HybridAZN's 180 gallon build

[jsker]

I got around to doing some tests on the aquaforest reef salt I got recently. First off I must say I never thought I would find a salt that mixed faster and cleaner than good ol' Red Sea Coral Pro but I was wrong. This salt literally mixes in less than 10 minutes, and I mean it's crystal clear at that point. I'm definitely impressed. Now onto my test results, I mix up 15 gallons at a time( I change out 15 gallons every weds and sun night)

Using 5 scoops with the provided scooper

Salinity came out to this

It was zero'd out right before using rodi water and lens wiped clean with a hand towel and then followed up with a microfiber towel. So that's right where I want it, nice.

Next up alk

124ppm =7.0 sky

Yaaay! My target for achieving with zeovit. Really nice

Now here is where I frowned a bit. I tested calcium with my Red Sea Calcium Pro kit. And it came out at 345 ppm! That's low, too low. So I guess I'll have to dose a little calcium to bring it up to where I like it at 420ppm.

So all in all I'm happy with this salt except for the calcium results. Could it be my test kit? Anything is possible. Does anyone have any other thoughts on this salt?

@jsker @120reefkeeper @Anirban @Aquaforest
#reefsquad

Good morning,
That is interesting, most salts mix high not low. It could be the test kit, or the tester. I am sure you will test again on the next batch water change. I do not use the cup, I have a mixing spreadsheet that I came up with. I mix weight, and I mix to 1.025.
It is a good salt and I have been using the AF reef salt for over a year. I will also say that I have to make adjustment from purchase to purchase with regard to dosing, but not much.

 

[hybridazn]

I think if you raise the sg to 1.026 will raise calcium to atleast 390. Its possible to be your test kit, i use the red sea kit for calcium as well. After the bottles are open for a while, i do get a tad lower reading against the readings on salifert. Ive heard the alk is around 7 with AF but never the calcium being that low.

I agree I'd be checking that calcium test kit. I've never seen any of their salts that low in calcium . As far as the rest of the results they look pretty close to what I've seen.

Mixes great don't it lol! [emoji41]

I too am thinking the test kit needs replaced, it is getting up there in age. I'll be picking up a fresh test kit tomorrow and will verify again on sunday when I mix fresh saltwater again.

Yeah, the salt mixes really well. I can see two issues...1) You are happy with the alk but if this is the reef salt then it should be near 7.3-7.7 dkH or 135 ppm. 2) The calcium is low too. With 1.0249 salinity it should be near 410-430 ppm. I will check the Ca with another kit like salifert.

From what I've been reading online is that the reef salt has been consistently lower on their alk than their advertised levels. Which is none reason why I chose this salt to begin my adventure into zeovit.

Good morning,
That is interesting, most salts mix high not low. It could be the test kit, or the tester. I am sure you will test again on the next batch water change. I do not use the cup, I have a mixing spreadsheet that I came up with. I mix weight, and I mix to 1.025.
It is a good salt and I have been using the AF reef salt for over a year. I will also say that I have to make adjustment from purchase to purchase with regard to dosing, but not much.

Interesting, about how much do you need to adjust from box to box?

And speaking of zeovit, I am planning on putting the reactor online this weekend, so stay tuned!

 

[jsker]

I too am thinking the test kit needs replaced, it is getting up there in age. I'll be picking up a fresh test kit tomorrow and will verify again on sunday when I mix fresh saltwater again.



From what I've been reading online is that the reef salt has been consistently lower on their alk than their advertised levels. Which is none reason why I chose this salt to begin my adventure into zeovit.



Interesting, about how much do you need to adjust from box to box?

And speaking of zeovit, I am planning on putting the reactor online this weekend, so stay tuned!

I run the 1+2+3+ and I adjust base on testing. The difference has not been drastic

 

[justingraham]

How's the fmk treating you?
I just set mine up now it is kinda like why did I spend the money.
Also still no luck with the camera it works for like a day then won't connect

 

[hybridazn]

I run the 1+2+3+ and I adjust base on testing. The difference has not been drastic

Oh ok. Thanks for sharing

How's the fmk treating you?
I just set mine up now it is kinda like why did I spend the money.
Also still no luck with the camera it works for like a day then won't connect

Haven't had time to hook it up yet. I'm going to redo my return plumbing when I do hook it up. I guess I could just hook up the other sensors for the time being lol.

