Dmorty217
Saltwater Addict
I will post a picture of what I'm talking about when I get home from work
Triple-S Fish Ranch - 1700gal 164†x 48†x 56†SPS peninsula build
- Thread starter pmrogers
- Start date
I will post a picture of what I'm talking about when I get home from work
YES always add water first.
Even their own documentation says this.
I get Ca participation on the outside edges of my brute. I have to wash it out once a month.
KingfishJohn
New member
Paul.
Great looking tank, your attention to detail is amazing. We've got a client with a big MRC commercial skimmer running down the street from you so if you've got any questions, I'd be happy to share any knowledge we've gained running it.
FYI, We use a 5 gallon bucket that the skimmer drains into (with a float switch in it) to shut off the skimmer in the case of an overflow.
John
Great looking tank, your attention to detail is amazing. We've got a client with a big MRC commercial skimmer running down the street from you so if you've got any questions, I'd be happy to share any knowledge we've gained running it.
FYI, We use a 5 gallon bucket that the skimmer drains into (with a float switch in it) to shut off the skimmer in the case of an overflow.
John
hoooop54
reefin up north
I started doing this exact method and have not had any residue since this. Before, I would mix with cold, but immediately turned the heater on. I don't know why, but waiting until 24 hours before my WC to turn the heater on prevents the residue from forming.
Tell me about it!!!!! Grrrrr...... :headwalls:
Just finished the thread...WOW, great build Paul. I like how you preface your post pictures with what you are showing. Sorry to hear of some issues in the last postings, but in the scheme of where you are today you have done a phenomenal job in my opinion. :thumbsup:
One question,...latest posts has been reguarding salt mixing. I know Paul set up his system so he would no longer need to climb a ladder to dump salt in his reservoir. I mix in a 55gal barrel using a motor with a prop shaft used for batch making. My question is do I need to actually mix the water and salt or can the salt just be poured into the water (no mixing). Thanks,---Rick
One question,...latest posts has been reguarding salt mixing. I know Paul set up his system so he would no longer need to climb a ladder to dump salt in his reservoir. I mix in a 55gal barrel using a motor with a prop shaft used for batch making. My question is do I need to actually mix the water and salt or can the salt just be poured into the water (no mixing). Thanks,---Rick
What do you mean? Just putting it right in the tank?
Sorry,...not in the tank, but just pour into my 55gal barrel. I understand how Paul pours his into his mixing vat and has water circulation but a very short dwell time, then the pump sends it up to the top of the storage reservoir. It would seem that for the most part that the salt would settle back to the bottom of his reservoir. My question, do I need to mix with my motor with a 3' shaft and prop, or is this over kill, could I pour a bag in the barrel and let it sit a day to dissipate?
Once it is mixed like that, and not a long dwell time, it will be suspended and poured into the top of the larger container. If it had any sort of LONG dwell time it would begin to participate out. It will settle, and disintegrate as it fell, plus the mixing of the water will 'mix' it, for lack of a better word.
Ok...not sure if I get it. Paul said on his old system that he would carry buckets up a ladder and dump into top of his 7' reservoir,... I have seen other threads that the owners have large/tall reservoirs also. Do they just pour in the tops and let settle in? How do they go about keeping their sg uniform so when its needed for their DT's,...do they go by manufactures spec. ie. if you use 4 160gal buckets you add 640gal of water or do they need to constant monitor their sg and say add another 1/2 bucket or so to get a 1.025sg(if thats the sg they want)...just curious how that's done.
dave.m
Active member
You can start with the manufacturer's recommendation and measure out the amount of salt per the size of your reservoir. I fill a 50 gallon reservoir with RO/DI first, then turn on a pump to start circulating the water in the reservoir, then slowly pour the measured amount of salt in the top of the reservoir. The agitation of the water caused by the pump is sufficient to dissolve the salt mix. I leave the water and salt to continue circulating for 24 hours before using it for a water change. It easily takes that long for most salt mixes to fully dissolve and balance out in the water. ESV makes a salt mix that only requires a few hours to mix but you pay for the convenience.
If there is a problem with low specific gravity in the tank you can always take a bit of salt and make a paste with RO/DI water and add this a tablespoon-full at a time into the sump once every two hours until the tank's SG comes up to snuff, measuring constantly with a refractometer.
Dave.M
If there is a problem with low specific gravity in the tank you can always take a bit of salt and make a paste with RO/DI water and add this a tablespoon-full at a time into the sump once every two hours until the tank's SG comes up to snuff, measuring constantly with a refractometer.
