Kris’ 390g Drop of Ocean

[Skimmy]

wow, that looks really awesome kris!!!
love the rockwork and black back

and are you seriously planning a bk skimmer for this system?

 

[krisfal]

and are you seriously planning a bk skimmer for this system?

I have tried to do everything "right" this time around and not scrimp on equipment (except buying used where I can). Whatever skimmer I end up with I want to be sure that it is more than adequate, I do not want to save money and then regret my decision. I am open to suggestions on skimmers.

 

[tamarindthai]

i was very close to get 250BK supermerin,it is the great skimmer no doubt,,but am i really needed,will is improved my skimming(no),i need more food for my corals,,BK will take out all the goodies for my corals and will break down O2 so much< for the system,,so that why it stop me from getting it,,just my 2cent.

 

[trido]

i was very close to get 250BK supermerin,it is the great skimmer no doubt,,but am i really needed,will is improved my skimming(no),i need more food for my corals,,BK will take out all the goodies for my corals and will break down O2 so much< for the system,,so that why it stop me from getting it,,just my 2cent.

I dont know........ Jan has a new BK on her new system and the corals are looking pretty darned good. Awesome to be more specific. I surely dont have any bragging rights over her tank.

Whatever you get Kris, make sure its plug and play. I sure like my BM250 but dont like the restart issues that come with the threadwheel impellars.

 

[NC2WA]

Kris,

I have a H&S 250 model rated for 700 gallons. You saw how much gunk was pulled out when you visited. Depends on what your bio load is going to be. I plan on restocking my tank with more fish than coral, hence the decision to go with the skimmer I have.

 

[krisfal]

Duane,
I have to agree Jan's tank looked sweet when I was over there. It will probably take a strong argument to change my plan from the BK, but I am always willing to listen

 

[Jan]

Kris, you will not be disappointed if you buy a BK. It's a lot of money to invest but I've been through a half-dozen skimmers in my first 18 months in the hobby, and have learned that it's cheaper in the long run to buy a great-quality skimmer like a BK (or an H&S for that matter) from the start. I believe the BK out-performs the H&S but they are both excellent. If you would like a referral to the vendor who sells both (all German models) and can advise on pros/cons, performance stats etc., shoot me a pm and I'll give you his contact info. He's great; customer service par excellence which includes post-sale support.

 

[Bricky]

I've been running a BK400 internal on my tank and love the thing. They're a really nice skimmer and you can buy one local at Barrier Reef and get support from a local store.

 

[krisfal]

Well the BK is making a strong showing here But not sure how we sidetracked back to the skimmer topic (ok, I do know . . . Mark!).

Anyway the purchase of the upgraded skimmer is at least a month out, But I got to say that little Octopus is kicking a$$ on the new tank. I gave it a good cleaning with vinegar when I transferred it. I used to have to empty the collection cup 1x weekly, now I am doing it every 2-3 days!

Right now I am focused on figuring out the ins and outs of maintaining my Ca and Alk. Mark gave me the run down on the CaRX when I picked it up from Jan so I am not concerned about getting it running. But I am looking for a place to pick up some CO2, I hope to find a place that will rent the canister and provide the CO2. Anybody know of a place in the Puyallup/Tacoma/Federal Way areas?

Also I have been reading about CaRX and Water chemistry (read Mojoreef's entire thread on water chemistry over the weekend) But I am still at a loss to understand why many choose to use Kalk in addition to running a CaRX, don't they both do the same thing?

 

[krisfal]

Well then . . . how about some pictures?

My messy "behind the scenes". I will be using a lot of zip ties this weekend to get the octopus of wires under control.



Light Rack-I loved it this weekend when I was gluing in frags, a few twist of the mechanism and the lights were up so I could get in the tank.



Top off storage and ballast rack



Entire wall with panels installed. I wish I could get a real good picture of the faux rock finish, you all will just have to come see it, looks much better in person!



Full tank shot . . . see there are a few fish in there!

 

[trido]

Ok, I knew I was supposed to post something worthwile in this thread a day or so ago.

A kalk reactor:
Raises your Ph
Is limited to evaporation
Known to help remove PO4
Can potentially nuke your tank if something goes wrong
Needs to be refilled every so often. Mine requires about once a month but its very small

A Ca reactor:
Lowers Ph
Is known to add PO4
doesnt depend on evaporation
can be set up with a controller and almost forgotten about.

