my upgrade journal/journey

[UncommonSense]

thanks! for now the leaks are pretty well stopped. there is just one and it is so extremely slow i think i can relax a bit to figure out my next move. i got my husband to tighten them for me. i was holding my breath while he was doing it because i was just waiting for the plastic to snap! so heres what i think happened. first of all i was still trying to figure out why it is so loud. and here there are supposed to be 2 pipes in the overflow box. water is only supposed to be going down the center drain.

Aah, yeah… that will do it!

Hmm… I’m not sure if this box came with U shaped fittings to put on top of primary, and secondary standpipes…

— Either way, adding standpipes will make a significant difference in noise!

— see about getting those return pumps (2,000gph max flow each) turned down to near minimum flow, too! — assuming you haven’t already! (Lower flow rate = less noise!)

 

[UncommonSense]

so i installed the two pipes and now the overflow box is full of water. i think the weight caused it to leak. cause it wasnt leaking before. still havent got this fine tuned yet. one thing after another! lol. the thought of taking stuff apart to change the gaskets looks huge right now. but it might indeed be what i have to do

Ah, yes… this is the exterior gaskets leaking…

So, you’ll need four 3” ID bulkhead gaskets!

Try not to stress; everything decouples easily!

— You’ll just siphon 4-6” of water out of the tank into a holding container, disassemble/reassemble overflow box, and pump water back into the system!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

i ordered those gaskets @UncommonSense ! thank you!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

oops! maybe i ordered the wrong ones!

 

[UncommonSense]

oops! maybe i ordered the wrong ones!

The ones in the link are for a 2” (plumbing diameter) bulkhead, they are 3” inside diameter, to fit around the threaded body of a 2” (plumbing diameter) bulkhead fitting!

You’ll want four, not two like previously stated!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

so they are the right size i just need a couple more?

 

[UncommonSense]

so they are the right size i just need a couple more?

Yes, the gasket I linked is the correct size!

— You need four in total!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

tried ordering but they are out of stock! ill see if modular marine sells them

 

[UncommonSense]

tried ordering but they are out of stock! ill see if modular marine sells them

Here’s what I can find on Lifegard’s website:

https://lifegardaquatics.com/produc...ad-fittings-pack-of-10?variant=42261801074861
Just a 10 pack of gaskets, but this is likely around the same price as four individual gaskets!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

on a different note, im dealing with some uglies. any tips? it comes and goes. i have a good sized clean up crew. do i stir the sand up or leave it alone?

 

[BryanM]

on a different note, im dealing with some uglies. any tips? it comes and goes. i have a good sized clean up crew. do i stir the sand up or leave it alone?

Kinda depends on what it is. When does it come and go? If it disappears at night it could very well be dinos.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

it comes and goes all thru the day. one time ill look at it and ill think its finally leaving! then the next time i look, its back again!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

here are todays parameters. anything stand out?

 

[BryanM]

I'd like to see alk, but nothing earth shattering here. Calc and Mag are both a touch low, but I don't think this has anything to do with the algae issue. People will say phos is a little high and nitrates are a little low. Personally I'd like to see nitrates 10-20, phos .1-.3

 

[tharbin]

on a different note, im dealing with some uglies. any tips? it comes and goes. i have a good sized clean up crew. do i stir the sand up or leave it alone?

Since there is a lot of fresh and/or freshly cleaned sand in there it is most likely diatoms from excess silicates. It will go away. Your clean up crew will help and just time will help. I would not stir it as that just exposes more silicates.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

my alk doser is set at 9 i think

 

[tharbin]

here are todays parameters. anything stand out?

Are you doing any dosing? I agree that the Ca and Mg are a little low. I'd be fine with your S.G., Nitrate and Phosphate. I like to see the Ca above 400 and the Mg above 1300. They are probably depleting from coral growth. Do you test Alkalinity?

 

[smitten with ocean life]

yes i do dose all 4 reef. i can bump it up. i have an automatic tester/doser for the alk

 

[smitten with ocean life]

well, @UncommonSense , brs kindly sent me a new pressure gauge. i just installed it and it doesnt seem to work either! the needle doesnt move at all

 

[UncommonSense]

well, @UncommonSense , brs kindly sent me a new pressure gauge. i just installed it and it doesnt seem to work either! the needle doesnt move at all

will this do?

Aah! this is mistake! Clearly I was tired/in a hurry when I looked at this plumbing!


So, your second membrane add-on kit is installed in reverse from the first one, hence the unusual plumbing here…

— First of all, I see zero flow restrictor on the waste line of the second membrane, so it’s basically non-functional! — you’d want both membrane waste lines teed together into one waste line/one flow restrictor, or a correctly sized flow restrictor for each of the two waste lines… (for now, I recommend teeing both waste lines together prior to your existing flow restrictor!)

— The pressure gauge is currently on the product water side of the RO membrane (blue line) this will never exceed 40PSI (automatic shutoff switch turns off water supply at 40PSI RO product water line pressure)… this is why it’s reading zero!

— the pressure gauge, and associated tee should go on the RED line, before it goes into the first RO membrane!

I’m shocked at myself for missing that!