Automatic daily waterchange

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 13, 2023

KilianSP said:
What ammonia chemicals can i use?
Fo ammonianitrate it is the same as sodium nitrate, they want a background check.
What about ammoniumchloride (NH₄Cl)?
I don't know how much chloride is in there so i don't know how it will affect the tank chlorid.
Are there problems if Chlorid his higher than usual? Normalerweise it is around 20.000mg/l at a salinity of 35ppt

Ammonium chloride is perfect. There's not going to be a problematic increase in chloride.

Ammonium hydroxide (ammonia dissolved in water) is also OK.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 13, 2023

KilianSP said:
Yeah thats one of my tanks.

The Main Problem is, that my nitrate fertilizer contains magnesium, and i am dosing 2 Part which also adds magnesium.
I need alot of nitrate fertilizer since tha tanks are fishless.
And at some point i reach magnesium levels above 1500mg/l which stuns the grow or even let the algae die.
So i need to make big water changes to get it back on 1390mg/l and then it starts again, dosing, magnesium builds up, big water change.

I would not use a two part at all in such a system.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 13, 2023

Subsea said:
@Randy Holmes-Farley
Because of high sulfate in makeup water, Red Ogo tasted bitter and was not marketable as a food for humans.

Ward Laboratory analysis of water well in Trinity Aquifer at 1000’

pH at 7.8
TDS AT 888 ppm
Na at 55 ppm
K at 14 ppm
Ca at 130 ppm
Mg at 102 ppm
NO3 < 0.1 ppm
SO4 at 189 ppm
Cl at 34 ppm
CO3 < 1 ppm
CaCO3 at 283 ppm
B at 0.33 ppm
Total Nitrogen at 2 ppm
Total Phosphate < 0.01 ppm
Total Iron at 0.02 ppm
Mn < 0.01 ppm

Did you ever track what happens to sulfate in the growing tank?

Subsea · Apr 13, 2023

KilianSP said:
Yeah thats one of my tanks.

The Main Problem is, that my nitrate fertilizer contains magnesium, and i am dosing 2 Part which also adds magnesium.
I need alot of nitrate fertilizer since tha tanks are fishless.
And at some point i reach magnesium levels above 1500mg/l which stuns the grow or even let the algae die.
So i need to make big water changes to get it back on 1390mg/l and then it starts again, dosing, magnesium builds up, big water change.

Did you see the magnesium uptake of Red Ogo. It’s double the calcium uptake at 1.163% Or 11,630 ppm.

Subsea · Apr 13, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Did you ever track what happens to sulfate in the growing tank?

After 18 months of operation #1 Mariculture System

pH at 8.4
Na at 9227 ppm
K at 428 ppm
Ca at 393 ppm
Mg at 1266 ppm
Total hardness, CaCO3 6258 ppm
NO3 at 0.9 ppm
SO4 at 1067 ppm
Cl at 16,800 ppm
CO3 @ 39 ppm
Bicarbonate at 119 ppm
Total alkalinity at 163 ppm
B at 3.12 ppm
Total Nitrogen at 5 ppm
OrthoPhosphorus < 0.01 ppm
Total Phosphorus at 0.02 ppm
Total iron < 0.01 ppm
Mn < 0.01
Nitrite < 0.1 ppm

NOTE: < means below detection limit

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 13, 2023

Subsea said:
After 18 months of operation #1 Mariculture System

pH at 8.4
Na at 9227 ppm
K at 428 ppm
Ca at 393 ppm
Mg at 1266 ppm
Total hardness, CaCO3 6258 ppm
NO3 at 0.9 ppm
SO4 at 1067 ppm
Cl at 16,800 ppm
CO3 @ 39 ppm
Bicarbonate at 119 ppm
Total alkalinity at 163 ppm
B at 3.12 ppm
Total Nitrogen at 5 ppm
OrthoPhosphorus < 0.01 ppm
Total Phosphorus at 0.02 ppm
Total iron < 0.01 ppm
Mn < 0.01
Nitrite < 0.1 ppm

NOTE: < means below detection limit

Is that 1067 ppm sulfate or S in sulfate? It is low for sulfate (NSW = 2700 ppm) and high for S (~900 ppm S in sulfate).

