New member, new tank, no experience

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cemmerts

cemmerts

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I'm going to start working on some of the recommendations made above. As i'm new to most of the equiptment in this world, can someone verify my logic before I spend the money? I'm going to start making sure I have clean water source by adding a DI to my current RO (picture above). My plan is to put a T piece on my existing RO system, immediately after the RO, but before storage tank. I will then connect the deionizer to the T piece as well, with a valve on each side of the deionizer and to the drinking water tank, so that I can open up the flow to the DI and stop the flow to the drinking water tank, fill a reservoir of RODI water, and then shut off the flow to the deionizer and open it back up to the drinking water tank. Does this sound right, or am I missing something?
Screen Shot 2020-04-17 at 6.24.17 PM.png
Screen Shot 2020-04-17 at 6.29.28 PM.png
 

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I'm going to start working on some of the recommendations made above. As i'm new to most of the equiptment in this world, can someone verify my logic before I spend the money? I'm going to start making sure I have clean water source by adding a DI to my current RO (picture above). My plan is to put a T piece on my existing RO system, immediately after the RO, but before storage tank. I will then connect the deionizer to the T piece as well, with a valve on each side of the deionizer and to the drinking water tank, so that I can open up the flow to the DI and stop the flow to the drinking water tank, fill a reservoir of RODI water, and then shut off the flow to the deionizer and open it back up to the drinking water tank. Does this sound right, or am I missing something?
Screen Shot 2020-04-17 at 6.24.17 PM.png
Screen Shot 2020-04-17 at 6.29.28 PM.png
if you connect the out put of the RO to a T then immediately add two valves to the t then put the DI after one valve and your drinking water to the other valve you can eliminate one valve. there is such a thing as a three way valve which would make it even simpler.
 
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cemmerts

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if you connect the out put of the RO to a T then immediately add two valves to the t then put the DI after one valve and your drinking water to the other valve you can eliminate one valve. there is such a thing as a three way valve which would make it even simpler.

Ok, i don't need a valve at the end of the DI, to keep water & pressure in the system? Like the resin will be ok to be open to the atmosphere?
 

vetteguy53081

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Welcome to the R2R community and we’re glad you joined us !!
 
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cemmerts

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Instead of starting another thread, I figured i would just post here. Since signing up on R2R, I’ve made some upgrades and taken some advice. Wanting to know where my next move should be?

what I’ve changed from the original build:

-upgraded RO to RO/DI. TDS was previously 16, now a cool 0.
-upgraded lighting from current USA 36” (literally had for a month and don’t know what to do with it now) to a reef breeders V2 24” (32” is unavailable anytime soon).
-new testing kits (Salifert)
-Auto top off

what is my weak link that I need to look at next?
 

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Welcome. Notice you couldn’t get the calcium past 320 or so ppm. That should not be the case. Your salt should be higher than that out of the box so to speak. You have no stony coral, so you have no calcium consumption. I would double check measurements and technique.
 
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cemmerts

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Welcome. Notice you couldn’t get the calcium past 320 or so ppm. That should not be the case. Your salt should be higher than that out of the box so to speak. You have no stony coral, so you have no calcium consumption. I would double check measurements and technique.

sorry, I didn’t update the calcium levels, I’ve got it up to Over 400 consistently now (440) this am. I just got Fitz high alk salt and did my first 20% change with this today (used chemiclean for Cyano 2 days ago). I’m dosing 30cc of reef fusion 1 and 2 each day as well as 5cc of kentz liquid calcium, at least daily and sometimes bid.

parameters this am:

Sp grav 1.024
pH 8.3
Calcium 440
kH 9.9
Ammonia 0- 0.25 (still using API here)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0.5
Phosphate 0-0.25
Copper 0
Temp 77.0

API kits are being replaced with Salifert as I run out. I’m planning to get a combo of Hanna checkers/Seneye/Apex as my next upgrade of parameter checkers.
 
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myinvalidname

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sorry, I didn’t update the calcium levels, I’ve got it up to Over 400 consistently now (440) this am. I just got Fitz high alk salt and did my first 20% change with this today (used chemiclean for Cyano 2 days ago). I’m dosing 30cc of reef fusion 1 and 2 each day as well as 5cc of kentz liquid calcium, at least daily and sometimes bid.

To me there is no reason to dose anything until you have enough life in the tank that is consuming enough of the Ca for example to start depleting it. Unless I missed something, you are buying expensive additives and adding them to a mostly empty tank and then simply throwing them out with water changes. Sorry. Sometimes I’m too blunt.
 
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cemmerts

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To me there is no reason to dose anything until you have enough life in the tank that is consuming enough of the Ca for example to start depleting it. Unless I missed something, you are buying expensive additives and adding them to a mostly empty tank and then simply throwing them out with water changes. Sorry. Sometimes I’m too blunt.

I work well with blunt So I can probably hold
Off on the additives. How about time to add some corals?
 

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