Reef Addicts - Blogs - evoracer

Another question for the RO pros!

evoracer — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:19:08 GMT

My incoming TDS is high. Extremely high. 750+ high. That being said my 4-stage does a very good job of getting it down. Usually averaging less than 30, sometimes 20. Well below the 5% accepted return. That's great for drinking water, but 20-30 TDS entering my DI is literally just exhausted a 10" BRS "Nuclear Grade" resin refill within 200 gallons. I am running this filter array:

5 Micron Purtrex sediment filter

5 Micron Matrikx+CTO/2
Carbon Block
1 Micron Matrikx+1 Carbon Block
150GPD/98% rejection membrane
Ran out to a BRS stand alone DI canister. TDS reads zero out of the DI. My R/O feeds my refrigerator and tees off to the DI. I bleed off the R/O until TDS is down to the lower limit before opening the valve to the DI each time I run a batch, usually 30-50 gallons at a time.
My plan is to add a few large sediment filters in front of the R/O unit. I was thinking 2- 20" canisters, the first with a 10 micron sediment, the second with a 5 micron sediment. If I did so, would you recommend replacing the sediment filter in my R/O with another carbon block? Maybe go 5 mcn carbon- 1 mcn carbon- 0.6 mcn carbon then membrane? Or do I need to add another membrane?

New frag tank setup

evoracer — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:31:32 GMT

Since my shallow 60g is on eternal hold, I decided I needed to change things up somewhere. My current growout system is a very traditional setup- 40 breeder tank consisting of racks of eggcrate for the frags, draining into a very basic sump housing the skimmer and heater. Internal return pump and feed pump for the GAC/GFO reactor. A separate 10g tank holding top-off water to be added to the sump controlled by a level sensor. Nothing special. Not that I haven't had decent results with it, but I've always hated 3 things about it: 1: it's very difficult to keep clean, due to the eggcrate racks keeping you from easily reaching the bottom of the tank; 2: it's difficult to achieve good flow, also due to the racks; 3: (most importantly) it's ugly(!), once again, due to the frag rack setup.
So I am proposing a new way to approach a "frag tank": one that is as easy to maintain as any other reef tank, and is just as pleasing to the eye.
The new setup will also be a 40 breeder along with a sump. However, there will not be any frag racks, per se. A DSB, 5" deep in this case, and pre-drilled live rock will be my racks. Zoanthid and other soft corals will grow on the sandbed, and SPS and high-light coral will grow on the rock structure.
The sump is much better designed and built, with a skimmer-specific chamber to give the CAD Lights skimmer a stable water level, a large refugium area, a smaller final chamber so less evaporation is required to trip the top-off leading to more stable salinity, and a built-in reservoir for the top-off water.
Water flow will come courtesy of a new Reeflo Blowhole 1450 plumbed through a 1" SCWD. Plumbed into the return line is a diversion for my reactor and another for easy water changes. Dual 1" drains get the water back down to the sump.
So far the tank is drilled, plumbed, sand added and filled with water. Sorry, I didn't think to take pics of the build at all! After a half-hour the water is nearly clear already:

Quick sump pic:

Skimmer nogging up already:

Return plumbing with Reeflo Blowhole, diversions for water changes and reactor feed:

At this time total water volume is 45 gallons, but once the water clears tomorrow I'll start on the rockscape. Hoping to have it running and full of frags by the end of the week.

New CAD Lights LED setup

evoracer — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 23:51:59 GMT

I decided to treat myself for my birthday. At MAX a few weeks ago, CAD Lights (www.cadlights.com) was displaying their new multichip LED fixtures. Reef Builders blog covered them here: http://reefbuilders.com/2012/04/06/c...ulti-chip-led/
After talking to Eddie from Cad Lights about them, I decided to go with the middle model, the 50w multichip (62 total watts) to replace my 250 halide over my frag tank. The claim is the 50w replaces a 250w halide, the 100w replaces a 400w. By the brightness of the units at the show I don't doubt it.
My fixture arrived today, and I had enough time to plug it in and play around with it. First impressions: It is very slimlined and sleek. I love the remote control for dimming and adjusting the color and brightness. It has dual timers, so it can control for dawn/dusk effect. Also that means it will free a plug up on my ReefKeeper PC4. It comes with both a cable hanging kit and legs for direct tank mount.
I will be setting it up over the tank tomorrow, and slowly acclimating the tank to the light over the next week.

Thoughts and prayers for our DFW area brethren!

evoracer — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 22:08:55 GMT

Here's to hoping Marc and the rest our reefing brethren, and of course every one else in the DFW area are ok, and get through this horrible situation quickly.

