Saltwater ****es me off

[canadianbudz604]

So my tank is defiantly starting to look a bit better. Water is a hell of a lot clearer, and the hair algae has slowed down growth. I've gone back to weekly water changes, and when I do the water changes I just scrape of as much algae as I can. I've also added rowaphos in a media bag in my hob filter and it kicks ass. Now, is there a way to fluidize it by making a reactor out of say a Tupperware container or something? I've seen the Gatorade DIY reactor but I don't want an ugly bottle in my tank. could u not use any container as long as the media bubbles in it and doesn't release into the tank? I'm on a very very tight budget right now so any help is appreciated.

[JmeJReefer]

Straight up outta tha ghetto.
1. Hop in car. Drive to dollarama. Buy a water jug thingy. Something tall n skinny with a removable lid. Drive home. (Don't build it in store, they hate that)
2. In the lid. Make a hole jus large enuff for a little pump nozzle to fit in.
3. Take some filter sponge, cut to size filter pad, something that will allow water to pass thru but not media, and make large enuff so it snug on the inside diameter of ur water jug thingy.
4. Cut some small slots on a corner OPPOSITE the pump end.
5. Stuff in filter sponge to slot end.
6. Stuff in rowaphos.
7. Stuff another filter sponge in. Near pump end.
8. Screw on lid, stuff pump nozzle into nozzle hole (refer to #2)
9. Now depending on how much of seal u r going for at the nozzle of pump into the lid, and how ghetto u wanna go is up to u... I could suggest a small trip to lowes for $.50 rubber grommet. Put that onto the lid hole and the pump-to-lid snug ratio increases ten fold! R u could slab on some epoxy if that's ur flavour too.
10. Mounting. Dunno. Figure it out.

That or wait till a fellow reefer sells ya a real reactor for cheap....

This is the pinnacle of ghetto rigging a reactor. If there r more terrible ways of doing this, plz feel free to try those too!

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by scherzo

I used to use the API tap filter. It is basically a DI filter. It should bring it down to 0 TDS. With our water on the lower mainland it should last about 200 gallons or so. At least that is what I found. My TDs out of my tap was about 5-10.

Did you check your TDS?

+1
Been using an API tap filter for close to 10 years now.
Live in Coquitlam though and TDS straight from the tap is usually under 8.

They are a bit of pain, first to admit it.
but for me, have been very cost effective and work great.

I have an extra TLF media reactor and some high capacity GFO I'd trade if you're interested.

[Rodney]

I had the exact same thing happen in my tank at roughly around the 7 month mark. It's not a quick fix but I changed my lighting schedule down from 10hrs daylight to 8 got a phosphate scrubber, dosed with ph4,no3 x. These steps pretty much stopped the growth and it started to die off, got myself a sea hare from the LFS and he's presently cleaning up the rest. But it is definitely a phosphate issue , I don't know where I got it and I sure as hell can't tell you where yours Is coming from I use tap water myself my guess is just a build up over time

[canadianbudz604]

Tank is finally getting back to normal (thanks to lots of maintenenance and rowaphos) sps is showing its red color again, and polyps are opening back up.

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by canadianbudz604

Tank is finally getting back to normal (thanks to lots of maintenenance and rowaphos) sps is showing its red color again, and polyps are opening back up.

There you go You just panicked too much

[canadianbudz604]

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Do you defrost the mysis and rinse them before you add to your tank?

If not, the melted "water" is full of phosphates. My friend tested it one day and it had very high phosphates.

Since then, I ALWAYS rinse and not just throw in a frozen cube or chunk.

Anthony