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  1. C

    Using your overflows into DIY skimmer

    I'm thinking the bubbles would be too big to be as efficient as you'd need. But the execution is so cheap I would think it could be a good "pre-skimmer". My overflow down into the sump creates a lot of bubbles that are causing salt creep and such on the rim of the sump and down the front face...
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    Book recommendations.

    Agree with Mike, a good book or three read cover to cover is the best thing a person new to the hobby can do to have a solid foundation of knowledge from which to ask questions and understand the answers given. There are a lot of crazy things recommended by folks on the net and a lot of...
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    Float Switch

    I have been most pleased with the ones from autotopoff.com. I have the double switch models on 3 sumps, the airated reservour for the pump to the 3 sumps, and the tank I use for water change mixing (wife is very relieved I am not overflowing that one every time I collect enough RO for a water...
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    Hello new here!!

    Welcome! There are a lot of great brains here to pick.
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    What kind of test kits are being used?????

    Salfert I suspect if you had given salfert as an option it would have reduced the "other bar" to a nub
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    AutoTOpoff.com

    Use a small pump in your rubbermaid holding holding tank to drive water to the sump. Plug the pump into the switch rather than the solinoid. Then you can have a constant water level and only run your RO intermitently to save the membrane. I use the solinoids because I have the one bucket/pump...
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    AutoTOpoff.com

    Once you have it set up you may change your mind on just using it when gone. I have the double switchs on all my sumps and love how it keeps the salinity from fluctuating. They are very sensitive as mentioned and will click on and off with tiny amounts added at a time so it wont effect...
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    Are airstones bad for reef tanks?

    OMG I hadn't thought for years about all the layers of salt that used to build up on everything back when undergravel filters driven by airstones was all the filtration we had. I am SO old, hehe Can't I still keep the little ceramic mermaid tank decoration though? LOL
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    Additives

    I have a Calcium reactor running for Ca and alkalinity maintainence and a jug of CaCl and jar of kents buffer on the shelf just in case they get out of balance. Kaulkwasser drip or slurry method would replace the reactor if you rather go that way. I have test kits for Magnesium, Strontium, and...
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    auto top off

    I bought mine from Autotopoff.com a couple weeks ago and am very happy with them thus far. I got the double switches for safety. I have one switch that turns on a solenoid that fills the reservoir tank (5 gal bucket). There is a pump in the reservoir that circulates the water in the bucket. A...
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    Green water Problem

    Never do tank mantainence naked. Makes the caulerpa go sexual every time. The lion fish could be a problem too. I have some in the refuge at the moment that I'm going to take out as soon as I can find some Chaeto (on-line stores I've checked lately are all out of stock). About half of it...
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    Good or bad!!!!!

    Curtswearing, I can't hold it back any longer.... How long did it take you to photoshop those alien boobies to make them look like shrimp eyes :p
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    What does everyone do?

    Family Practice doctor 46yr old ( and happy mmkeeper and charlie kept me from being the oldest ) Old Guys Rule !!! I have a Tee shirt that says so so it must be right. I do have free samples of viagra but you can't have them without an office visit.
  14. C

    flow rate queastion

    My LFS says they can't get small tanks predrilled. You could likely have a glass store do it for you but they likely wont promise it wont shatter (is likely tempered glass). Your previous plan of doing it in a plastic container of some sort would still be a good choice and easy to make a hole...
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    flow rate queastion

    Opps, missed the part of less flow to refuge than sump. You would accomplish that overhead with a T on the pipe going up to the refuge. A gate valve would restrict flow to the tank from the T forcing the rest up to the refuge. With the under the tank design, the side of the T could go to the...
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    flow rate queastion

    Well, you are asking for a nightmare with any way you would try to go from sump to fuge with both on the floor. If the fuge pump stops and the sump keeps pumping to it you will have a big clean up job. If the sump pump fails then the refuge will empty up to tank and the return will overflow...
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    flow rate queastion

    OMG the images are huge !!!!! Oh well still so much to learn, hehe. at least they made it.
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    flow rate queastion

    Ok here goes nothing.... The manifolds are adapted form Anthony Calfo's discription of closed loop. In his book (Propagation of Reef Corals - a must read if you don't have it) the return comes up to a T and the water can circulate around a loop of PVC with T's every so often. My closed loop...
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    flow rate queastion

    I'll try a shoot a pic or 3 tonight. Fortunitely the tanks are in a wall and I have a room to access them from in the rear so I should be able to get good views. I covered the tank back with black posterboard, but left the portion with the overflow open to be able to see the plumbing.
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    flow rate queastion

    I'm guessing we have the same tank. The overflow compartment has two hole drilled. the larger one is for the "j" shaped tube that drains to the sump the other one is for the return. What I have done is run the gravity fed tube to the sump and have a mag 5 returning that via horizontal 3/4" pvc...
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