Blue Z Reef

Nice start! Any plans for lighting, stocking, etc? I’m in the same boat for my next build...hoarding and building/modding stuff. Takes longer than you think when you bring a tank home 🤣

PMd you about the SCA301. The CG160 skimmer has been great so far for my friend. It barely fit in his sump, these are pretty big overall, just under 8” wide to fit in his sump. This is an older pic while still breaking in but has been skimming great! Ive got the CG200 sitting in my garage, it’s a beast too! Haven’t fired it up yet though, other projects afoot LOL

A lot of areas in Portland (amazingly) have really good TDS ratings. What you should remember about TDS is it is simply a reading of the presence of something in the water in PPM, but doesn’t indicate if it’s good or bad. It’s always smart to start with the best and leave out the variables with water. At 24 TDS his membrane and filters likely will last longer. Resin exhausts based on membrane output TDS. Membranes are usually 96-98% rejection. Though that may seem like a small difference, if one outputs 2 TDS from your membrane and the other 4, your resin will theoretically last twice as long with the higher rejection membrane. Since I moved from Vancouver to Camas, my TDS went from 110 to about 50. I’ve noticed a huge reduction in resin use even though my membrane output TDS was only about 3-4 in Vancouver and reads 0 here in Camas (obviously there is TDS but the in-line meter isn’t accurate enough to detect currently).

Good to see that pressure come up! Have you measured/timed your waste vs product? Ideally your waste should be 3 or 4:1 (lots of factors including water quality/system/pressure/etc affects this). You should get the fast flush for flow restriction. I dont think any issues should arrise from heating the water as long as your storage container is clean. Just be a bit of a waste of energy is all but that’s your call. i don’t use any floats or anything on mine so can’t help out there (garage flood pro LOL).

Are all the whites flickering together at the same time? Seems like that would suggest a driver issue on that channel. Only time I’ve ever had any sort of flickering issues was when using the low amp channel on a ReefKeeper as the timer for a single channel of black box LEDs. You are in a different situation with the programmable head unit though. No idea on what the pulsing effect would have on corals and their coloration/growth. I would assume it wouldn’t be good especially if you can visibly see it (most lighting does flicker but at a speed not detectable by the human eye). overall I’ve been pleased with my Hydra 52, I’m sure you will like it much more!

Your methods...are too extreme!!! joking aside, there is lots that influences growth. I noticed better PE when I dosed Acropower in the past. Hard to say how much it actually affected growth, but maybe give it a shot. Sounds like the rest of your system is fine.

Sorry, based on reviews since you don’t have a booster pump get a 600. I use an 800 on mine but use a booster pump. the flush part of it is just a little black valve you turn. All it’s doing is changing the oriface size. So you go from wide open (which is what you have now and is typically used to flush out the membrane prior to use for 15 mins) to restricting to 600ml flow rate output on waste. This will up your pressure a bit and cut the waste out down to an acceptable level. make sense? Do some reading on it but I thought all systems came with them...I know mine did.

They just go on the outlet line. The fast flush one is better if you don’t have a flush kit which appears you don’t.

Don’t worry about the 77 degree part, that’s only for “ideal” conditions. If you have it on a faucet you can adjust to around that temp and also enjoy the benefit of warm water if making for a water change. If not, don’t sweat it. 45PSI isn’t bad. Sounds like you just need a flow restrictor on the waste. If you are 100gpd then you want an 800ml one.

So you should either have one of these: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/membrane-flush-valve.html OR Something like this: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reverse-osmosis-flow-restrictor.html

The manual states for ideal rejection rates you need 50 PSI at 77 degrees. Definitely check your pressure. Do you have a flow restrictor installed on your waste output line?

I’ve never checked my waste TDS but it will be higher than your incoming as you are mixing flushing water (higher tds) with all the rejected TDS resulting in higher TDS then you had incoming. For drinking you want the water after your membrane but before the DI.

Have you watched the video tour of JF’s place? He uses primarily blue spectrum and actinic for his systems and small amounts of white. I would guess that if you put it under all ATI B+ and Reefbrite XHO for 10-12 hours a day the color would change back. I believe that’s what his systems primarily consist of.

Something sounds wrong, waaaay wrong if you are having a 1:10 product to waste ratio. What membrane are you running? Do you have a pressure gauge to tell what pressure you are getting? If I had to guess, I would assume your waste flow restrictor is either wrong for your membrane or not present. What system are you using? Ive debaited using the waste for the garden but usually just have my waste line go to the yard to water the bushes or lawn.

I knew a guy who used to raise seahorses locally, he told me people would ask him about raising babies all the time. He basically just told everyone no to trying to raise them. It takes a complete setup, food growout setup (for live food the fry need), and a ton of time on your end (he basically came home and worked on them for a few hours after work and did before going to work every AM, plus monitoring in between). Given clowns are a bit “easier” to raise than seahorses, but I don’t think most people are setup for the endeavor or understand how much it actually takes. If I was you, I would ignore it unless you are serious about setting up some sort of growout system and researching what is required. It takes a lot more than just tossing them in a separate tank. It’s more of a fun idea than a reality for most.