So far my cameras have been working flawlessly. I have zero complaints about it. And the photos I'm seeing from other similar cameras (and more expensive to boot) this cameras image quality seems to be superior.

 

[Anirban]

My reports say the reef salt was reported high in Mg but generally Alk stays at 7.5 or something closer when mixed at 1.024 and when I mix it at 1.026 it comes close to 8 dkh and thats where I keep mine. But never knows...
By the way you were mixing salt at mid night...because you posted at 1 in the morning...

 

[hybridazn]

My reports say the reef salt was reported high in Mg but generally Alk stays at 7.5 or something closer when mixed at 1.024 and when I mix it at 1.026 it comes close to 8 dkh and thats where I keep mine. But never knows...
By the way you were mixing salt at mid night...because you posted at 1 in the morning...

Hahaha I'm a night owl, I work until 10pm est so my weds water changes are always late lol

 

[Anirban]

Hahaha I'm a night owl, I work until 10pm est so my weds water changes are always late lol

I was thinking if you want to do a water change without disturbing your fishes. So, just do it shhhhhh...

 

[hybridazn]

I was thinking if you want to do a water change without disturbing your fishes. So, just do it shhhhhh...

Hahaha!

 

[ws6kid]

Let us know about the FMK. Really interested. The only application for useful info I can think of is knowing when you aren't getting the same gph and may need to clean pumps or change out PVC. I suppose if you are worried about tank turnover it would help as well. Looking good! Zeovit will add a new dimension for sure.

 

[hybridazn]

Let us know about the FMK. Really interested. The only application for useful info I can think of is knowing when you aren't getting the same gph and may need to clean pumps or change out PVC. I suppose if you are worried about tank turnover it would help as well. Looking good! Zeovit will add a new dimension for sure.

I really got it because I'm a nerd and simple things like what the fmk can monitor make me all giddy inside lol. I'll post updates about it once I hook it up.

 

[hybridazn]

So happy birthday to me (5-19)!

The family and I went to our LFS and when I walked in the ladies at the front counter all said happy birthday! Haha, I guess they know me well. So for my gift they told me I could have any coral 50% off. So I picked out this acropora colony that I think shows promise and bagged it up. I spent most of the day with my family so it stayed in the bag all day, this wasn't a problem but I knew it would be a late night acclimating and dipping.
So I drip for about an hour and then did a heavy dip of Bayer for 20 minutes. I rinse it off and check the bottom of the dip container. Planaira flatworms and little pods was all I saw. So I check the colony out with a fine tooth comb and I find a dead acro crab, darn it how did I miss this guy before the dip??
I inspect some more and along the base, eggs. Like aefw eggs uuuuuugh. Good thing I checked, I i bust out the inland saw and chop off the bottom and cut off any dead branches even close to the base. I check the rest of the acro for worms and eggs and I can't see any. I proceed to dip again in a heavy Bayer dip for 20 minutes. This time no planaria but i did notice some aefw on the bottom. Those little dots in the first dip that I thought were pods must have been aefw.

So now I'm thinking, crap no way is this going in the tank. I'm just about ready to cut my losses and pitch this thing and then I thought that I can just set up a 5 gallon bucket with a heater and decent flow and keep it in there for a couple weeks while I continuously dip. I will change out the water every couple days with fresh tank water to keep things stable.

Sorry for the lack of pics. I didn't have my phone handy while I was doing this but I will document from here on out.

Here goes my first bout with aefw ever...

And hopefully my last lol

 

[BrettMallette]

So happy birthday to me (5-19)!

The family and I went to our LFS and when I walked in the ladies at the front counter all said happy birthday! Haha, I guess they know me well. So for my gift they told me I could have any coral 50% off. So I picked out this acropora colony that I think shows promise and bagged it up. I spent most of the day with my family so it stayed in the bag all day, this wasn't a problem but I knew it would be a late night acclimating and dipping.
So I drip for about an hour and then did a heavy dip of Bayer for 20 minutes. I rinse it off and check the bottom of the dip container. Planaira flatworms and little pods was all I saw. So I check the colony out with a fine tooth comb and I find a dead acro crab, darn it how did I miss this guy before the dip??
I inspect some more and along the base, eggs. Like aefw eggs uuuuuugh. Good thing I checked, I i bust out the inland saw and chop off the bottom and cut off any dead branches even close to the base. I check the rest of the acro for worms and eggs and I can't see any. I proceed to dip again in a heavy Bayer dip for 20 minutes. This time no planaria but i did notice some aefw on the bottom. Those little dots in the first dip that I thought were pods must have been aefw.

