beatle

Just an FYI if anyone else has made this mistake, when I filled the resin cartridge, I did not pack it tightly. Sure, it was "full" but it was not packed at all, and there may have even been a significant gap at the top of the cartridge. I just watched the that shows how to properly pack a resin cartridge. I don't think this singlehandedly led to the downfall of my resin, but it's a good tip.

No, I have a TDS meter. I just found it odd that the color change had not happened evenly across the entire cartridge.

Sounds like we differ on what the "flush" is. I thought it was bypassing the flow restrictor on the waste line, not the DI stage, though I could do that as well. With the restrictor bypassed, all the water flows down the drain and there is no product.

I'm really not sure, as I've "let it go" a few times making water in the deep sink overnight. I do have a fast flush valve that bypasses the restrictor. I let it run for 5-10 minutes when I first put the membranes in. I'd never heard of it needing to be run for hours, but maybe that's my issue? Oddly enough, the resin is only half color changed. The bottom half appears different from the top, though TDS is now hovering around 1-2.

I'll give it a check. I did lube the O-rings at the top and bottom.

The 75gpd Dow Filmtecs should be >98%. That puts my TDS readings in line with the proper rejection rate now, though it had a pretty bumpy start. Initial TDS was incredibly high. I briefly saw over 100 as it would start up! I typically made water in 5g batches, hopefully the larger reservoir will let me start making them in 40-50g batches and stave off TDS creep. Still bizarre that I blew through a canister of resin in only a couple months.

My beefy Ocean Reef +1 w/an 8800 booster pump and pre-pump sediment filter just got another upgrade in the form of a second 75gpd Dow membrane. I replaced both membranes when I did the upgrade, and all filters are only about 2 months old, including the resin. Before the dual membrane upgrade, my TDS coming out of the single membrane was originally about 2, but it had started to creep up to 5. I'm not sure if the tap's TDS went up or if the membrane was just getting on in years (it's probably had several thousand gallons through it). When I upgraded, however, TDS was in the low teens, even after flushing the membranes for several minutes. Tap TDS is 250-300. Last night I finally stood up my 55g RO/DI reservoir and made about 40 gallons of water. About halfway through, I noticed the TDS had dropped to 5-6 on the RO, but DI was now 1. Apparently I've blown through the resin this quickly? I'm using Filter Guys' mixed bed resin, FWIW.

The relatively new Water Blaster pumps are very efficient, quiet, and are backed with a pretty nice warranty. They're not cheap, but good pumps never are. There's really no need for a ridiculous return pump, IMO, unless you're running multiple systems, or you're running other equipment via a manifold. If you're looking for something tried and true and don't plan to run a manifold, an Eheim 1262 is a great choice.

We lost power for 23 hours here. Though all the powerlines are underground, we seem to lose power more frequently and for longer periods of time than our old house. I robbed the UPS from my computer and used it to power a Koralia Evo periodically, but cold almost did the tank in. I'm in the market for a generator now...

What a fattie! I had a mandarin in my 90 with a 30 gal sump for close to 2 years before I sold him and the tank. I think youll be fine as long as there isnt much competition for pods.

Wow, I hope you do this again! I won't be able to make it this weekend, but it'd be great to run around with some others, especially once it warms up. I haven't exercised my brushless E-Revo in close to 2 years. Did you know plastic is more brittle when it's cold?

Rock doesn't seem to command the price that it did just a few years ago. I routinely see sales of $2/lb for live rock, so I don't think there's much to be made from other hobbyists looking for a deal.

I'm pretty sure it's a standard 30g long, 36x12x16. One of the long sides is cracked, but the two ends, bottom, and other side are intact. If you'd like to pick it up, just stop by. It's somewhat dirty and has been sitting outside for a couple months, but should be good for your purposes. I only have two holes to patch, roughly 2.5" in diameter, so I'm sure there will be some left over.

I have a partially broken 30g tank that you can use for scrap. I could just use a couple pieces of glass cut so I can patch a couple of holes cut in two other tanks. What about having both drains go into the skimmer chamber and having the return on one end? Is there a reason that flow through the fuge needs to be slow or reduced? I used to have a 30g long as a sump/fuge and it was set up this way (difficult to see, I know)

For some reason the link to the map doesn't appear for me when I'm signed in. This is the case for Firefox 3.6.13 and IE8.

I picked up my Krylon Fusion at Advance Auto. I'm sure most auto parts stores (Napa, Autozone, Pep Boys, etc.) will have it. I like the purple primer idea though.

