High Tide Aquatics

Kinetic's ELOS 120

Hmmm, so I calibrated the Neptune Lab Grade with #4 and #10, now it shows my pH at 8.22 while the hannah instruments one shows 8.53

Then I re-calibrated the hannah with the same #4 and #10, and now it's showing 8.06.

yikes, what's going on?

I used a new but hard to read Salifert pH kit, and it gave me something between 8 and 9 lol. didn't help.
 
Unless this unit is an odd outlyer, you want to calibrate with a pH 7 and pH 10/4 buffer solution.

Not sure if this makes sense to you (if not, I can whip up some graphs to further explain it), but you use pH 7 as a y-intercept correction and pH 4 or 10 (want to use 10 for reef use) as a slope correction. ..and it needs to be done in that order as well :)


Unfortunately, you cant reliably use RODI for pH7. It has no buffer capacity, so even the slightest amount of dissolved CO2 will make it slightly acidic.
 
I don't use Salifert kits, but I'm confused did you put 1mL of your 2 part solution in to test? Or tank water?

And to follow up with what Tony said, since pH is in no way linear you really want to calibrate it to two points as closer to your values as you can get, so that'd be 10.0 & 7.0 solution
 
sfsuphysics said:
I don't use Salifert kits, but I'm confused did you put 1mL of your 2 part solution in to test? Or tank water?

And to follow up with what Tony said, since pH is in no way linear you really want to calibrate it to two points as closer to your values as you can get, so that'd be 10.0 & 7.0 solution
Click to expand...

I didn't test anything with the 2 part solution? Just tank water like usual. I did add 20mL of B-ionic part 1 to my tank to up the ALK after reading it at 7dKH. That alone bumped the tank the next day up to 9dKH.

Yeah I accidentally ordered #4. Anyway, I made an order for 2 packs of #7 and #10 calibration fluid and will recalibrate when they get in. I also ordered another neptune lab grade pH probe because the Hanna might not be working well. The tip was dried out when I opened the Hanna, so that might be why it's off.

I also ordered two new test kits, ELOS Ca and ALK, just in case my saliferts are getting too old. Ca doesn't even register.
 
It is ok if tips dry out (not the end of the world). You just need to rehydrate them in pH 7 buffer for an hour or so. then re-calibrate and you should be good to go.
 
Gomer said:
It is ok if tips dry out (not the end of the world). You just need to rehydrate them in pH 7 buffer for an hour or so. then re-calibrate and you should be good to go.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I'll sit it in pH #7 when I get my packets from marinedepot on Thursday and then recalibrate.

I ordered #7 and #10 (2 of each just in case) to recalibrate all the probes.
 
Finally got my camera back from the shop. Also today, everything looks browned out =( My parameters seem fine with salifert / elos kits. Going to get a new ALK and Ca kit in the mail tomorrow, including some pH calibration fluid, so I'll double check. I think I bleached a stag as well, the cquarium unknown... is my light too strong? It's only 2x175watt 15K Iwasaki, but i did move the light to 5 inches above the water line. the corals getting less light seem to be coloring up more.

Here's some FTS:









Sea Hare's narrow escape from Vortech going at 3,000gph:

 
And here's some really cool stuff I picked up from Bryan and Ian over the weekend (browned out a bit in my tank, as everything, doh):









 
Talking to Ian today got me thinking. I ordered a bubble-magus doser that comes with three pumps today from http://www.reefshops.com/bm-to1-dosing-pump-3-channel-microprocessor-controlled-can-extend-to-7-channel-.html I think I'll do three part dosing (Ca, ALK, Mg) and sell my CaRx.

I'll probably mix a crapload of each solution, and dose from my basement. There's tons of space down there.

Then thinking about the basement, I'm thinking of maybe setting up a basement sump. All I would need is a large custom sump, and a new return to account for the new headloss. I'll then split my DC8, one in the basement, one up in the cabinet (for lights, vortech).

My chiller will then sit on the basement floor, which is consistently REALLY cool.

Not sure what kind of sump to go with, and how to design it. Maybe just a clone of a trigger systems ruby elite sump, but larger.
 
So my thoughts for the basement sump is, Fuge in the right chamber, skimmer / drain / equipment in the second, and return at the left end.

Refugium Chamber: 15" high, 20" long, 20" deep
- Overflows into skimmer chamber with opaque baffle with 3" notched teeth

Skimmer chamber: 12" high, 14" long, 20" deep
- Two filter sock holders
- Two drain holders
- 4x probe holders
- 5x 1/4" tubing holders
- Three piece bubble trap to return chamber

Return chamber: 9" high, 8" long, 20" deep
 
crap, I think my sea hare went through the vortech, completely cut up, one ear is almost totally gone, body is all squished badly, must have gone through the vortech =(
 
Sea Hare totally dead, really sad!!! I'm going to put those foam covers on the vortechs next time for sure. =(

Got an ELOS Ca test and an ELOS ALK (Carbonate Hardness) test. The ELOS Ca confirms 500ppm, even with regent D. Weird. The ALK test was consistently 1dKH off compared to the control regent that was at 7dKH. It seems like my salifert worked a lot better.

The Elos ALK test isn't very good, nor accurate at all. Salifert wins here. I'll probably pickup another salifert for ALK in the future.

The Elos Ca test is super complicated, you need to do it twice to get a more accurate (to 10ppm rather than 50ppm accuracy) reading.

Unless both these Ca tests (salifert and elos) are off, seems like my calcium is really high enough. I'll test Mg tomorrow again using an Elos kit.

Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 2ppm
ALK - 7.4dKH (salifert)
Ca - 500ppm (elos)
pH - 8.18 on one neptune aquatics lab grade (calibrated with #7 and #10), 8.08 on second probe (same setup)

So doesn't seem like anything's too far off. I'll go dose some B-Ionic part 1 to raise the ALK. I'll go with a 10mL for tonight, then 10mL in the morning, to see how it looks tomorrow night.
 
decided to measure magnesium, it's at 1600ppm with an ELOS test kit. Mg kit is a lot easier to use, the colors change very distinctly.
 
Probably ordering a new sump from Gen (Kritter Tanks) to replace my current one.

I'm modeling it off of the Trigger Systems Ruby ELITE 30" long one. Instead it will be 32", the fuge and return will be 1.25" shorter, the skimmer / drain chamber will be 3.25" longer.

The two drains will probably be one from the Display Tank, one from the chiller. The drain going into the Refugium will be from a GFO reactor.

I will have the usual 3 probe holder, and then next to it I'm asking Gen for a 6x1/4" rigid tubing holder, basically a holder with 5/8" holes, plus plastic screws that will fix them into place. 3 will be for Mg, Ca, and ALK. 2 will be for my auto water exchange module (drain and replenish). The last will just be in case I need something else. This will be nice, the I won't have a million suction cups.

I'm probably going to use a sponge + those new denitrator balls they're selling, just to try it out in that one baffle. Hopefully it'll allow enough flow.

What I don't know what to do is a topoff reservoir for the elos water level. I might just get a tiny container and have it sit somewhere, then top that off with my last LiterMeter III pump constantly.

I'm also making the sides of the fuge opaque so it doesn't spread algae to the other chambers.

Any suggetions ideas? Here's the links to the trigger system sump:

Ruby_36Elite.jpg


Ruby_30Elite2.jpg
 
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