Reefmat using 9 feet a day

[sprungson]

Actually not 12 inches. It went down all the way to 8 inches yesterday lol. Heres a screenshot.

I feed 3-4 times a day too with a big bioload for rsr 525g2

Four tangs
3 wrasses
Dwarf angel
2 clowns
Fox face
3 anthias

 

[arafas]

One 17um roll lasts me 5 months running an X-Filter.
Not sure what goes on with these ReefMats.

Wow thats a lot even though your roll is twice as long but still. I mean mine slowly decreasing the usage material and assuming it will get better as time goes by. Also depends how high is the filter which I heard makes a big difference.

 

[sprungson]

Wow thats a lot even though your roll is twice as long but still. I mean mine slowly decreasing the usage material and assuming it will get better as time goes by. Also depends how high is the filter which I heard makes a big difference.

Honestly I don't think it matters too much how high it is. For me it was what was going on with the tank.

After Bacteria bloom done went to 30 inch a day
I noticed that my wavemakers was blowing sand up, and I adjusted the flow placement and it went to 8 inches (I'm guessing sand)

 

[NotoriousDMC]

Not sure exactly whats going on but you are diving into dangerous territory with nitrates dropping like that. Its obviously removing a ton of stuff but with a new tank and low nitrates phosphates your cooking up a dino bloom.

Not super familiar with the reef Matt but if there is a way to bypass it somewhat I would do that right away. I don't ever like seeing nitrates go below 5 at the very low end and I Usually aim for around 15

Agree completely. I wish RS had provided a valve like my old ClariSea to allow some water to bypass as IME filter rollers + skimmer + fuge + carbon dosing will bring nutrients way down. I’ve started (last night actually) turning off auto advance at night and letting it overflow overnight.

 

[sprungson]

Agree completely. I wish RS had provided a valve like my old ClariSea to allow some water to bypass as IME filter rollers + skimmer + fuge + carbon dosing will bring nutrients way down. I’ve started (last night actually) turning off auto advance at night and letting it overflow overnight.

Nah. Mine was just an bacteria bloom with macro bacteria eating up nutrients. It's gone. I never turned off reefmat. I used my existing rock from another tank, no concerns with dino. Nitrates back up after algae bloom.

Every tank different

 

[NotoriousDMC]

Nah. Mine was just an bacteria bloom with macro bacteria eating up nutrients. It's gone. I never turned off reefmat. I used my existing rock from another tank, no concerns with dino. Nitrates back up after algae bloom.

Every tank different

I was agreeing with the point about bypassing the Reefmat. Not sure Red Sea wouldn’t have added such a simple feature.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I was agreeing with the point about bypassing the Reefmat. Not sure Red Sea wouldn’t have added such a simple feature.

Ahh, the X-Filters have vortex bypasses, which let that sort of thing (pods, bacterial, etc) through unimpeded whilst keeping particles suspended for the roller mat to filter.

That probably explains the big difference in media usage.

 

[sprungson]

I was agreeing with the point about bypassing the Reefmat. Not sure Red Sea wouldn’t have added such a simple feature.

Why don't you just turn off auto advance and then just manual advance or turn auto back on at a later date. Is that the functionality you're looking for?

 

[NotoriousDMC]

Why don't you just turn off auto advance and then just manual advance or turn auto back on at a later date. Is that the functionality you're looking for?

I did. The ClariSea just had a valve allowing water to bypass the filter roller. Was a nice feature and odd Red Sea didn’t include. NBD.

 

[G’sReef]

I started a 525XL 2 weeks ago (tank transfer about 10 fishes). My reefmat was averaging about a foot a day, all of a sudden past two days it's gone up to 9 feet yesterday.

I've been dosing nopox for about a week. Only thing that changed in the past two days was my nitrate went from 12ppm to 0.5ppm. Tank is not cloudy

What size ReefMat are you using? I have the same tank and currently have a 500(unopened). Not sure if it’s big enough and need to upgrade.

 

[sprungson]

What size ReefMat are you using? I have the same tank and currently have a 500(unopened). Not sure if it’s big enough and need to upgrade.

Reefmat 1200. Going through a roll a month. The 500 is probably too small

 

[G’sReef]

Reefmat 1200. Going through a roll a month. The 500 is probably too small

Eating up a lot of space in your sump? Still room for a refugium?

 

[sprungson]

Eating up a lot of space in your sump? Still room for a refugium?

