300 gal reef re-do - Page 10

pcostanzo · #**226** 09/17/2007, 06:10 PM

Thats the good thing about the hypo. It boost the immunity because they don't spend so much energy expelling the salt. The only thing is keeping an eye on the salinity with the refractometer and making sure you lower and raise slowly not to stress the fish. I've had good luck with it and it doesn't kill the biological filter like the copper.

erics3000 · #**227** 09/17/2007, 06:51 PM

When you say hypo you mean less salinity? I have done that in the past and it has worked for me. I was thinking of doing a big frag order but then it would be tight in a qt tank. But I think it is still better then putting anything in the tank that will affect it.

I put coper in my first tank a few years back it was a fo/lr tank. I wanted to use some of the rock from that tank but from what I read the copper can attach to the rock and release at a later time. Even though it has been about 2 1/2 years and a bunch of water changes later. I really wanted to use some of the rock so it could spread corraline faster. Oh well..

jnarowe · #**228** 09/17/2007, 07:00 PM

you should get some expert advice on that. Maybe cooking the rock would work, or running some kind of DIY plating mechanism to draw the copper out.

erics3000 · #**229** 09/17/2007, 07:17 PM

plating mechanism?

jnarowe · #**230** 09/17/2007, 07:23 PM

well, I don't know the right term. When you plate something you provide electrical probes and current to attract the metal in suspension onto th eitem you wish to plate.

Check out The Chemistry of Copper Plating. I think in this case you could use your rocks instead of pennies!

erics3000 · #**231** 09/18/2007, 01:55 AM

I understand w\hat plating is just never heard of it to remove anything fro from a structure. I think I will just go with all new rock. All this time and money adn I dont want to take any chance. I will do some research ..Thanks J

Paul I new you would figure your skimmer out. Look forward to seeing that thing pull some pop out.

pcostanzo · #**232** 09/18/2007, 06:02 AM

Eric- yes hypo is lowering the salinity. Only for fish, no inverts or sharks. You do it slowly over a few days and the goal is to bring it down to 1.009. The fish survive fine but the parasites die. You have to keep the salinity there for 4-6 weeks.

I use some rock that was exposed to copper at one time but if your running carbon, if any copper leaches out it will be absorbed by the carbon.

pcostanzo · #**233** 09/20/2007, 12:34 PM

Skimmer kicked in a couple of days ago.

sherm71tank · #**234** 09/20/2007, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pcostanzo

I use some rock that was exposed to copper at one time but if your running carbon, if any copper leaches out it will be absorbed by the carbon.

Is there any study you can site for this information? If thats true then great but I don't think carbon absorbs copper effectively.

DrDNA · #**235** 09/20/2007, 01:08 PM

Seachem makes a filter media called "Cuprisorb" that is supposed to be effective at removing copper and other heavy metals. I am running some right now on my reef tank since for some reason I just started detecting traces of it in my system (I suspect it is from my well water). According to Seachem, it will also continue to absorb copper as it released from the substrate.

If it was me, I'd probably just get new rock and be safe though.

pcostanzo · #**236** 09/20/2007, 02:09 PM

I'm not sure of what studies are out there but I remember on SeaCures instructions and other copper product it's always said when treatment is done to remove by filtering over carbon. I tried finding out some more info but this was the only thing I came up with for now.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/dw/index.php

look under Carbon

pcostanzo · #**237** 09/20/2007, 02:11 PM

This was also interesting on stuff like phos ban

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.php

erics3000 · #**238** 09/20/2007, 06:01 PM

I was thinkingjust to be on the safe side I will use new rock and sand. Decisions suck..Great articles I will read them in dsetail tonight.

I never new well water had copper in it. I use to use tap well water for a couple years for my fo tank. I did dose an old tank that had some of rock with coper as a rookie to help with an ich out break. I tested it a fe months back and the test kit showed it had a little copper. I should test my tap water.

Skimmer looking good

sherm71tank · #**239** 09/20/2007, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by erics3000

Skimmer looking good

Yeah no kidding! You better wear a gas mask when you clean that thing and don't get any on ya!

pcostanzo · #**240** 10/05/2007, 12:12 PM

For the last couple of weeks I have been working on my Kalk, Ca, carbon and phos ban. I liked how Jonathan combined media and Calcium into the same reactor. I was initially only going to put Carbon and Phos ban in one reactor and build separate Ca and Kalk. As I kept planning it I decided to make 1 big one that will handle all. I save space this way since it sits right next to the sump. Here are some pics.

