My 120 gallon is going down tomorrow

[Len]

Wow, I'm alive, and it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. My 11 year old DSB was actually loose. I had feared some of it had turned hard as concrete, but everything was as I put it in a decade ago, only dirtier and smellier

I have a lot of cleaning left to do, but the tank is fully diassembled and about to truck out.

Ben, my new aquascape is in my mind still But chances are, I'll wing it as I go.

 

[Len]

I was checking out Len's website and noticed both a calcium reactor and kalkreactor... What is the difference? I have a calcium reactor what advantages does a kalkreactor provide? Is there a kalkreactor that people can recommend?

Thanks
Chris

A calcium reactor melts calcium carbonate (or aragonite) by lowering the pH with CO2. A kalkreactor, on the other hand, adds kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide). It requires a dosing pump to add new water to the kalkreactor chamber, where it is mixed by a magnetic stirrer and then dosed into the main system. I added the kalkreactor because I simply needed more calcium. Other benefits of kalkreactors is that they precipitate phosphate, and I've found better coralline growth and lesser cyanobacteria growth when I add kalkwasser (dripped or kalkreactor).

I recommend Ecotech Marine's kalkreactor. Toecutter also recently taught a MACO (www.marinecourses.com) course building a nice DIY kalkreactor as well. Hopefully, he'll teach another course this fall or winter.

 

[Len]

I'm contemplating moving my sump from directly under my tank to an outside (another room) location. My tank is 120 gallons and my current drain pipe is 2". I'm concerned that I will hear alot of water drainage noise from re-routing the water flow. I noticed an interesting set up that Len put together in his previous tanks plumbing. I have attached pictures below, can anyone comment on the design of this drainage setup?

Sorry for all the questions,
Chris

Ask away That's what we're all here for.

My drain is 1". The way I set up my downpipe was partially to reduce noise. the large diagnol main pipe alleviates any burping sounds. The additional "exhaust" on the bottom of the assembly has a gate value so I can fine tune how much water goes through.

The setup isn't ideal for all applications. I set up my tank so that I pump up just as much water as the overflow will let come down. That way, I don't have much noise.

If you find your 2" drain is too noisy because there's too much air going in, I suggest you reduce it down in size. A Durso or Stockman drainage system does wonders to quiet down overflows as well. My new tank will have a Durso.

 

[Anonymous]

I KNOW you must be a tired puppy. I am whiped too, working on my new 300G. New tanks are great. Alot of work, but it's the fun kind of work, mostly

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

congrats on living through the ordeal! any pics of the empty space?

B

 

[cklayko2000]

I appreciate everyones feedback. It sounds like I need a dosing device to add fresh water to the kalkreactor. Right now I have a spectra pure Single Tank Liquid Replenisher (LLC-S) (http://www.spectrapure.com/St_alc_p1.htm) that is hooked up directly to my RO/DI unit. It senses when the water level in the sump is low, kicks on the intake valve on the front of the RO/DI unit and lets the flow from the RO/DI unit to top off the system.

bThe dosing device from the kalkreactor sounds like it needs a steady stream of fresh water to pump into the kalkreactor and then drip into the tank. Is this correct or can it have interuppted feeds of fresh water? If it requires a constant stream, can anyone suggest something creative as to how I still utilize my LLC-S unit for top off yet provide the dosing pump with a constant feed?

Thanks Again

 

[Anonymous]

A kalk reactor can have interrupted flow - many people use them in conjunction with an auto top off system.

 

[Len]

congrats on living through the ordeal! any pics of the empty space?

B

Thanks. No picture, but I can snap one tonight. It's just a very dirty wall with water damage from the paint

 

[Anonymous]

When we took down a tank once, you could see how the metal halide light coming through the back of the canopy had bleached the paint. There was a long pale spot right where the light spilled out.