Core7 initial starting dose (75 gallon total volume)

[Reefahholic]

Well it sounds like you're dealing with a new tank here so none of this should be an issue in the long run once you're dose increases. But I see what you're saying for now when the dose is super low. I always found it strange that Triton provides a starting dose. IMO that make no sense whatsoever. The starting dose should simply be the required dose to maintain what ever dkh you're targeting (7-8). The stage and coral composition of tanks makes it impossible to give a starting dose like this IMO.

Absolutely agree! Once it gets going I’ll convert to full strength. If I had a 250/G system I would not dilute it. You get my point now.

Yeah, the starting dose really makes no sense. That dose should be based off that particular systems demand. I guess to sell a product people want to know where to start. The last time I started I tried to find the potency of Triton to compare to BRS 2-part, but was unsuccessful finding it. So I used “their starting dose” of 2mL per 26.4/G. Things didn’t go very well and that’s why this time I really dove into it. So yeah, every tank has a different demand. They probably took an “average dKH demand” of hundreds of tanks and came up with a number that was slightly lower than the average. Who knows.


A better option would have been if your dosing (X) mL’s daily...find the percentage difference of your solution Vs Core7 and start at that dose.

 

[Reefahholic]

Oh and I run a CO2 reactor to keep PH in the range of 8.1-8.4. This has a BIG impact on alk consumption (and presumably growth unless some of it is due to precipitation at higher PH).

Yeah, that’s my next investment (when I get the money). Although I’m also currently dosing 510mL Kalk daily and it’s keeping pH at about 8.2 or higher during the peak photo period. However, I’m seeing large swings at night and cannot combat that until I get a doser that can dose multiple times at night as well. GHL can only drop x8 doses manually. I’ve already spoke with them about it as well as many others.

 

[Reefahholic]

CMO, do you recommend a particular CO2 Scrubber? Looks like Justin tapped out. I was gonna ask him.

 

[CMO]

CMO, do you recommend a particular CO2 Scrubber? Looks like Justin tapped out. I was gonna ask him.

Really I'd just say get the biggest one you can fit in your space to reduce the maintenance of refilling media. But I've used pretty much all of the BRS scrubbers including the Jumbo ones and liked them all. And actually, while not listed as a CO2 scrubber I like the dual stage Carbon / GFO reactor at the link below and am using that on my new frag tank (only difference is the hose fitting sizes which are easy to convert). I switch out one canister at a time while moving them left to right to keep track and fully exhaust the media instead of changing both together. I especially like this because it helps prevent PH swings when the media get's exhausted in one canister. Once your tank's consumption increases a drop in PH from exhausted CO2 media can actually have a big impact in your required core 7 dose to maintain target dkh (which is annoying to deal with - thus the dual stage...)

BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor - Dual

Easy to use, setup and maintain. Perfect for utilizing GFO and Carbon in the aquarium. No annoying thumb screws and leaky lids like other reactors. BRS recommends a Sicce Syncra 1.5 pump to operate this reactor. Sold separately or packaged with the pump. Choose a different pump depending on...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

The biggest hurdle with a CO2 reactor is finding a setup that gives you a nice steady flow of moisture but without being too wet (which is also bad). On my display I was able to accomplish this by plumbing into my skimmer cup but on my frag tank (which has a larger skimmer) it's sucking in too much moisture when plumbed into my skimmer cup so I found another solution that works perfectly (shown in photo below). You just have to get creative and keep tweaking until you get the right moisture content. It's an absolute pain to be filling the reactors with water every few days if you don't do something like this. The media lasts several months at a time when kept slightly damp but only a few weeks without.

I also added a valve after the reactor which helps dial in a PH level if you're over shooting. My PH was getting over 8.5 when full closed off which is too high and just creates precipitation IMO. By opening the valve it both extends the media life and helps target a lower PH if needed.

Display Scrubber Setup:

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Frag Tank Scrubber Setup:

 

[justingraham]

I use two Brs ones using recirculating air from the skimmer

And my stability is documented is take a look at my dkh again in a day it was 7.83-7.87 a .04 swing

The reason I dose a gallon of kalk is I know exactly what I’m dosing

my co2 scrubber running it the way I do last a month and a half

the way you’re doing it Ibeleive ur going to do the opposite of stability dosing 24/7 gave me the worse dkh swing you have to follow the way your tank consumes alk just saying I want to dose 160 times a day because that is what a calcium reactor does is silly if your really worried about stability my way is stable which I’m trying to show you but you rather do it your way so there is nothing wrong with that but I’m just trying to save you time and show u the right way to do it your worried way to much about numbers that don’t matter

 

[Reefahholic]

Well, I kinda planned to get the Jumbo, but can’t really justify that price. So maybe I’ll just get the regular and rig a CMO special. :)

Nice setup up and if it’s accomplishing the objective...no need to change it up.

