Saltgator's 240 Build

Saltgator · May 17, 2014

Thanks bud. Gonna try and find some lr in town so there is no die off from shipped lr. Will order online if needed.

Saltgator · May 18, 2014

Not sure (hoping I'm not jinxing(?) myself but corals are looking happy. Possibly because I cut the po4 or whatever my rocks have in half when I pulled the rocks.

schooleyosis · May 18, 2014

That's awesome man. I really hope that the new rock will help!

Saltgator · May 18, 2014

Thanks bud. We'll see. I'm digging the openness too. Making me really rethink the scape.

schooleyosis · May 18, 2014

Cool. Could be a blessing in disguise!

Saltgator · May 28, 2014

Figured I'd give some kinda update. Rock that I took out turned white and no dead smell any longer so I began the cycle with them. Ordered and used a bacteria starter and also added about 100 pounds of sand to cycle too. The rock, sand and bacteria has been in since Sunday so got some time to go.

As far as the tank goes:
Changed out the gfo again, completely just removed the socks, started to wet skim. Still cutting back on the feedings, reduced the lighting times. No changes and this junk just keeps coming on strong. Tested my ro/di yesterday: tds in are 550+, tds without di are 42, with di is 02. I realize di need changing again (di was changed less than a month ago). My di only last between 120-200 gallons. I tested my ro/di because I'm trying to rule out my ro membrane. I'm thinking of trying to get a great picture of my enemy (the algae) and sending it to places like reefcleaners.org . I just want to have my tank back!!!

Aquaph8 · May 28, 2014

Good deal man, I hope it all works out for you. Keep us posted.

Saltgator · May 28, 2014

Thanks Brett. Question, could co2 that's not driven off in my top off water be fueling this? Never mind, guess the protein skimmer would cure that. Here yall go.

schooleyosis · May 28, 2014

Wow, that TDS into the unit is like 5 times as much as what I get. I'd definitely make sure your membrane is doing it's job. That seems awfully fast to be going through DI resin.

You can look all over Spectrapure's website for calculations and information on RO/DI and how they should operate. Basically you need to take your incoming DI and subtract the remaining TDS going into your DI stage from it than divide the 2 to get your membrane performance. Easy math here for example. 100 TDS coming into the unit and 2 TDS going into the first DI stage would be 100-2=98. 98/100= .98 or 98% rejection rate... With the numbers you listed above you're around a 92% rejection if I use 550 and 42... What is the incoming pressure and temperature of the water going into the membrane? That has a lot to do with it as well.

schooleyosis · May 28, 2014

What are the P04 levels in the bucket of curing rock?

Aquaph8 · May 28, 2014

That's about where my RODI is too, Tucson water is terrible.

Saltgator · May 28, 2014

Ryan, i haven't begun to check the po4 in the pit yet. The pressure coming in without the booster pump is about 35, with it, it can be anything 35-100 psi. I regulate it at about 70 psi. Too high?

Brett, look up cape coral, FL. We are a shell bed, lol. Lord only knows what's in our water from the table! Does your well water smell like rotten eggs prior to the softner or everything else? I'm born and raised on well water that I've drank for years (on our ranch way inland of where I'm at now), but i know it ain't good for our reefs!!

schooleyosis · May 28, 2014

70-75 psi is where I run mine.

Was curious if that rock was leaching or not.

Saltgator · May 28, 2014

Didn't think of that bud. Good call. I'll get you an answer asap! I figured my psi should be about what my ro di is rated for (75g per day, brs brand too).

Saltgator · May 28, 2014

Ok... riddle me this. Rock pit with dead rock, new sand, bacteria additive has a po4 level of .29
Dt po4 level reads 0.00
Both test were via hanna.

Lights were out the last 2 days to allow the new 2 cups of gfo to take hold. Barely any nuisance algae showing. So.... what algae am I battling that isn't living off po4 and dies back almost 100 % after just 2 days without light?

Saltgator · May 28, 2014

Here are tonight pics.

schooleyosis · May 28, 2014

Now I'm really, really stumped. But glad the DT is clearing up!

Saltgator · May 28, 2014

That's just it. I have to blackout the tank for 2 days to get it to this point. I'll take pics on Friday and you'll see how to blooms back, lol.

schooleyosis · May 28, 2014

I've read 3 days is the magic number of lights out to get things in check. One more day dude! B

joekool · May 28, 2014

Salt I run my setup at 100psi. Membranes are cheap enough so if you suspect it being an issue than change it. They last a long time if you flush regularly. My tds in is currently 1700+ because I'm getting salt intrusion into my well. I get 26 after membrane so I get a great rejection rate. Using Dow film tec membrane. I also run my booster pump before the whole unit and not just before the membrane. .5 micron sediment than a tube of catalytic carbon than .5 micron carbon block. I have a dual DI setup and of course get zero tds water.

Really with 550 and a booster pump you should be able to get 2 tds after membrane and of course you should be at zero after DI.
Pete at aquafx is knowledgable and they have good prices on stuff. I just by my membrane from Amazon or BRS.

Let me know if you have any questions for me. Try boosting he pressure and also flush membrane for 15 min. See if you get a better reading.

This is my setup below