Forums / Equipment Forums / Miscellaneous

Cant Stand the HEAT get out of the Aquarium

supertom — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:58:03 GMT

Hey Everyone

Im looking for advice on heaters

i have 120Gal FOWLR and need to bye a Heater
would love to put it in my sump
any help ?

Love this Forum
Supertom

exteral pump

geoplane2 — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:36:41 GMT

hello im looking to repalce my pump but to many to choose from ? i need 10 to 20 gpm @ 12 feet of head prusser and with a 3\4 out let because all my flex hoseing and aqua logic chiller is 3\4 inch and it need to be very quite it will be place in the liveing room !! hope im not asking for to much ? but i know that ill get the best info on this froum as in the past thanks the chiller needs to have that amount of water flow this is on a 150 reef tank

Alternative uses for equipment from Marine Depot

carlo — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:26:06 GMT

I just thought folks might enjoy seeing an alternative use for some of the plumbing equipment and pumps that are available from Marine Depot. This is kind of in response to the emails I've been getting from Marine Depot Sales asking how the products I've ordered are working out.

Before anyone asks, I also have a 50 gallon aquarium. I've never shopped for products for it online before, and I happened to discover Marine Depot in my search for a source for an inexpensive pump to use for a metal etching tank I was trying to build.
After careful perusal of the catalog sections for pumps and plumbing parts, I selected the Danner magdrive 250 gph pump. These things are ideal for my need since they use a ceramic impeller shaft, I don't have to worry about dissolving any metal parts.
I used two 1/2 inch bulkhead fittings to connect the pump to my etching tank, which is an $8 rubbermaid storage box. I also ordered a lockline 1/2 inch "Y" adapter, and I ordered a pair of 1/2 inch to 1/4 inch Y adapters (purchased from an outfit called modularhose.com) along with a bunck of 1/4 inch lockline hose, and four spray adapters.
I just finished it, and am in the process of trying it out.

Here's the setup right after I finished assembling it.

A view of the lockline sprayers, and a peice of copper ready for etching.

Another view of the complete setup.

Here's the tank in action. That's ferric chloride that I'm using for the etching.

I'd like to thank Marine Depot for the excellent service, quick turn-around on my orders, and the knowledgable salesperson I spoke with on the phone when I selected my pump.

ph probe reads high in the tank

s1rk1118 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:26:29 GMT

I have a Pinpoint ph probe in my tank that reads 9.2. I was alarmed until I scooped a glass of tank water and inserted the probe. It read 8.2. The probe is calibrated and it made no difference with or without ground probe and lights on or off. I only have a quiet one pump and heater running(in the sump).

buying a new chiller

geoplane2 — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:29:16 GMT

hello can anyone give any feed back on this chiller it is a aqua logic delta star 1\3 hp .im thinking about installing it on my 150 reef tank .any input would be helpful !

thanks george

Ultraviolet Sterilizer on Home Reef Aquarium Poll.

Jasonanatal — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:09:03 GMT

As much debate as this topic sparks I would like to keep the poll simple. My Ultraviolet Sterilizer broke and before I decide to repair it I wanted to see if their are actual pros and cons on individuals that have actually used them or are using them on their home Reef Aquariums.

At first when it broke I would get tons of Algae on the glass but that has since cleared up about 1 week ago and now cleaning my glass happens about once a week rather then daily. I have also noticed tonz and tonz of what appear to be copapods and amphipods crawling on the aquarium glass.

Time For a Change

supertom — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:08:20 GMT

Hey Everyone

I Bought a Power Center Day/Night - Wave Maker Timer made by "Energy Savers Unlimited" (Coralife)
Anyway after just a few days it started Losing Time and then Doing nothing more than being ON. Timer part stopped working and the only thing that worked was the Main ON/OFF. I Returned it to the store (without my Bill of sale) they rememebered me and replaced it no problems. Again after just a few days it starts messing up just like the first one.

Has Anyone had any simalar Problems ? (any Comment will be Good)

What Heater or thermometer help needed...