That's a really useful spreadsheet, thanks. I could compute the kwh of all my gear based on the number of hours used, but it was challenging to wrap my head around the rate schedules. I modifed the spreadsheet's columns to read "After Tank" and "Before Tank" instead of "Power Consumer" and "New Power Consumer" since it was originally designed to show you how much you can save by reducing your power consumption, not how much a reef tank costs you. "Savings" becomes the important column which should actually read "extra cost" with the new columns. In the end, with 350w of lights run 9h/day, 24w of fuge lighting in a reverse photoperiod (15h), 30w of circulation, 80w return, and a 33w skimmer all run 24h, the total comes to $92.13/year which isn't bad. This assumes you have a base of 1000kwh per month and you're not factoring in any additional load on your AC during the warmer months or your water bill, which needs its own calculator!

Can you run the Tunze Osmolator pump off a separate 9v power supply? They're capable of pumping up to 7.22 ft. You could pair it with your own DIY ATO switch(es), or pick up an ATO unit from autotopoff.com and run the Osmolator pump attached to the 9v power supply with that. Depending on whether you have an unused power supply lying around the house, you could get out for $70 or so. A peristaltic dosing pump would be better, but more expensive.

That's another reason it'd be great to see them in person if possible - to see the differences in MH only and supplemented lights. VHO or T5 for supplement? I prefer T5 w/good reflectors for efficiency, but I hear there's really nothing like UVL super actinic VHOs...

I'm thinking about taking my lighting in a different direction and I've read a lot of good things about the PAR of the Iwasaki 15k. The color sounds perfect to me too since I prefer a whiter look over blue. I'm planning to run 175w instead of 250w for energy / heat reasons, and will likely be using the Lumenmax Elite for reflection with an electronic ballast (Galaxy maybe?) I haven't seen a lot of full tank shots with these bulbs. Anyone running these over their tank that I could see?

Haha, it took me a while to get the kindergartner line, but I finally came around. Thanks. I've got some additional dry rock that I'll "cure" before throwing it in a tank. I figured dry rock couldn't cause a cycle, but I suppose even though everything is dead, it may still be present and then decay when it becomes wet again.

Well the spike seems to have been short lived. On Thursday my ammonia had dropped to 0.5, Friday was 0.25, and yesterday it read 0. Nitrites were also 0, and nitrates were 20. In dealing with the temperature of the tank, I'm trying to find a reliable reference point since my four thermometers refuse to agree. I'm thinking of picking up a cheap glass thermometer as a reference point. Any thoughts on something that's just darned accurate, or some other way to guarantee the temperature is not off?

I made it slowly over the course of 3 days. I started with enough salt for 15 gallons, and added 5g of RODI over the course of 2 days. It sat for about a day after the last bucket, mixing with a heater and a powerhead. The dry rock came with the original cube, not sure of its origin, though I believe it had been dry for quite a while. Lost the goby too. :( If the ammonia is a result of the firefish's death, I'm guessing the temperature could be the result of it. I have 4 thermometers: two Coralife digitals (one new), an infrared temperature gun, and the thermostat on my ViaAqua heater. The old coralife reads 78.7, new coralife reads 76.7, heater reads 79, and the temperature gun reads 81. It's been a while since I've calibrated my hand (over 2 years) so I'm not sure which is right, though I'd have to say it feels cooler than I expected.

I upgraded from a 24g nano cube to a 40g breeder last night. I bought the cube used and it was already established. I used new sand, but left most everything else the same. I had just a few peppermint shrimp, yellow clown goby, red firefish, and sally lightfoot, along with a couple hermits and snails. Everyone seemed happy, though I did not test the water. During the upgrade I put the rock in a bin and siphoned out the tank water. I then used all of the existing rock plus some dry rock and new, rinsed sand, along with new saltwater mixed w/RODI to get the tank running. Salinity between the new and old water was the same - 1.025. The water ended up relatively cloudy at the end of the job, but I did see the firefish swimming around just an hour later. Today when I got home I decided I had too much rock in the tank and started to reaquascape. In the process I found the firefish about half eaten. I then tested the water. Salinity was the same, temperature was the same (79), but ammonia was between 2 and 4, nitrite was 0.25, and nitrates were 20. What could cause this spike? The only thing left in the 24g was the sponge, but I had previously rinsed it the week prior, and 2 weeks before that when I got the tank. I did not want it to become a haven for the bacteria or become a nitrate factory. Any ideas as to what caused this spike? I'm planning another water change, but without much livestock (not sure if the goby is still alive) I may just let the cycle ride itself out.

If you want to get really specific, African cichlids like higher ph. Discus and most South/Central American cichlids prefer lower ph. Airstones aren't really necessary, but I remember I liked the bubbles when I was a kid. Dwarf puffers can be interesting, albeit tiny fish. It was fun to feed mine worms.