Subsea · Apr 13, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Is that 1067 ppm sulfate or S in sulfate? It is low for sulfate (NSW = 2700 ppm) and high for S (~900 ppm S in sulfate).

SO4-S

KilianSP · Apr 13, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Did you ever track what happens to sulfate in the growing tank?

My Sulfate was:
09.22.2022 at 771mg/l salinity 32ppt
Did a big waterchange
11.16.2022 812mg/l salinity 35ppt
12.06.2022 827mg/l salinity 35.5ppt

Thats my big bamboo shark tank with macroalgae, so i can't see decreasing sulfate.

KilianSP · Apr 13, 2023

Subsea said:
Did you see the magnesium uptake of Red Ogo. It’s double the calcium uptake at 1.163% Or 11,630 ppm.

I don't have Red Ogo, and i don't have much calcificating algae except for Halimeda

Subsea · Apr 13, 2023

KilianSP said:
I don't have Red Ogo, and i don't have much calcificating algae except for Halimeda

All macros consume calcium & magnesium. I don’t have any calcifying algaes either. Red Ogo is a human food and it is not calcified.

KilianSP · Apr 13, 2023

Subsea said:
All macros consume calcium & magnesium. I don’t have any calcifying algaes either. Red Ogo is a human food and it is not calcified.

Yes, but in my case not so much that i need to redose every week. It stays in got levels, atleast calcium. As mentioned magnesium is building up alot.

Here you can take a look at some ICPs i did.

ATI Aquaristik Lab

Default Description

lab.atiaquaristik.com

At this time i didn't do 2 Part dosing. Only Nitrate, Phosphate and Iron fertilizer. Also didn't do any waterchanges in this time

Subsea · Apr 13, 2023

KilianSP said:
Yes, but in my case not so much that i need to redose every week. It stays in got levels, atleast calcium. As mentioned magnesium is building up alot.

Here you can take a look at some ICPs i did

By looking at mariculture bulk water analysis from Ward Laboratory, you should realize by now that I did not concern myself with chasing numbers in 10,000 gallon system, yet the Texas sun grew abundant seaweed.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 13, 2023

Subsea said:
SO4-S

OK, it is a bit high then and I can see why you wouldn't want it going higher.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 13, 2023

KilianSP said:
Yes, but in my case not so much that i need to redose every week. It stays in got levels, atleast calcium. As mentioned magnesium is building up alot.

Here you can take a look at some ICPs i did.

ATI Aquaristik Lab

Default Description

lab.atiaquaristik.com

At this time i didn't do 2 Part dosing. Only Nitrate, Phosphate and Iron fertilizer. Also didn't do any waterchanges in this time

Link doesn't work, but I do not doubt that it was high.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 13, 2023

KilianSP said:
My Sulfate was:
09.22.2022 at 771mg/l salinity 32ppt
Did a big waterchange
11.16.2022 812mg/l salinity 35ppt
12.06.2022 827mg/l salinity 35.5ppt

Thats my big bamboo shark tank with macroalgae, so i can't see decreasing sulfate.

Those are on the low side, but I have no reason to think it is a concern.

KilianSP · Apr 13, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Link doesn't work, but I do not doubt that it was high.

I wanted to Show the ICPs so you can see how my Overall Nutrient consume is, there was no reason to prove myself, i don't have any advantages if i lie to you. I want and need help, so why should i lie

Maybe you find something interesting in my icp.
As mentioned the after the first i did a massive water change to get back on track, and 2 Weeks after, without dosing anything, to see where my nutrients are going. I got a big fluoride consume.