Sounds like you found a winner. I was looking seriously at the Klir 7” sock size one but after basically all the reviews being terrible I figured these weren’t as good as they sounded. Most reported the mat getting stuck and the motor not being able to turn it through the channels. Not sure how I would be able to use one in my sump as it’s setup from the factory Eshopps R300 if it wasn’t a drop in style 😞

I’ve still got my bottle if you are in a bind and want to come grab a dose of it over here in Camas. Can’t meet up to deliver today, full time Daddy duty for the weekend 🤪 Detox is the only heavy metal remover that I’m aware of. Until Triton started doing the ICP testing we didn’t really have anything to test metals with aside from copper. I didn’t do a before/after test but it’s reviewed online to work. Figured when my heater blew up and no other parameters seemed out of whack it was the best thing to do.

I had a glass one pop open and my tank basically crashed. I moved everything out into a hospital tank and re-cycled my tank and used Triton Detox to remove any heavy metals. Let your corals guide you though, it was obvious in my tank something got in the water column, everything closed up and was pissed. I would at a minimum do a large water change. Maybe consider running Detox, it doesn’t hurt corals or fish.

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg587/bluezreef/F1C467EC-3A98-43D2-B6DF-24B4FB5D15DB_zpsczwexyfz.jpg Ive got a 40B already converted into a sump. Has a 7” sock holder in one corner with larger skimmer area, center section is for return pump, and last section was intended to be a pump fed fuge. I’m in Vancouver area though but if you want to trek out here I’d let it go for $60. The silicon job isn’t great but all the acrylic is cut to size so if you wanted you could always redo it.

When I said extension, I was meaning one of these: SIM&NAT 20AWG 10Ft 2.1mm x 5.5mm Male to Female DC Extension Wire Power Jack Adapter Barrel Plug Cable, Extension Wire for CCTV Security Camera, DVR, HDVD, LED Strip Light, Low Voltage Application … https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GPK0H4M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RiXFCbX96AV1D not sure what size your connector is but verify first, that’s just an example.

Always loved space invader! Also looks like it’s trying for the kill shot LOL

As long as you use the same gauge wire as the wires inside and have good solder connections, you won’t have any issues adding length. Have you looked for an extension? Does one end have a barrel connector? The little Black barrel looking part is a Ferrite Core (also called a Choke). It is to reduce or get rid of electrical interference or “noise” (cables with power running through them can act like antennas and interfere with other electronics or vise versa).

I need to get my plumbing for my new build...definitely down for a group buy if they still do them also!

Hey reefers! I’m always on the lookout for deals and DIYs that can save us all some cash (we all know this hobby is expensive as it is..)! I randomly stumbled upon this skimmer on eBay while searching for one for my friends tank. The main thing I was drawn to was the body shape, nice smooth wine glass like we are used to seeing on most higher end skimmers (and now trickling down). I figured even if the pump sucked, I could retrofit it with something else. Here’s the limited stats listed on the add: Quiet operation with powerful & fast internal 50W DC pumps Easy water level adjustment with an unique spiral design Needle wheel system producing small, compact bubbles for greater cleaning efficiency DC powered pump made with a durable zirconium axis Specification: Type: Protein Skimmer Model: CG-160 Tank Capacity: Up to 140 Gallons Water Flow Rate: 680gal/hr (2600L/hr) Water Type: Marine Filter Location: Internal Pump Power: 50W, DC Powered Voltage: 110V/220V (Transformer Build-In) Color: White/Clear Dimension: 20.3"H x 14.7"L x 7.4"W (53cm x 36cm x 19cm) The only photos shown in the listing were these CAD drawings, so I had no idea what to really expect, was a bit of a gamble! I waited till the last second and bid! Won it for....an amazing....$100 shipping included! I figured this was cheap enough to totally roll the dice on, so I waited for it to show up. Just an FYI, the seller has these for BIN $200 all the time but seems to put them up for bid at $100 regularly... Seems the guy doesn’t like me getting such a deal and priced them up $10 haha: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F362554541925 It showed up about a week later. The guy paid $36 to ship the beast! LOL Overall I am super impressed with it! It has a lot of nice details. It isn’t super thick walled like that of a Vertex or Reef Octopus, but the collection cup has some flex and seems sturdy overall (molded instead of acrylic tube I believe). It is able to be completely disassembled via plastic screws on the base (one thing I wish my Vertex did!). Lid is a short 1/4 twist to remove, sealed with an oring. The only part that I find a bit weird is the inlet to the skimmer from the pump. It is rubber all the way, a bit awkward to put in but likely won’t bother most once in use (this is nice if it needs a pump retrofit in the future however!). Also has a drain for the cup with ball valve (similar to that of the Red Sea skimmers that just came out). Here’s some pics of it when it arrived. I put it through a vinegar bath for a few days, definitely a must, some black dust seems to have come off of somewhere but wiped out fine after the bath. Always clean your stuff first! Pump was slightly noisy at first but calmed down and is quiet as I would expect a DC pump to be. At 50% power it is silent, starts to get the DC hum once you move higher into the power range (also, I had it in a Rubbermaid with an uneven bottom so we’ll see how it fairs in a sump). Controller also has feed mode with 10/20/30 min intervals. My friend is traveling and back this coming week, will update this as it is put into service on his tank! It is replacing an SCA301, which is dwarfed in comparison to this puppy! I was so impressed I bought the CG200 model to have as a backup/spare skimmer around! Paid a whopping $110 for that one today. I believe the only difference is the body diameter is slightly larger (uses same pump).

Thanks for the offer, I have some in the garage too, was just curious. My tanks are all open in the back so that might be worse than any noise getting out the front haha