60 Gallon Shallow build journal.

evoracer — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:58:07 GMT

In a small house, with 2 small children, I (suprise, suprise) have had a very hard time finding a good spot to root my tank. Even though it isn't a huge tank (60g), it has a rather large footprint (36x24). Finding a spot where it can be 2' from the wall meant hiding it way in the office or dining room. I was very unmotivated to build it in a spot where I wouldn't see it all the time. Well I've figured out a way to replace the entry way table with a dual-functioning tank stand, and have it not look like the tank was an afterthought. Long story short the tank will be viewable from 3 sides, and will greet you when you walk through the front door. Once I transfer the plans to SketchUp I will add them to this blog.
I began collecting the final equipment I need for the build last weekend at RAP; the skimmer I reviewed earlier and a Reeflo Blowhole 1450 for the return and possible manifold pump. I have a sump that was custom built for the tank by Advance Acrylics in Southern Cal, the heaters, RKL, and reactors for the system. I have rock cooking and some dry to be added as needed. And plenty of corals in my frag tank waiting to make the jump. I will be reusing my 250w Lumatek ballast and LumenMax Elite from the frag tank, which will be taken down for the time being.
I plan to pick up an MP10 wes to add flow to the system. Just one for now, another of it needs it.
I still need to repair the rear wall of the tank, as I am removing all the plumbing up the back and have to cover the holes. A sheet of black acrylic will handle that. That leaves sand, of which I think I will tank Marc's advice and try the Tropic Eden Reeflakes. Although the only place I can find them in Premium Aquatics.
So the stand and canopy build will come next, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

CAD Lights Skimmer Review - Initial Impressions (Pic Intense!)

evoracer — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:08:56 GMT

Recently at Reef-A-Palooza 2011, I picked up a new CAD Lights Conical Protein Skimmer, model #TIA-1150.

Here are my initial impressions of the unit.

First the specs. From CADLights.com:
*5 Decibels of audible sound.
*1 Year Warranty covers the entire skimmer from top to bottom (including pump).
*Dimensions: 9.75" x 6.5" x 18.5"
*GPH: 375GPH
*Wattage: 20W
Load recommendations:
Light bio-load (150G)
Medium bio-load (120G)
Heavy bio-load (90G)

Retails for $249.99. These are made in Ontario, California, in house at CAD Lights using 100% American parts and materials.

I must say my initial impression are that of quality. They had these skimmers running at RAP, and although it was in a very loud room, even putting your ear up to the unit and your hand on top of the skimmer, I could not even hear it running or feel any vibrations. The bubbles in the reaction chamber were thick, dense and very small. For a small skimmer it has heft, a sign of quality in my opinion. The acrylic is thick and very well cast. The cone is truly seamless, and the craftsmanship is second to none. Visually it shows no flaws, no bubbles at any seams, and feels very sturdy.

The pump was designed in-house, to accommodate the custom pin-wheel impeller, also designed and made in-house.

The main structure is two pieces; the main cone body and the inner assembly. Removing four plastic screws allows the entire inner assembly to be removed from the unit giving access to the pump and bubble plate.

Water level inside the cone is controlled by a simple swedge-design. Turning the drain pipe off center reduces outflow and raises the water level.

Now for some pics:

Removing these screws gives access to the inner workings:

I literally disassembled the entire unit in two minutes using this:

Slide the volute out to remove the pump:

Broken down:

The custom pump:

And bubble plate:

The acrylic is nice and thick:

The swedge-design level control:

This weekend I hope to have it in the water pulling some nog. Updates to come!

RO ASOV won't shut off!

evoracer — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:15:30 GMT

I have an RO unit, 4 stage with a separate DI teed in to allow for non-DI drinking water. I am running a 150 gpd 98% renection membrane. It works very well (750+ tds in, ~20 tds out after RO, zero after DI). The problem is it won't shut off. The ASOV (auto shut-off valve) just pulses, never actually cuts off the brine water flow. I checked and rechecked the installation, using Melevsreef.com's troubleshooting guide. I replaced the ASOV, no help. However it did change. The original did nothing at all. The replacement vibrated violently when it attempted to shut off. Re-repaced it (read, the third ASOV now), new one pulses slowly, but never kills flow. I am not sure what to do next, any input?

For the acrylic fab pros...

evoracer — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:13:36 GMT

I have an acrylic tank with plumbing on the back. In order for this tank to be useful to me I want all the plumbing to come up from the bottom, and have the tank sit flush against the wall. My question is, should I remove the bulkheads and patch a piece of acrylic over the holes, or plug the bulkheads? I prefer the first option aesthetically, but reliability is the key here.

Help us name our son!

evoracer — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:13:07 GMT

I know, the title sounds odd. My wife and I have our second son due soon. I am trying to think of a name to reflect my passion for the ocean, reefkeeping, corals etc. that doesn't sound like I names him at Woodstock. I would like a name derived from or meaning something from this realm. The only name I have found I like is Kai, Hawaiian for 'of the sea', however my last name is VERY French (D'Aunoy). Not sure how the two would flow. For the record my wife is Irish/Scandanavian and I am a predominately Creole American mutt, if that helps inspire!!
Thanks for your input!