If you remove the ATO, theres enough room for refugium. I have an algae reactor (pax bellum N-24)

 

[gbroadbridge]

Reefmat 1200. Going through a roll a month. The 500 is probably too small

How long are the rolls?

My X-filter one is about half way through a roll, and it's been going for 4 months.

Thats a 60 meter roll.

Does the reef mat have a venturi bypass to avoid trapping stuff like pods that you don't want to filter?

 

[sprungson]

How long are the rolls?

My X-filter one is about half way through a roll, and it's been going for 4 months.

Thats a 60 meter roll.

Does the reef mat have a venturi bypass to avoid trapping stuff like pods that you don't want to filter?

My tank is only 3 months old. It tends to use a lot when I had bacteria blooms. I've had about 3 blooms as I was playing around with nopox, I also added rocks, and I also switched out a rock I didn't like. If I didn't do those things, I think I would have gotten away with probably 1 roll in 3 months. But unfortunately, when I had those blooms, I was going through 100 inches a day

 

[gbroadbridge]

My tank is only 3 months old. It tends to use a lot when I had bacteria blooms. I've had about 3 blooms as I was playing around with nopox, I also added rocks, and I also switched out a rock I didn't like. If I didn't do those things, I think I would have gotten away with probably 1 roll in 3 months. But unfortunately, when I had those blooms, I was going through 100 inches a day

Yes, when I was setting up this tank I had filter clogging bacteria too, but I was running socks at the time.

You may find you get 6 months out of a roll when the tank settles, assuming 60 meter rolls.

Good thing too, as the 60 metre roll costs me $50 each.

It's the only option for me as I go away for 4 weeks frequently, and that and a kH keeper keep the tank running when I'm away.

 

[G’sReef]

If you remove the ATO, theres enough room for refugium. I have an algae reactor (pax bellum N-24)

Ok I got rid of the stock ATO a long time ago and I currently run a refugium. Don’t wanna lose it. I’ve been fighting algae issues for several months.

 

[brandon429]

@gbroadbridge

in scanning this thread I'm seeing in increased expenditure of roll material based on nitrate readings

I don't own a roller mat/haven't read them other than a cursory read that all they're doing is exposing fresh/non channeled surface area to wastewater to pick up detritus, that's their sole function, a physical catch? and as that section of contact area clogs/gets channeled by particulate aggregates/the roller moves into place a new/clean section

I read that these are not chemical adsorbing pads they're physical catchment of waste is that correct? the rollermats which contact wastewater don't have nitrate-removing abilities is that correct

and then after gaining that clarification, I want to know what nitrate test kit here is in play such that we believe the levels enough to be making this much impactful change to filtration of common detritus in a reef tank. in nitrate test kit comparison threads, the results per kit brandname range often even off the same water sample/different kits ran by the tank owner and posted.

I'm trying to determine if anything bad can actually happen from a roller mat running at excessive speed (can you really have too little particulate organic matter? we see bare bottom, high flow, zero storage sps and live rock antler tanks all the time. carrying a nice fish bioload helps offset too little nitrogen availability from compacted waste stores)

I'm trying to determine what would actually change in a reef tank if we didn't use a rollermat machine, there would be more detritus? heck anyone without a bare bottom is storing massive detritus loads in sand, why wait for it to traverse the water column and wind up in an expensive catchment mat setup...go barebottom, high flow, high intercept rate through one sock or two? these machines are not wasting money/they're beneficial?

 

[sprungson]

Ok I got rid of the stock ATO a long time ago and I currently run a refugium. Don’t wanna lose it. I’ve been fighting algae issues for several months.

Here's a pic. I think there is plenty of room

 

[brandon429]

very nice setup.


as I learn about roller mats and see their positioning in scale, I have this additional question: if that roller mat isn't preventing attachment of waste in other substrate, is it helping?

if you take out a few pounds of your live rock and set them in a white paint bucket of clean new saltwater and twist them about sharply midwater, sharp fast twisting, for 1 straight minute how much detritus comes off and lines the bottom of the tank

if there is any sand zone in the display, if you reach in and grab a handful and drop it down/does it not make a massive cloud of waste well up in the water?

I'm attempting to discern if the rollermat is preventing alternate waste settlement, and if it's not, how does removing just a fractional portion of detritus accomplish this shocking change in nitrate without chemical adsorption media