300 gallon "Outside Corner" Reef

[Darylb]

That doser is cheap might have to get one myself I currently manual dose

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[ricksreefs]

It makes things sooooo easy bought a Kamoer on sale but that is an insane deal


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[Pngdave]

That is awesome......I having one?


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[Gregcoyote]

I used Reef Crystals for years and never saw any debris left over. I commented on this thru several threads. But as of the last 400 gallons;



I suspect it is a mix of calcium and clay.


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[Dary421]

In my few years of reefing I've personally have tried about a half dozen different salt mixes and personally think that they all leave some residue behind , it's just a matter of how much.


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[Gregcoyote]

+1


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[mtnskies]

I agree about reef crystals leaving residue behind. I built a new salt mixing station 6 months ago and have run about 500 gallons for salt thru it and it left a lot of residue.


I just switched over to hw-marinemix reefer, we'll see how well that one works

 

[paul87]

I always rinse out my mixing containers after I mix. I'm pretty sure most salts will leave a residue seeing how they have calcium in it. I occasionally even get a thin white coat on the glass of my tank right after adding new saltwater. I used Reef Crystals also. I can't complain as it does what is intended with a fair price point.

 

[mr_X]

I found most of the salt mixes to leave behind a brown, gritty sort of dust all over everything. I don't get the calcium-like build up pictured very often though. I just used a bucket of Kent reef salt and it made a mess out of my 55 gallon drum.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I emailed them about it. I would like to know what it's composed of at least. It looks like calcium mixed with a light colored clay. I'm sure it is neutral in the scheme of things.


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[Gregcoyote]

Here was their response;

This is common, especially with RC as it has elevated CA and Mg, and a heavy metal chelator. Precip like this is due to many possible reasons: temperature, pH, batch variance, electro plating, and the make up of the water being used. Even RO or filtered water will have substantial variations, most of which hobbyists are unaware could be occurring....it is not a cause for concern. Just monitor your mixing technique. Also, make sure you clean your mixing container with vinegar and hot water after every use.


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[mr_X]

Umm..BATCH VARIANCE is my guess.

 

[Gregcoyote]

300 gallon "Outside Corner" Reef

Okay, another adventure begins.

I have lived in my extreme home for about 35 years. I am deep in the trees, so power has never been a dependable commodity. Every year, I get whacked and go without power for a day or two. Last year it was 5 days.

I have my trusty diesel generator in my garage, but half the time before I get the extension cords run, the power is back on. With no autostart ability, limited run time of 6 hours per tank and the need to be home if the power fails, or 23 years of work dies in my reef, I realized I needed to get serious.

So I bought a 22kw natural gas standby generator with a 200amp smart transfer switch. I am backing up all the circuits at the mains. Yes, it was mainly for the fish tanks, but I have gotten use to using electricity and to go without is a bigger pain than the cost of the standby backup generator. Will document with pictures.


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[Sniperhank]

Cool. I hear you when it comes to electricity. Longest for me has been a week. Thankfully that was before my reefing adventures. But the 55 survived 2 days without power if I remember the last outage correctly. It was the year I learned that they turned the hot water off to the showers off in the gym because no one used them. It was a very cold day...

 

[Gregcoyote]

Mine can go without light for a while, but reducing circulation, even a little, causes some major problems fast.


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[mr_X]

I agree. Excellent purchase! I wish I could afford such a thing. My genny is gas powered, and thirsty! I don't need to run cords, but i back feed the fuse panel....It will do for now. We were down for 7 days last year also.

 

[paul87]

Very nice investment Greg.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I see it as an investment in the house. Who wouldn't want something like this? Costs nothing until you need it.


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[paul87]

I see it as an investment in the house. Who wouldn't want something like this? Costs nothing until you need it.


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Indeed. What about the upfront cost of the actual unit? I'm guessing it was not cheap. That is really cool how it is natural gas though.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Well that's certainly true. But I could have invested in something that wouldn't add much value to the house upon resale. Like a huge reef in the middle of the house that only insane people and some on this forum would attempt to keep alive for another 20 years. But we follow our passion. Life would be boring without doing something dumb.


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