EZs Aquapod 24 with 150 MH

[ezcompany]

One thing that I found while I was away for days, is that my CSS overflowed, the cup went full in 2 weeks, the cause was the piece of floss I put under the output blocked the flow, now I just let the output dump into my sump. So blocking the output is a bad idea. That has now made the CSS run absolutely rock solid, I havn't needed to adjust it anymore. I am thinking of placing a small cup of chaeto and have the output dump into it.

 

But remora I'm sure works great too, let us know how the remora is running.

 

here's the thing about the CSS, it is too sensitive to changes in water level. with halides running, evap is a pain, and i don't have a auto top off. the exit for the CSS isn't blocked at all and is free flowing. it just RANDOMLY decides to overflow every now and then. this is probably because i play with it too much. but the main point is the sensitivity to water level of the pump. the higher it is the more air bubbles, which is great but causes an overflow in the collection cup. everytime i get home from work the level is below dry skimming. the only time i see it skimming efficiently is during the night, when lights are out and fans are off, due to the more stable water level.

how is yours rock solid? i just don't get it.

[StrategicReef]

here's the thing about the CSS, it is too sensitive to changes in water level. with halides running, evap is a pain, and i don't have a auto top off. the exit for the CSS isn't blocked at all and is free flowing. it just RANDOMLY decides to overflow every now and then. this is probably because i play with it too much. but the main point is the sensitivity to water level of the pump. the higher it is the more air bubbles, which is great but causes an overflow in the collection cup. everytime i get home from work the level is below dry skimming. the only time i see it skimming efficiently is during the night, when lights are out and fans are off, due to the more stable water level.

how is yours rock solid? i just don't get it.

 

Before I added the ATO, everyday I came home the water level dropped too low just like yours and it wasn't skimming anymore. After I added the ATO it is very solid, as long as you don't have filter media that clogs and changes your water level in the AQ24 sump area. Also, make sure the valve out of the pump is on full, I think you told me you have it on half. So you really need an ATO. I was using top off water about 1 gallon a day during last month's 113F heat wave.

 

After I elminated anything that blocks the outflow while I was travelling, it really has been solid for a week now, with a predicatable amount everyday in the cup. I have the bubbles just slightly above the bottom, still give me wet enough skimmate.

 

The thing that supposedly very good for the CSS is that it uses a both a venturi and impeller to generate maximum amount of bubbles, the remora is only venturi, I think. But that's not to say which will perform better overall.

 

I think my CSS did help to bring reduce my phosphate pretty much 0 now, I know some was in my water, salt mix, or the rocks, the green algae is slowly turning

brown. The skimmate is getting less dark as time goes by, now about 7 weeks.

Now phosphate is barely detectable (I was using phosban but found the skimmer actually reduced it faster), and nitrate 3ppm, everything else 0.

 

For the price I would buy again.

[ezcompany]

Before I added the ATO, everyday I came home the water level dropped too low just like yours and it wasn't skimming anymore. After I added the ATO it is very solid, as long as you don't have filter media that clogs and changes your water level in the AQ24 sump area. Also, make sure the valve out of the pump is on full, I think you told me you have it on half. So you really need an ATO. I was using top off water about 1 gallon a day during last month's 113F heat wave.

 

After I elminated anything that blocks the outflow while I was travelling, it really has been solid for a week now, with a predicatable amount everyday in the cup. I have the bubbles just slightly above the bottom, still give me wet enough skimmate.

 

The thing that supposedly very good for the CSS is that it uses a both a venturi and impeller to generate maximum amount of bubbles, the remora is only venturi, I think. But that's not to say which will perform better overall.

 

I think my CSS did help to bring reduce my phosphate pretty much 0 now, I know some was in my water, salt mix, or the rocks, the green algae is slowly turning

brown. The skimmate is getting less dark as time goes by, now about 7 weeks.

Now phosphate is barely detectable (I was using phosban but found the skimmer actually reduced it faster), and nitrate 3ppm, everything else 0.

 

For the price I would buy again.

 

i see. so you open the valve all the way? what kind of ATO are you using? is it in chamber 2 of your tank?

 

i'm thinking of double skimming. then again i think my roomate will kill me

[StrategicReef]

i see. so you open the valve all the way? what kind of ATO are you using? is it in chamber 2 of your tank?

 

i'm thinking of double skimming. then again i think my roomate will kill me

 

Yea I researched on RC and people are suggested to open the valve fully.

