auto drip?

[jim barry]

Hi
I am looking to set up a new tank and very interested in this discussion. Question, can you add a nitrate removal pod to a HMA set up as my tap water is quite high in nitrates. Also what type of return pumps do you use T1. In my 6x2x2 tank i use a ocean runner 6500 but this will be no good in a 8x4x2 and i don't know what other pumps are available?

 

[Just Toby]

Hi
I am looking to set up a new tank and very interested in this discussion. Question, can you add a nitrate removal pod to a HMA set up as my tap water is quite high in nitrates. Also what type of return pumps do you use T1. In my 6x2x2 tank i use a ocean runner 6500 but this will be no good in a 8x4x2 and i don't know what other pumps are available?

I do not think you will get nitrate removal pod as they are ion exchange resins and as such they need refreshing in salt water and flushing very frequently, I doubt you would get more than 200 gals out of a refresh. (I have used these extensively)

I would suggest that you monitor the tap water source as over 50ppm is now above the legal limits I believe for uk water and as such is probably the same in other countries. If it is say 30-40 ppm in the tap then I would live with it and just drip enough to keep below 60. Pothos would grow like mad in that water and you could probably get below that of the tap.



Other than that RO is your only option but hop over to the high tds thread to see our circular arguments about that as remineralisation is an issue (for some)

Isn't the ocean runner 6500 the large one? I would have thought that would be fine on the 8x4 especially if the bio load is not increasing. If not then just add an extra pump. This will be cheaper than one bigger one and gives you fail safe redundancy as if one fails the other still runs...thats what I did.

I actually have a brand new ocean runner...the big one, it has been used less than 24 hours and still have the box if you want to buy one for a knock down price (pm me if you do)

 

[jim barry]

Hi and thanks. I dont really want to go with the OR6500 as they are quite juicy on the electric. That is why i am looking at the Sequence pumps. They have more turnover and use less energy, but i take your point about having a fall back in case one pump craps out.

 

[tanglovers]

I have a drip on my 520 and love it. I am dripping around 75 gpd in the winter and 100 gpd during the summer. I am currently dripping pure cold but going to switch this to a mix of hot and cold over the summer. I had to slow my drip in the winter because it was cooling the tank faster then then it could heat back up.

I am running the water through a sediment filter then 2 carbon blocks, the 2nd will handle chloramines. I have talked with my local water company and they have not used chloarmine in the last 20+ years but I still run one to handle it incase they decide to ever switch...I doubt they would notify me if they were going to switch.

I will likely be adding a drip to my 180g setup here over the summer as well when I redo the fish room.

 

[Just Toby]

Hi and thanks. I dont really want to go with the OR6500 as they are quite juicy on the electric. That is why i am looking at the Sequence pumps. They have more turnover and use less energy, but i take your point about having a fall back in case one pump craps out.

Yes, I like the sequence pumps and some of the deltec pumps but they all seem to be external which is a pain for retro fit.