Bioload 75 - Reef Aquarium

[bioload]

Originally Posted by fishytime

great scape man.......

bio-balls????.....LR is far more effective for colonizing beneficial bacteria and doesn't need to be cleaned...... a no brainer IMO......unless I'm missing something

Hi fishytime,

I agree with the live rock. I have less than what is recommended for a tank this size so I'm hoping that this does not become an issue. I'll be adding a sump later on, but would prefer to not add more rock. Looking for an alternative if needed.

[bioload]

Looks like Ammonia is on it's way down.

April 23, 2010


May 07, 2010

[bioload]

After about 24hrs from my last test when I noticed the decline, Ammonia is now undetectable. I will continue to monitor as it might spike as the bioload changes. Not too worried about the Nitrite and Nitrate at the moment since we will be fish only for some time.

That will give me a chance to work on the sump.

May 8th, 2010

[lastlight]

One of my favorite scapes in recent memory I love it. I was bummed when I saw you went bare bottom though. My first tank was sandless as well and while it's more work keeping my sand bed clean now I could personally never look at another bare bottom again.

One neat thing I have noticed is that I have algae growing on the bottom of my rocks. I certainly never had that in my first tank so obviously the sand does a nice job of reflecting light up too.

Looking forward to more. Happy cycling!

[bioload]

Yesterday I needed to transfer out the fish from another tank which I'm taking down (2 Percs and 1 Blue Tang). I also added 5ml of Seachem's Prime as a precaution. Did another test today to make sure there were no spikes and everything seems to be okay. Ammonia and Nitrite are 0 and pH is 8.2

May 10, 2010






I also noticed a few snails appearing from a couple pieces of rock that was in my older tank. From what I can tell so far Collonista snails. They are just algae grazers and will cause no harm. I hope they don't get out of control.

[bioload]

A week has passed since I've last updated and waiting for my RO/DI replacement filters to arrive. In the meantime I've had my first algae bloom. Only on the rocks (at the moment) closest to the top....can't wait till I get my new filters. For now the algae gets darker throughout the day with the lights on, so I will be keeping them off for now.



Today's Forecast:
Temperature = 78° F
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 40
pH = 8.0
Alkalinity = 7 dKH
Salinity = 1.022

[bioload]

Got some time to get my RO/DI connected. The unit is one that I purchased several years ago http://www.aquasafecanada.com/ I've been happy with the performance of the unit I purchased, but the price has gone up a fair bit from the time I purchased ($120) to now (from $200)

I've been using tap water to fill the tank up to this point and my nitrate level has been rising since. I tested a few days ago and it's around 80-100ppm. Not sure how much the tap is contributing to the nitrate (maybe I'll test a little later) or if the tank is not processing it (usually takes a while). Regardless I was planning on adding the RO, and now is as good a time as any.

I had originally planned on putting the unit under the tank, but due to the distance to the guest bathroom where the water and drain lines are located I decided to place it under the sink instead. So here it goes

Location:under sink


Disconnected cold water line


Installed a shutoff valve. The builder was too cheap to put one in. I believe these may now be mandatory. I you already have one installed that would be a bonus.


The tee'd off the shutoff to supply the faucet above as well as the RO


The original line had to be cut after adding the shutoff and tee.


Here is the final connection with the line to the RO unit installed


I went to HD today and found a couple gauges that I'll be using this time to check the pressure drop over the sediment and carbon filters. Not a bad deal at $7.50 each. with all the connections it came to around $40 for the two gauges. Depending on your set up the connections required may vary.


Connected the first gauge to the main line coming into Stage 1 sediment filter. The second is after the Stage 3 carbon block.


Once the gauges are installed, went to work connecting all the lines. The first was from the gauge on the outlet of the carbon block to the "IN" on the auto shut off. Don't think I'll be using the ATS valve for now, but installed it anyway.


ATS valve "OUT" to the membrane. The membrane I will be using is a 100gpd, but thinking of adding a second in the future.


On the other side of the membrane there are two connections. The one closest to the center of the RO filter housing is the RO filtered water, and the outer connection is the waste line. The filtered water is connected to the second "IN" on the ATS. The waste (yellow) is connected to the flow restrictor/flush valve. The connection to the DI (which will be added later) is the second "OUT" on the ATS.


A bit difficult to see in this shot, but I connected a valve between the inlet on the Stage 1 sediment filter and the main shutoff valve. The yellow hose is connected to the flush valve which will be attached to the drain.


Removed the trap under the sink on the drain and drilled a 1/4" hole for the drain line.


Connected the drain fitting over the hole that was drilled


Inserted and tightened the drain line onto the fitting


Finally tucked the unit away inside the cabinet. I'll be adding DI to the RO once my new canisters arrive.


Also picked up a TDS meter today ($15) from HD. I'm still waiting for my replacement filters and new membrane to arrive, but I tested it out using my old filters. Tap waster is reading 113 and the RO unit with my old filters is reading 3. Hope this helps with the nitrates.


New pressure gauges are working great as well. Looks like I didn't need to replace my sediment filters after all.


DI canisters should arrive some time next week, once installed I hope that would bring the TDS to 0.

[bioload]

Been some time since I've made any progress on the tank itself. No FTS yet since there has been little change

However, I've finally started on the sump which will be a 40gal breeder. The dimensions are 36"x18"x15"high which fits nicely on the bottom frame of the stand.

With the 12" of space remaining on the stand I've built an acrylic tank that overflows into the 40gal, but I'm still not sure what to do with this section. Some ideas I've been thinking of include fuge, quarantine, acclimation, frag.....so much to do and so little space.

[bioload]

Been busy over the past couple weeks on a few other projects. One of which was building shop table to give my table saw and router a more permanent home. This will come in handy for the DIY's to come.

[bioload]

Gathered for a group shot.



FTS - Not much change