Wannahuckalugi — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:01:54 GMT

I have a 45 gallon reef tank. What heater and thermometer products do you recommend?

Circulation pumps for a Reefkeeper 2 Controller

Prendas — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:44:14 GMT

Hi

I need circulation pumps compatible with a Reefkeeper 2 controller i need some recomendations. I need very big circulation and energy save

Thanks

Searching for a Quality & Reliable Calcium Liquid Test Kit.

Jasonanatal — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:34:45 GMT

I'm looking to purchase a Calcium Liquid Test Kit that is of High Quality, Reliability, and as Accurate as possible. Cost is not necessarily a deciding factor although if you could include this in your recommendation it would be greatly appreciated. I am using the test primarily to measure the level of Calcium being added into my Aquarium by the use of Kalkwasser.

I own a series of LaMotte Test Kits which I love but I can only find one review on Marine Depot about them. I personally prefer the LaMotte Liquid Test Kits, but I currently one two. One Alkalinity and One Calcium. The LaMotte Akalinity Liquid Test Kit is great and gives extremely accurate and easy to decipher readings. The LaMotte Calcium Liquid Test Kit is easy to use but differenting the final color change is quiet difficult. So as you can see my view is 50/50 on the matter. Thank you for any recommendations you can provide.

Searching for a Quality & Reliable Nitrate Liquid Test Kit.

Jasonanatal — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:25:40 GMT

I'm looking to purchase a Nitrate Liquid Test Kit that is of High Quality, Reliability, and as Accurate as possible. Cost is not necessarily a deciding factor although if you could include this in your recommendation it would be greatly appreciated. I am using the test primarily to measure the level of Nitrate within the effluent coming from my Deltec NFP509 Nitrate Filter.

I own a series of LaMotte Test Kits which I love but I can only find one review on Marine Depot about them. I personally prefer the LaMotte Liquid Test Kits, but I currently one two. One Alkalinity and One Calcium. The LaMotte Akalinity Liquid Test Kit is great and gives extremely accurate and easy to decipher readings. The LaMotte Calcium Liquid Test Kit is easy to use but differenting the final color change is quiet difficult. So as you can see my view is 50/50 on the matter. Thank you for any recommendations you can provide.

Replacement Rubber Hinge for Aquarium

victoryrider — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:31:03 GMT

I have a 100 gallon salt tank with two glass tops with a hinged center. One of the hinges has split and I can't seem to find a replacement. Anyone have a vendor who sells this type of material? Thanks!!

AC Jr. Misbehaving

sublime-1 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:13:48 GMT

So I just moved and in the process my old probe got broken.

So, I purchased a new one. I had previously used the Pinpoint brand probe, and it worked fine.

However, this time I replaced it with the same model, and my AC Jr. would only read 7.4 Ph, although multiple test kits confirmed 8.2 - 8.4 PH.

So, I bought some calibration solutions #7 and #10 to calibrate the probe. No Dice. The AC Jr. states "Probe Defective...Resetting". (as in "resetting old PH measurement defaults".

So, I talk to MD guys and they state that they don't know if the Pinpoint electrode is incompatible, but they DO know that almost all probes work with Reefkeeper type controller EXCEPT Neptune's Probe, which leads me to believe it's an incompatability between my controller and the Pinpoint Electrode.

So, off I go back to MD, to pick up another $50 probe, and get it home only to find my AC Jr. doing the same thing during calibration "Probe Defective . .Resetting"...

Anyone ever observed this behavior.

Aqua Lifter problem

iReef — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:07:45 GMT

I'm using a brand new Aqua Lifter Pump with my brand new JBJ-ATO. I had just got the package delivered and set up the top-off system, then of course, testing.
The tank was in need of water, so the aqua lifter started pumping, so far so good...I was elated, but when the float turned off the pump at the ATO, the pump kept on dripping 20 drips per second, actually too fast to count.
It just slowly siphons my reservoir. I thought the pump would hold the water tight, but it passes right on through the pump. Needless to say, I dismantled it for the evening.

