Instruction and set-up
The following will show you everything you need to set up your tank. You need to follow each steps. All peace of equipment involved in this set-up will last for a while. The idea here is to get results without breacking your bank.
1- Calculate the volume of your tank
2- Tri Base Pelletized Carbon
3- pH Adjustment Rock (for salt water only)
4- The Canister
5- Adjusting water flow
6- Adjusting return pipe
7- Sea-Lab Trace Element Block (for salt water only)
8- Adjusting water temperature
9- Water changes and cleaning
10- Alternative to RO Water (if needed)
11- Right Now Bacteria
1- Calculate the TOTAL AMOUNT of gallons your new tank can hold without anything in it.
To do this simply multiply L X W X H or use a calculator avalable on internet.
2- Now calculate how much Tri Base Pelletized Carbon you need.
This simple formula will tell you how much Tri Base Pelletized Carbon is needed for your sysemt.
-Fish only(Fresh/Salt/Pond): .1667 x Gallons
-Reef with some fish: .1667 x Gallon then divide by 1/2
-Reef with Coral and invert only (no fish) .1667 X Gallon and divide this result by 3
Remember, when use as a bacteria bed, this carbon only needs to be replace once every 4 years.
Let Tri Base Pelletized Carbon soak in a water bucket with an air pump for about 2 days. Once this is done, add it to your filter. Do not add it all at once. the best is to add 1/4 to the canister every day.
For Soft water tank with live plants, do not use Tri Base Pelletized Carbon. It will remove all what your plant need. Use Earth Pellets instead.
3- Calculate how much PH Adjustment Rock you need.
If you dont need to elevate your pH simply want to hang on your good old technique, go to next step.
These rocks are just awesome. They hold your PH, supply over 28 trace elements, maintain your Calcium over 400ppm, elevate Alkalinity and Magnesium. Just imagine how much money and time you save with this one time purchase!!!
This simple formula will tell you how much pH Adjustment Rock is needed for your system:
When use in a canister: Multiply tank gallons X 0.7
When use at the bottom of the tank or in the sump: tank gallons X 2
Do I really need to use pH Rock?
No, you do not. Conventional pH buffer or calcium reactor can do the job. PH rock is what we recommend if you want to quit on those methodes.
Add pH Adjustment Rock in your filter with Tri Base Pelletized Carbon or, if you prefer, add it in an other canister or at the bottom of your tank.
4- The canister
The only canisters we found to carry this amount of carbon is the RED TORPEDO. If you tank is small (5 to 20 gallon, any canister could do as long as it's large enough. Per exemple, a Fluval 304 would fit exactly whats needed (carbon and ph rock) for a small 15g reef tank
Red Torpedo is nothing more than a durable and lightweight canister designed specifically to maximize media load with no internal restrictions and pressure tested 150 PSI. It can be clean in 60 sec without taking the unit apart. Should be clean once a month.
5- WATER FLOW
Water flow is the water returning to your tank after it has passed through your filters.
There is just one easy thing to remember here: IT MUST BE TEN (10) AN HOUR.
Also, in some system, we have notice pH is more stable when power heads are OFF. Reefer will say that will kill live stock, but give it a try.
6- The return pipe
This is very important! In all system except in planted aquarium, return pipe MUST be about 2 inches ABOVE the water surface. It MUST shoot from the rear to the front, and be cross corner. If you DON'T do this, you will have a very hard time with your pH and the Dissolved Oxygen levels in your tank. Water should be taken from the bottom of the tank.
Return pipe must be setup this way beacause water coming from the filter contain high Co2 level. This Co2 has been produce by the bacteria in the canister and must be eliminate if you don't want low pH reading.
7- Trace element (only for salt water set-up)
pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, magnesium and over 28 trace elements are already taken care of by PH Adjustment Rloc. Only a few things are still missing and this is where Sea Lab Trace Element Bloc #28 come into play.
Use a small quantity of Sea Lab Trace Element bloc #28 to maintain a constant supply of strontium and will help ph rock to supply trace elements and calcium. PLUS, it stabilizes acid-alkaline ballance (pH) and prevents toxic ammonia buildup.
What's great about these blocs is that they can't be overdose and you don't need to test all the time to know if something is missing in there. All you have to do is to add an other bloc when dissolved. How could it be more easy?
8- Water temperature
Should be around 78 - 80O F. In the tropics the water temp is usually between 84 to 90 0 F in many places. For salt water tank, density (no, it is not really called salinity) should be between 1.020 to 1.025. At the lower density there is less disease and the water can carry more Oxygen.
9- Water Changes and Cleaning
This system will keep your water clean and will reduce No3 and Po4. This is not a reason to not do water changes. You can change a smaller volume and save on water and/or salt but dont skip that improtant maintenance routine.