So now I'm thinking, crap no way is this going in the tank. I'm just about ready to cut my losses and pitch this thing and then I thought that I can just set up a 5 gallon bucket with a heater and decent flow and keep it in there for a couple weeks while I continuously dip. I will change out the water every couple days with fresh tank water to keep things stable.

Sorry for the lack of pics. I didn't have my phone handy while I was doing this but I will document from here on out.

Here goes my first bout with aefw ever...

And hopefully my last lol

Happy Belated birthday! Sorry ur bday present turnes into a pain! Hopefully itll turn out to be a nice experiment for ya for future frags with infestations. I always chuck new addditions in a 5g for a week during my dipping to make sure its nice n clean of aefw one thing i dread introducing to system

 

[hybridazn]

Happy Belated birthday! Sorry ur bday present turnes into a pain! Hopefully itll turn out to be a nice experiment for ya for future frags with infestations. I always chuck new addditions in a 5g for a week during my dipping to make sure its nice n clean of aefw one thing i dread introducing to system

Thanks for the birthday wishes! Well the acro didn't make it, the dips i put it thru did it in. I went too aggressive with the bayer dips, oh well i suppose.

Well last night I got the Zeovit reactor online!

I started out with 500ml of stones and will add to it weekly until I reach my needed amount which is 1500ml of stones. I'll start dosing my blue bottles tonight. I'll start out with this and see how it goes

.5ml of zeostart twice a week
8 drops of zeobak twice a week
Zeofood 6 drops twice a week
Coral snow 10ml a week

Wish me luck!

 

[bknapp]

Why'd you decide to switch to Zeo? Happy belated birthday.

(I need one of those r2r stickers!)

 

[hybridazn]

Why'd you decide to switch to Zeo? Happy belated birthday.

(I need one of those r2r stickers!)

Mostly for nutrient control. I got scared with that last nitrate spike and I realised my past practices weren't getting the job done. I felt zeovit gives me control over what I put in the tank as far as nutrients. So we shall see.

I'll see what I can do to get a sticker for you @revhtree Haha

 

[bknapp]

Mostly for nutrient control. I got scared with that last nitrate spike and I realised my past practices weren't getting the job done. I felt zeovit gives me control over what I put in the tank as far as nutrients. So we shall see.

I'll see what I can do to get a sticker for you @revhtree Haha

Hope you can master it and get to where you want to be.

@revhtree is the man he'll get it figured out.

 

[hybridazn]

Hope you can master it and get to where you want to be.

@revhtree is the man he'll get it figured out.

With due diligence I'm sure I will

 

[hybridazn]

Last night I made a fresh batch of aquaforest reef salt for a water change. With a brand new calcium test kit in hand I went ahead and retested the water. Prior to mixing the water I rolled the bucket a few times to make sure it was evenly mixed.

I added the salt to fresh rodi water and here are the results

Salinity mixed the same as before, this is also the mark that aquaforest says they mix at for their results according to BRS.

Next up alk

Boom! The same.

Now calcium, and once again I was disappointed. With a brand new red sea pro test kit, the readings came up the same as the old kit. It came in at 350 for calcium! Could it just be this batch? Or is this a consistent thing that other users are seeing with this salt?

@Anirban @120reefkeeper @Aquaforest @jsker #reefsquad

 

[Anirban]

Last night I made a fresh batch of aquaforest reef salt for a water change. With a brand new calcium test kit in hand I went ahead and retested the water. Prior to mixing the water I rolled the bucket a few times to make sure it was evenly mixed.

I added the salt to fresh rodi water and here are the results

Salinity mixed the same as before, this is also the mark that aquaforest says they mix at for their results according to BRS.

Next up alk

Boom! The same.

Now calcium, and once again I was disappointed. With a brand new red sea pro test kit, the readings came up the same as the old kit. It came in at 350 for calcium! Could it just be this batch? Or is this a consistent thing that other users are seeing with this salt?

@Anirban @120reefkeeper @Aquaforest @jsker #reefsquad

No, thats bad and not consistent thing. From where do you get your salt? You should report that to @Aquaforest .