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Jon Lazar

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Posts posted by Jon Lazar

    Rapid uptick in alkalinity consumption

    in General Discussion

    I don't normally test my new saltwater for water changes, but I recently mixed up a large batch of water using IO salt and just happened to test.  Alk was only 4.5dKh, and Ca was 250.

     

    I point that out because variability in water change water can also mess with your alk trend.

    Need input - cracked RODI fitting

    in General Discussion

    You need to replace the fitting.  The fitting will be under pressure with any kind of an auto shutoff valve.

     

    Grip the broken part with pliers and unscrew the fitting.  Or use a slotted screwdriver to unscrew the fitting.  If that doesn't work, buy an inexpensive bolt extractor.

     

     

    Can trash bins leach ammonia?

    in General Discussion

    4 hours ago, WheresTheReef said:

    Have you put water in a clean glass container and performed the same testing after storage? 

     

    That's a great idea.  Make a 5 gal bucket worth of saltwater and 5 gal for the Brute trash can.  Put them next to one another in the same room, and compare ammonia between the two.  If ammonia rises in the Brute and not the bucket, then the problem is with the Brute.

    Looking for plumbing feedback (see pic)

    in General Discussion

    15 minutes ago, madweazl said:

    How would there be only water [no air] above the valve but not below it? 

     

    If you had a wide diameter pipe and a mostly-closed valve like in Alan's sketch above.  And the end of your drain pipe is not submerged in the sump.  Then water would fill the upper portion of the drain pipe, but only a small stream would squirt past the valve into the bottom pipe.  The water would "fall" through the bottom pipe into the sump due to gravity, instead of flowing through the pipe.  You'd never get a siphon below the valve.  

     

    Of course, that's a poor way to design your overflow.

    Looking for plumbing feedback (see pic)

    in General Discussion

    1 hour ago, DFR said:

    With all the advancements in power heads, I don’t really see the need for a full siphon.  Think high flow in tank, low flow to sump.  

     

    Is it possible we're using the term "full siphon" differently?

     

    When I say "full siphon", I mean all water and no air, regardless of the flow rate.

     

    It appears to me that you mean "a full-rate siphon, unrestricted by a valve".

     

    25 minutes ago, DFR said:

      Providing all the plumbing to the right of his gate valve is filled with water, and the flow is equal to the return there will be NO noise.  

     

    Because, if the tank-to-sump plumbing is filled with water, it's a siphon.

     

    In which case, we're all in violent agreement that a pipe full of flowing water is silent.

    Interesting System/Sump Set up

    in General Discussion

    46 minutes ago, hlem said:

    How come this isn't implemented more? 

     

    I expect the sand-bed-sump arrangement works best when the sump is elevated enough to put plumbing and a pump under it.  That's a more difficult arrangement for most people than a simple sump-on-the-floor setup. 

     

    Also, you probably need to change out the sand or vacuum it periodically because all the detritus will settle there.  Like what most of us see in the bottom of our sumps, but more because there's no skimming or other mechanical filtration.  Not bad, just different.

     

    Finally, skimmers provide a lot of oxygenation to the water.  You have to be willing to give up the extra buffer that provides when something else causes a reduction in oxygen  I suffocated some fish once when I turned off my skimmer and a noisy MP10 in my Red Sea Max.  The return pump was still running, but it wasn't enough on it's own to keep the tank oxygenated.

    Looking for plumbing feedback (see pic)

    in General Discussion

    2 hours ago, jason the filter freak said:

    Thanks for the advice on the gate valves i think between price (i can replace 5 ball valves for the coat of one gate of comparable quality), their size vs gate valves, and their lack of unions they're not worth it for my application. 

     

    You might add a few pipe hangers to prevent the torque Zygote2k warned about.  They're a couple dollars each.

     

    FA1520a_zpsxt4ujdlm.jpg

     

     

    What’s going on with my Neon Goby

    in General Discussion

    Looks like ich.  The white dots are sores where the parasite burrows in, not the parasite itself, so you can't scrape them off. 

     

    Concentrate on feeding the fish healthy food and provide good water quality.

     

    Your other fish have definitely been exposed, and may have low level infections.

    Spectrapure CSPDI-AF RODI system question.

    in General Discussion

    3 hours ago, Tommy said:

    The system is a Spectrapure CSDI-AF 90gpd and it comes with the automatic flush kit.  Do I plug in the flush kit all the time or only when I want to flush it?

     

    It's designed to be plugged in all the time and functions automatically.  The onboard computer will open the valve when you start making water.  This diverts the high-TDS water that initially comes out of the RO membrane.  Otherwise that high-TDS water goes through your DI chamber.  The DI chamber will reduce that water to 0 TDS, but it uses up a lot of resin to do it. 

     

    The auto flush also periodically opens while you're making water to flush contaminants off the RO membrane, extending the membrane's life.