Your Red Torpedo should be clean (actualy this is what's inside that need to be cleaned)once a month. All you have to do is to back flush. back flush ONLY for 10 to 15 seconds. Otherwise your bacteria bed will be carried away in the waste water. Back Flushing means to change the direction of the water flow and capture that water in a bucket or expunge it down a toilet. Back flushing does not mean to back flush water back into the tank!!
10- Reverse Osmosis Water
What a time-consuming process and an wast of water. Have you ever mesured how much water is lost to produce 10 gallons of RO water?
What a shame!
If RO water is needed, you can now give up on that and use Chloradsorb with Metal Gone.
Check that out:
Chloradsorb destroys Ammonia, Chlorine and Chloramines in seconds. It removes Copper, nullifies Toxic Metals dangerous in your aquarium and it adds vital Electrolytes which enable fish to secrete a protective skin coating.
Chloradsorb eliminates Deadly Eutrophication from your aquarium and improves Aquarium Water Quality which promotes healthy fish and invertebrates
May be used while fish or invertebrates are present in the aquarium or pond and functions in Fresh, Brackish, and Salt water.
Our Customers say they won't use anything else! They say after using Chloradsorb, Reverse Osmosis is NOT required, AND enhanced coralline algae growth is quite noticeable.
Now let's have a look to Metal Gone
Metals lead to deadly Eutrophication which lead to an unsightly aquarium.
Numerous people have turned to Metal Gone to solve this problem in saltwater.
There is 2 types of Metal Gone: Salt and Fresh water.
Metal Gone will removes deadly toxic metals for better fish and invertebrate health, removes phophates and other metals for invertebrate well being and growth, converts an unsightly aquarium to a pristine aquarium and vastly reduces and eliminates Deadly Eutrophication in your aquarium.
11- The Bacteria
Right Now Bacteria is the master peace of that system. It has nothing in common with all thos bacteria starter you see on the marcket. Right Now Bacteria will establish on your Tri Base Pelletized Carbon of Earth Pellets and will grow at a phenomenal rate. Within only a few hour it will have enough bacteria to cycle your tank AEROBICALY. It will consume wast like nothing else and it remains in your system. Actualy, you only need to use the bacteria once but if you want (and this is what I do), you can add a few every month after water change to boost the system a little. If you do this, help yourself and get a pound of it instead of small quantity everythime (you'll save money this way).
Learn how to start your system
1- Calculate the volume of your tank
2- Tri Base Pelletized Carbon
3- pH Adjustment Rock (for salt water only)
4- The Canister
5- Adjusting water flow
6- Adjusting return pipe
7- Sea-Lab Trace Element Block (for salt water only)
8- Adjusting water temperature
9- Water changes and cleaning
10- Alternative to RO Water (if needed)
11- Right Now Bacteria
1- Calculate the TOTAL AMOUNT of gallons your new tank can hold without anything in it.
To do this simply multiply L X W X H or use a calculator avalable on internet.
2- Now calculate how much Tri Base Pelletized Carbon you need.
This simple formula will tell you how much Tri Base Pelletized Carbon is needed for your sysemt.
-Fish only(Fresh/Salt/Pond): .1667 x Gallons
-Reef with some fish: .1667 x Gallon then divide by 1/2
-Reef with Coral and invert only (no fish) .1667 X Gallon and divide this result by 3
Remember, when use as a bacteria bed, this carbon only needs to be replace once every 4 years.
Let Tri Base Pelletized Carbon soak in a water bucket with an air pump for about 2 days. Once this is done, add it to your filter. Do not add it all at once. the best is to add 1/4 to the canister every day.
For Soft water tank with live plants, do not use Tri Base Pelletized Carbon. It will remove all what your plant need. Use Earth Pellets instead.
3- Calculate how much PH Adjustment Rock you need.
If you dont need to elevate your pH simply want to hang on your good old technique, go to next step.
These rocks are just awesome. They hold your PH, supply over 28 trace elements, maintain your Calcium over 400ppm, elevate Alkalinity and Magnesium. Just imagine how much money and time you save with this one time purchase!!!
This simple formula will tell you how much pH Adjustment Rock is needed for your system:
When use in a canister: Multiply tank gallons X 0.7
When use at the bottom of the tank or in the sump: tank gallons X 2
Do I really need to use pH Rock?
No, you do not. Conventional pH buffer or calcium reactor can do the job. PH rock is what we recommend if you want to quit on those methodes.
Add pH Adjustment Rock in your filter with Tri Base Pelletized Carbon or, if you prefer, add it in an other canister or at the bottom of your tank.
