mr11
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Posts posted by mr11
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From what I understand Kalk is used more to keep parameters stable. As others have mentioned other products are better for raising parameters to the desired range.
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It's hard to tell from the picture but I had a similar problem. For me it was micro bubbles from my skimmer. I started placing filter floss is the baffle of my sump between the skimmer and return sections and it cleared up a lot
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With as many problems as they seem to have- disintegration of blades by snail, simply falling apart, tiny parts, and hard to clean, we stopped using them and only use Mp40's and Mp60's. We have some Mp40's that have never been cleaned/serviced in 5 years and still running strong.
Yeah I've heard similar complaints which is definitely concerning. I'm going to implement a DIY guard made of 7 mesh canvas which will decrease flow some but will protect the gyre from snails and my wandering anemone from the gyre. Hoping the new "rugged" blades will help as well. Plus running 2 mp40's or mp10's is twice as expensive.
I have a Gyre xf130 that you just ordered in a 45g cube and I am still a fan after 4 months of use. I used an end cap and converted it to single blade because the double blade's spread is too wide. I use the pulse mode to simulate a pseudo wave of sort. My first impression is in the video below, I will probably do a follow-up soon.
That's awesome, thanks. Looking forward to trying this out.
I have a 130 in my 40B and the 150 in my 90g. I tried the 130 in my 90g and I had it on the highest setting and I still wasn't happy. I think you will be happy with the 130 in a 50g.
Gyre has its positives and negatives. I really love how sleek, low profile it is. It does require a lot of cleaning though, I don't know how the blades get so much nasty junk on them, but they do. I had a hard time making the gyre really work for the 40B in the beginning and I ended up settling on having it reverse flow every 30 minutes. It still has dead spots and I think (truly IMO) that there is no way to have completely no dead spots if you have rock in the tank. Again, pluses and minuses, so far I like them and I plan on putting the 150 in my new 90g build (might add a 130 for variance).
Good to know. I definitely have deadspots with my current setup so I'm hoping this will help some. I'm thinking of leaving 1 Koralia in to target deadspots and create some turbulent flow.
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Cool. Well I just bought an xf130... It's hard to say no to free overnight shipping with prime. I'll give it a shot, I'm sure it'll be an upgrade over my current set up.
Is GAS an acronym in this hobby too? In the guitar gear world its Gear Acquisition Syndrome and it's real. I need to pick cheaper hobbies.
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Does anyone have any experience/opinions on the Gyre? I'm looking to upgrade from Koralias in my 50 gallon and not sure if I should give the Gyre a try or go for some Vortechs.
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I'm interested in the sump if you part out
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Here's the thread I think you're looking for.
http://www.reef2reef.com/threads/helpful-method-for-identifying-dinoflagellates.216508/
I'm dealing with something similar with a newer tank. Trying to resist the temptation to aggressively treat. I've decided it's probably part of the uglies and if I continue to practice good practices it will hopefully resolve.
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I'm relatively new to the hobby but working with people as dedicated and committed as the folks at ERC is one of the great aspects of this hobby. I can't imagine anyone or any vendor treating their livestock any better and giving them the best possible chance to thrive. Truly exceptional care and customer service. Beautiful fish. I'll be back.
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SO
I took in some water to get tested today. They use Salifert just like me.
Salinity 1.026
Alk 8.1 dKH
Ca 380
Mg 1230
Much better numbers than I got. I purchased a new Salifert Ca kit (they didn't have Mg unfortunately) and just tested with the new kit and got 380 as well.
I guess both tests were bad in the perfect way. To both give low readings while maintaining the expected Ca/Mg ratio. I thought it might be user error so I had the guy at the LFS show me how he tested. It was no different than how I was using the kits and how I retested when I got home today.
The numbers are still a little low so I decided to transition to Reef Crystals anyway. To transition should I just start doing water changes with the new salt? 10% of water volume at a time?
Make sure to double check those test kits we all rely on so much every once and a while. Had I made decisions based on the numbers I was initially getting I could've caused some serious harm.
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Thanks everyone. I really appreciate all of your help so far. My plan is to get my water tested at a LFS and depending on what they say, pick up some Reef Crystals. If my numbers are reading way low compared to what the LFS says I'll assume there is an error in my testing. If not, I'll assume it's a poorly mixed bag or the mix is just "off" for whatever reason. I'll get some reef crystals and repeat the experiment (after mixing/shaking the bag) and see if I get better numbers. If I do, and my tests are accurate, I'll dose some Ca and Mg supplement to bring my numbers up as a short term solution and switch to reef crystals for a long term solution. I'm curious to see how this goes.
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I did the math for you above. The math indicates that it's possible that you may be mixing to less than 29.2 ppt salinity.
You actually need almost 20 percent more salt to go from 1.022 sg (which is 29.2 ppt) to 1.0264 (35 ppt).
Salt manufacturers play with us that way. For example, a 200 gallon box of IO mixes up to roughly 167 gallons at 1.0264. A 200 gallon box of Reef Crystals nets 160 gallons as I recall.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
What you're saying makes a lot of sense to me and seems to be the simplest answer. But for that to be true it would mean my refractometer/calibration fluid and swing arm hydrometer are all wrong in exactly the same way, so that they all agree with each other. I need to get it tested at a LFS.
