Cali Kid Corals

Alex’s IM 150 EXT

I wonder why kalk gets pushed as such a great thing here and it's not popular in European countries. Could it be the original source of it before, likely had higher concentration of impurities? Even here in the states, not all kalk is considered good for using in reef tanks because of impurities.
 
ReyDeFarts said:
I wonder why kalk gets pushed as such a great thing here and it's not popular in European countries. Could it be the original source of it before, likely had higher concentration of impurities? Even here in the states, not all kalk is considered good for using in reef tanks because of impurities.
Click to expand...

Not a huge patriot of my former homeland but impurities in these products would not be the issue :), which is why the best reef salt currently come from Germany (arguably :)). Again, it was pushed as a highly recommended practive in Europe several years ago, but not any more, which was my main point that everyone wonders there why it is so popular in the US (which made me nervous). Anyway, hopefully there is more explanation/lessons learned on this for our benefit, and we can then decide to continue that etc. I decided I would not do it anymore (for now).
 
Contrary to previous considerations, I have just added a dual gyre setup consisting of a Hydros Wave Engine and two XF350 gyres, vertically mounted on each corner. I had several areas with dead spots and hope this will eliminate them eventually. Unfortunately, I was not able to connect the Hydros to the two MP40s yet, so will need to do more research why this was not successful despite following instructions.

IMG_1523.jpeg
IMG_1524.jpeg
 
Will initiate another biome push, by adding the following (feel free to judge, but I already bought all of this :)) - more pictures to follow when things arrive:
  1. 1 gallon Dinkins copepods
  2. Aquaforest Life Source - to get rid of the remaining Dinos on the sand, based on my previous good experience I had with this product contributing to the rather rapid removal of dinos/prorocentrums in my nano tank, and others ancecdotal evidence. I would not recommend this in general, but it worked for me so I will use this again.
  3. 10 lbs Tampa Bay live sand - this hurt me as I did not want to buy from them ever again based on previous bad experience, but seemed like the best live sand option. But do not order from them if you can.
  4. 15lbs KP Aquatics premium live rock - great folks, I complained recently to them that everytime they sent me a notification at 2 am PST that their premium rock is available again it was sold out by 6 am or 7 am when I woke up. They will iniate a separate order for me potentially this week. Love this.
 
Last edited:
Part 1 of the biome push initiative - 1/2 gallon in the refugium, the other 1/2 in the DT.

- if you order from them, the coupon code is macksreef which will give you 10% off -

IMG_6489.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Turkeysammich said:
Welcome to the world of automation. It’s a wonderful place. The tech is addictive
Click to expand...
Just a pump controller, not really automation :), And actually I dislike it, because of false advertisement. It states it can control MP40s but it cannot, at least not the new ones. There are parts of this hobby that are really unprofessional - this is just another example.
 
psidriven said:
for dinos, try live sand from Kenny at high tide. seemed to work for me and a good excuse to browse his livestock.
Click to expand...
Kenny gave me some of his sand several weeks ago but unfortunately, it did not help. Not sure which type of dinos you had, I have LCAs, maybe it was more effective against a different type, or just not enough (hence my 10 lbs approach :)).
 
Love the CO2 scrubber power, but the issue with the basic BRS scrubber was that the media dried out to frequently and lost its power, unless I added a teaspoon of water every day. So I replaced this basic scrubber this week with the one that fit my Octopus skimmer, including the recirculating design of the new skimmer cover which keeps the media humid.

Unfortunately, I had to turn it down a bit today because PH breached 8.4 which was higher than I wanted it for now :). Great problem to have.

IMG_1534.jpeg
IMG_1535.jpeg
 
I might need to get one for my Octo skimmer. My pH suffered dramatically this winter from the windows being closed all the time. Still trying to determine if drilling a hole through my house for fresh air is effective enough or if I should just go the CO2 scrubber route.
 
CaseyP said:
I might need to get one for my Octo skimmer. My pH suffered dramatically this winter from the windows being closed all the time. Still trying to determine if drilling a hole through my house for fresh air is effective enough or if I should just go the CO2 scrubber route.
Click to expand...

Same problem. And I know first hand you are great in drilling, and I am not :). I am using this setup for my 200 int Elite and the fit is fantastic. The remaining question I have though is if this recirculating system will also work with ozone, my next project.
 
Alexander1312 said:
Love the CO2 scrubber power, but the issue with the basic BRS scrubber was that the media dried out to frequently and lost its power, unless I added a teaspoon of water every day. So I replaced this basic scrubber this week with the one that fit my Octopus skimmer, including the recirculating design of the new skimmer cover which keeps the media humid.

Unfortunately, I had to turn it down a bit today because PH breached 8.4 which was higher than I wanted it for now :). Great problem to have.

View attachment 55420View attachment 55421
Click to expand...

Get a Solenoid to automatically open when pH gets to 8.4 and above to pull room air instead of scrubbed air. I used a 1/2” US Solid motorized solenoid that I got off Amazon. Also, you can pull from any humid air source and not just from the skimmer, ATO container (as long as it’s not completely air tight), a sump compartment that has a lid, external fuge, etc. Water is required for the limestone and CO2 reaction, but more importantly, the humid air allows better penetration of water to the middle of the media.

Post in thread 'Randy’s Innovative Marine 75 Ext'
https://www.bareefers.org/forum/threads/randy’s-innovative-marine-75-ext.32907/post-488514
 
RandyC said:
Get a Solenoid to automatically open when pH gets to 8.4 and above to pull room air instead of scrubbed air. I used a 1/2” US Solid motorized solenoid that I got off Amazon. Also, you can pull from any humid air source and not just from the skimmer, ATO container (as long as it’s not completely air tight), a sump compartment that has a lid, external fuge, etc. Water is required for the limestone and CO2 reaction, but more importantly, the humid air allows better penetration of water to the middle of the media.

Post in thread 'Randy’s Innovative Marine 75 Ext'
https://www.bareefers.org/forum/threads/randy’s-innovative-marine-75-ext.32907/post-488514
Click to expand...
Thank you, Yes, that solenoid is something I have been looking into but would then need an APEX plug to make this work, I assume. Also, not sure which size would fit the hose.
 
Never had this level of PH when dosing Kalkwasser (not anymore). I recognize there are also cost benefits with Kalkwasser, but from a PH perspective, CO2 is what seems to matter by far the most (my Alk is around 7.5 at the moment). Very impressed with the CO2 scrubber.

IMG_1541.jpeg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top