Has anyone out there heard of this happening? I don't know if its faulty or do I need to pump from lower down like 20 inches. Should I expect a break in period? My Aqua-Lifter pump and reservoir are both positioned above the tank, is that a problem? I kept the water lines short as directed. The pump and reservoir are not in the final fixed position, just above the tank for testing.

I did not want to give the product a negative rating, before I got a second opinion.
All ideas or help is appreciated.
Thanks, Dennis

Pump for CL 450 Pacific Coast chiller

doca — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:31:16 GMT

the manufacturer says that it need min-600 gph and max-1000 gph...

can anyone tell me if theres is any chance to run it with a 520 gph pump that i actually have???

which are the risks for running it with a few less circulation that the recomended???

the thing is, here in town, take a long time to find pumps bigger than 450 gph...

Deltec FR509 Media Reactor.

Jasonanatal — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:47:24 GMT

I'm curious to know if anyone has personally used the Deltec FR509 Media Reactor. I'm doing some research on what external pump to purchase since this is going to house Fauna Marin Ultra Carb L media. The Deltec website specifies a required flow rate of 140gph. I'm considering purchasing an Eheim Hobby Pump and their are two models. Which would I be better off with?

Model: 1048 rated at 160 gph for $56.99
Model: 1250 rated at 320 gph for $69.99

GroTech Dosing Pump TEC III

narismendi — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:35:20 GMT

Can anyone provide any advice on the GroTech Dosing Pump TEC III or similar product? Is it necessary to provide daily dosing on a SPS tank?. I am setting up a SPS 90 gallon tank and I am interested in automating as much of the daily chores as possible and thought a dosing pump system might make my daily chores easier. I've automated may of the other processes so I can enjoy the reef. I enjoy the challenge of creating something I can enjoy for years to come and I enjoy the technology to support it. Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated.

Recommend a Dual Stage Calcium Reactor for my 28 gallon JBJ Nano Cube HQI Reef.

Jasonanatal — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:07:12 GMT

Okay everyone please don't tar and feather me for wanting a Calcium Reactor on my 28 gallon JBJ Nano Cube HQI Reef Aquarium. (If you haven't read my Tale of the Tank thread: http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic77295-25-1.aspx) I will primarily be keeping SPS and LPS Corals and I would like your recommendations. I'm mostly concerned with factors such as electrical and media consumption, quality or overall efficieny of the Calcium Reactor, automation capabilities and Price. Thank you for your input.

Korallin Calcium Reactor questions

jonnycleveland — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:15:11 GMT

I recently purchased a Korallin C-1502 Calcium Reactor with Eheim1048. It has not arrived yet from Marine Depot, so I havent had the chance to really figure it out. I understand the way a calcium reactor works, but have questions about this particular model. When ordering, the knowledgable tech guy at Marine Depot said that I would need a lifter pump to get water to flow into unit. By reading the product description, and a few reviews it seems as if the Eheim that recirculates also feed water from the system. So do I need the lifter pump?? I wouldn't think so but the gentlemen said he operated the same reactor and needed the extra pump. Feedback from anyone with experience with this product would be greatly appreciated.

Question on Ecotech Vortech System

90overflow — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:53:30 GMT

How many pumps will one Vortech controller drive?

CLOSED LOOP ?

TRIGGER5150 — Mon, 26 May 2008 17:02:19 GMT

Got a 100 gal. acrylic 60x18x20.Bought this used it curently has 5- 1/2" bulkheads drilled on bottom.I didnt mind this when i bought, because i figured i could use most for a closed loop.This is gonna be a fowlr set-up.No corals.I want to use 3 of the holes (1 center for intake-2 side holes for return).And just weld the other 2 shut with acrylic.Only want to use 1 pump.This closed loop must supply all circulation.I was thinking 850-1250gph.Does this sound like enough for a fowlr?