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roll/gently shake the bucket/bag the salt before use. settling can affect your results quite a bit.
I have seen others discuss this exact phenomenon. Unless you use the entire bag there may be inconsistencies (probably even variances from bag to bag).
Hm well that's interesting. I'll give that a try. I just finished a bag so I'll shake up the next one and retest.
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did you use the entire product or mix the bucket before hand?
The entire salt product? I can only mix 5 gallons at a time unfortunately so I have a lot of salt I still haven't used.
Just to note: IO's recommendation for 1/2 cup per gallon of water does not mix up to 1.0264 (35 ppt). Instead, that's the formula to get you to 1.022 sg (or 29.2 ppt). At that ratio, you an expect calcium to be at 400*29.2/35 = 333 ppm and magnesium at 1100 ppm.
Another note: The ratio of your magnesium to calcium is 990/300 (or 3.3) which is consistent with IO's target values of 1320/400 (3.3) when mixed to 35 ppt. Because of this, I suspect that you're mixing to a diluted solution actually.
Interesting. Just double checked the box and it says 1.022-1.024. I double checked and recalibrated the refractometer and I'm still getting 1.026. Used a hydrometer which gave me 1.025.
The ratio is the same but the value is still 75% of what it should be. I haven't done the exact math but it doesn't seem like the amount of salt needed to raise salinity from 1.022 to 1.026 would be enough to account for a 25% difference in Mg and Ca. According to a previous thread on here actually Ca should be 361 and Mg should be 1264 at 1.022 but I'm not sure how accurate that is.
Anyway, I feel like there must be something obvious I'm missing but all of my backup checks are reinforcing my initial readings. So I'm lost. Do LFS around here do full parameter tests including Ca, Mg, Alk etc?
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I mix to 1.026. I use a refractometer that auto adjust to temp. I calibrated with 35ppt solution and also double checked with a specific gravity swing arm meter which was close. Also the salinity measures what the box says it should for mixing 2.5 cups with 5 gallons of RODI water.
I guess it's possible the tests could be bad but I find it pretty unlikely that both tests would be bad and reading so low in error. Unfortunately I have about a years supply of this salt that I bought from a LFS so I'm not really eager to buy more salt to test. Is there such a thing as a "bad batch" of salt?
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Hey everyone. Has anyone else had issues with this salt mix? I'm reading Ca of 300 and Mg of 990 on a fresh SW mix. I just started testing Ca and MG and realized they were pretty low. Any recommendation on a salt mix to switch to or any other solution?
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Can/should I toothbrush the rocks in the DT? I'm not sure how feasible it would be to remove them.
I have been running LED's since the start so I don't think it's a lighting issue
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Interesting, thanks. The dry Marco rock has been in there since the tank was set up 3-4 months ago. The purple rock I bought as cured live rock from a LFS and was added at the same time as the dry. I haven't added any new rock since then. But as you mention the rock is still white, no coralline or anything. My mag is low, 1050, so maybe that's why? I know at least the nitrogen cycle is complete as those numbers have been stable for quite a while. Phosphate and nitrate are both reading 0. Part of the uglies? Will any harm come from the algae covering my live rock?
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So my tank has been up and running since late October and I'm trying to get a handle on this algae and would like your opinions on what I can do. Attached are some pics and a video to help with ID. My main concern is that it is taking over my live rock and does not blow off with a turkey baster so I'm not thinking Diatoms. What you see on the glass accumulated over 1 week, since I last cleaned it. Recently started running GFO and carbon. Let me know what you think! Thanks.
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Reefcleaners seems to be a popular one. I could use a few snails, maybe something else if you get a group order together.
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Hey,
Does anyone know of a person or service who will look after my tank for about a week over the christmas break? It should only require a couple of visits. I don't know if regular pet sitters can be trusted....
Thanks
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Thanks guys, I ended up going with a reefbreeder photon 32 which has leg mounts that work for me. It seems plenty bright and have great coverage. The center brace does not appear to be a problem either. I don't have corals yet so we will see how that goes.
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Yeah I was looking at those as well. I'm not sure how the mounts actually work, are they compatible with that thick edge around the top of my tank?
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I'm trying to figure out what lights can work with this tank.
There is a lip surrounding the top of the tank that is 1.75" on the sides, 1.5" on the front and back, and a 4" middle support. I'm thinking because of the wide support I need two smaller lights to avoid shadow but I'm not sure since the middle support is clear acrylic.
I want to avoid hanging the lights and would like some on the tank mount. Will goosenecks for kessil or so other mounting hardware fit on this tank with the lip like that? Would a pair of a160w work for this tank?
As for lights I'm looking for LED's with a max budget of around $500. Finding something that fits my tank (36 x 15 x 21) that is within my price rang (ie not Hydras or some other top end lights) has been difficult so any recommendations are welcome.
Thanks in advance!
ATO ideas
in General Discussion
You can add something similar to this storage cube to the side of your stand. It perfectly fits a 5 gallon bucket and if you get something with more optimal dimensions than a bucket you can fit a larger ATO resovoir.
http://www.amazon.com/Winsome-94418-Wood-Storage-Cube/dp/B000GLPQRA?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00