KilianSP · Apr 13, 2023

Subsea said:
By looking at mariculture bulk water analysis from Ward Laboratory, you should realize by now that I did not concern myself with chasing numbers in 10,000 gallon system, yet the Texas sun grew abundant seaweed.

I am not chasing exact numbers. I want my farm to be efficient and don't waste Ressources to archive that goal.
It is not usefull to make a big waterchange, let the algae grow for a month, then you want to sell them and they start to Surfer or melt away because magnesium is out of control.
I hope you get my point
I don't care if magnesium if it is 1300 or 1400, but it should not exceed over 1500mg and only because i have to dose nitrate fertilizers otherwhse they die back because of the missing nutrients

KilianSP · Apr 13, 2023

So my current Plan is to get a few ICPs, 4 for each tank.

I am staying with the aquaforest, but readjust the magnesium and calcium to my actual need and not all 3 with the same dosage as aquaforest suggest, controlling via Salifert test Kits.

I have a look on the trace elements with the icps i am doing every 3 Weeks? Or are every 2 week or 4 week better?

And i let go of the nitrate fertilizer and switch to ammoniumchloride in the fishless Systems, watching those levels with my seneye reef.
By the way, can i calibrate the seneye reef to 0 NH4 with rodi water?

And then time will tell.
But i don't know if i should be doing small waterchanges in the ICP testing time, since i would prefer to keep waterchanges either as low as possible or very much but ditching all the other dosings

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 13, 2023

KilianSP said:
I wanted to Show the ICPs so you can see how my Overall Nutrient consume is, there was no reason to prove myself, i don't have any advantages if i lie to you. I want and need help, so why should i lie

Maybe you find something interesting in my icp.
As mentioned the after the first i did a massive water change to get back on track, and 2 Weeks after, without dosing anything, to see where my nutrients are going. I got a big fluoride consume.

lol

I wasn't suggesting you lied. But many people have misunderstandings and test errors.

Do you have more ICP's? Together, these three do not show rising magnesium if they are for the same aquarium.

Be sure to correct magnesium values for salinity changes when interpreting them.

june 2022 salinity 35.71 magnesium 1528 ppm
Corrected magnesium to 35 ppt --> 1498 ppm

Sep 2022 salinity 32.31 magnesium 1327 ppm
Corrected magnesium to 35 ppt --> 1437 ppm

November 2022 salinity 35.13 magnesium 1449 ppm
Corrected magnesium to 35 ppt --> 1444 ppm

KilianSP · Apr 13, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
lol

I wasn't suggesting you lied. But many people have misunderstandings and test errors.

Do you have more ICP's? Together, these three do not show rising magnesium if they are for the same aquarium.

Be sure to correct magnesium values for salinity changes when interpreting them.

june 2022 salinity 35.71 magnesium 1528 ppm
Corrected magnesium to 35 ppt --> 1498 ppm

Sep 2022 salinity 32.31 magnesium 1327 ppm
Corrected magnesium to 35 ppt --> 1437 ppm

November 2022 salinity 35.13 magnesium 1449 ppm
Corrected magnesium to 35 ppt --> 1444 ppm

I didn't mean it like that with lying, maybe it was a translation error by me
I just wanted to say that i didn't posted my ICPs to confirm that my sulfate is correct, so you know i don't make up these numbers, it was more like an add-on so you can see the other elements.
Infact, those ICPs are from my Bamboo Shark tank, where i don't need to add fertilizers since it is stocked with big fish. And in this tank i didn't add any magnesium or Calcium, i only added Alkalinity.
So i wanted to show that i don't have much calcium and magnesium consume with alot of macroalgaes and skimmer running or water changes.
Hope you can understand it now what i mean
It's even complicated for me to explain it in german and then even translate it, there can be mistakes
And i totally understand the corrected values connected with the salinity, but for me and the time between those Tests, it is almost no consume or anything i would bother about, i can replenish those when i see with the salifert Tests i am going to low