What made me ? size of plumbing is that i have a little giant 4mdq pump with a 1/2" outlet, which made me think if i could use 1" for drain and 3/4" under tank tee'd to the 2- 1/2" bulkheads with 1/2" pipe inside tank with 3 outlets on each.would that be to small? would i be losing flow?thought if this would work would be nice, because i have all plumbing for this.

Sorry so long ,but details give better results.Thanks for your time and any help...

Noise from Overflow

atish — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:48:01 GMT

I have a 55G tall acrylic aquarium with an overflow and a refigium in the stand under the aquarium. The water flowing into the opening at the bottom of the overflow makes a loud gurgling sound that is very annoying. Currently, I have placed a large block of foam in the overflow to stop the sound, but it frequently gets clogged and has to be cleaned.

Is there a better way to stop the sound from the overflow without creating a problem with water getting 'blocked' ?

sedra pump question

phatphish — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:03:07 GMT

I have a ASM G1X skimmer with a Sedra 3500 pump that has been working very well. Last night I noticed bubbles coming out of the slots on the back of the pump above the power cord. It's still producing lots of skimmate. Is this a harmful condition? I know it's a sealed motor, and this suggests to me that it may not be sealed any longer. Thanks for any help.

calcium reactor

fasteddie — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:59:22 GMT

I was wondering how a calcium reactor works im interested in a korallin reactor the kit comes with a eheim water pump

what is the dosing pump used for?

heaters

fasteddie — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:26:59 GMT

What is the most reliable heater on the market to day? I have a 180gal, tank

would like it to be one i can put in sump the room my tank is in is about 68 deg,

Pinpoint II Calcium Monitor

90overflow — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:37:06 GMT

I got a Calcium Monitor as a gift, and have a couple of questions. Can I use the calibration fluids over and over? Should I rinse between the high and low calibration fluids? They say to dry the tip before storing the probe in its bottle, how do I dry it without damaging the sensor? Also how dry does the tip need to be, before storage?

Black Egg Crate

90overflow — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:06:42 GMT

This is where I got my black egg crate a long time ago . http://www.lightbulbdepot.com the black was all the way thru, but you may want to ask them before ordering. The black egg crate seemed a little softer, easier to bend and less subject to breaking. Also I got blue covers for the flourescent tubes, for my Ceiling fixture to tone down the white light.

reef keeper 2

fasteddie — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:55:31 GMT

On 1-25-08 too stare my new tan a got a reef keeper 2 from marine depot never liked the temp, at was not set right ph is not the same

as my salifert test kit now a have my new tank set up came down stares the temp, in my tank was 85 deg, no inverts or fish yet

just live rock. so hooked my heater up so it controls it self now my lights are set to go off at 8:00pm no leds on bottom of controller but my lights still on

i have talked to marine depot about this they cant warranty this you cant call digital aquatics only email and the never get back to you. NEVER

BUY ANY THING FROM MARINE DEPOT THEY CANT WARRANTY and keep your tank as simple as you can

Dimmer on powerheads?

xltom — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:28:14 GMT

Has anyone tried using a dimmer switch or "lamp dimmer module" on a powerhead. I have too much flow and before doing anything permanent to my already modded maxi-jets, I thought I'd try using a dimmer. It would be cool to have more control over water movement. Any suggustions? Thanx...

CHILLER

Yankeeboy — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:10:30 GMT

Hey guys,

Well it's been a while since my last post, but I hope you guys are still willing to help out.

I'm in the process of buying a chiller (leaning towards a JBJ), however my LFS provided me with some info, that just doesn't sound right. I walked in and asked the LFS owner, how much he would sell me a 1/10 chiller, and he claims a 1/10 is only good for a 30 gallon (totally wrong).

My current set up is a 60 gallon display tank, with a 30 gallon refugium. However, the refugium is only filled up half way, so I would estimate the water volume is some where around 75 maybe 80 gallons.

Here is the question.....Is the 1/10 chiller good enough for this volume of water???

If possible I would like to find out just how many members have a 1/10 chiller, and the currect volume of water they store.

