How often do you do water changes?

[EBJ]

I do roughly 30% every 2 - 3 weeks. Sometime I'll go a little longer. I would really like to set up an AWC system but there is no feasible way for me to get lines from my mixing station in the garage to the tank. I used to do the bucket method but that was a PITA. Ended up doing less water changes because of it. I bought a Python No Spill Clean and Fill and that made life a lot easier. I siphon to a drain outside of the garage and plug it into the pump on the fresh salt vat to fill.

Can you run RO tubing through the walls to the garage?

 

[Piper]

Can you run RO tubing through the walls to the garage?

Not without punching holes in drywall. My garage is on the front right side of the house. The tank is on the front left side of the house near a corner with two exterior walls. It's not a terribly long run but I would have 3 or 4 walls to go through to get there. I have yet to have RO tubing burst on me but I'm just not willing to chance that running through the walls. That would certainly lower the Wife Approval Factor (WAF) rating for the tank.

I suppose it's possible to set up sometime temporary that I can run overnight. I can run the hoses through the dog door and let it run all night. Clean it up the next morning I bought a Kamoer dosing head a while back to make my own wifi doser. It wouldn't tank much to turn two of these into an AWC device.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32963315731.html

 

[Meshmez]

Not without punching holes in drywall. My garage is on the front right side of the house. The tank is on the front left side of the house near a corner with two exterior walls. It's not a terribly long run but I would have 3 or 4 walls to go through to get there. I have yet to have RO tubing burst on me but I'm just not willing to chance that running through the walls. That would certainly lower the Wife Approval Factor (WAF) rating for the tank.

I suppose it's possible to set up sometime temporary that I can run overnight. I can run the hoses through the dog door and let it run all night. Clean it up the next morning I bought a Kamoer dosing head a while back to make my own wifi doser. It wouldn't tank much to turn two of these into an AWC device.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32963315731.html

Do you have a crawlspace? It would be pretty easy to run them through a crawlspace, then up into a wall. You can put a low voltage wall box in (think hdmi cable passthrough) and have it come through there. If you ever move the tank you just put a blank wallplate on. Alternatively there's the attic route with a similar wall situation, but that has a higher property damage risk in case of leaks.

 

[Piper]

Do you have a crawlspace? It would be pretty easy to run them through a crawlspace, then up into a wall. You can put a low voltage wall box in (think hdmi cable passthrough) and have it come through there. If you ever move the tank you just put a blank wallplate on. Alternatively there's the attic route with a similar wall situation, but that has a higher property damage risk in case of leaks.

Not where the tank is at. I just happened to pick the only room in the house that doesn't have a crawl space. I really need to get a journal going for this tank. I'll try to take some pics of the room it's in so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

[Coral reefer]

Do you have a crawlspace? It would be pretty easy to run them through a crawlspace, then up into a wall. You can put a low voltage wall box in (think hdmi cable passthrough) and have it come through there. If you ever move the tank you just put a blank wallplate on. Alternatively there's the attic route with a similar wall situation, but that has a higher property damage risk in case of leaks.

Always recommend putting a pvc conduit around the tubing to minimize chances of varmints estimate through the tubes.

 

[Meshmez]

Not where the tank is at. I just happened to pick the only room in the house that doesn't have a crawl space. I really need to get a journal going for this tank. I'll try to take some pics of the room it's in so you can see what I'm talking about.

If the room next to it has a crawlspace, and it shares a wall...

In general having the tank on a slab is better because you don't have to worry about the floor structure supporting the tank! haha

 

[EBJ]

I was thinking about running two tubes to my display tank from the garage. I'd have to go through the wall of the garage, under a cement walkway outside and then through the side of the house where the tank is. Haven't gotten around to it yet.

There's these bushings used for coax etc to help seal the hole left behind:

Amazon.com: Single Feed-Through Bushing, White, Pack of 100: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Single Feed-Through Bushing, White, Pack of 100: Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

 

[bspirou]

Algae Scrubber primarily, backed up with a skimmer that's on part of the time or it strips things out too much. For those times that I notice an issue a judicious use of GFO. Add to that a good clean up crew and my secret weapon ( a few big clams that filter a ton of nutrients and I rarely have an issue. I just checked my Phos and Nitrates today actually. Phos was at .02 and Nitrates at 5. My skimmers been off for 10 days.My tank also has way too many fish and I feed three times a day.

I have to admit though that it helps having a larger tank.

Is there a way to use a controller to monitor nitrates and phos, and have that automate the skimmer?

 

[ofzakaria]

Is there a way to use a controller to monitor nitrates and phos, and have that automate the skimmer?

There is no po4 auto tester yet. Ion director from ghl will have (among other) a nitrate test.

 

[Bruce Spiegelman]

Is there a way to use a controller to monitor nitrates and phos, and have that automate the skimmer?

Not yet, but the phosphate one is @Coral reefer 's holy grail, and he's right. A rise in phosphate is a tell tale sign somethings going on and nitrates will follow, etc. Or a decrease to zero can be worse. I think we will have a few options of nitrates in the next two years, but frankly it's not something I'd pay a huge amount for. Ot maybe I will just to have one of everything in my collection.

 

[Coral reefer]

I think you can get reefbot to do phosphate tests
And maybe alkatronic is making something that will be able to as well I think

 

[JVU]

If such a system existed, I would use phosphate measurements to control something more quantitative and direct, like refugium lighting time or carbon dosing. Skimmers don’t reduce phosphate (or nitrate) directly, they reduce their precursors before they break down. And they do lots of other important functions like oxygenation, pH stabilation, and potentially removal of other organics like toxins and decay products when something dies.