That really cuts down on electrical consumption as well.
I think you could alter your pump situation and greatly reduce maintanance and heat issues. Essentially my entire system runs on the one pump, and I have a spare ready if there is a problem. That really cuts down on electrical consumption as well.
Dudester
Premium Member
techreef and Bax - :lol: :lol:
Jonathan - How would you suggest I alter my pump configuration, I'd love to get your comments? As I see it, I need 1 pump for a return from the sump, and another one running my CL. The only way I can see getting around having 2 pumps is putting another powerhead in the tank, which I don't want to do. The Mag12 running my CL has been pretty low-maintenance, considering I've only cleaned it and/or changed impellers 3 times in the last 15 months. As far as heat, I think I've got that problem solved. The temp probe-controlled fan does a good job of keeping it cool in the summer, and there have been several nights already this winter where my heaters have enjoyed the assistance of the in-sump Mag pump and the CL pump.
Check out this thread about my gigas clam and let me know what you all think. Here's a pic to tease you about the topic.
Jonathan - How would you suggest I alter my pump configuration, I'd love to get your comments? As I see it, I need 1 pump for a return from the sump, and another one running my CL. The only way I can see getting around having 2 pumps is putting another powerhead in the tank, which I don't want to do. The Mag12 running my CL has been pretty low-maintenance, considering I've only cleaned it and/or changed impellers 3 times in the last 15 months. As far as heat, I think I've got that problem solved. The temp probe-controlled fan does a good job of keeping it cool in the summer, and there have been several nights already this winter where my heaters have enjoyed the assistance of the in-sump Mag pump and the CL pump.
Check out this thread about my gigas clam and let me know what you all think. Here's a pic to tease you about the topic.
This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=993868
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