Reefmat 500 fast roll usage

[aaron186]

I have a ReefMat 500 on a Reefer 425 (90ish gallons). My return flow is about 400 gph (Neptune flow meter). I’m using an avast marine plank auto feeder and have 12 fish. My flow in the display is pretty high for an SPS dominated system.

I’m burning through filter rolls on this thing. They used to last about a month but now I’m only getting about 10-14 days on them. I’m not using the filter basket. I did add a couple fish but nothing crazy.

I just picked up a ReefMat 1200 and while it fits, it’s too big. Anyone have any suggestions to make these rolls last a little longer?

 

[Doctorgori]

the optical sensor is what makes it advance as opposed to actual particulates …. granted dirty water clogs mat material which in turn slows passage and in turn rises water levels in the unit…
….perhaps investigate what’s going on there…

 

[aaron186]

The water level rising is triggering the optical sensor. It’s not dirty and is advancing as it should due to the water level

 

[dschuffert]

Red Sea ReefMats do not use optical sensors. They have conductivity sensors. It essentially does the same thing. I have both the 500 on one tank and the 1200 on another. After the initial break-in of scrubbing my water clean, the roll usage extended more. I also noticed that the flow through the unit itself impacts the roll consumption.

 

[aaron186]

Red Sea ReefMats do not use optical sensors. They have conductivity sensors. It essentially does the same thing. I have both the 500 on one tank and the 1200 on another. After the initial break-in of scrubbing my water clean, the roll usage extender for more extended periods. I also noticed that the flow through the unit itself impacts the roll consumption.

I mispoke. But my point is that the water level is triggering the sensor. It’s not an issue with a dirty sensor.

Also my roller mat has been running for 5-6 months now

 

[slogan315]

I don’t have a reefmat, but I noticed with my Clarisea I had to open the bypass port some to keep up with my higher flow rate. Otherwise the increased flow made my unit fill up and trigger more often.

I’ve since actually turned down my flow some for other reasons, and found my roll lasts a lot longer, and looks visually dirtier.

 

[aaron186]

I don’t have a reefmat, but I noticed with my Clarisea I had to open the bypass port some to keep up with my higher flow rate. Otherwise the increased flow made my unit fill up and trigger more often.

I’ve since actually turned down my flow some for other reasons, and found my roll lasts a lot longer, and looks visually dirtier.

I don’t think the Red Sea has a bypass port unfortunately. I can turn down the flow rate but I have my UV plumbed into the return and it’s ideally supposed to be at 470 gph for max efficacy. I guess I’d rather have less maintenance though so I’ll give it a shot.

 

[ScubaSkeets]

When the roll advances, do you see the water level inside the Reef Mat go down? And where does that water level go down to? I was initially having a hard time understanding what was going in, and was going through the roll pretty quickly. Then I figured out that the higher the water level inside the Reef Mat is initially the (obviously) the sooner it would hit the sensor, advancing the roll. I adjusted the gate valve but I'm not sure with the UV plumbed into it

 

[aaron186]

When the roll advances, do you see the water level inside the Reef Mat go down? And where does that water level go down to? I was initially having a hard time understanding what was going in, and was going through the roll pretty quickly. Then I figured out that the higher the water level inside the Reef Mat is initially the (obviously) the sooner it would hit the sensor, advancing the roll. I adjusted the gate valve but I'm not sure with the UV plumbed into it

The uv is plumbed into return pump not drain. It drops about a half inch with each turn. It’s set to advance 0.8 inches. I found that adjusting the amount advanced doesn’t really change how fast the roll last.

 

[aaron186]

Would raising the height of the roller make a difference? I have a reefer 425 so I’m just using the hang on lip for it which I assume is the right height

 

[exnisstech]

The uv is plumbed into return pump not drain.

But the return controls the amount going into the drain. I think that may be what @ScubaSkeets was referring to. Lower return flow will equal lower flow through the roller which then equals longer fleece life.

