400 gallon project

[untamed]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

LOL, this is fun. Can you see the camera move if someone clicks on the directional buttons? I like how you can get into arguments with some unseen person over what to look at. "I'm moving the camera here!" "No! I'm watching something over .. HERE!" "No you're not! We're looking THIS WAY now!"

Yes, I can see the camera looking around. Sometimes when I've got my arm in there doing something, I can tell that someone has aimed the camera my way.

[saltynuts]

i think that would be creepy. some one else watching the house.
happy halloween.



i am watching you!
he he he he he he he he he he he !

[Joe Reefer]

I kinda felt creepy watching you clean your tank.

[untamed]

It's funny..it creeps out the people watching more than me.

[untamed]

I've been running this Kalk reactor for a few weeks now. I modified it by adding two ball valves, which enables me to service that pump without draining the whole thing first.


The pump that is attached to the Kalk reactor is programmed to mix the Kalk for 7 seconds every 2nd day.

Like my Ca Reactor, the Kalk reactor is controlled by the Aquatronica and an Omega peristaltic pump. This pump is smaller than the Ca Reactor pump, because I knew that I can never drive this pump MORE than my evaporation rate. Evaporation will continue to be replaced by the sump float switch and is completely independent of the Kalk reactor.


I'm bringing the Kalk reactor on-line very slowly. Right now, it runs from 11PM to Noon, but it is only pumping a very small amount of Kalk. As my Ca/Alk demand starts to increase (coral growth), I will increase the amount of Kalk rather than increase the Ca Reactor output. The reason is that I'm trying to use the Kalk to minimize the daily pH swing that the tank goes through.

Each evening, as soon as the lights go out, the tank pH begins to fall. As Kalk has a very high pH, I hope that it will stabilize this fall as I add increase the Kalk output. Here's what the daily pH cycle looks like right now.

[Delphinus]

7 seconds every 2 days? Just curious but did you read anything to suggest that it should be so infrequent or short? I mix mine for 1/2 hour a couple times a day. What a profound difference. I use a diaphram metering pump set a rate which is slightly less than evaporation (and just use a float valve for the remaining topup). I found my evaporation rate using trial and error. Kept slowly increasing it every couple of days until I noticed the sump volume increase slightly over a 24 hour period and then backed it off to the last setting before that.

[michika]

I run my stirrer runs every 2 hours for 10 minutes! 7 seconds sounds too little. How do you plan to increase it?

[untamed]

Originally Posted by michika

I run my stirrer runs every 2 hours for 10 minutes! 7 seconds sounds too little. How do you plan to increase it?

It would be easy to increase the mix time or frequency if I wanted to (via the Aquatronica). 10 minutes every 2 hours seems like way too often to me. As I watched the stir action, 7 seconds was about as long as it took to make milk up to about 2/3 height in the cylinder.

I figure that by keeping it at 7 seconds, a few good things happen:
1) I avoid running Kalk powder through the pump
2) The pump doesn't have time to heat up.
3) The remaining undissolved solids settle to the bottom more quickly, ensuring that I only deliver clear Kalk to the tank.

I figure these will help avoid calcification inside the pump, and possible precipitation at the delivery point in the sump.

The un-answered question is whether the quality of my saturated liquid Kalk diminishes between mixing. I'll watch that. It could be possible that I may need to mix more often as I pump more water through the reactor. Even then, I'll be mixing more often, but not longer each time.

[Myka]

There's 37 pages...where's the link to spy on your tank?

[Tom R]

Originally Posted by Myka

There's 37 pages...where's the link to spy on your tank?

Try
http://brads-aquarium.viewnetcam.com:50000/

Tom R