madsalt Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Herbie overflow is working great, SILENCE!!!!!!. I have ordered two gate valves for better control so I will redo my plumbing when they arrive. So my alk test this morning was 7 on both my Hanna and API kit. I added alkalinity yesterday before work and tested it this morning. Based on the amount I added yesterday and the test this morning, I would say it is in line. Now what is using the alk is still strange. I do have some corals that would use it and a lot of coralline. I will try to run this same scenario for the next few days to see if the results are the same. I added the same amount of alk this morning as I did yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Great! I'll bring a pin and we can drop it in the room and see if we can hear it the next time I'm in the area. I wouldn't delay too much in adding the emergency drain. Murphy is always just a door knock away from showing up. If you can,graph your results on Apex Fusion and post it. We can take a good look at your alk readings over time and see what the trend has been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 So you can see when we started and where the spike up to 9.2 was. My dosage amounts have been about 2tsp each time. I believe the spike came from 3tsp, not sure what I was trying to do. So from the chart and the amount of alk I have been dosing, I think I actually need to add more each time to bring the level up and then maintain. My big concern would be a large alk swing. I am wondering if the BRS stuff will show different results. My bigger question is how would I drop from a level of 9.2 back to 7.1 in a day yet most other days with dosing I am only dropping about 5 to 6 10ths each day. I do have a few stretches where no testing was done because I was out of town or work really sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 I think you're making some good observations about your alk usage. It helps to be able to visually see the data. For now, I would discount the 9.2 as anamolous data unless you tested it twice and still got 9.2. For a whole number of reasons, the results of that test could be off. Anytime I personally get an oddball result when testing, I make sure to retest to doublecheck if any errors on my part attributed to it. If it still reads the same result again, sometimes I will consult another test kit or reefer to make sure before any changes to the tank are made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I am running low on alk reagents and my replacements wont be here until next week so I will have to rely on my last few Hanna tests and my API. I think I may have just added too much alk for the spike to happen it is the drop that is weird. Anyway my 2 part and dosers should be here tomorrow so the dialing in of parameters can occur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 If you need a loaner bottle of alk reagent, you can borrow one of mine and replace with your next order. I'll trade you for a fish trap and syringe if you're done with them. [emoji106] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I will look tonight at how much reagent I have left. The trap has been rinsed with RODI and ready to be returned. I am off tomorrow so I can probably bring it by when you are home or leave it on the doorstep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Not sure if you have enough reagent or not to last you. I will be working most of the day. You could always leave the trap at the door if you're in the area anyways. If you need some reagent, just let me know before 10:30am so I can leave some by the door for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 It's BRS Day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Wait, I was supposed to get to open them all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 If you had opened it, you would have had to clean up the large mess created because the magnesium chloride bottle had a hole punched in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Oh no, opening only Madsalt! The mess is the owners alone... best part of the mentor program. All the joy, none of the mess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 So after another day of testing and adding supplement for alk, here is where I am. Saturday I tested and added supplement. My test had me at around 6.7. I tested again Sunday morning and I was at 7.2 so I again added the same amount of supplement. I tested again the next morning and I was around 7.1. So with these tests, given a little variance and with two different test kits, At this point I really need to determine the consumption rate so I can add my dosers and start the two part. It stand to reason that if I add supplement my should rise and if I have things that use it, it should fall and that is what has happened. My alk has not reached the desired level as of yet and I am reluctant to add large amounts of the supplement I am using now. I want to get the two part dosers in place and then dial in with those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Since the last time you tested, you were at 7.1 dKh Monday morning. I'd just test it tomorrow morning without dosing anything and see where you are at two days later. Then we can calculate your daily usage and you can program your 2-part dosers accordingly. I'd aim a little lower than the calculation when you're first putting them online just to do a good test run without accidentally overdosing. At least give yourself a little margin of error in the first run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I'll test when I get home and again tomorrow morning. I am off tomorrow so I want to take advantage of it by getting my lights and pumps connected correctly with my WXM and getting the two part up and running. My goal is to get the two part running and then accurately dose 0.5 a day until I reach a dkh of 9 and hold there. I only work one more day after today so I will have a good stretch of time to monitor the tank as we raise the alk using the two part. If I am at about 7 then by Sunday I can be around 9 and with some tweaking I can dial it in. (hopefully) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 That sounds like the perfect plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Alright dosers are in and all ready to rock. Current alk is 6.8. I am going to run the first round of alk through the doser starting at midnight so my ph isn't at its peak. It should run over 5 hours, here is my apex program. Fallback OFF OSC 010:00/021:24/028:36 Then ON If Time 05:00 to 23:59 Then OFF If pH > 8.45 Then OFF This will allow a nice slow increase without a quick spike. I will check alk when I get up in the morning to see how well BRS and my doser did. My calcium will run through the day, I will set that program tomorrow. I really have not seen much in the way of calcium movement. I am thinking that with my alk still low, the uptake of calcium is not happening as rapidly as it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 Oh man, very exciting! I wish I could have caught you before you went to bed for the night. I'd highly recommend running your first day of dosing into a container for a test run. One slip of the programming could nuke your tank. It's a small chance but I think worthy of one dry run just for the risk of it. Either case, I'm sure you'll be fine. We will see what the results are in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 Just a quick programming check. I would add the statement "Set OFF" to your programming to define your starting mode. As I understand it, you want it to wait 10 mins at the start of each hour, then turn on for 21mins and 24 seconds, then turn off for 28mins and 36 seconds, every hour from midnight to 5am? I am also assuming you tested your actual flowrate per minute on the dosers and calibrated them for the amount of desired BRS alk solution dosed per night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Where would you add the "Set OFF" I am still kinda of a newb at actually programming the APEX Yes I calibrated the dosers and found that they are actually right at 1mil/min. So the programming was done based off that number. I actually ran the calibration twice just to make sure. SO far so good. The program started at 10min past the hour and stopped at 21min past the hour. So now it should be off for the next roughly 28min and start again. I finally got my mp40s attached to the WXM as well, oh happy day to have all my Ecotech stuff hooked up and running through my APEX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 I'd throw it right after the fallback statement. How'd it turn out this morning? Is your alk spot on from your calculations? That's awesome about the pumps being setup on the WXM module already. Wireless control and seamless integration... you got to love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 SO my all was only 7.2 when I tested this morning. I did not adjust for consumption, I just wanted to get things up and running. I would however think that I would get higher than 7.2 form 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 How many ml did you dose total last night? You used the BRS additive? What's your Ca level right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsalt Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I dosed 107ml over 5 hours. That was the amount per the BRS calculator to take me to a dkh of 8, using the BRS alkalinity (soda ash) Calcium is 420. I calibrated the dose and it was at 10ml. I am going to run my apex program to see exactly gets dosed in 5 hours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 Well, that should have taken it to 8.0 dKh. Are you sure you mixed the dry alk solution correctly from BRS? Let's see if the dosers actually dispensed 107 ml in your test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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