LED and UV. What's the REAL story?

evoracer — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 22:18:23 GMT

So I was intending to pick up an LED fixture at RAP last month in Southern Cali, but was discouraged by much conflicting information about the light output produced by them. The biggest concern, or rather question, I left with was whether or not LED's produce usable UV radiation.
From my research I have found the consensus is that SPS coloration is all but dependent on UV in the light being provided to them. From what I have read the theory is that as a response to UV SPS produce their slime coat to protect themselves (think sunblock). The slime coat is what is responsible for the coloration of the coral (or at least the fluorescing, appealing coloration reefkeepers look for). So without UV in the long run SPS will brown out.
At the show there was a vendor who claimed that no LED fixture on the market produces UV. He had a UV meter, and was measuring MH, T5s, and his own LED tubes, showing all but the LED produce UV. He then tested his UV LED tubes, showing they do indeed produce UV. Now obviously he did not get specific on what wavelengths he was measuring for, even when I asked. I took this information to some of the other vendors, who in turn claimed they all have been keeping everything from clams to SPS to zoanthid to Acans under LED only for months to years without any coloration issues, and reported outstanding growth. Some even claimed his testing was faulty, or deceptive, as their equipment does produce UV. One vendor stated all LED produce some UV, but could not specify how much or of what spectrum.
So I guess my question would be to any lighting experts: what's the deal? Do LED produce UV? If not could you supplement with a single T5 UV bulb? I really want to go LED but would hate to invest in a product that can't keep my tank happy.
Thanks!

Colonies for sale??

evoracer — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:32:26 GMT

Anyone have a source for medium/large colonies for sale, not just frags? I would like to get ahold of a few colonies of nice SPS to jump start the SPS collection in my main and frag tanks.

So Reef Central...

evoracer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 03:43:58 GMT

Put me on a 60 day "probation" for posting a link to our local club forum in a local reefer's for sale post. He is not part of our club and I thought I would help him find local buyers. Funny thing is their tactic: They alert you by PM, then suspend your PM privileges so you can't respond. Yay RC Nazis! Forgot why I don't frequent that board anymore. Marc you ever thought of a Buy/Sell/Trade on here? That is really the only thing I go on RC for anymore.

Trimming an Acrylic tank

evoracer — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:41:04 GMT

So I am getting a 60G tank ready for top-down view, and want to trim out the opening larger. It currently has about a 2-2.5" lip around the top, and I want to cut it back to 1". The tank is built of 1/2" acrylic. I have at my disposal a router, a jigsaw and a circular saw. My plan is to rough cut the opening oversized a bit with the jigsaw, the using a template made from MDF, route out the hole to the finished size, then follow with a 45 degree knock-down bit to finish it off. Anyone have a better idea or can see why the jigsaw won't work? I have cut lots of acrylic with my table saw and router, and built tanks in the past, but never had to cut a pre-built tank. Thanks in advance.

My little frag tank

evoracer — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:43:12 GMT

I run a 27G (24x24x11") zoanthid-heavy frag tank in my garage, and thought I would share!

It is lit by a Reeflux 20K 250W DE in a Sunlight Supply Pendant, ran by a Galaxy ballast. Filtration comes by way of an Aqua-C Remora, and circulation by a Koralia 2 and Seio Prop.

Seachem AquaVitro Salinity Review

evoracer — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:58:10 GMT

So I got a hold of a bucket of the highly anticipated Salinity, the first of three buckets currently available on the Central Coast! Here's what Seachem says about it:
"salinity� is a blend of salts specifically formulated for the reef aquarium that contains all essential major, minor, and trace components found in natural reef waters, but contains no toxic or non-essential components. Additionally, salinity� is the most concentrated salt blend on the market. With a hydration level of <0.5% salinity� will yield a greater volume of prepared saltwater at a salinity of 35� per unit of weight than any other salt mix currently on the market.
salinity� is identical to the distribution of anions and cations found in Natural Sea Water (NSW). We have compiled data from all the oceans and seas on the Earth, and have targeted the midpoint of the range for each element. We guarantee to be within � 3% of the midpoint."
First impression- this bucket is HEAVY! And huge, at least 5 gallons. Second impression, it is VERY dry, almost like powdered sugar.

Each bucket is stickered with the guaranteed values of 19 elements, including lab-certified results for each batch for the "big 4" (ph, Alk, Calcium, Magnesium) and Strontium.

There is a surprisingly detailed list of mixing instructions also, but once you cut through the excess it is straight-forward.

It is slightly more concentrated then other mixes, using slightly less then 1/2 cup per gallon (for my starting mix I used 7 cups for 15 gallons). They advise allowing it to mix for 24 hours to "achieve oxygen/carbon dioxide equilibrium", so tomorrow I will test to confirm the accuracy of their claims!