My first marine tank, RSM 250

lol - loving the description of each day. I loved watching the changes to my rock too - it is amazing how fascinating all those small changes and growth in life actually are :)

After posting earlier I went out an bought the new Hailea chiller. Trying to install it now but not enough piping :p
 
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LouiseS said:
lol - loving the description of each day. I loved watching the changes to my rock too - it is amazing how fascinating all those small changes and growth in life actually are :)

After posting earlier I went out an bought the new Hailea chiller. Trying to install it now but not enough piping :p
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Great! Just looked at your thread. Your tank looks stunning!
 
ATO up and running

Saga ATO now running with Sicce 1.5 pump and 12mm tubing. The increase in diameter was needed as this pump could also not overcome the smaller tubes resistance.

Nitrites still zero

Little clumps of sponges have gone white/grey and disintegrate when I touch them. Tank smells a little more fishy. Hello cycle!

Asking around regarding what others use for backup power. Expensive, confusing and irritating because I vacillate between "I don't need it" and "I need enough power to run the whole system including chiller for a week!"
 
Bendor said:
Expensive, confusing and irritating because I vacillate between "I don't need it"
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Am not sure of your outages that you guys have in maritzburg, but i know hilton up the road can become a joke sometimes. How many times a month do you not have electricity ?
For me we don't have often but i have a scheduled outage tomorrow night for 8 hours for example. So i am happy i have peace of mind having an inverter and battery backup as well as a genie. Considering how much we spend on this hobby to me the backup solution is small change considering how we can't rely on eskom and the replacement value of our livestock.
I run a 1200w pure sinewave inverter with a 102AH Deep cycle battery. Total cost about R3000.00,
this will run my return pump and a few other pumps for 8 hours. Also have a Honda genie super silent EU20i which will run my whole tank when i switch over from the inverter when i get home.
Believe you me i need it. I have woken up at 1 in the morning once to find no electricity but my tanks still running. So i can sleep peacefully knowing all is well.
If its confusing to you, was to me at first. Add up the value you paid for your stock in the tank, and tell me its not worth it;)
 
WarrenElvis said:
I run a 1200w pure sinewave inverter with a 102AH Deep cycle battery. Total cost about R3000.00,
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Hi WarrenElvis

I know I need it, I'm just vacillating between the two extremes of buying something that doesn't immediately contribute to your tank's well being (like air bags in your vehicle) but is ultimately the life an death of your system (or you).

I tend to over compensate and I know that I need a backup and the bigger and longer the better but I need to be cost conscious and get something that will work for now and is possibly upgradable in the future by adding another deep cycle battery or two.

Your system sounds very good. Where did you buy it from?

What I think I know:
It needs to be a pure sine wave inverter
The total wattage needs to be at least three times the amount that you intend to run to allow for "startup power needs"
It must have deep cycle batteries
Batteries are the most expensive part
It must be able to charge the batteries when the power is on and switch on automatically when the power fails.
More batteries in series more power, batteries in parallel lasts longer.

Where can I go in PMB/Durban for advice and product?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 
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Hey Bendor. My system i got from ACDC, to get best advice would be to phone their technical suport line in JHB the guys there are pretty clued up and will tell you how many batteries you need for running x amount of items and what size inverter. Will pm you details of the catalogue page number & other info. Just make sure you get the inverter with the charger so it can trickle charge the battery's. As for battery's a few in Durban, Mantech, Battery Centre etc not sure about pmb
 
Bendor said:
Hi WarrenElvis

I know I need it, I'm just vacillating between the two extremes of buying something that doesn't immediately contribute to your tank's well being (like air bags in your vehicle) but is ultimately the life an death of your system (or you).

I tend to over compensate and I know that I need a backup and the bigger and longer the better but I need to be cost conscious and get something that will work for now and is possibly upgradable in the future by adding another deep cycle battery or two.

Your system sounds very good. Where did you buy it from?

