Plumbing Question

[flip777]

I am getting all my equiptment cleaned up. I have a question on how to hook my calcium reactor up with CO2, carbon reactor, skimmer, kalk. reactor, UV sterilizer, algae scrubber and how many pumps do I need. Right now it is plumbed for the skimmer, carbon reactor, algae scrubber, and UV sterilizer. I am bulding a twin tube calcium reactor and a single tube Kalk. reactor. I am not on the computer all the time so usually what time are people on here?
I also need to know how to run an 5 stage RO/DI unit with auto top-off to 2 tanks. I want to run the kal. reactor and the calcium reactor to both tanks at the same time.

 

[flip777]

This was my tank before I had to tear it down and sterilize it. We faught hair algae for about a year. Come to find out it was my water quality causing it. The hair algae got so bad you couldn't see my corals so I tore it down and dried everything out. I am buying new sand and new rock. It's going to take me a few months because we have 6 kids and business is slow at the shop.

 

[flip777]

I lost all my coral.I thought this guy was dead and I tore my tank apart. 6 month after no water was circulating I start cleaning the corner overflow and he was in one of them alive. He is currently in my 90 gallon tank

 

[flip777]

I scrubbed them rocks for almost a year every other day trying to get read of the algae. It was my water. All my test was coming out great no nitrates, no nitrites, no phosphates, no ammonia so I was stumped. It was rust water and zinc in my water that made the bloom. I was just feeding the hair algae more. I learned a big lesson 8000.00 dollars later. I had about 6000.00 in coral. I gave 700.00 for the tank and drove to Ohio to get it. I drove in 10" of snow. When we first got it up and running the tank was cycling about a month later We had a leak. I had to put all the water in buckets in our room at 3am and reseal the seams in the tank. It was a mess.

 

[tomomothy]

I dont know jack about salt water but a coworker of mine has a 150g saltwater tank. He has a refugium, skimmer and some sort of reactor. He has a pump that pumps at 1800gph, then he made a manifold with several lines branching off of the return line. I cant really give any specifics to your set up but its something to think about

 

[duanes]

Calcium reactors and UV sterilizers usually require a very low flow to be effective, so a manifold with those 2 throttled back and other valves open wider to provide high flow, could allow for 1 pump depending on how many gph you require.

 

[flip777]

Tomomothy,
I would like to see some pictures of that set-up if I could and thanks for the reply

 

[flip777]

Duanes,
Thanks for the reply. Could someone get me some pictures. I have my UV Sterilizer hooked up with a manifolrd. I need diagrams on how to add my calcium reactor, Kalk. reactor, and carbon reactor along with how many pumps or what my water flow should be.Should it all be tied in to the return pump or overflows, or my main line from return pump that is what I am asking.Do I have to run new line?

 

[duanes]

These are all questions that are determined by your available space, the species you have, and what conditions they require, and the size of tank, and recommended flows of your reactors.
If I were running an RO drip, on the way to the tank, I would have the drip pass thru the reactors in order to add calcium etc to the sump.
My algae scrubber wouuld be from the overflow to sump.
I would run UV on one of the return lines to the tank.
But again, these are all decisions determined by your space availability.
I run planted refugium/algae scrubber/plant sump tanks on overflow lines placed in windows, and separate sumps for equipment such as pumps.

My flow is usually controlled by half inch PVC valves and are placed wherever I can fit them, sometimes under in sumps, sometimes above the tanks.

 

[flip777]

Thanks Duanes, I hope that tank in the window is not the display tank it is dirty lol. The sump looks cleaner