 

[Reefahholic]

Justin is back! :-)

I use two Brs ones using recirculating air from the skimmer

And my stability is documented is take a look at my dkh again in a day it was 7.83-7.87 a .04 swing

The reason I dose a gallon of kalk is I know exactly what I’m dosing

my co2 scrubber running it the way I do last a month and a half

the way you’re doing it Ibeleive ur going to do the opposite of stability dosing 24/7 gave me the worse dkh swing you have to follow the way your tank consumes alk just saying I want to dose 160 times a day because that is what a calcium reactor does is silly if your really worried about stability my way is stable which I’m trying to show you but you rather do it your way so there is nothing wrong with that but I’m just trying to save you time and show u the right way to do it your worried way to much about numbers that don’t matter

 

[Reefahholic]

Justin is back! :-)

Like I was telling CMO, unfortunately my doser limits me and I’m not a rich man. Of course they’re are always better ways and I’m open-minded to anything that is more stable as long as I can do it with the equipment I currently have. My GHL doser limits me to 8X manual doses a day, but allows 150x automatic doses which are calculated at about every 10-12 minutes if I remember correctly the last time I looked at my full program. With that said...tell me the Justin way that will grow basketball size Acro’s!

 

[Reefahholic]

@justingraham I will need full pictures sir If I’m going to follow you’re setup.

I wanna know your tanks age and see the FTS before we proceed further. :-) HaHa

Joking aside, I do wanna see pictures of how you plumbed you’re scrubber compared to CMO.

 

[Reefahholic]

Why do you need to dose a gallon of Kalk, run a CO2 scrubber, and Core7 all at the same time? You can’t achieve 8.3 with Core7 and the scrubber alone?

I could achieve 8.3 with just Kalk if I turned up my dose and lowered the frequency.

 

[justingraham]

Why do you need to dose a gallon of Kalk, run a CO2 scrubber, and Core7 all at the same time? You can’t achieve 8.3 with Core7 and the scrubber alone?

I could achieve 8.3 with just Kalk if I turned up my dose and lowered the frequency.

Money reasons core 7 can get expensive esp when your consuming 2dkh a day

Tanks three years old I’m in the middle of rearranging the main tank but my frag tank could buy a car with

An I only set the times to dose between and the amount since adding kalk I went from dosing 30ml a day of core 7 to ten

 

[Reefahholic]

Nice Justin....you have some serious fire in that frag tank!

Money reasons core 7 can get expensive esp when your consuming 2dkh a day

Tanks three years old I’m in the middle of rearranging the main tank but my frag tank could buy a car with

An I only set the times to dose between and the amount since adding kalk I went from dosing 30ml a day of core 7 to ten

 

[Reefahholic]

Can you take some detailed pictures of your scrubber? I pretty much know how I’m gonna do mine, but still gathering ideas for the best solution being that the recirculating route can end in disaster If you’re not careful, yet the original way burns through all your media too rapidly.

 

[CMO]

Can you take some detailed pictures of your scrubber? I pretty much know how I’m gonna do mine, but still gathering ideas for the best solution being that the recirculating route can end in disaster If you’re not careful, yet the original way burns through all your media too rapidly.

Simple solution to that. It wasn't shown in my pictures above but I have another hole drilled in the back of my skimmer cup with a drain line below the level of the air intake port. If the skimmer were to ever overflow it would 1st be stopped by my level switch but if that fails it would just drain back into the tank instead of being sucked through the CO2 media.

For my frag tank setup there was no need for that as it would be impossible for the water level to rise to the intake.

 

[Reefahholic]

Simple solution to that. It wasn't shown in my pictures above but I have another hole drilled in the back of my skimmer cup with a drain line below the level of the air intake port. If the skimmer were to ever overflow it would 1st be stopped by my level switch but if that fails it would just drain back into the tank instead of being sucked through the CO2 media.

For my frag tank setup there was no need for that as it would be impossible for the water level to rise to the intake.

Excellent idea!

 

[justingraham]

I just suck the air from my Skimate locker no good way for me to drill into my lid as I have a wiper

the blue thing is a Skimate trap just incase it gets sucked in it doesn’t go into the media

 

[Reefahholic]

I just suck the air from my Skimate locker no good way for me to drill into my lid as I have a wiper

the blue thing is a Skimate trap just incase it gets sucked in it doesn’t go into the media

Interesting. I’ll likely drill into my lid, but I do have a manual wiper on my Deltec so not sure how I will do it yet. I only need a 3/8” hole.

 

[CMO]

Going in the side of the cup is also an option if you need to. Just use a drill bit made for acrylic and go slowly instead of fast like drilling wood. You want to carve the acrylic vs. "drill" it.

 

[Reefahholic]

Going in the side of the cup is also an option if you need to. Just use a drill bit made for acrylic and go slowly instead of fast like drilling wood. You want to carve the acrylic vs. "drill" it.

Exactly, I have acrylic bits and man do they make a difference. It’s like cutting through butter. Will probably drill the side as well for the CMO failsafe!

 

[Reefahholic]

I get all my acrylic bits from eplastics:

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