What I think I know:
It needs to be a pure sine wave inverter
The total wattage needs to be at least three times the amount that you intend to run to allow for "startup power needs"
It must have deep cycle batteries
Batteries are the most expensive part
It must be able to charge the batteries when the power is on and switch on automatically when the power fails.
More batteries in series more power, batteries in parallel lasts longer.

Where can I go in PMB/Durban for advice and product?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
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Some people run modified sine inverters and dont have issues, but pure sine is guaranteed to work with everything.
The Pure sine inverter will be the most expensive component in the system and make sure you get one with an auto transfer switch for that automatic switchover. Depending on the input voltage of the inverter you will connect batteries in series or parallel. I would get a 12V inverter if I was you so that you can add one battery at a time instead of 2 as is the case with 24V inverters. Batteries are on average around R1100 each for 102AH.
 
ATO Setup

25 liter tupperware container
Haelia pump
Saga level controller ATO
Tubing from RO setup, 5mm high pressure tubing

Drill container lid, setup ATO, thought it looked good.
Pump too small and the the RO didn't make it to the top.

Changed the pump to Sicce, 1.5 with 1350lt/hr and head height of 1.8 meter. Still no flow.

Changed tubing to 12 mm and voila! Good strong that is not too turbulent. Fills from bottom float position to top float position in 15



Bucket and Saga controller

seconds
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Float switch and return pipe into right side chamber of RSM 250

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Return into main display from the back. Did this to decrease amount of kinks in the tubing and to keep resistance low.

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Pump saved by the timer

So I've been an idiot and didn't notice that my ATO reserve ran dry because "dry" actually means 2cm from the bottom as the pump can't utilize the bottom 2cm. We were having breakfast and my wife said my tank is beeping. Sure enough the 60 second timer had stopped the dry ATO and saved the pump! It alarms and doesn't allow any further triggering of the pump. Not exactly AI but cool nonetheless.:)
 
My cycle is missing a step. What now?

New tank + very fresh live rock full of critters.
Day 0 nothing tested positive.
Didn't have ammonia test in the beginning.
Smell of the sea disappeared on day 3.
Nitrites tested zero every day so far.
Ammonia 4.0 on day 7 = big spike, the cycle is on!
Nitrates today tested 100.
Nitrites still zero.

Ammonia yes, nitrites no, nitrates yes.

What now?

Awesome rock with super bacteria colony that destroys all ammonia and nitrites in it's path or broken cycle with broken bacteria?
 
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Looking good!

I think you may have tempted me into setting up my ATO thats been sitting in my cupboard for a few years.
Are you running a chiller at all?
 
dizzyg said:
Looking good!

I think you may have tempted me into setting up my ATO thats been sitting in my cupboard for a few years.
Are you running a chiller at all?
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Just got my chiller today! Hailea HS-52A. Will post pics later and hook up tomorrow. I need some tubing still. Get your ATO started, It's part of a good back up plan (and I am lazy).:)
 
Bendor said:
Current FTS, substrate keep getting blown into a pile even though there is turbulence at the top as well. Main return pump seems to be doing it's job while there is minimal obstruction.
IMG_2080.jpg
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Wow, tank is looking good! :)
Try keeping the left hand side pump parallel with the floor (i.e. angle it slightly more up than it currently is). You will still get a bit of a mound but not as steep as it now ;)

Looking forward to more updates! :thumbup:
 
New additions!

Hailea HS-52A Chiller, 1/6 hp, rated for 250 liter tank, akin to previous HC-250A apparently.

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Salifert test for size comparison.

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Exide Deep Cycle battery, 102 ah, 12V. Part one of my immediate backup system. Awaiting 600W (1200W peak) inverter.

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Sicce Syncra 3.0 pump to pump water out of the tank to the chiller and back up again. Head height 3.0 meters. Will try and measure to see what actual return is after it has gone through the chiller.

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Nitrates > 100
Nitrites still zero
KH 6.3
Wanted to have nitrites tested at lfs for a second opinion but there test kit was being used at a house visit.
 
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