Help me with Upgrading my 240 please

[slim2324]

Okay so I have a an 300g system with a 240 8ft x2ft x2ft dt. I want to put a controller, auto filter roller and aquawiz as a combo. I can’t keep the ph or alk locked in on my own. I lost so much money on corals because of the swings. I want to take my tank to the next level , frugally. I’ve been reefing for just over a year but decided to take it seriously the last 6 months or so. Give me your opinion but also show me your tank and proof that you know what you’re doing. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bruttall]

What type controller are you looking at? I have the APEX Neptune system and I am really happy with it. It controls the little bit of Dosing I have to do to maintain stability.

Stabilizing PH is super simple. Run an air line from outside your house into your skimmer air intake, or into an air pump and run air stones in your sump. This should stabilize your PH at about 8.1. it did for me. I run a $40 air pump into 4 stones in my sump, only because sometimes I inject Ozone into my skimmer air intake.

I am not a fan of roller filters, or socks either or. I do not run them on my system. I barely run any floss type filtration at all. Instead I use the Triton Method for my Sump, water goes thru Biological Media (I use Seachem Matrix)/activated charcoal, then Cheato, then into the skimmer, then back to the tank.

 

[slim2324]

I was looking at hydros x3 Or maybe apex jr I have filter floss that I use and I’m tired of having to change it every few days. Same with socks. I have a heavy fish load. My tank has been up for 2
almost 3 years. Mostly fish only.

 

[Bruttall]

300g display, 125g DIY Sump, mixed reef, around 40 to 45 fish. My bio-load is so insane I have to build skimmers for my system.
In fact here is a link to the skimmer build I am doing. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/skimmer-for-300g.1093029/

You should maybe peek my build thread and fishroom. And start one of your own. build thread.

 

[Bruttall]

I get the hating changing floss. so why not just eliminate it from your system? There are a ton of No Mechanical Filtration tanks out there thriving, and since your not growing high end SPS corals, do you need that clean of a system?

 

[slim2324]

300g display, 125g DIY Sump, mixed reef, around 40 to 45 fish. My bio-load is so insane I have to build skimmers for my system.
In fact here is a link to the skimmer build I am doing. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/skimmer-for-300g.1093029/

You should maybe peek my build thread and fishroom. And start one of your own. build thread.

I want to start a thread but idk. My tank has been running for a while now. Maybe I’ll do one for my journey of great water quality and frugality in the hobby.

 

[exnisstech]

Give me your opinion but also show me your tank and proof that you know what you’re doing. Thanks in advance.

My opinion? Worrying about pH is a waste of time unless your trying to get faster SPS growth. Alkalinity is easily maintained by dosing your choice of many products available. Unless you travel a controller is not necessary.
A fleece roller is nice but they can strip the water of good stuff as well as bad. I'll let mine overflow once in a while.
Mesh socks are much easier to clean than felt socks.

I wouldn't say I know what I'm doing but I'm constantly learning and trying to improve.

I dosed kalk on this tank for about 6 years. I have no idea what the pH was. I used socks. No controller

I moved to this tank over a year and a half ago. I manually dose ESV 2 part. I have no idea what the pH is. I run socks. No controller.

This tank ran several years on 2part manually dosed. No controller & no idea about pH. Socks were used.

This tank runs on AFR dosed manually. Occasionally I'll run some floss if I'm scraping the glass or blowing off the rocks. No controller and no idea of the pH level.

This tank has a filter roller and I have AFR on a doser. No controller. pH ran 7.6 - 7.9 for over 2 years. I added a skimmer in August and now my pH is running 8.1 - 8.3

This is the tank before i added a skimmer that increased pH levels.

This is the tank currently. I am seeing faster growth with the higher pH levels. Still no controller.

I have no problem maintaining alk using kalk, 2 part or AFR. I've found higher pH will increase the growth rate of stoney corals but isn't necessary. Dosing manually or with a dosing pump works fine depending on what alk supplement you choose.

I started this tank a few months ago to try my hand at keeping filter feeders. I have no filtration other than floss when i clean the glass and rocks. I have no idea what NO3, PO4, alkalinity, or pH levels are. Obviously no controller here either.

EDIT: I'm not familiar with the aquawiz .

 

[Uncle99]

I don’t need no controllers, or expensive tech.
Just a set of good test kits, regular testing, and constantly working towards the least flux achievable in parameters.

Mother nature does the rest.

 

[nickm]

Okay so I have a an 300g system with a 240 8ft x2ft x2ft dt. I want to put a controller, auto filter roller and aquawiz as a combo. I can’t keep the ph or alk locked in on my own. I lost so much money on corals because of the swings. I want to take my tank to the next level , frugally. I’ve been reefing for just over a year but decided to take it seriously the last 6 months or so. Give me your opinion but also show me your tank and proof that you know what you’re doing. Thanks in advance.