Thanks again for any clarity you can provide.

Scratch Removal

Noctiluca — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:14:13 GMT

I was wondering if anyone had experience with any of the scratch removal kits available through Marine Depot. One of my grandkids decided to clean the front of my 55 gal and there was a small peice of sand under the mag float cleaner. The scratches are small but are certainly an attractant to algae growth. After about 2 days you can see where the algae has filled in the scratch. I would like to polish it without removing more water than a normal water change so I need something that works under water with no adverse effects on the water quality. Any help would be greatly apprciated. TIA

Salifert Calcium Test Kit...Another Question

drunkfish — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:56:26 GMT

Hey guys, I recently got a Salifert Test Kit and I have a question. The test is pretty easy to use, BUT when it comes to reading the results, that's where I don't get it.

The instructions say:

"6] Hold the syringe with the tip facing upward and read 0the position of the , now the upper end , of the black part of the piston. The syringe has graduations of 0.01ml. Read the calcium value from the table or calculate as follows. ppm Ca = (1 - reading in step 6) x 500"

This is where I get confused. I don't know how to read it. I don't know if I should take the position of the piston as being at the .34 mark or the .26 mark. Let me explain: I hold the syringe with the tip facing up, if I read the position of the piston going up towards the tip, then the reading is .34. If I read the position from the tip DOWN, then the piston is at .26. Get it? So, I would truly appreciate if you guys could clear my doubts, 'cause I'm about to pop a vein. Thanks.

Salifert Calcium Test Kit Question

robwein83 — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:06:43 GMT

This has been irritating me for some time now! Please give me some advice if you have any on the Salifert Calcium test kit.

After adding the 2 ml of water into the test vial, the next step is to add 1 level spoon of Ca-1, followed by 8 drops of Ca-2. You are then told to Swirl (DO NOT SHAKE) for 10 seconds.

In step 4 is where you slowly drip the CA-3 regent until the color changes from pink-red to clear blue color.

I do come to a point where the color changes to clear blue, BUT just about half of the mixture in the test vial. The top half being blue, and the bottom half still being the original pink-red.

Now that's where my question lies. Is the swirl which would require the Ca-1 to completely dissolve into the water be constituted as a shake? I'm thinking that the directions to swirl would be directing you to gently swirl which does not completely dissolve the Ca-1 powder leaving you with unclear test results. While the amount of RIGOUROUS swirling it takes to dissolve the Ca-1 powder be constituted as a shake, but it completely dissolves the CA-1 powder leading to clear and even test results in the test vial.

Should I just be performing an obvious swirl motion at the fastest rate which it takes to dissolve the Ca-1? OR Is the light swirling only necessary, with the half pink, half blue results being taken into consideration, with at the first site of blue being where to stop dropping CA-3 into vial and read results?

OR am I do I have a faulty test kit??????

HELP!!!!!!!!

Another Pump Return Question for AGA 180G

nickts4- — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:32:01 GMT

I thought I solved all my plumbing questions after months of design, I place my order with marine depot and then 4 hours later I cancelled the order.

I am going to have corner over flows on the AGA which is 1200gph on 2x1inch drains. I had ordered a Sequence Dart only because I was planning on having it run the entire system. That is another 500gph for the skimmer and 500gph for the chiller bringing my total to 2200. The pump will be under the returns so figure 3 feet to the bottom of the tank and a 2 foot tank which should bring the dart to about 2800 gph.

Question 1. Does system turnover rate really make a difference? What does 10-20x really mean? If I can only clean 500 gph through the skimmer(which will be an Orca 200, possibly the 250) and I have 2 tunze 6100s and 4 Korallia 4 in the tank does it make a difference that i only have 2x1 inch drains for the system? Why convert over the two 3/4 inch returns for drains as well and run the plumbing over the top. The reason I ask these questions is that I have seen thousands of "NEW" setups in all the forums on these 180-500G tanks that have all these turnover rates but I have only seen a handful of tanks that have corraline algae growth in the tank. In other words how many of these tanks actully survive the year? By the way I do plan to have an SPS dominated tank and all the corals will be coming from my AGA 90G which only has 600gph and the coral is flourishing.

