New 120 build...gonna be a long ride...

[BfishLpond78]

What do you mean by waste water, i know it sounds self explanatory, but do you mean for every 4 gallons of water going through the system 1 gallon isn't usable...Sorry please excuse my blonde moment. But in reality i have brown hair...lol.

 

[carey]

Actually, for every gallon of useable water you get about 3g of waste water. I have mine running out to my lawn and my flower beds.

 

[BfishLpond78]

Oh wow...is that how it is on every system?

 

[carey]

For the most part yeah....I've heard some have a little more or a little less but you;ll still get more waste water than useable water for your tank. I'm just guessing at the 3g to 1g ratio on mine, but it seems about right.

Another $15 you want to spend is for a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter. You can check your tap water against the ro/di water and really see the difference. It's also needed to tell when the unit needs new filters. Mine puts out 0 ppm of tds and my tap water is at 243! So defintiely worth the money.

 

[BfishLpond78]

Holy Moly, yea i just looked around at other systems they say the same thing. I was just worried if im pumping out 1000's of gallons of water for the tank if im gonna be paying out my tush for water, but then i realized my water bill comes every 3 months and it's cheap...lol.

 

[carey]

Yeah, I make a TON of water and my water bill is only like $18 a month lol. I'm running 8 tanks at the moment too so I can't even imagine the water consumption hehe

 

[mr_X]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but you mentioned, Mr X, the ecoxotic retro fit, and I was wondering what you thought of the panorama line, which is expandable.

i have never used one, but i saw them at a local store. if it were me purchasing a unit, i would want 3 watt LEDs. i can't even find information on the ecoxotic site about them. i believe they are just a series of the panorama modules, made into a fixture.
if i was looking for a fixture, i would rather go with these-
AI Sol

 

[BfishLpond78]

Mr X...what happened with the Pendents from Cannon...no go?!?

 

[BfishLpond78]

Carey, that is a big relief...It will be alot of trial and error before i get my set up up and going correctly...Do you suggest having a large container of mixed water ready to go or 5 gal jugs? In my mind i feel the large container with a power head and a bubble stone would be better...but i could be wrong.

 

[mr_X]

i haven't given up on the canons. i was just saying i like the aqua illuminations fixtures better than the panoramas. i haven't even started to focus on lighting yet. still working on the kitchen!

 

[BfishLpond78]

Kitchen!!! Noooo...no need for cabinets and new countertops...LOL. Oh ok, well I have a while before i buy serious lighting, what kinda of lighting is required for an initial FOWLR set up?

 

[mr_X]

none...or just the basic t8 tube setup that comes with aquarium setups is fine.

 

[BfishLpond78]

Oh very nice...thanks alot.

I found this if you havent read it yet:

Ecoxotic Cannon Review « Chicago Fish and Coral Company Blog

 

[carey]

Carey, that is a big relief...It will be alot of trial and error before i get my set up up and going correctly...Do you suggest having a large container of mixed water ready to go or 5 gal jugs? In my mind i feel the large container with a power head and a bubble stone would be better...but i could be wrong.

I keep the 32g garbage can full of ro/di water and mix the day before I am doing a pwc. I keep the 4 5g jugs inside in a closet so I dont have to worry about running out. Keep in mind too that you need some unsalted water for top offs. I wouldnt mix salt water too far in advance either, not sure if it its a good thing.

I also have so many tanks that I need access to plain ole ro/di water. When I do my pico water changes I only need like a gallon and for my cube I use 3-4 gallons. For these tanks i just take out of the 32g can and mix inside the house in 5g buckets. When I do the 125g I start with a almost full 32g can and salt it outside and just fill up 5g buckets or use the pump.

The 5g jugs that I keep in the closet are more for protection if I need immediate water and I have an empty garbage can LOL

 

[BfishLpond78]

Gotcha, ok here is a another silly question...How much salt do people usually mix with a 5 gal bucket of RO/DI water? Does it vary between salt brands? Is there a better brand of salt to use or is it just personal preference?

 

[mr_X]

you want to use a reef grade salt. it's going to mix closer to natural sea water. i don't know the exact measurements. i usually pour in some, let it mix, then check with a refractometer, pour a little more in...check again....

 

[BfishLpond78]

Oh ok, i didnt know if you liked IO, reef crystals or any of them brands better....

 

[mr_X]

instant ocean is not a reef grade salt, so i wouldn't use that. reef crystals is ok though. oceanic, tropic marin, seachem reef salt, red sea coral pro, D&D ocean..any of those will work.

 

[ccCapt]

Instant Ocean is perfectly fine to use and probably among the cheapest. I've been using regular Red Sea salt for close to 20 yrs.

 

[BfishLpond78]

Interesting, what is the main difference in the brands, besides one being reef grade...what makes it reef grade?