    Help figuring out what's wrong

    in General Discussion

    You have two classic symptoms of too much light.  Your corals aren't expanding, and they're expelling their zooxanthellae. 

     

    Move the corals to a shady spot.  It may take them a few days to act normally, but don't worry.  Corals can last a long, long time with too little light.  But too much light can kill them quick.

     

    rodi question

    in General Discussion

    12 hours ago, Origami said:

    There's one fitting on one end and two on the other end. The single one is the inlet. At the other end, there's a fitting that traces back more centrally to the housing and the second is closer to the edge. The edge is the waste line. The central fitting is the RO output. 

     

    gallery_267_87_22716.jpg

    rodi question

    in General Discussion

    There should only be one restrictor, and it goes in the waste line out of the RO housing.  The restrictor has to be the correct length so that it generates the right ratio of waste:product water. 

     

    The restrictor comes presized, but you really should check the actual ratio by running the RODI unit and collecting product water in one container and waste water in another.  You may have to trim the restrictor to get the right ratio. 

    RODI system question.

    in General Discussion

    2 hours ago, Tommy said:

    I've been thinking about getting a new RODI system

     

    Your results are not what most people experience, but it's still possible that the RODI is functioning normally given your tap water.  You need to figure out what's going on with your current setup before you buy a new system, because you may need to buy an RODI that addresses your tap water issues (if there are any).  Otherwise your new RODI could suffer from the same poor performance as your current one does.

     

    - Are you on a well?  It's common for well water to have elevated CO2 levels which rapidly deplete your DI resin. 

     

    - Does your tap water have high TDS?  Your Mity Mite RO membrane is rated at 98% under ideal temperature (warm) and pressure (high), and the actual performance is probably less than that.   Let's say your input TDS is 400 and your RO membrane is removing 96% of TDS.  That means the water leaving the membrane and entering the DI filter has a TDS of 16, which will also rapidly deplete your DI resin.

     

    - Does your water utility use chloramine?  In Fairfax we use chloramine half the year.  Chloramine will damage the RO membrane, reducing your TDS performance, and increasing your DI usage.

     

    I would start by taking TDS samples of your input water and RO (not DI) output water.  Measure your water pressure going into the unit.  Also check with your water municipality and see whether they use chloramine.  They probably have a complete water quality report available online.

     

    Ideas for last fish?

    in General Discussion

    I have an orchid dottyback in our 34gal Red Sea Max and it does just fine with the other fish.  Tankmates are a pair of ocellaris clowns, a pair of neon gobies, a yellow watchman goby, and a miniature foxface.

    Canopy weight?

    in General Discussion

    We put foam under our tanks to prevent a point source on the top of the stand from cracking the glass.  Why not apply the same principle to your hood?

     

    Buy a roll of velcro tape and attach the "loop" part to the bottom of the hood, where it rests on the tank rim.  That will help spread the weight of the hood more evenly.  I'm pretty risk-adverse with my aquarium and over-engineering things, and this is what I plan to do for my very heavy hood.  

     

     

    Cycling a tank

    in General Discussion

    The bubbles are in the sump because that's where the most vigorous air/water mixing happens.  Your overflow and sump are acting like a protein skimmer.

     

    Something besides H2O and salt mix is in your water.  If it were my tank, I would drain, rinse, and refill.  Otherwise, use lots of paper towels to absorb the bubbles, or a shop vac to suck them all up.  Then run carbon.

     

    Also, I would put a hose clamp on that vinyl hose in your picture, even though the line isn't under pressure.

    Do I need a new tank?

    in General Discussion

    1 hour ago, Sharkey18 said:

    I hate my over flows and am plagued with micro bubbles from my returns. 

     

    I debated for a long time about removing my corner overflows, drilling, and installing a low-profile.  I knew I'd like the look, but I hated the extra time and effort I knew it would take.

     

    I am SO glad I did remove them.  The look of the tank was absolutely worth it, and the new overflow is a zillion times quieter than my old durso.

    Do I need a new tank?

    in General Discussion

    I think AlanM is right.  I'm not a tank builder, but most everything I've read supports the idea that all the structural integrity comes from the silicone butt joint between the two panels.  The fillet of silicone inside the tank is a pretty way to finish the sealant, and adds little, if any structural strength.

     

    My observations support this.  I removed glass corner overflows in my current tank.  It was easy to scrape off the fillet of silicone on the inside corners.  Once that silicone was gone, it was extremely difficult to cut away the silicone joint and separate the overflow from the tank.  Those seals were 0.25" glass.  Yours are twice as thick, and maybe twice as strong.

     

    16 hours ago, Sharkey18 said:

    Do I need a new tank? 

     

    Who doesn't?  Seriously though, I think your tank is safe.  But it's also a good idea to always think about how you'd do things "next time", so you can make improvements when those opportunities come up.

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