 

for the ATO I built my own "controller" , but it's really just a DC coiled AC relay.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=91781

 

I then run a couple of switches from Aquahub, ($7 each) and I use it to turn on a RV water pump that I have..

 

Dual skimming, good test, if it doesn't generate too much heat.. run both after it has broken in and see which pulls out more skimmate.

[ezcompany]

my weakness is in the diy bit. i wish i had the time and workspace to do it.

can you make me one

[bubblethumper]

My remora took somewhere between 3-5 days to really start skimming normally. I didn't rinse it or anything. I just plugged it in.

[ezcompany]

less talk, more pictures.

 

there

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

edit: is it me or is n-r compressing the images

[junkitu]

there

 

Nice Yasha! Does it stay out where you can see it or is it hidden most of the time?

[ezcompany]

hidden most of the time. comes out during feeding though, and comes right to my hand to take food.

she'll be getting a partner tomorrow

[ezcompany]

[StrategicReef]

The yasha is beautiful!

 

Let us know what you are going to do for flow. I really need some kind of solution, the hydor actually works very well if I put it in the display to mix up the laminar flow a little. (really annoyingly big) But the bottom areas do not receive enough.

 

Does the Tunze spin around?

[junkitu]

Wow, she's beautiful. What was the larger fish in the video?

[ezcompany]

Wow, she's beautiful. What was the larger fish in the video?

 

 

the larger fish is the lyretail anthia. there are only 2 fish in that tank

[bubblethumper]

So where's the tyree sunset?

 

I've got one too and while it's growing, the color is still recovering from nearly a week without light a while back.

 

Don't you have a Superman in there somewhere too?

[ezcompany]

its not a tyree sunset, i think its from monster's reef! (don't ask) its starting to turn orange so its all good.

 

new additions: yellow monti with purple polyps, neon green polyped acropora COLONY woohoo!!! and pistol shrimp for my yasha

 

Test:

 

Alk 11 dkh

Calcium 330...gulp...my tank is a calcium eating machine...what happens if i just dose the calcium part without the part I alk supplement?

[adinsxq]

wow. great work ez

[ezcompany]

future equipment to add:

Tunze nano-stream 6045

hang in there acros!!!

[bubblethumper]

future equipment to add:

Tunze nano-stream 6045

hang in there acros!!!

Ruh roh! Are your corals STN'ing from lack of flow?

[ezcompany]

no they're not, but i think they can be happier!

currently running TWO skimmers on my aquapod 24!

Aquac Remora and CSS 65 lol

lets see who skims better!

 

i just hope it doesn't skim the crap out of my trace elements!

[proraptor2]

I dont see the large acro colony you had anymore did it die?

[ezcompany]

yeah, that thing got rtned so R....its in smaller frags right now.

i got a sweet replacement though, the guys in vivid aquariums are really cool.

[ezcompany]

current set up:

AquaC Remora / Whisper 30 / Coralife Super Skimmer 65 TIGHT FIT

 

 

Now you be the judge

 

after 3 days of CSS skimming

 

after 6 days Remora skimming

 

thinking of scrapping the remora -__-

 

new zoas from ebin

 

new acropora, propagator, can you pls id it for me! neon green polyps, orange/tan branches, and purple tips, i think it'll color up tricolor style!

 

Anemone crab

 

New montipora (hopefully it'll turn yellow at the base) with purple polyps

[DarkXerox]

Yeah the CSS65 pretty much blows away most small skimmers. Mine pulls out almost a full cup of really thick, dark green liquid every week. Plus it is set to skim rather dry so that is a lot of poop! I think that for the size, you would have to get a deltec to better the performance, but at 80 bucks or so, the CSS65 is a lot cheaper.

 

Keep an eye on the red dial though, I've heard it can leak somewhat when run as a HOB.

 

I can't wait for those tunze nanostreams either. The 6055 nano puts out the nearly same flow as a Tunze 6060 , yet they are smaller than SEIOs, and the 6055 can be controlled.

[seahorsejl]

Ooo.. you got some of the ebin Daytripper zoa's... I have been tempted to buy some, but holding off till after this weekend to see if I get anything at a LFS.

 

Very nice additions!

[StrategicReef]

Is it ok to have 3 anemone crabs, do they fight each other or pair up? I have one it is really cool I am thinking adding another one or two.