N/P Reducing Pellets ("Solid Vodka") - "Wow" ... 3 month update

globaldesigns · #1 01-11-2010, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OceanicCorals

I would think that taking out the sponges would be fine, I personally would add a piece of Enkamat pre cut to fit in place of the sponges top and bottom. The Enkamat would work perfectly to stop the pellets from flowing out with the flow but at the same time not plugging up!

I put them in a normal carbon bag, all seems ok. FYI

Delphinus · #2 01-14-2010, 06:01 AM

Day 21, start of week 4. Something a bit surprising and unexpected today.

Today's nitrate reading is 20.

I recalibrated my meter 4 times and got the same result. Still in disbelief I tested nitrate with my Elos nitrate test kit and unfortunately the only thing I got out of it was why I hate colour comparison based test kits because depending on how close I was standing to my tank, you would think 2.5, 5, or 10ppm nitrate ... so I'm not sure what to think of that .. chuck it out maybe? I'm not sure.

Surprising because I even did a 20% water change yesterday.

So, there might be a couple reasons that contributed to this unexpected jump:

1) There was a bit of a tank upset on Sunday where I found the trigger in the overflow. Removing him from the overflow was a several hour exercise in where the sump had to be shut off, as I had to remove plumbing and the skimmer and the hood just so I could stand close enough to the overflow to maneuver a net inside the overflow.

2) Tonight I found that my skimmer air intake was blocked by lint. Was a little surprised because I shoot water in it once per week to clean it out, but when I blew into it, the restriction was obvious. I had to use a nail to scrape out the little John Guest valve to get the lint/dust out that had solidified in there.

3) It could just be it's a signal to replace the zeolites. I'm also using half the recommended dosage for both the zeolites and pellets, so perhaps this is the signal that it's time to start ramping up the volumes up to the recommended levels.

4) Been having a little trouble dialing in the autodosing of Alk and Ca lately. It was stable for several months but lately I've been having to increase the flowrates and it's been a little bit tricky, one week the Alk will jump too high, the next it will drift down.

Other than the electronic reading of the number, there is no visual cue that there's anything to worry about at this point. The water remains clear, the sand remains clean, the fish seem to be fine. So, hopefully just a little bump and things will reset in the next few days.

banditpowdercoat · #3 01-14-2010, 02:42 PM

Hope it's nothing Tony. 5 days till I can start MY pellet's

I can't wait!

Lance · #4 01-14-2010, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

There was a bit of a tank upset on Sunday where I found the trigger in the overflow. Removing him from the overflow was a several hour exercise in where the sump had to be shut off, as I had to remove plumbing and the skimmer and the hood just so I could stand close enough to the overflow to maneuver a net inside the overflow.

Is he/she ok Tony?

Delphinus · #5 01-14-2010, 11:00 PM

Seems to be OK now. A few scrapes and scratches though, but looks mostly healed up now. I tried to upload a second video last night using a more-better camera but the upload failed and then my laptop died. So tonight's project is to see if I can resurrect it enough to try uploading to youtube a second time.

I've covered the overflows now but truth be told I don't know if that's better. I could just see a fish jumping and then getting stuck enough in the eggcrate that they just die instead of flop back into the tank.

Delphinus · #6 01-15-2010, 06:14 AM

Well, weirdness abounds. Looks like yesterday's readings are suspect after all.

I tried testing again today and got 13ppm. I tested my other tank and it was the same as it's ever been at 5ppm.

So, just for giggles, I tested the water in the reactor with the pellets, and noticed something odd. If I tested by putting water into the sample vial, I would get readings anywhere from 13 to 19 (did 4 tests in a row all with different numbers). If I tested by putting the probe into the reactor itself, I got steady readings of 7 again and again. So I thought (not initially putting two and two together), oh, ok, something in the tank is spiking the nitrate, but at least the reactor is doing its thing and reducing the nitrate.

But then I tested my sump without the sample vial, and got 7. So I tested the main tank and again got 7. Back into the vial, I got 13, 14 and other numbers.

Soooo .. I guess my testing is being thrown off by interference. I don't know if it's the syringe I'm using to collect 5ml of tank water, or the probe's sample jar itself that's causing the interference. It bears mention that I rinse the probe and the vial itself with tap water after every use before I put it away, so I don't think it's any residual left on the probe itself. Also weird that the 40g tank has steady readings of 5. Just for giggles I should see what reading I get if I just stick the probe in the tank water in that tank (I didn't think to try that tonight..)

banditpowdercoat · #7 01-15-2010, 01:37 PM

What kind of meter you using Tony? That amount of testing would have used a whole Salfert kit LOL. I HATE using the kit's

I love my PH meter, but my PH barely moves, so I don't need it really HAHAHA

Delphinus · #8 01-15-2010, 05:03 PM

I use a Pinpoint nitrate monitor. Yeah I hate colour comparison based test kits because I don't know if I'm looking at them in the right light or whatever. Titration ones (ie., where you drip something and count the drops or measure the volume dispensed until you see a colour change are a little better, because apparently I'm not colourblind enough that I can't tell the difference between red and blue, but apparently I am colourblind enough to not see the difference between one pink and another pink).