Oscillating circulation pump for Biocube 29

[MGScott]

I have a BC29 that is my 1st reef tank. I got the Coralife Circulation pump for it, but want one that oscillates (a wave maker?). Any suggestions? The Coralife doesn't seem all that powerful, frankly

Also, I had a 55 gal marine (just fish) in the 90s, so am used to just mixing salt in 5 gal buckets. But now everyone offers RO water. What IS reverse osmosis water, and is it really better than just making your own with a 5 gal bucket of water with Kent salt a couple days beforehand?

Michael

 

[saltyphish]

I run 2 of the 425's in my 29 G Biocube.Hydor Koralia Nano Circulation Pump/Powerhead. Nothing special but they work you can get a controller for them if you want wave action.

 

[racin2438]

I have a Korelia wavemaker controller if you want...pm for details.

 

[Rjramos]

Hi Michael! And welcome to the reef hobby!
I got a BC 29 running beautifully right now, and I can give you some nice ideas on getting it reef ready. Here's what I did.

1. Changed the CL pump for the MJ1200 (295gph).
2. Changed the return nozzle inside the tank to one of these;

It's a nozzle that oscillates with the water pressure. Water goes everywhere, even a light ripple on the surface water!
3. Added a small powerhead for additional circulation inside, opposite the return nozzle.
I also change the filtration, and added a small protein skimmer, and changed the lighting, let me know if you need additional info.
The reason you need RO water for evaporation loss and salt mixes is mainly because, tap water contains many impurities that although not necessarily harmful to fish can be very detrimental to coral health and growth. Some particular impurity sometimes found high for reef aquaria in tap water is nitrate,

 

[Rjramos]

Oops, nitrate and phosphate are problematic in reef aquaria. Let me know if you need any other help.
Here's a pic of my BC29

 

[mcarroll]

I have a BC29 that is my 1st reef tank. I got the Coralife Circulation pump for it, but want one that oscillates (a wave maker?). Any suggestions? The Coralife doesn't seem all that powerful, frankly

Also, I had a 55 gal marine (just fish) in the 90s, so am used to just mixing salt in 5 gal buckets. But now everyone offers RO water. What IS reverse osmosis water, and is it really better than just making your own with a 5 gal bucket of water with Kent salt a couple days beforehand?

If you plan to keep stony coral, then using RODI water is pretty mandatory. Using tap water can be done, but I would consider it an expert level move since it can complicate dosing.

RODI = Reverse Osmosis-Deionization
Reverse Osmosis is a type of mechanical filter that works at the molecular level. It uses water pressure from the tap to force water through a rubber mat that has water-molecule-sized holes punched in it. It's very good at removing minerals from water, but there are some things likely to be in tap water that are water-molecule-sized or even smaller. This is why there is usually a final stage (or more) of deionization after the reverse osmosis membrane.

Deionization uses a "mixed bed" of plastic beads that are made to have a strong positive or negative ionic charge, causing any ionic substances to bond to the filter media.

Also, if you're mixing salt at home, whenever possible just mix it right before you use it. When the mix water clears, it's ready to use. (I'd consider switching to Instant Ocean.) Here's a couple of videos I made to show that it literally takes five minutes to mix a bucket of saltwater - even manually!

[video=youtube_share;BrjKlm0YkYE]http://youtu.be/BrjKlm0YkYE[/video]

[video=youtube_share;NaMi4PhgivQ]http://youtu.be/NaMi4PhgivQ[/video]

 

[MGScott]

I do plan on replacing the pump with the MJ1200. I don't know how easy it will be to disconnect the old one / connect the MJ1200 yet - I haven't looked. I assume that I can just unscrew the pump from the nozzle. I'm curious what you are using to make your new nozzle oscillate? To be clear... it moves back and forth like an oscillating fan, right?

I have the Coralife protein skimmer installed, but eventually plan on replacing it and the bioballs with a mediabasket, and a Tunz 9001 skimmer. That way, I can move the heater to where the Coralife Skimmer is now.

My end goal is to have both the nozzle from the pump, and a circulation pump (or 2) that all oscillate (move back and forth automatically, like a fan). The more I look though, the more I suspect that "wavemakers" just adjust water flow, and do NOT oscillate back and forth. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

I need to find out whether the RO water where I bought my tank is pre-salted or not.

Michael

 

[Rjramos]

The mj1200 is easy to install. Same size hose barb. The nozzle I am referring to is made by Hydor called nanoFLO rotating return nozzle. Doesn't ocillate like a fan, it spins with water pressure. I have seen another model that does occillate back and forth though.They also make the small koralia Nano pump which is what I have in there too. If you haven't done so, check out inTank media baskets, they have a bunch of nice products for nanos and great to get ideas on what you want.

 

[MGScott]

Is this what you are referring to :

http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-Rotatin...s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1425341967&sr=1-13

The mj1200 is easy to install. Same size hose barb. The nozzle I am referring to is made by Hydor called nanoFLO rotating return nozzle. Doesn't ocillate like a fan, it spins with water pressure. I have seen another model that does occillate back and forth though.They also make the small koralia Nano pump which is what I have in there too. If you haven't done so, check out inTank media baskets, they have a bunch of nice products for nanos and great to get ideas on what you want.