I started with a used GHL P4, GHL Maxi doser, and bought a new Geo’s Reef KalkRx. Best combo on the market. And this was a newb reefer setup. I was like you I started big with a 240dt and sump probably another 60g.

 

[n2585722]

I have the Hydros system controlling my tank and my mixing station. I have quite a bit of automation. The Hydros does an alkalinity test 4 times a day and I dose a KH buffer dependent on the test results. I use a X10 and an iV to run the test. I also do auto water changes 4 time a day an hour after the alkalinity test. The dosing of All For Reef and the KH buffer are schedule after the water change completes also 4 times a day. The Hydros also controls temp and does ATO. It also controls the pumps and skimmer. I don't use a roller since there is no room for one in my sump. I have a build thread on here and you can get to it by clicking the "My Tank Thread" banner on one of my post. The Hydros info starts on page 6 post # 119. I had a Archon controller before and slowly switched over to Hydros and even then started with it in the garage at my mixing station. I started with the X4 starter kit but now I would go with either the Launch or the X4, XP8 Pro Pack. The X4, XP8 Pro Pack has 2 controllers in it and a command bus cable and 2 terminators along with a temp sensor and pH probe. So it has everything you need to create a collective with the 2 controllers. A collective is like having a larger controller with the some of all inputs and outputs of all member controllers. I have 15 controllers in my larger collective. When CoraVue came out with new features I would post about them in the build thread and how I used the new features. There are lots of screenshots of the settings in the collective along with explanations. If you have not not used the Hydros you may want to take a look and check out what it can do. If you have any questions ask. There is an adapter kit to hook up a Klir roller to the Hydros.

 

[slim2324]

Give me your opinion but also show me your tank and proof that you know what you’re doing. Thanks in advance.

My opinion? Worrying about pH is a waste of time unless your trying to get faster SPS growth. Alkalinity is easily maintained by dosing your choice of many products available. Unless you travel a controller is not necessary.
A fleece roller is nice but they can strip the water of good stuff as well as bad. I'll let mine overflow once in a while.
Mesh socks are much easier to clean than felt socks.

I wouldn't say I know what I'm doing but I'm constantly learning and trying to improve.

I dosed kalk on this tank for about 6 years. I have no idea what the pH was. I used socks. No controller

I moved to this tank over a year and a half ago. I manually dose ESV 2 part. I have no idea what the pH is. I run socks. No controller.

This tank ran several years on 2part manually dosed. No controller & no idea about pH. Socks were used.

This tank runs on AFR dosed manually. Occasionally I'll run some floss if I'm scraping the glass or blowing off the rocks. No controller and no idea of the pH level.

This tank has a filter roller and I have AFR on a doser. No controller. pH ran 7.6 - 7.9 for over 2 years. I added a skimmer in August and now my pH is running 8.1 - 8.3

This is the tank before i added a skimmer that increased pH levels.

This is the tank currently. I am seeing faster growth with the higher pH levels. Still no controller.

I have no problem maintaining alk using kalk, 2 part or AFR. I've found higher pH will increase the growth rate of stoney corals but isn't necessary. Dosing manually or with a dosing pump works fine depending on what alk supplement you choose.

I started this tank a few months ago to try my hand at keeping filter feeders. I have no filtration other than floss when i clean the glass and rocks. I have no idea what NO3, PO4, alkalinity, or pH levels are. Obviously no controller here either.

EDIT: I'm not familiar with the aquawiz .

I have been dosing afr still and kalk.. it’s still not controlled like how I want for a sps dominant tank. I gotta keep changing the dosing amount daily. Which I understand means that things are growing but I have twin babies that need a lot of attention. That’s why I want to automate

 

[exnisstech]

I have been dosing afr still and kalk.. it’s still not controlled like how I want for a sps dominant tank. I gotta keep changing the dosing amount daily. Which I understand means that things are growing but I have twin babies that need a lot of attention. That’s why I want to automate

As a grandfather of twins I totally understand. I'm retired and have nothing but time to kill.
I'm not too sure how well auto testing and auto dosing for alkalinity is going these days. IIRC @VintageReefer did have an auto kalk test and dose set up on his system. Perhaps he will stop by and share his method.

 

[X-37B]

On a tank that size I would run a carx and Kalk.
My 150 running a geo 818, no ph probe or controller and a Kamoer controlling kalk drip and the carx.
The kalk helps offset the low effluent ph of the carx.
My system is 1.5 year old.

The only controllers I use are for temp, ozone, powerheads and the Kamoers.

Take a look at Sea Sweeps or the new ORCA for water movement.
Only 2 powerheads in my 60×30×21.

 

[VintageReefer]

As a grandfather of twins I totally understand. I'm retired and have nothing but time to kill.
I'm not too sure how well auto testing and auto dosing for alkalinity is going these days. IIRC @VintageReefer did have an auto kalk test and dose set up on his system. Perhaps he will stop by and share his method.