With a high Ca. demand system most reefers quickly outgrow a Kalk reactor.
Some reefers refuse to use a Kalk reactor due to the risk of nuking involved. I however, feel that if failsafes are in place, its almost impossible.
Some reefers use both reactors to help offset the negatives of the other. You can definately get away with one or the other in most cases. I use both for the offsets and it also allows me to be a bit lazy when I notice one of the reactor not performing up to par. As a matter of fact. Id better go fill my kalk, its been empty for four days. Im sure my Dkh and Ca. are creeping down this week.
If you were to use only one, I would recommend the Ca reactor for sure.

Im sure there are a few more pros and cons but that pretty much sums it up.
Hope that helps

 

[krisfal]

Ok, I knew I was supposed to post something worthwile in this thread a day or so ago.

A kalk reactor:
Raises your Ph
Is limited to evaporation
Known to help remove PO4
Can potentially nuke your tank if something goes wrong
Needs to be refilled every so often. Mine requires about once a month but its very small

A Ca reactor:
Lowers Ph
Is known to add PO4
doesnt depend on evaporation
can be set up with a controller and almost forgotten about.

With a high Ca. demand system most reefers quickly outgrow a Kalk reactor.
Some reefers refuse to use a Kalk reactor due to the risk of nuking involved. I however, feel that if failsafes are in place, its almost impossible.
Some reefers use both reactors to help offset the negatives of the other. You can definately get away with one or the other in most cases. I use both for the offsets and it also allows me to be a bit lazy when I notice one of the reactor not performing up to par. As a matter of fact. Id better go fill my kalk, its been empty for four days. Im sure my Dkh and Ca. are creeping down this week.
If you were to use only one, I would recommend the Ca reactor for sure.

Im sure there are a few more pros and cons but that pretty much sums it up.
Hope that helps

Thank you Trido!! That helps immensely!

 

[Jan]

There's some kalk-lore in zeoville, which is that systems that use kalk for a few years end up with PO4 sequestered in their substrate and rocks. Something about kalk being added to systems causes it to deposit there. The issue for people striving for ultra low nutrient systems is that the PO4 if sequestered in rockwork will begin to leach out when the level of PO4 in the water column is lower than in the rockwork (I suppose that's the reason). Whenever people complain "OMG, I'm getting algae all over my rocks!" the first question asked is, "Do you, or have you used Kalk in your system?" Eventually it will work itself out but it can take as long as 9 months.

 

[Jan]

By the way, your system looks awesome! I had no idea what you were putting together over there! I knew it was going to be big, but your viewing windows and faux rock wall and everything are positively inspired! (please excuse all the exclamation points...I'm just impressed.)

 

[krisfal]

By the way, your system looks awesome! I had no idea what you were putting together over there! I knew it was going to be big, but your viewing windows and faux rock wall and everything are positively inspired! (please excuse all the exclamation points...I'm just impressed.)

Thank you Jan, coming from you that is quite the compliment. You have an impressive set up yourself!

Hmmm . . . your kalk-lore explanation is interesting. My original live rock was bought "used" and I have fought algae and cyano problems all along. I would not be surprised if the reefer I bought it from used kalk. Wonder if that has been part of the issue all along. We will have to see. I am not the most diligent reefer when it comes to water changes, which is why I am setting this system up to make water changes much easier (no buckets, except the one with salt in it). Could you provide any links that would delve into this theory?

Thanks,

 

[Jan]

Kris, I opened a thread about this PO4 sequestration on the zeovit forum in an attempt to get the info. consolidated in a single thread. Right now there are references to this phenomenon all over that forum. Anyway if you are interested you can watch this thread and see if a succinct explanation is posted:

http://www.zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?p=142805#post142805

 

[krisfal]

Thanks Jan, I will check it out.

Well as of yesterday I am officially down to one operating tank!!

At one point I had four tanks running, I am looking forward to focusing my energy into making this tank into a beautiful SPS reef.

 

[krisfal]

Got the Calcium Reactor hooked up to CO2 this weekend, finally. Hopefully this will be the trick to really getting my coral to grow. I am haphazard at best with dosing so I need something that will do it for me!

Also did my first 50 gallon water change. My water change system still is not fully hooked up (need to run pipe from barrel back to sump) so I still had to pump the water back into the sump. But no buckets, no sucking on hoses and bam, 10 minutes and it was done. I really wish there was a back-flipping smiley to insert here. I am so glad to be done hauling buckets of saltwater outside!

 

[NC2WA]

Kris,

Doesn't it feel good not to have to carry any buckets?? I will NEVER go back to hauling buckets again.



Kirk

 

[trido]

Mag 12, a couple turns of a couple valves, flip a few switches , 10 minutes, 80 gallon water change. Dont even get wet hands. The only way to go. Your almost there Kris.