Evolutionz

The end result is the same, 0 TDS pure distilled water. Yes using DI alone without RO depletes the DI faster BUT with our TDS at 60+ tds it lasts much longer than you might expect. Still, a RODI unit will last longer than a DI only unit. But is the trade-off of waste water and high cost (booster pump is almost a must) worth it? i personally think it is not. Infact, i know some reefers who use a single 20" huge DI canister and pack it full with DI resin and they last a very long time before you see TDS creeping up above 0. My personal usage wise, the 5 stage DI unit i have can last 6 months with a weekly 10% WC of my 170L tank, a 5L DI resin pack cost about $45 and the whole pack would last me about 15 months, the Carbon block is pretty cheap and can be bought locally below $10. That is a very low cost to maintain, and remains relatively low even if i double my tank size volume and do the same 10% WC weekly. Most people buy RODI because that is what most shops sell and that is what they are told they need, to achieve RODI water. These are of course my own opinion and both option definitely works at producing 0 TDS water which ultimately is what we are looking for.

what u said makes sense and should be the reason why you're not getting 0 tds. i have used the Crystal pro a long time ago but don't remember having issue with it. Maybe you would want to remove and reassemble your unit? With a tap water TDS of 60+, there is no reason why you need RO, yes RO membrane can last a long time but you have to deal with waste water and a slow flow rate and if you stay in high floor you'll definitely need a booster pump. The trade-off is not significant enough because DI alone can reduce the TDS to 0 and still last a long time. This is my DIY 5 stage DI unit with all the parts sourced from taobao except for the resin.

What is your tap water TDS? Singapore's tap water are generally very soft with pretty low TDS (below 100) therefore RO is not a must (or infact not necessary at all). I personally use a 5 Stage DI system with 1 stage carbon and 4 stage DI water and produces 0 TDS even with fast flow rate, my tap water is 60-70 TDS. It sounds to me you that your resin have either expired or exhausted that's why its producing high TDS water.

Time to upgrade bro!

upzzzz

Upz

upz

Item 4 I-SHINE RGB refugium light SOLD. Bump for the rest!

upzz

upzzz

Hi Reefers, i have some equipments for sale. 1) Almost brand new Bubble Magus Z7. used for a week only, bought brand new imported in since this model is not available locally. Great for 500-700L tank, its too oversized for my 160L tank so i've downgraded to a smaller skimmer. Comes with original box and all accessories that were included. Selling at only $150. 2) Innovative Marine Mini-Max Full size reactor. This is the biggest of all 3 mini-max with a capacity of 1L meant for sump usage. cable has been extended before but does not affect performance of the pump. Selling cheap at $50. 3) Brand new Zetlight Mini 3x1w White LED light. Great for lighting up the sump or a mini refugium. got it as a gift but no use for me. Selling at $20. 4) I-SHINE 45W RGB refugium led light. Used for about a month, very bright and can be used for growing chaeto or other macro algae. Has an active cooling fan to cool the heatsink down. Letting go at $45. Collection at woodlands. Please PM me or whatsapp me directly at 9106-3934. Thanks for viewing.

Really nice gesture bro! kudos to u!

Thanks! I borrowed it from a fellow reefer.

i meant to say Curve 7 not 5!

Yeah 2 pump option is definitely more fail-proof, i used to run a DCP12000 on my 4ft 450L system and i barely go over 70% power and they are near silent even after 3 years of usage. I believe at max capacity you might only hear a soft humming noise.

Your return option looks good, though i personally would go for the DCP12000 and run it at a lower speed which i personally believes lengthens the lifespan of the pump, its also quieter this way. As for your skimmer, i'm currently using the BM Z7 on my 160L tank and it seems to be abit too overkill for now (new set up, not skimming much), but i would suggest you go for the Curve 5 or Z7/Z8 at least.

