skimlessinseattle Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 So, my honest opinion, while i can appreciate the idea of starting "sterile" as I'll call it with respect to phosphate, i feel this is an exercise in futility and will never achieve your expectations. I think your chasing an impossible idea with dry rock, and it may be better to accept it and make peace with the idea before you end up with a tub of crushed coral. That said, if your willing to go the distance, I am very curious to see where this takes you. Go forth, mad scientist. Quote Link to comment
justin81 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I have dry pukani coming in this week and looking to do the same thing. Bleach it, etch it, RO and seaklean it, and then cook it. I really hope it doesn't take forever to get the phos out. I've heard some get lucky and others it just seems to never go away. Following along to see how it goes for you Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 I have dry pukani coming in this week and looking to do the same thing. Bleach it, etch it, RO and seaklean it, and then cook it. I really hope it doesn't take forever to get the phos out. Yeah, that sounds right. I hope so too. I noticed that Reef Cleaners rock "has been professionally cleaned and dried after a long soak in a deep water well to prevent leaching of phosphates". That would have been helpful to know before I ordered rock. 1 Quote Link to comment
justin81 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Man I really wish I had seen that too!! I didn't know anything about the pukani until it was already on order. It's a bit more headache than I was wanting but I'll give it a shot. Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 8, 2013 Author Share Posted June 8, 2013 Since I'm not sure how long it will take to purge the phosphate from the rocks, I decided to just use the saltwater that they were in, and establish the biofilter at the same time. I've been adding a little ammonia just about every day; maybe I should take a break for a bit. IDK why, but I kind of expected the biofilter to be further along by now. Oh well, the phosphate is still coming out of the rock. I suppose that I should take a nitrate reading sometime soon. 1 Quote Link to comment
justin81 Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 I haven't tested my phos levels yet, but acid wash was done Friday. They have been soaking in RO/DI saltwater with a MJ1200 and a heater. Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 I haven't tested my phos levels yet, but acid wash was done Friday. They have been soaking in RO/DI saltwater with a MJ1200 and a heater.AZDesertRat says that it's hard to test pure water. IDK you might get a more accurate phosphate reading if you make a small batch of saltwater out of the water your rocks are soaking in. 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Hmm... I did a high range nitrate test and it read 0 to 4ppm. This basically tells me that the ammonia isn't being converted into nitrate (or that the bacteria populations are not becoming established). Maybe a bad batch, maybe there was some bleach left in the rock, IDK. I'm thinking that it will still take awhile before the phosphate stops leaching, so I'm just going to add some Seachem Stability (that I have on the shelf) and see what happens. Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Ammonia at 8ppm can actually retard some strains of bacteria that aren't used to being in high-ammonia situations. 3 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 My bacteria are retarded. 6 Quote Link to comment
eitallent Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 When ever I use ammonia for cleaning it retards me for a while! 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 That explains a lot! Just kidding eitallent. 1 Quote Link to comment
eitallent Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 LOL! Well, I opened the door... 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 After making a recomendation to fretfreak13 about her automatic top off system, I think I've decided that it wouldn't be such a bad option for myself. So I'm thinking about running an RO/DI line into the sump, using an Eshopps float valve to shut off the the water.Then I'd get a float switch and normally open solenoid valve from AutoTopoff.com as a fail safe, to shut off the water if the float valve were to fail. 2 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 Here are a few livestock shots, from my 40B holding tank (since it still might be awhile before my rocks are ready.Baby Rock Flower Anemone.Chromis peeking out.Green Banded Goby.Clownfish, of course. One of these days, I'm going to have to get a better camera. 1 Quote Link to comment
eitallent Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Sweet baby rock flower anemone! They are all gorgeous! Quote Link to comment
justin81 Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Is your rock still leaching phos? I did a 100% water change on mine after dosing Phos Free for a few days. After 48hrs I'm now at 0.3ppm and holding. I think my rock is done. 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 Is your rock still leaching phos? I assume so. When I add SeaKlear, it still clouds the water. However, I haven't tested the levels in awhile. I did a 100% water change on mine after dosing Phos Free for a few days. After 48hrs I'm now at 0.3ppm and holding. I think my rock is done. I hope so, but 0.3 is high. If you think it's done, try another 100% water change and see if it goes up again. Quote Link to comment
Curry02 Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I only went through the first few pages, I'm at work but so far it looks awesome! I'm actually planning to buy a home ending of this year so I couldn't have stumbled across this at a better time. Its almost like a sign. The wife OK'd it. Hah. Can't wait to read the rest of it when I get home. 1 Quote Link to comment
fretfreak13 Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Excited to see how you set up your ATO! =D Quote Link to comment
FishDooD65 Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Then I'd get a float switch and normally open solenoid valve from AutoTopoff.com as a fail safe, to shut off the water if the float valve were to fail. I have the same float switches. They are great and havent let me down yet. Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 Excited to see how you set up your ATO!I just placed an order for a NC solenoid, NO solenoid, and a float switch (and float valve). I'll have a RO/DI line going to the normally closed (NC) solenoid, which will be opened by a timer long enough to refill the tank (first fail safe). This will prevent the water from flowing nonstop should a fitting come loose down the line, prevent the RO/DI unit from turning on and off throughout the day, and allow me to do water changes without triggering another top off. Then the line will pass through a normally open (NO) solenoid that is attached to a float switch in the sump. The switch is just a safety device that is triggered only if the water level in the sump should rise higher than normal (second fail safe). In theory, this solenoid will never get used (like a smoke detector), it's just there in case of an emergency. Finally, the line will connect to a typical float valve in the sump. This will control how much water is dispensed and maintain the water level in the return section of the sump. 1 Quote Link to comment
fretfreak13 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I just placed an order for a NC solenoid, NO solenoid, and a float switch (and float valve). I'll have a RO/DI line going to the normally closed (NC) solenoid, which will be opened by a timer long enough to refill the tank (first fail safe). This will prevent the water from flowing nonstop should a fitting come loose down the line, prevent the RO/DI unit from turning on and off throughout the day, and allow me to do water changes without triggering another top off. Then the line will pass through a normally open (NO) solenoid that is attached to a float switch in the sump. The switch is just a safety device that is triggered only if the water level in the sump should rise higher than normal (second fail safe). In theory, this solenoid will never get used (like a smoke detector), it's just there in case of an emergency. Finally, the line will connect to a typical float valve in the sump. This will control how much water is dispensed and maintain the water level in the return section of the sump. Haha I meant pictures, silly. =) You could explain this to me 100 times and I still wont really understand until I see it. I get the concept, just not exactly how it physically will go together with the lines and such. 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 I'll post pics once everything arrives. It probably sounds more complicated than it is. 2 Quote Link to comment
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