Laying out the acrylic

Gluing up the baffles

Box glued up

Top with bulkheads in place

Bottom sits on a wood base

Eheim 1260 for the Ca loop. The 2 large lines are for Carbon and Phos that are fed by my manifold

pcostanzo · #**241** 10/05/2007, 12:20 PM

Full shot of reactor

Kalk Section
I am using a Hanna magnetic stirrer under the base

Calcium Section
Instead of exterior plumbing for the loop and to feed the 2nd chamber, I did internal baffles to direct the water flow. The pump is under the base.

Carbon/Phosban Section

The manifold now feeds water out for WC, left return, right return, chiller, carbon, phos, calcium

Fish room complete

JCurry · #**242** 10/05/2007, 01:04 PM

NICE! I like it clean and simple.

jnarowe · #**243** 10/05/2007, 01:16 PM

Very Cool Paul. Looks great. Yeah that's the same damn gasket I tried first...I have a couple of questions:

1. How are you monitoring/controlling the pH in the Ca reactor?

2. How are you keeping kalk fines from getting into your tank? The kalk reactor looks very cloudy and I know from experience this is a bad thing.

Elliott · #**244** 10/05/2007, 01:16 PM

very nice, I wish I had some of your DIY skills

pcostanzo · #**245** 10/05/2007, 02:07 PM

Thanks guys.

Jonathan- I'm still messing with it to get it up and running correctly. The kalk is cloudy because I took the picture before it really settled. I programed my Aquacontroller to mix at certain times and not dose Kalk for an hour after. The next couple of days I'll check it out at mixing time and an hour after to see if its enough time to settle.

I just started setting a drip and bubble count for the Ca reactor. I will take a reading of the effluent with my ph probe. Hopefully when I get the bubble/drip dialed in I can keep the chamber around 6.5 and not have to monitor all the time. I did set the Aquacontroller to shut off the C02 solenoid if the ph of the sump drops too much.

I cant believe they can sell that neoprine gasket material that wont hold water. I got a roll of the weatherstipping that you used and it works fine.

jnarowe · #**246** 10/05/2007, 02:33 PM

Well, with a set point on the sump you shouldn't have any problem with the pH going to low, and to be honest, once you have your rate set, there is little need to monitor the Ca reactor pH. I have just had problems with my CO2 flow itself changing. I don't use a bubble count per se but just a target pH. It seems that with my current system load, about 6.50 is good. I know there are a lot of people that run lower, but with the low coral demand, it is not neccessary yet.

Those rubber gaskets are really made for better mechaical atachments, and probably items with strong metal flanges like water pump housings etc. It's just not made for what we are doing. The EDPM gasket you got works fine, but will age over time. But it is so easy to replace, I don't think that is a big deal. I still have not replaced any of mine.

Hopefully on my next project I can step up to properly routed gasket flanges, but that takes a big step in skill level.

Your reactor is pretty cool. I am interested to know about a couple of other things. In my carbon chamber, I have a perforated PVC basket with dividers, and before the carbon I am running 2 - 3 inches of washable Aquatic-Eco floss. That helps keep the muck out of the carbon which allows better absorption. I also have fine floss on either side of the GFO, plus the GFO is in a very fine sock. Yours looks like it has straight pass through...are you not concerned about getting GFO and carbon fines in your display? I even run the Ca/GFO effluent through two fine socks after it exits my reactor.

pcostanzo · #**247** 10/05/2007, 03:03 PM

You know, I have a roll of that Aquatic Eco fine floss. I'll try that.

jnarowe · #**248** 10/05/2007, 03:10 PM

That works well on either side of the GFO. I use the washable medium and coarse before and after my carbon, as well as a sock on the outflow. This floss is the best I have ever used and it is truly re-usable.

pcostanzo · #**249** 10/05/2007, 06:44 PM

Ok. That works good. I had a whole roll of the fine because I was planning on using it in a tray for my overflows but it was too fine and clogged too quick. I use the medium now. It does wash out well. The kalk that looked cloudy was actually some build up on the acrylic. I wiped it down and when it settles the water is clear. I'm about to check the controller to see if it shuts down the kalk when it stirs.

jnarowe · #**250** 10/05/2007, 07:18 PM

yeah, i don't like the fine very much but I really like the medium and coarse 1"+ thick ones. The fine is OK for the GFO since that requires the fine and the flow is slow.

All in all I really like what you have done. It is designed differently than mine, with separate feeds for each chamber, but the net result is the same, and you may have a little more control over water flow. Too bad you didn't use gate valves!

I put the GFO inline after the Ca just to polish out any PO4 that is made in the Ca chamber.

The last time Steve Weast visited, he recommended soaking the media in RO/DI water for a couple of days prior to using it. He said that the first soak will show some PO4 in the water, and when you change it out for fresh RO/DI, it should show zero. I thought that was an interesting approach and his point was, why waste the GFO, when you can soak it out?