Second reason I cancelled was the plumbing out of the sump. The intake on the Dart is 2 inches. Can that be reduced to 1.5 right out of the sump? How efficient would the dart be if all my return feeds are 3/4 including the chiller and skimmer. That is a lot of reducing. Would it be more efficient staying with my current setup of running two external pumps. One for return and one for everything else? Any suggestions on pump size and model?

And I thought I had solved my plumbing questions. The AGA 180G is on order and is my 'interim'tank for now, since I plan to move in the next couple of years(family is growing) and then I will build my dream custom tank.

pH Pinpoint Storage

wynn — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:40:48 GMT

I don't plan on using the probe continuously in hopes of increasing it's longevity. Is that possible? The manual states that the probe should be stored using calibration solution 4.00 with potassium chloride crystals. Am I to assume I'm going to sprinkle some salt substitute into the calibration solution?

Thanks!

Warning on Aquariums and Electricity

90overflow — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:06:52 GMT

I noticed a lot of posters are having electrical problem. Before you end up getting a severe shock or worse, you should get a non-contact voltage detector. Sears sells a Fluke VoltAlert 1AC-A II. It's between twenty to thirty dollars. Read the instruction and learn how to use it. I check any metal or water before touching the same. Note PC lamps will create an auroro around them and set off these detectors, so get used to where normal conditions will show the surrounding electrical pattern, "Aurora Voltage." Everything on your aquarium needs to be on a ground fault, multiple circuits if power loss will cause a livestock loss. I don't like the GFI at or behind the tank as salt intrusion can render a GFI useless. Also if I trip it I have a tendency to reset the GFI. If I have to walk to the GFI, it gaves me a minute to think about what I've done. All water should have ground probes in them, if there is any electrical device near or in that water. This includes your make up water container!! I prefer a separate ground for these probes via a grounding rod. If your house ground gets struck by lightening and your aquarium probes are on the house ground some off the lightening is going to your aquarium! If you don't know or unsure of what to do around electrical devices, call an electrician, shop around till you can find one familiar with aquarium set-ups.

Water storage

Mlcohen — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:05:34 GMT

I want to store my water change water in a trash can. I was told the BRUTE by rubbermade would be ok but the wheels that go with it are not big enough to get over the threshold from my garage. I like the wheels on the toter cans they have at lowes but I was told that some plastics leach chemicals into the water. I think the toter cans are made of polyurethane. Does anyone know if I can safely store water in the toter trash can or can someone give me a different inexpensive alternative with large wheels? Thanks

Leaky PVC Unions

grslar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:39:28 GMT

I am in the process of replumbing my tank and am having problems with the PVC unions leaking. No matter how tight I get them they seem to leak. Any tricks on how to stop this?

Closed Loop Manifold....On a vertical plane rather than horizontal?

huskerz — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:32:57 GMT

Tank specs-50g (36x15x25 tall) diy custom display (eurobraced)w/ internal end overflo/ peninsula. 30g sump/fuge w/ EHEIM 1250 return pump - 317 gph

Is it possible (or has it already been done/attempted) to position a closed loop manifold vertically in the middle of the tank (parallel to the front/back) rather than on a horizontal plane(paralell to top and bottom of tank).

manifold would then be hidden by an "egg crate, rock, foam wall" in running down center of tank.

I am working on a visual diagram and will post it shortly.

Thanks for any help and I hope my explanation made sense.

I am open to any advice or criticisms.

RO/DI with kitchen faucet

90overflow — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:18:01 GMT

Trying to get my own RO/DI unit, rather than hauling water. The only way I can sell it to my wife is an outlet in the kitchen. However I don't see the Faucet and blue compression/storage tanks for any aquarium systems. Also can I tap off between the RO/DI filters for this drinking water?