Shaun's 2000 Litre (530 USG) Living Reef & Red Sea Max S 650 LED Design & Build

[crusso1993]

ATM Agent Green, rather than military grade chemical warfare equipment! Lol

ATM Agent Green Phosphate Remover 118ml (4oz)

Agent Green acts as an ion exchanger and uses calcium to bind phosphate into insoluble beads. This is important because the phosphate will not dissolve back into the water while waiting to be swept out by filtration

charterhouse-aquatics.com

Thanks Shaun. I should have known it is a lanthium chloride product. Much cheaper to buy raw “LC” and mix on your own but, then again, I almost forgot you’re a jet and trend setter!

 

[SPR1968]

Thanks Shaun. I should have known it is a lanthium chloride product. Much cheaper to buy raw “LC” and mix on your own but, then again, I almost forgot you’re a jet and trend setter!

Yep it is. I’ve read all sorts about using raw LC, and that’s why I’m not using it as yet.

I use my own sourced alkalinity etc., see below. With LC I’m maybe a little more cautious but we shall see.

Monster Build - Shaun's 2000 Litre (530 USG) Living Reef & Red Sea Max S 650 LED Design & Build

oops me

www.reef2reef.com

 

[crusso1993]

What I’m writing now, is regarding changing the foundation element dosing chemicals for the Red Sea S650. The big tank uses a calcium reactor so apart from occasional adjustments, it’s not affected

I currently use the Red Sea (RS) Foundation elements A B and C, 1 kg powders mixed into solutions which cost around £26 for a 1kg box. An alkalinity box which makes 10 litres of solution lasts around 6 weeks or thereabouts in the S650 which ‘drinks it’

I’ve been researching this some more, and actually for some time, in particular looking at the actual ingredients in the RS powders which are as follows according the ingredients listed on the boxes, pictures below.

A - calcium - ingredients calcium chloride, strontium chloride - it’s supposed to have barium but no mention in the ingredients so it must be trace

B - alkalinity - ingredients sodium hydrogen carbonate - this is exactly the same as sodium bicarbonate or baking soda

C - magnesium - ingredients magnesium chloride - not a 7:1 blend of chloride/sulphate like seawater, just chloride according to the ingredients list

Interestingly, the alkalinity is not shown as being ‘sodium carbonate‘ ie., sodium bicarbonate after being baked for an hour, because of the affect on pH. It’s mentioned in the science article at the end.

So then, apart from the branding and ‘feeling safe‘, why am I paying £26 for these in RS boxes when I can buy the exact same chemicals from a well know ‘jungle site’ for peanuts. I’m not knocking RS here by the way, it’s a business and provides its own branded products, I don’t have an issue with that at all. It’s just when you dump a single 1kg box of magnesium powder in one hit, into the big tank to ‘’just partially’ increase the level, it sort of focused my mind a little. Infact something ‘twisted’! Lol

So my versions.

A 5 kg Calcium chloride Dihydrate 77% food grade £8.38

B 5 kg sodium bicarbonate 100% BP/food grade £12.99. (I’m not going to bake this to turn it into carbonate at least for the first time)

C 8 kg magnesium chloride flakes Dead Sea salts 100% pure £16.99
5 kg magnesium sulphate 100% pharmaceutical/food grade £9.99

So for the A and B I’m just going to mix them into the same ratios shown in the picture below using 1 kg of each powder mixed with RODI

For the C I’m going to mix in the ratio of 7:1 chloride/sulphate to maintain the correct ionic balance. Interesting the RS version doesn’t show sulphate is in it but... I’ve just made one up but added a bit more liquid to help it dissolve and I used 901g of chloride and 124g of sulphate in 2.2 litres of water instead of the RS 1.7. In the next batch I will reduce to 2 litres just because my container is only 2.5l so with the powder I had to throw a bit away. But at this price who cares!

In the big tank, after adding £26 of foundation C (1kg) Mg was at 1320 and I wanted it around 1350. Using my solution I assumed a volume of 1400 litres (which turns out to be an excellent guess!) actual water after displacement, because there is a lot of rock. I added the exact amount of my solution to get there, tested it the next day and it was exactly 1350.

