Bpb Posted July 3, 2016 Author Share Posted July 3, 2016 Reactor is running! Good things: It's currently not leaking air or water from anywhere. From MOST spots in the house I cannot hear the master flex pump Gripes: Setup took a few hours Master flex pump hits that 60 hz resonant frequency hard, and the wood box I have it in seems to amplify it. Only solution would be to drill holes in the wall and run the water lines though and keep the pump in a nearby closet. It's only audible in about a 10 foot radius of the tank but if you're within that distance it is wicked loud. So far the co2 is NOT running because it is recommended to let it circulate for several hours before introducing co2. I'll turn on the co2 in a few hours at a low rate Teflon tape is your friend Don't forget your crush washer Regulator is a beast New tubing for the pump Leak test took the longest During this step, I forgot to loosen the ph probe port, and when I crammed the ph probe in, it pushed the seal down and crooked, I didn't notice and watched it suck huge bubbles from the ph probe port with much frustration Discovered it finally, put it back together and it works fine Then I noticed a small leak from the barb fitting threads on the pump output...so it did what you should never do. Tightened with a wrench in low light. Cracked the pump body. But...leak stops. I was prepared to slap myself, hop online, order another pump, and wait it out but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out. Couple hours running now and no leak. I do foresee a new pump in my future though. Those were pretty much the only hiccups. Here it sits in the stand full of media and waiting to start melting Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 3, 2016 Author Share Posted July 3, 2016 Random Unknown acro species I'm really starting to like. Started as a bit of an ugly duckling but is starting to pop. And end shot. Everyone's favorite Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 4, 2016 Author Share Posted July 4, 2016 And we've got gas! Was running smooth and clear so I decided to crack the seal on the co2 and see what this regulator is made of. What do you guys run your output pressure at? I'm at 10 right now and have to almost close my needle valve entirely to get to 30 bpm. I'm ok with that but will higher pressure give me more flexibility on the needle valve? It's a fabco so it's got very fine threads. Over 4 hours the reactor ph has dropped to 7.24 so far from 8.2. Does that sound about right or should I open the valve a little more. Did a full test as well 7.4 dKH 405 ppm ca 1360 ppm mg 0.05 ppm po4 0.5 ppm no3 I know no3 is on the low side but I'm feeding like mad and it's really causing the algae to come back full force. Fish are happy and acro colors and PE are spectacular though (by my standards anyway) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 I'm running 7.17 on my ph with 30ml minute effluent rate. Consumption is about 0.5 dkh day in 160 real water volume right now. I'm a bit faster then 1 bubble sec. I would work it down slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 4, 2016 Author Share Posted July 4, 2016 Gotcha, I'll leave it as is. Just didnt know that this media would actually dissolve at all at a PH this high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 I didn't think it would either but it and the neo mag are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 4, 2016 Author Share Posted July 4, 2016 I can confirm it definitely melts at ph above 7.0. Woke up at 6 this morning and reactor ph was at 7.05, and alk tested at 7.8. Up 0.4 from 10 hours ago so there's some melting happening. I left the co2 as is but increased the effluent to 90 ml/min and I'll test again this evening after work and see what that did. I should be able to have it dialed within a day or two. I don't know what I was so afraid of before. Not nearly as tough as I expected Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 5, 2016 Author Share Posted July 5, 2016 So my 20 ml/min jump was a touch too much. Ph jumped to 7.12 in the reactor and held there for 14 hours straight without budging. Tested alk when I got home from work and got 7.7 dKH. A negligible shift down from 7.8 this morning. I split the difference and set effluent to 80 ml/min. Will test again in the morning. If I'm bouncing between 7.7-7.8 I'll be perfectly happy. That's the specific zone I'm targeting. It's only been 24 hrs so I'm not getting ahead of myself but with such tiny changes in my tests, it's looking good. This was supposed to be way harder. I'm hoping to see the benefits quickly in PE, growth, and color. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 I know a stable reactor ph is ideal. My tanks ph fluctuates through the day. Always has. Drifts from 7.8 at peak dark period to 8.2-8.3 at peak light period. APEx graph is a perfectly smooth sine wave. My reactor ph has been floating similarly. How much of a reactor swing is too much. Is a 0.04-5 swing through the day normal or is that excessive and something going on. My bubble count and effluent are perfectly stable every time I check them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Fluctuation is normal within the CaRX with the natural up and down pH values in the DT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 Lol. Good. I'll stop adjusting it every time I see it move Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 18, 2016 Author Share Posted September 18, 2016 Well. Story of my life. Everything up in smoke again. These are basically all that remain. This makes me want to throw in the towel. Perhaps I'll try again one day in the future some years down the road if we move to a bigger place and I have the space for a fish room and a proper quarantine. Calcium reactor sure feeling like a needless expenditure at this point. The mother colonies of these sure are doing well. They net my buddy who owns them a couple hundred bucks a month in frags. Each are currently dinnerplate/basketball sized and growing. These are frags number 3 from those colonies I've tried. Same result every time. Look nice for a couple months. Encrust off the plugs and onto the rock, then death out of nowhere. All others gone too just removed them as they go and haven't mentioned Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 Well. Story of my life. Everything up in smoke again. These are basically all that remain. This makes me want to throw in the towel. Perhaps I'll try again one day in the future some years down the road if we move to a bigger place and I have the space for a fish room and a proper quarantine. Calcium reactor sure feeling like a needless expenditure at this point. The mother colonies of these sure are doing well. They net my buddy who owns them a couple hundred bucks a month in frags. Each are currently dinnerplate/basketball sized and growing. These are frags number 3 from those colonies I've tried. Same result every time. Look nice for a couple months. Encrust off the plugs and onto the rock, then death out of nowhere. All others gone too just removed them as they go and haven't mentioned Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Oh no That really sucks. That's about how it goes for me too with acros, drives me nuts. I figured you were all set with the carx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 18, 2016 Author Share Posted September 18, 2016 Well. The reactor has worked flawlessly. No fluctuating. No leaks. Stable bubble rate, stable effluent. I am 99.9% there is something with my specific tank or rocks that acropora are sensitive to. Some form of contaminant I'm guessing. Maybe something in the acid I used to treat the rocks, maybe something in the mud in the fuge. Maybe something with my RODI filter or my buckets I'm using. Something in the water acropora cannot tolerate. Everything I'm able to measure comes back as it should and I've spared no expense on the necessary equipment. So I'm at a loss. Just have to throw in the towel. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Well. The reactor has worked flawlessly. No fluctuating. No leaks. Stable bubble rate, stable effluent. I am 99.9% there is something with my specific tank or rocks that acropora are sensitive to. Some form of contaminant I'm guessing. Maybe something in the acid I used to treat the rocks, maybe something in the mud in the fuge. Maybe something with my RODI filter or my buckets I'm using. Something in the water acropora cannot tolerate. Everything I'm able to measure comes back as it should and I've spared no expense on the necessary equipment. So I'm at a loss. Just have to throw in the towel. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Get with TY and send your water where he does for a full test. Maybe there's something in your water that shouldn't be? It also depends on the SPS... This is a very common thing with Maricultures... They'll do great for a while, then they'll RTN,... I'll save a small piece, it'll regrow into a Colony and do it all over again..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 Someone has recommended I do a triton test. I may do that. A contaminant has been my number one suspect. While yes, i did have 5-6 maricultures go belly up, the red planet, frog skin, stags, and other long time captive grown name brand ones that make me really believe it's not just bad luck maricultures. Anyway one of these days I'll find out how to send off for a triton test Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Sorry for unexplained rotten luck with SPS. I'd do the Triton test (Order from Unique Corals) and send one off just to see if anything looks odd. I wouldn't read into exact concentrations but more so trends. I've had maris go up on me and affect solid, stable aquacultured colonies in the tank so I wouldn't rule that out as a possibility. I assumed when it happened to me that it was bacterial in nature. Also, I know last time the issue was undetected pests. Perhaps a reoccurence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Sorry to hear about that bud. I was really hoping you turned the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 Having a scientific background and understanding bugs yes pests are ALWAYS a possibility. But I haven't seen any of the typical tell tale signs. Never saw traces of anything in dipping. Never any bite marks. Never any red bugs seen on macro photos, and most importantly the mother colonies I got these from are continuing to grow with literally the best PE I've ever seen in any tank on any forum. I mean this red planet mother colony has PE that makes a happy chipps acro look dead in comparison. Can't exaggerate it enough. I just don't believe there is enough evidence to support the pest possibility but naturally it can't be ruled out entirely. It's also not STN from the base every time which is a bigtime indicator of flatworms. No bite marks. No PE retraction. Same stuff. I have good color, decent PE, no base STN. starts with a little tip burning, followed by browning and just random necrosis all over. Sometimes it's even RTN where the flesh literally peels right off the whole colony over an hour or two. Even while the polyps are out. No alk spikes to speak of to point toward the tip burning either. I've sunk too many hundreds of dollars into acros in this tank though I've gotta draw the line here. No more until there's a full tank upgrade in the future in which I will be starting with all new rock and sand. Going from scratch. Zero corals. And I'll do a triton test of sorts before even attempting any. For now I'll let my birdsnests take over the rock. I'd honestly take the tank down and take a break if my family didn't like the fish so much Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 I'll also mention it's not been tank wide. It has literally jumped from one or two, take out those frags, then one or two, so on. I still have a few in there that look completely unaffected. I started with somewhere around 25 different frags. Am down to about 4 left. And they die the exact same way. One after the other. Even the green slimer bit the dust Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 I understand it can be frustrating because I went through it myself before. Maybe a good break is what is needed for SPS and like you said, just run this tank for now until you decide to start a new tank and run with the whole new setup. I only mentioned pest because the last time you couldn't figure it out, it ended up being AEFWs. It seems like you have observed different issues this time around. My guess is bacterial and I feel like the maris are to blame for setting off your tank to RTN... even the aquacultered stuff. Obviously that's a wild guess but just what I'm leaning to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 Do you think it's possibly the stress of being fragged and placed in a new environment that could have potentially put them on the losing end? It's just odd to me that something can grow so well and look so good but the frags bite the dust. Btw these frags of mine that are dying...are keeping the frag tanks at RCA well stocked. My two friends I've bought everything from bring a cooler up to RCA and trade in for store credit about once or twice a month. There have easily been several dozen frags of these same things circulated around Austin via RCA over the last year Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Do you think it's possibly the stress of being fragged and placed in a new environment that could have potentially put them on the losing end? It's just odd to me that something can grow so well and look so good but the frags bite the dust. Btw these frags of mine that are dying...are keeping the frag tanks at RCA well stocked. My two friends I've bought everything from bring a cooler up to RCA and trade in for store credit about once or twice a month. There have easily been several dozen frags of these same things circulated around Austin via RCA over the last year Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Depends on the heal time but otherwise, I doubt it. Going from a happy SPS tank to another one with similar parameters, no heal time is even needed. Do I know these friends of yours? I thought I pretty much knew all the SPS people in town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 These are college station locals and I don't believe you know them. They're not real big forum users but have spectacular tanks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 These are college station locals and I don't believe you know them. They're not real big forum users but have spectacular tanks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Ahhh, when you said turn things into RCA, I just assumed locals. [emoji4] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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