4- The canister
The only canisters we found to carry this amount of carbon is the RED TORPEDO. If you tank is small (5 to 20 gallon, any canister could do as long as it's large enough. Per exemple, a Fluval 304 would fit exactly whats needed (carbon and ph rock) for a small 15g reef tank
Red Torpedo is nothing more than a durable and lightweight canister designed specifically to maximize media load with no internal restrictions and pressure tested 150 PSI. It can be clean in 60 sec without taking the unit apart. Should be clean once a month.
5- WATER FLOW
Water flow is the water returning to your tank after it has passed through your filters.
There is just one easy thing to remember here: IT MUST BE TEN (10) AN HOUR.
Also, in some system, we have notice pH is more stable when power heads are OFF. Reefer will say that will kill live stock, but give it a try.
6- The return pipe
This is very important! In all system except in planted aquarium, return pipe MUST be about 2 inches ABOVE the water surface. It MUST shoot from the rear to the front, and be cross corner. If you DON'T do this, you will have a very hard time with your pH and the Dissolved Oxygen levels in your tank. Water should be taken from the bottom of the tank.
Return pipe must be setup this way beacause water coming from the filter contain high Co2 level. This Co2 has been produce by the bacteria in the canister and must be eliminate if you don't want low pH reading.
7- Trace element (only for salt water set-up)
pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, magnesium and over 28 trace elements are already taken care of by PH Adjustment Rloc. Only a few things are still missing and this is where Sea Lab Trace Element Bloc #28 come into play.
Use a small quantity of Sea Lab Trace Element bloc #28 to maintain a constant supply of strontium and will help ph rock to supply trace elements and calcium. PLUS, it stabilizes acid-alkaline ballance (pH) and prevents toxic ammonia buildup.
What's great about these blocs is that they can't be overdose and you don't need to test all the time to know if something is missing in there. All you have to do is to add an other bloc when dissolved. How could it be more easy?
8- Water temperature
Should be around 78 - 80O F. In the tropics the water temp is usually between 84 to 90 0 F in many places. For salt water tank, density (no, it is not really called salinity) should be between 1.020 to 1.025. At the lower density there is less disease and the water can carry more Oxygen.
9- Water Changes and Cleaning
This system will keep your water clean and will reduce No3 and Po4. This is not a reason to not do water changes. You can change a smaller volume and save on water and/or salt but dont skip that improtant maintenance routine.
Your Red Torpedo should be clean (actualy this is what's inside that need to be cleaned)once a month. All you have to do is to back flush. back flush ONLY for 10 to 15 seconds. Otherwise your bacteria bed will be carried away in the waste water. Back Flushing means to change the direction of the water flow and capture that water in a bucket or expunge it down a toilet. Back flushing does not mean to back flush water back into the tank!!
10- Reverse Osmosis Water
What a time-consuming process and an wast of water. Have you ever mesured how much water is lost to produce 10 gallons of RO water?
What a shame!
If RO water is needed, you can now give up on that and use Chloradsorb with Metal Gone.
Check that out:
Chloradsorb destroys Ammonia, Chlorine and Chloramines in seconds. It removes Copper, nullifies Toxic Metals dangerous in your aquarium and it adds vital Electrolytes which enable fish to secrete a protective skin coating.
Chloradsorb eliminates Deadly Eutrophication from your aquarium and improves Aquarium Water Quality which promotes healthy fish and invertebrates
May be used while fish or invertebrates are present in the aquarium or pond and functions in Fresh, Brackish, and Salt water.
Our Customers say they won't use anything else! They say after using Chloradsorb, Reverse Osmosis is NOT required, AND enhanced coralline algae growth is quite noticeable.
Now let's have a look to Metal Gone
Metals lead to deadly Eutrophication which lead to an unsightly aquarium.
Numerous people have turned to Metal Gone to solve this problem in saltwater.
There is 2 types of Metal Gone: Salt and Fresh water.
Metal Gone will removes deadly toxic metals for better fish and invertebrate health, removes phophates and other metals for invertebrate well being and growth, converts an unsightly aquarium to a pristine aquarium and vastly reduces and eliminates Deadly Eutrophication in your aquarium.
11- The Bacteria
Right Now Bacteria is the master peace of that system. It has nothing in common with all thos bacteria starter you see on the marcket. Right Now Bacteria will establish on your Tri Base Pelletized Carbon of Earth Pellets and will grow at a phenomenal rate. Within only a few hour it will have enough bacteria to cycle your tank AEROBICALY. It will consume wast like nothing else and it remains in your system. Actualy, you only need to use the bacteria once but if you want (and this is what I do), you can add a few every month after water change to boost the system a little. If you do this, help yourself and get a pound of it instead of small quantity everythime (you'll save money this way).
Learn how to start your system
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