Day 22 Got my hands on a Biotek Marine BTM-3000 PAR sensor! The Noopsyche looks bright to me but i guess a PAR reading on the tank would be very beneficial when deciding on coral placement. The light is currently 8" above the water level, and positioned slight over half the width of the tank in order to 'blast'' the rock scape and first half of the tank. So for testing purposes, i set all 5 channels (White, Red/Green, Blue, Royal Blue and UV) to 100%. The single Kessil-like lens on each led puck seems to have diffused the lights pretty well, and im surprised a single unit at 100w over a 60x50x50m tank can produce over 200 par on even the front corner of the sandbed. But as expected from a typical spotlight LED fixture, the PAR is really low on the middle and top sides of the tank. Next i tested a more realistic setting of White & Red/Green at 50%, and Blue, Royal Blue and UV at 100%. The tank looks abit blue for the camera so i did some white balance editing. Expectedly the Noopsyche still performed pretty well and well within the BRS recommandation of 250-350 PAR for SPS. I think raising the light to 10" above water level (the max height for the stand) might improve the spread and i will provide an update again! Thanks for viewing!

Thanks everyone!!!!

All sold. Thanks

upz

MP10 sold, upz for the rest.

upz still looking to rent 1

Mp10 reserved for collection tml.

Day 18 What a busy day today! Hooked up my DI system and did a 50% water change. My nitrates and Phosphates were sky high which also means the tank is cycled, must have been the cubes of frozen food i've been 'feeding' the tank during the cycling period. Tank parameters after 50% WC today: kH: 8.3 Calcium: 400ppm Magnesium: 1200ppm Potassium: 370ppm Nitrate: 50ppm Phosphate: 0.5ppm Now time to show some new equipments! I decided to get the Noopsyche K7 Pro II LED simply because it fits my budget, is very similar (or identical) spectrum wise to the Hydra 26 and has a single kessil-like lens per led puck. Turns out they are really well-built and the colors blending are awesome! The single dome lens perfectly blends each individual colors and there is 0 rainbow effect even at the top of my rock scape. Per led puck, there's 3 Cool white, 3 Royal blues, 3 Blues, 1 red, 1 green and 2 violets (400nm and 410nm). It would've been perfect if 1 of the cool whites were swapped with a warm white led. Another plus point is that all but the violets are Osram LEDs. With the provided mounting arm, i must say it complements the Red sea Reefer 170 really well. Well, the controller is not the most user friendly and the technology felt like a decade old. So i got the Jebao SLW-20M (wifi version) and as compared to the MP10, its size is really compact! To be fair, i should've included the rubber magnet used to angle the jebao wavemaker in this comparison photo. I personally preferred the Jebao over the Mp10 here because it has a much wider flow and i am able to angle the WM to point at an angled direction. The only bad point over the MP10 would be the cord visible in the tank. The jebao app is surprisingly easy to connect and use. Next up is my skimmer! I went for this interesting skimmer from BM because of the limited space i have in the sump, since i am adding a UAS, UV and possibly a reactor for phosphate removal media. The BM Z7 is well built and really easy to assemble, the design is well thought out with a drain outlet from the skimmer 'cup'. now this is exactly why i chose this model! It fits perfectly in the cut out section right infront of the filter cup area. I also found this container (at daiso) that fits the only space left in my sump and its perfect for 2 parts and a skimmate collection cup! I will end this update with a FTS with the Noopsyche led at 100% on all 5 channels. It is blindingly bright and i initially thought i might need 2 sets because of my scape, but the spread so far is pretty good. The shimmer is amazing too!

Hi Reefers, i some items to let go! 1) Ecotech MP10wes for sale. The wet side (cost $90) and the power supply is brand new (cost $20+), dry side condition still very good. Selling at only $120. 2) Tunze Care Magnet Long, Super good condition! I recently bought a pack of replacement metal blades (1 in use right now, 2 in the packaging) for $12+. Also comes with box and some spare plastic blades. Selling at only $30. 3) Innovative Marine Minimax Full-size, this is the biggest version meant for sump use with a media volume capacity of 1L. Very good, almost new condition. Selling at only $70. Collection at woodlands, interested parties please whatsapp me at 9106-3934 or pm me. Thanks for viewing.