Perefect parameters? Equipment in a 130

Bathtub

Bathtub

Member
As some of you may know I am a dedicated tinkerer and engineer by background (wish I could just leave stuff alone)- but 1 year on from being happily "forced" back into the hobby I think I have nailed the setup (for me) in my 130, with stable near perfect water params..... Only issue I have Is pH swing from 8.2 to 7.8 during light/ night cycle.
0 nitrate (and all nhx), 0 phosphate stable on calcium, magnesium, sodium, kh etc.
As I am about to swap out to a bigger tank I thought I would share some of my tech journey.... (rsm to be reborn for seahorses, but with a sump this time)....
This is what worked for me, everyone has their own approach...
Stock pumps suck, swapped for whisk compact 600's and dropped them deeper. IMHO this is a no brainer to get rid of micro bubble issues...
Stock skimmer not great, I tried a euro-reef and SO wanted to love it, but the bubble carry over was just TOO much, I just could not live with it after 1 month- went back to a tunze, simple, not as effective but pulls ok skimmate. I also added the in tank media rack and cup (serious credit to the quality of build to in-tank, friendliness of service and actual transatlantic delivery. I would reccomend in-tank to anyone and guarantee with my own money if I had to).
Vortech mp10 bottom right of tank, with the external driver for the pump, this is an engineering beauty that does not heat display. If you have the cash buy one and love it.... Again I would guarantee this with my own money if someone asked...
Now... Slightly more techie but magic bits......
Phillips ozoniser just connected to the air feed of the tunze. VERY low level ozone, I consider no risk to tank (personally). The effect on the water has been unbelievable- I thought I was clear before, literally it is invisible now....
Deltec fr509 fluidized bed running bio-pearls. Beautifully made, but this was the key, my nitrates went to zero in a week, I am powering off an eheim compact under the tank- I had never used bio pearls, but the water response is amazing- perfect- AT A COST.
I have filter floss to throw out in the upper chamber of my media rack. I now need to replace this 2x to 3x a day as it clogs with the mulm from the bio beads (invisible in water column). I can live with this others maybe not. If I remove the floss then maybe the skimmer would pick up the mulm, but...
I run seagel in the other 2 chambers of the media rack. This would get "slimed" without the floss...
If you can live with the 30 seconds maintenance this requires 2x a day flow away floss is great to keep nitrates down full stop. The strip down of fluidized bed and plumbing once a month can be a pain.....
Finally I have one of my return pumps in back chamber running by a chiller (d&d 300- not reccomended without modifying) and uv- tank temp never moves more than 1c and never had an issue with disease (even before ozone)...
So overall delighted with where I am with water (ultimately we keep water not fish)... But not the cheapest setup or the easiest if you dont follow tank every day...
I never dreamed I would run a stocked tank with this quality however, and I think even 5 years ago would have been impossible...
If anyone wants any in depth discussion on setup of any of the kit please do not hesitate to drop me a line. This forum has been a god send to me for advice...
 
tnwillia

tnwillia

Well-Known Member
Great build history, Sounds like you will do the same with a larger tank and some modification to your build. I think the killer for many of us is the face time you have with your tank, maybe when I retire LOL Have fun!
 
Bathtub

Bathtub

Member
Replied in other thread as well Terry, but you just hook the end of the skimmer airline feed to the unit (standard fitting). The bubbler is in my spares cupboard. I wanted feed into the skimmer for increased contact time, and I didn't want rogue bubbles...
I really do like it- simple and effective....
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

NaClH2O Addicted
PREMIUM
Designed for very low ozone levels, to ensure safety. If it improves skimmer efficiency and water clarity it might actually be working. I think ReefBuilders was basing their comments on typical ozone generators, which can have safety issues, and usually require ORP measurements. Based on 2 reviews in here it does seem to be working.
 
RSM250PEARL

RSM250PEARL

Member
Guess you're right Terry, if it's more plug and play and delivers results then yay! Another gizmo on the shopping list ;)
 
Bathtub

Bathtub

Member
You nailed what I am seeing exactly, low safe levels, you don't get the same level of sterilization I expect, but water clarity is amazing and there is a very noticeable effect in skimmate quality in my tunze. For the price I am really happy- and truly is plug and play. Anyone wants more info just pm me, happy to discuss what I've seen....
 
Mischko

Mischko

Member
As much as I agree with Bathtub on the ozon and creating a better skimmate (thicker foam) be very aware of using ozon depending how you filter with your tank. If you use zeolith or biopellets ozon can have a very negative effect on the filter system. Yes, depends on the amount, but generally, with biopellets or zeolith it might have a negative effect on the bacterias trying to settle in the filter media.
I think the best way to use ozon is to use it with a Redox probe. As far as I remember redox should be 350 to 450 mV in saltwater, with a probe you can automatically have the ozon switched off and back on when the value raises or drops.
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

NaClH2O Addicted
PREMIUM
Bathtub is running biopellets with the ozone, but I have a feeling the little bit of ozone is fully reacted in the skimmer and may actually be helping remove some of the excess bacterial mulm generated by the biopellet bacteria. Just a thought I've had. The free oxygen, O, released from the O3 molecule is highly reactive and will react quickly.
 
Mischko

Mischko

Member
As I said, depends on the amount. No doubt about ozone breaking up specially Nh4, No2 and No3 for your skimmer to skim even more effective, but it is the amount of ozone you use in such a filtration system. Too much and it might break your filtration.
And yes, it will react very quickly, but read up what other stuff ozone can create if overdosed and is used without proper controll in a tank. Properly used as Bathtub does has for sure a wonderful effect and truely improves your tank environment, but don't go like, hey, I get an ozone pump, switch it on and everything will be happy campers.
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

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PREMIUM
Yep - too much O3 can be a big problem. The Philips generator provides so little ozone that it may just be the little bit that's needed to have a positive effect, without worrying about an excess.
 
Mischko

Mischko

Member
Oh don't get me wrong, Terry, I was not like doubting what Bathtub is doing. No way, hope my comment didn't come over like this. After I read about his Philips ozone pump I am serious considering myself to get one of those. You know I am runing biopellets myself. I just thought to kind of stress out it is not like a miraculous wonder thingy to 'just' use ozone and all will be perfect.
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

NaClH2O Addicted
PREMIUM
I wasn't disputing anything you said - you were 100% correct. A good discussion is always a good thing, and it helps us learn! I guess the only point I was making was that the Philips reactor is pretty much foolproof as it generates so little ozone.
 
Hongkonger

Hongkonger

Member
Couldn't agree more. As safety is paramount for everyone, especially in my case my tank is in the living room where we spend a lot of time. So i was hoping/wondering if the low dose would provide results, and based off of bathtubs recommendation I tried it. I will have to say that I am impressed so far. Day 3 or 4 and can definitely see a difference. The discussion has been great though, as always.
Cheers
 
Bathtub

Bathtub

Member
as I use filter floss daily I find that the rate this clogs up is pretty much directly proportional to how effective my bio pellets are working (as my feeding regime is pretty constant).
I have certainly seen no drop off in activity (water param readings at flat 0's support this) and the inlet/ outlet from the fluisised bed run to the back chamber next to my skimmer where the ozone is going in.
I TOTALLY agree that overdosing (or even simply running high levels and the potential risk of carry over) could very effectively wipe out biopellets- but have seen no evidence of that running the 120-240l ozone generator....
 
Mischko

Mischko

Member
My Sander Ozonisator Certizon C25 should arrive Tuesday ;-) It's the smallest Sander produces, goes from 2 - 25mg/h and that should be more than sufficient for my tank.
 
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