 

[reefadam]

Are you running any media in the media basket ? I’ve found that once this clogs it will slow down flow as well and increase roll usage. Does your roll look visibly “dirty”?
It sounds like you’re still well under max flow rate.
I’ve found in systems dosing carbon the mats will clog quicker, as well as In systems with high feed rates. It seems oily/ frozen foods really exacerbates the problem. I had a Red Sea 900 with a ton of anemones I would feed frozen silverside chunks to and it really increased my roll usage, from lasting around 5-6 weeks down to 1-2. After trouble shooting everything else and even replacing the sensor this seemed to be the smoking gun, even tho nutrient levels tested normal.

 

[aaron186]

Are you running any media in the media basket ? I’ve found that once this clogs it will slow down flow as well and increase roll usage. Does your roll look visibly “dirty”?
It sounds like you’re still well under max flow rate.
I’ve found in systems dosing carbon the mats will clog quicker, as well as In systems with high feed rates. It seems oily/ frozen foods really exacerbates the problem. I had a Red Sea 900 with a ton of anemones I would feed frozen silverside chunks to and it really increased my roll usage, from lasting around 5-6 weeks down to 1-2. After trouble shooting everything else and even replacing the sensor this seemed to be the smoking gun, even tho nutrient levels tested normal.

No media. I figured that part out earlier when I first started and adding a basket doubled my roll usage. I’m feeding reef frenzy from avast marine which is a freeze dried food. That might be the issue but I’m reluctant to change since my fist seem to really like it. Perhaps I should switch off of it

 

[aaron186]

But the return controls the amount going into the drain. I think that may be what @ScubaSkeets was referring to. Lower return flow will equal lower flow through the roller which then equals longer fleece life.

I can lower the flow but I’m still way under what they say is the max flow rate. It’s 400 gph right now which is about 4x tank turnover. If I lower it I’m decreasing my UV effectiveness but I can give it a try

 

[exnisstech]

I can lower the flow but I’m still way under what they say is the max flow rate. It’s 400 gph right now which is about 4x tank turnover. If I lower it I’m decreasing my UV effectiveness but I can give it a try

I think the max rating is just that, the max flow it can handle. More flow equals more trapped debris / detritus hence more floss advances. It's just how fleece rollers work. At least that's my take on them. I'm not sure about your UV so I don't want to recomend a particular flow rate, not that I'm knowledgeable enough to recomend a specific rate anyway as I have never measured any flow in my tanks.

 

[reefadam]

Max flow rating is listed at 1580 gph per Red Sea, so you appear to be way under in that regard. I would suspect type of food/and / or over feeding. You could start by just reducing feedings and see if that helps, but I would consider switching foods, (gradually at first to make sure they accept it.)

 

[reefadam]

The only other thing I would check and not sure if it was mentioned would be that it’s operating at correct water height ? If it’s installed on a Red Sea system per their instructions, it should be fine, just not sure if you’re using the leg mounts or hanging on on the sump/ or if you’re running a higher than normal water height.
If this issue appeared gradually with no other changes, I’m still thinking it’s food related, but water height was something else I was just thinking about.

 

[C_AWOL]

An increase in feeding or sump water height can greatly impact how often any filter roller runs.
Even though it's just a few more fish, if theres more food being added then it will ultimately cause the roller to do more work.

You can easily tell when I went on vacation/when fish spawn in my case for example

 

[AstroMelly]

The water level in the sump at your filter roller should be (is recommended to be) 1 inch above the top of the inlet hose/fitting. How deep are you running yours? You may have to raise it. It’s in the instruction manual but it is buried!

 

[aaron186]

The water level in the sump at your filter roller should be (is recommended to be) 1 inch above the top of the inlet hose/fitting. How deep are you running yours? You may have to raise it. It’s in the instruction manual but it is buried!

I have a RSR 425 and have it hung on the glass like it’s meant to be. My water line is just about equal with the middle of the inlet with half of it above the water line. Do you mean the water should be above the inlet? I would need to to lower the roller in that case which would make it worse I believe.