Dave.M
Got it Dave, thanks,...that is basically how I mix, only I use a so called batch mixer to stir with. I fill my barrel, pour in a bag of IO (I buy 200gal boxes) then turn on the mixer for 10min. My water change is molded after Darry's (dvanacker's). Seemed the threads that have systems with tall reservoirs they were pouring their salt into the tops and did not mention pump mixing. I get it thanks for the info enough said don't want to detract from Paul's thread.---Rick
160g buckets of salt mix, do not make 160g of 1.025 salt water (from most manufacturers)... You'll need to figure out exactly how much water is needed, and how many lbs of salt mix to make the sg that you desire... It may still require slight 'tweaking'.
ESV salt comes with an instruction sheet listing the formula for various quantities of salt mix
You should always monitor the sg. when mixing salt batches.
ESV salt is ready to use as soon as you as finish mixing the 4 ingredients... I can mix and use 60g batches in a few minutes.
Depending on where you live and who you buy from, ESV salt can be purchased for prices close to other mixes.
Interesting discussion on salt mixing and residue. From my experience with IO, the sludge issue occurred even though I only ever added salt to water. Perhaps it had more to do with the chemistry of the fresh water coming out of our RO/DI, or with the heat from the recirc pump.
Hi GSMclowns, the tank is 36" x 48" x 16".
Not sure yet. May try Red Sea Coral Pro next. I wouldn't be in a hurry to move on from Kent except that it is looking like it may have a sludge precipitation issue. Not as pronounced as IO, and not yet at all visible in the reservoir, but the flow meter on the reservoir UV has already picked up a tan film with a stucco like texture.
John, thanks a ton for the offer! I do have a few questions I'll shoot over to you in a PM.
Hi 007Bond, I've always used a fairly powerful recirc pump with an educator nozzle on it for mixing and recirculation within the salt reservoir. Regarding sg, I keep a salinity monitor on the reservoir, though this is really just a sanity check as I've never seen variation between buckets of salt from the same manufacturer.
On the update front, the coral QT bacteria and/or algae bloom has been quite a challenge. I gave it 3 weeks with no intervention other than 5gal per day water changes, hoping the bloom would pass, but it only got worse. I then borrowed a large diatom filter like you'd use to clear a medium sized pond (24" x 8"). Ran it for 4 days before giving up. The DE filter improved clarity enough to again make out the corals and even see whether the polyps were extended or not, but it didn't fully resolve the problem. It was making a real difference, though, as the morning after removal the water was again so murky the corals could barely be seen. By the day after that, the tank looked like a very healthy phyto reactor.
So I gave in and added a low flow 25W UV to the system, and also turned off all lighting for good measure. _Zero_ difference over 3 days. Quite disconcerting. This past weekend I did a 99% water change, leaving just the cermedia block and a few inches of water in the overflow. Now I wait with fingers crossed hoping that the nasty algae doesn't return. The frags fortunately seem to be fine other than lightening up a few shades. Fingers crossed that the 25W UV is enough to keep the nasty algae from re seeding the tank.
Hi GSMclowns, the tank is 36" x 48" x 16".
Not sure yet. May try Red Sea Coral Pro next. I wouldn't be in a hurry to move on from Kent except that it is looking like it may have a sludge precipitation issue. Not as pronounced as IO, and not yet at all visible in the reservoir, but the flow meter on the reservoir UV has already picked up a tan film with a stucco like texture.
John, thanks a ton for the offer! I do have a few questions I'll shoot over to you in a PM.
Hi 007Bond, I've always used a fairly powerful recirc pump with an educator nozzle on it for mixing and recirculation within the salt reservoir. Regarding sg, I keep a salinity monitor on the reservoir, though this is really just a sanity check as I've never seen variation between buckets of salt from the same manufacturer.
On the update front, the coral QT bacteria and/or algae bloom has been quite a challenge. I gave it 3 weeks with no intervention other than 5gal per day water changes, hoping the bloom would pass, but it only got worse. I then borrowed a large diatom filter like you'd use to clear a medium sized pond (24" x 8"). Ran it for 4 days before giving up. The DE filter improved clarity enough to again make out the corals and even see whether the polyps were extended or not, but it didn't fully resolve the problem. It was making a real difference, though, as the morning after removal the water was again so murky the corals could barely be seen. By the day after that, the tank looked like a very healthy phyto reactor.
So I gave in and added a low flow 25W UV to the system, and also turned off all lighting for good measure. _Zero_ difference over 3 days. Quite disconcerting. This past weekend I did a 99% water change, leaving just the cermedia block and a few inches of water in the overflow. Now I wait with fingers crossed hoping that the nasty algae doesn't return. The frags fortunately seem to be fine other than lightening up a few shades. Fingers crossed that the 25W UV is enough to keep the nasty algae from re seeding the tank.
A_CoupleClowns
New member
That algae bloom is insane. It really does look like a phyto reactor... Keep up the fight, hopefully the uv/99% waterchange turn out to be the 1-2 punch and haymaker that keep it down for good.
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