 

[Rjramos]

That's it [emoji4]

 

[MGScott]

I'm ordering the MJ1200 and your Hydor nozzle today. I'll wait until I try it out before replacing the Coralife Circulation Pump.

I know about the media basket, and when I move (and can get better access to the back of the tank) I may put that in (along with an Tunze 9001). Though the media basket looks an awful lot like my old Fluval canister filter I used on my tanks in the 90s (1 100 gal fresh, 1 20 gal fresh, and 1 55 gal marine that was just fish and a moray eel). I may opt to get a canister filter instead (I understand Fluval is no longer in vogue, and that Eheim are the popular ones now). That way I don't have to take an exacto-knife to the inside of that chamber, and may explore putting plants back there instead (I forget the term... it wasn't around in the 90s).

Thanks for all your help... there's a lot to catch up on, after being out of the hobby for so long. And again, this is my first time dealing with live rock and coral.

Michael

 

[mcarroll]

To me their relative popularity seems about the same today as then.

While canisters can mindfully be used in reefing, they're not generally recommended due to detritus issues. For a typically-loaded canister, you'd need to do a clean out about weekly to avoid it becoming a nutrient problem.

Don't take that as advocating the xacto route tho! Just keep in mind that it couldn't be a typical setup - minimal-to-no mechanical filtration unless it's on the inlet from the tank where you can easily give it a weekly rinse-out.

Macro algae or maybe even better, an algae scrubber, might be the best route.

I think you'll like the Hydor FLO, btw.

 

[MGScott]

Interesting point on the Canister Filter. I did clean mine out once a month back in the 90s. But your comment implies that I should be cleaning out the bioball chamber often then, for the exact same reason. I was just planning on rinsing out the pad on top every other week. Should I vacuum the bioball chamber every so often?

 

[Rjramos]

Interesting point on the Canister Filter. I did clean mine out once a month back in the 90s. But your comment implies that I should be cleaning out the bioball chamber often then, for the exact same reason. I was just planning on rinsing out the pad on top every other week. Should I vacuum the bioball chamber every so often?

The reason for regular maintenance on a canister is due mainly to the mechanical filtration within... The pad gets clogged with detritus, which requires regular cleaning(open the canister, clean, restart).The reason the bioballs( trickle filter) are not ideal is not detritus, but the aerobic bacteria that inhabit the bioballs break down ammonia and nitrites, but leave nitrate as an end product, ok for fish not good for corals. Ideally, you want a pad that sits on top of your media basket and is easy to change out or clean 1-2x per week.

 

[mcarroll]

[...]Ideally, you want a pad that sits on top of your media basket and is easy to change out or clean 1-2x per week.

+1 - if you're going to have any mechanical filtration, easy-to-change is the key.


Really just a side point, but the conversion to nitrate that happens in the bio-layer (bio-balls, rocks, whatever) actually isn't a problem. The amount of nitrate that ends up in your tank is dictated by the amount of food you put in - not the filtration method that breaks it down.

If your live rock's capacity to convert nitrate to N2 gas (effectively eliminating it from the tank) plus your water change rate are exceeded and you have nitrates building up - don't blame the bio-balls, blame the feeder.

 

[mcarroll]

Interesting point on the Canister Filter. I did clean mine out once a month back in the 90s. But your comment implies that I should be cleaning out the bioball chamber often then, for the exact same reason. I was just planning on rinsing out the pad on top every other week. Should I vacuum the bioball chamber every so often?

If the pad does a decent job and it gets cleaned as often as it gets dirty (could be daily, could take a week or two), need for vacuuming (or maybe a blowout with a powerhead) should be very minimal. Do plan on some though. A clogged pad generates nitrate AND bypasses detritus to the biochamber.

 

[MGScott]

As for feeding, I only have 2 small clowns in the tank, so am only feeding them every 2-3 days. I'm experimenting with what they like - so far I've tried flake, frozen mysis shrimp (a quarter of a cube), and live brine (1-2 tablespoons full, including water). Whatever hits the bottom is taken care of by my cleaner crew (sand sifter star, 3 hermit crabs, 3 reg snails, and 3 sand sifter snails).

Eventually I may get a fire fish or two, and maybe even a mandarin goby, but currently, I'm just concentrating on keeping the corals I have healthy (a red mushroom fragment, a red button polyp, a green velvet zoa, a caulerpa, a green toadstook, and a green star polyp). I will eventually get a red linckia star as well, but am waiting until the live rock / tank is more mature. It's only been running for about 2 months.

I just got an MJ1200 Powerhead that I will be putting in this weekend, to replace the stock pump, along with a Hydor Flo rotating head deflector to replace the stock one. I'm hoping that'll make the coral's happier. If it works out well, I may replace the Coralife Circulation Pump on the other side of the tank with something similar.

Michael