Now I realise that the RS alkalinity supplement contains a little strontium and it also mentions barium. I’m still doing 10% water changes and these are at trace element levels in sea water especially barium, so I will assume these will be added to the system from the water changes. I might actually get some Seachem Advantage strontium powder and just add some occasionally. That costs about £9 but I shouldn’t need much if any.

As far as the actually dosing of the elements is concerned, I’m just going to leave the amounts the same as with the RS versions and then adjust as necessary following testing

So anyone reading this, please feel free to highlight any issues or potential pitfalls, errors, etc., but I can’t think of any, well yet anyway.

Here’s some science, the second one talks about strontium

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

The "How To" Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

You posted this while I was on hiatus.
This is fantastic! I love this type of research, investigation and then putting results into action. I did the exact same thing with my FW planted when I had it set up. As a matter of fact, a couple of the powdered forms I bought could only be found in quantities that would last me two life times, at least. I still have them all in a box inside a plastic container in my closet. I’m giving thought to firing up a FW planted again but cannot decided that or a smaller reef. I’m leaning toward the FW as it’s easier to leave when traveling.

Here is a tank of a friend of mine. If I go FW this is what I’ll be aiming to achieve.

 

[Petcrazyson]

You posted this while I was on hiatus.
This is fantastic! I love this type of research, investigation and then putting results into action. I did the exact same thing with my FW planted when I had it set up. As a matter of fact, a couple of the powdered forms I bought could only be found in quantities that would last me two life times, at least. I still have them all in a box inside a plastic container in my closet. I’m giving thought to firing up a FW planted again but cannot decided that or a smaller reef. I’m leaning toward the FW as it’s easier to leave when traveling.

Here is a tank of a friend of mine. If I go FW this is what I’ll be aiming to achieve.

Giving me nostalgia of my FW days.

 

[Petcrazyson]

Well @crusso1993 I like adding wood to the fire lol.

 

[crusso1993]

Well @crusso1993 I like adding wood to the fire lol.

 

[GBRsouth]

Ohhhhh, you clearly do not know the OP. Please don’t encourage him!

See! Now this is the kind of knifing we've been missing while you were gone!

 

[SPR1968]

See! Now this is the kind of knifing we've been missing while you were gone!

Yes , how we missed him so…….! Lol

 

[SPR1968]

This coral was about 1 inch in size 3 years ago, it’s now about 12 inches…..

 

[crusso1993]

This coral was about 1 inch in size 3 years ago, it’s now about 12 inches…..

Beautiful!
(Now you’re just bragging.)

 

[fishguy242]

This coral was about 1 inch in size 3 years ago, it’s now about 12 inches…..

growing that way or did you place frags on top of ?

 

[SPR1968]

growing that way or did you place frags on top of ?

No, i think its a plating type of montipora so grows that way naturally

 

[Daniel@R2R]

This coral was about 1 inch in size 3 years ago, it’s now about 12 inches…..

Awesome!

 

[fishguy242]

No, i think its a plating type of montipora so grows that way naturally

very cool...

 

[SPR1968]

This is the original frag of the above, which was taken from another close by.

 

[NorthEastreef98]

Red Sea S 650 August 2018

Red Sea S 650 June 2019

The deep ocean, Red Sea Max S650 in the evenings........

And now for the arrival of the new custom made 2000 litre system. The new and the old. You can see the reflection of the S650 in the glass. September 2019 the big build begins..... Page 70+

19th December 2020, exactly 1 years old...

Sunrise…… December 2021 at 2 years old

December 2022 - 3 years old

Here’s a few closer pictures

My view in the evenings as the lights dim and the systems go blue, it’s simply magical......

Here’s a video of the new system at exactly 1 years old, 19th December 2020. I hope you enjoy it.




Exactly 2 years old to the day, 19th December 2021




Feeding Time




Sunrise in the Red Sea S650 around 4 years old, 28th April 2020




January 2019 side shot of the S650

Unbelievably beautiful tank!!!!

 

[SPR1968]

Unbelievably beautiful tank!!!!

Thank you!

 

[SPR1968]

 

[crusso1993]

Ooooooohhhh… aaaaaaaahhh!

 

[fishguy242]

Soo ,it's like that eh'...