You can automate alkalinity with a KH Guardian for 400$ it will test every 4 hours and determine how much sodium bicarbonate solution to add. If the tank doesn’t need any, it skips dosing. Lots of safety features in the software to prevent overdose, and good modern hardware tech - optical drip count sensors, magnetic stirrer, etc.

No App! Can access from web browser on any WiFi device if you get a WiFi bridge for 25$. Has built in onboard dc jack to power the wifi bridge so you don’t use an extra outlet.

Reagent is $20 and lasts 2 month when testing 6x a day/night.

 

[VintageReefer]

Alkalinity is what fluctuates the fastest and needs to be kept stable and precise

Calming find is more forgiving and slower to change and just needs to be kept above 400. You can have the kh guardian control alkalinity 24x7 and then once a week add calcium and trace.

 

[slim2324]

Okay so I have a an 300g system with a 240 8ft x2ft x2ft dt. I want to put a controller, auto filter roller and aquawiz as a combo. I can’t keep the ph or alk locked in on my own. I lost so much money on corals because of the swings. I want to take my tank to the next level , frugally. I’ve been reefing for just over a year but decided to take it seriously the last 6 months or so. Give me your opinion but also show me your tank and proof that you know what you’re doing. Thanks in advance.

I started with a used GHL P4, GHL Maxi doser, and bought a new Geo’s Reef KalkRx. Best combo on the market. And this was a newb reefer setup. I was like you I started big with a 240dt and sump probably another 60g.

I was looking into getting a kalk reactor. Right now I have a 2.5 g bucket that I run my ato through that I put kalk in that and just add 6-8 grams daily. I’m tired of doing that everyday too. Plus like I said I have 1 yr old twins and they are always on the look out of dad and what I’m doing. I have to sneak and add it so they not around. I don’t want them to inhale and dust

 

[slim2324]

Alkalinity is what fluctuates the fastest and needs to be kept stable and precise

Calming find is more forgiving and slower to change and just needs to be kept above 400. You can have the kh guardian control alkalinity 24x7 and then once a week add calcium and trace.

Oh I never heard of that. I’ll look into it. I just want it to be less hands on.

 

[slim2324]

As a grandfather of twins I totally understand. I'm retired and have nothing but time to kill.
I'm not too sure how well auto testing and auto dosing for alkalinity is going these days. IIRC @VintageReefer did have an auto kalk test and dose set up on his system. Perhaps he will stop by and share his method.

You can automate alkalinity with a KH Guardian for 400$ it will test every 4 hours and determine how much sodium bicarbonate solution to add. If the tank doesn’t need any, it skips dosing. Lots of safety features in the software to prevent overdose, and good modern hardware tech - optical drip count sensors, magnetic stirrer, etc.

No App! Can access from web browser on any WiFi device if you get a WiFi bridge for 25$. Has built in onboard dc jack to power the wifi bridge so you don’t use an extra outlet.

Reagent is $20 and lasts 2 month when testing 6x a day/night.

I will look into that. I just don’t want to keep buying reagents. That’s why I was looking into aquawiz. Just the one cost of initial payment. But I’m open to all suggestions. It’s all education if nothing else. I appreciate everyone’s time for reading and responding including yours

 

[nickm]

As a grandfather of twins I totally understand. I'm retired and have nothing but time to kill.
I'm not too sure how well auto testing and auto dosing for alkalinity is going these days. IIRC @VintageReefer did have an auto kalk test and dose set up on his system. Perhaps he will stop by and share his method.

Yes the aquawiz would be a must purchase if I didn’t have the GHL KHD, the KHD tests for alk. I would not automate corrections though. I would rather increase the drip rate with a doser and check again 24hrs later.

 

[slim2324]

As a grandfather of twins I totally understand. I'm retired and have nothing but time to kill.
I'm not too sure how well auto testing and auto dosing for alkalinity is going these days. IIRC @VintageReefer did have an auto kalk test and dose set up on his system. Perhaps he will stop by and share his method.

You can automate alkalinity with a KH Guardian for 400$ it will test every 4 hours and determine how much sodium bicarbonate solution to add. If the tank doesn’t need any, it skips dosing. Lots of safety features in the software to prevent overdose, and good modern hardware tech - optical drip count sensors, magnetic stirrer, etc.

No App! Can access from web browser on any WiFi device if you get a WiFi bridge for 25$. Has built in onboard dc jack to power the wifi bridge so you don’t use an extra outlet.

Reagent is $20 and lasts 2 month when testing 6x a day/night.

I will look into that. I just don’t want to keep buying reagents. That’s why I was looking into aquawiz. Just the one cost of initial payment. But I’m open to all suggestions. It’s all education if nothing else. I appreciate everyone’s time for reading and responding including yours

Yes the aquawiz would be a must purchase if I didn’t have the GHL KHD, the KHD tests for alk.

How long you been reefing