Seth's Next Reefkeeping Chapter

[hlem]

15 minutes ago, sethsolomon said:

but you are still limited to the ratio of the media which still can cause an imbalance. 

 

No clue what you’re talking about  

[sethsolomon]

Just now, hlem said:

 

No clue what you’re talking about  

every coral consumes a different amount of nutrients in different ratios.

 

the calcium reactor only provides nutrients in 1 ratio. that ratio is based on the media used.

 

if the corals in your tank are not using the same ratio of nutrients as what the calcium reactor is providing, it will cause an imbalance.

 

you will have to manually dose to fix this imbalance.

[hlem]

4 minutes ago, sethsolomon said:

every coral consumes a different amount of nutrients in different ratios.

 

the calcium reactor only provides nutrients in 1 ratio. that ratio is based on the media used.

 

if the corals in your tank are not using the same ratio of nutrients as what the calcium reactor is providing, it will cause an imbalance.

 

you will have to manually dose to fix this imbalance.

 

I see, why can’t you increase/decrease the amount dripping from the calRX? Isn’t that the same as dosing?

[sethsolomon]

Just now, hlem said:

 

I see, why can’t you increase/decrease the amount dripping from the calRX? Isn’t that the same as dosing?

the actual values are hypothetical and i don't know the exact ratios per coral.

 

your calcium reactor doses in a fixed ratio.  say 8 parts calcium, 8 parts alkalinity, 1 part magnesium.   

 

an acro uses those same ratios but say a hammer coral does not. 

 

 so for those 2 corals  your calcium reactor doses 16 parts calc, 16 parts alk, and 2 parts mag.  

the acro uses up 8 parts calc 8 parts alk, and 1 part mag

the hammer uses up say 6 parts calc, 8 part alk, and 1 part mag

 

so you end up with an excess of 2 parts calc.   this then pulls the levels out of balance and the gap will continue to grow out of balance unless you manually intervene to rebalance the ratios.  you will have to manually add alk and mag to keep the tank at a constant ratio.

 

vs with dosing pumps,  you set each of the parameters individually. so you can set it to the ratios your tank uses resulting to a more constant ratio.

[sethsolomon]

Test fitting the sump and ato reservoir in the stand skeleton.

[sethsolomon]

I am planning on making little cubbies up in the joists of the stand.  2 Hanna checkers fit perfectly in between them!

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

Where did you read that corals use alk and calcium in different ratios?  I have not heard this before. 

[DFR]

Looking forward to this build.  Sweet stocking list, and nice planning and use of space with that stand!  Cube tanks always takes planning to maximize the available space for the dimensions.

 

With dosing, anything with a CaCO3 skeleton will use ‘Alk’ and ‘Cal’ in equal ratio.  The differences between corals will be seen in the consumption rate of both compounds at that same ratio.  I do however get what you mean about manual corrections.  Dosing pumps make adjustments of a single compound much easier.

[sethsolomon]

On 12/24/2019 at 8:18 AM, GraffitiSpotCorals said:

Where did you read that corals use alk and calcium in different ratios?  I have not heard this before. 

If you take a look at this pdf: http://www.whoi.edu/fileserver.do?id=75643&pt=2&p=36767

The coral uses more or less mag, strontium, and boron based on ambient temperature. Thus changing the overall composition of the coral and the rates used. But I may have been mistaken that aragonite that corals use to make their skeleton is only one molecular compound.   But that is only true if your tank only has coral.  Many invertebrates use calcium and that could offset the balance.  For me, I always have clams in my tank and their shell is not aragonite so the balance of nutrients can shift out of balance. 

Edited December 26, 2019 by sethsolomon

[sethsolomon]

Made some more progress on the stand this weekend.

[moga]

tagged!! should be great setup!

[sethsolomon]

So finally decided on pumps for the tank.

 

So with all the recommendations I got, I am going with a Jebao DCP-8000 for my return pump due to the price and all the good reviews of longevity.   

 

As for circulation pumps, I am getting 2x Jebao SCP 150 gyre pumps.   With having a Maxspec Gyre on my last tank and constantly having to replace parts, I think I am going to try the knockoff version to see if it has a better track record than their name brand counterparts.

 

 

The Stand is still coming along, I have the screw holes filled and now need to do some sanding.     I am still trying to figure out how to hang the sides.  I am thinking using french cleats to hold the sides up so they are strong but also easily removable. 

 

As for lighting,  I am still debating if 2x Radion XR30's would be enough or if I will also need some t5's to supplement them.  I have been eyeing this fixture because its only $200 more than the radion hanging hardware and includes 4x T5's.

 

Picked up some sand from Petco.  they were having 75% off dry aragonite and 40% off some Fiji Pink live sand.

 

 

Also, I am in the market for some rock if any of my followers are looking to sell some.  

[sethsolomon]

And pumps are in.

 

[hlem]

Jebao all the way! lol

[epleeds]

I have about 25# of Fiji liferock if your interested. 

[sethsolomon]

And now painting the back of the tank black.

 

[sethsolomon]

What do you all think for the plumbing color?  Matte or gloss red with black accents?

[sethsolomon]

And testing the rebuilt To/do unit for leaks and purging the new filters.

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

Looking good, I didn’t like using the gyre pumps in this tank. Only way I could mount them was in the corner sideways so I hope you got a small version of what I had. 
I don’t think calcium mag and alk are ever out of balance when using calcium reactors, I have never heard of it but I will read the article if I get time.  Also dosing solutions are actually made to be used in equal parts so if a calcium reactor is going to do what your talking about then so will dosing a dosing pump if your doing it in equal parts. As far as I know corals all use the big three in the same ratio. 
The tanks going to look good with a black background. I always hated seeing through it. 

[sethsolomon]

On 1/12/2020 at 10:15 AM, GraffitiSpotCorals said:

The tanks going to look good with a black background. I always hated seeing through it. 

 

 

Yah they are looking really good! I still need to do a bit of touch up with a brush because some of the paint peeled off when I removed the tape.

[sethsolomon]

Has anyone used sea swirls before?   I am thinking about getting 2x 1" sea swirls for this tank.

[epleeds]

Yes. They are awesome. Very clean installs and the product lasts forever. 

[sethsolomon]

9 hours ago, epleeds said:

Yes. They are awesome. Very clean installs and the product lasts forever. 

Awesome!

 

 

 

Well here is what I have for plumbing so far.

 

[sethsolomon]

Well finally test fit my gyres on the tank and it may be a bit iffy.... On the plus side it would be constant flow across the whole tank.  Other side no wiggle room...

[sethsolomon]

And got my screen top made!