Wet Skimmate Water Changes?

[SWINGRRRR]

This is very interesting, as already stated. I think you can make an AC Pro do the program.
FWP-Fresh water pump
SWP-Salt Water pump
Cond- Conductivity (S.G)
If Cond > 53.0 then FWP ON
If Cond < 52.9 then FWP OFF
If Cond < 53.0 then SWP ON
If Cond < 52.9 then SWP OFF


I’m at work and can’t run it through the simulator, but I think that’s a good program. Maybe someone can check it over for me. I would run the pumps off a double float switch/ relay. This is how I do my ATO now dependant on pH though. Of course you need the most expensive Aqua controller to do any of this.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I know some folks do it, but I generally recommend against "controlling" salinity. If you get an air bubble between the electrodes, or you get deposits of calcium carbonate or algae growths, etc, the conductivity will read falsely low, and you may end up driving the salinity excessively high without even knowing it.

So while I like conductivity to measure salinity, I do not recommend leaving the probe in the water 24/7, nor would I allow automatic adjustments based on the reading.

[Elliott]

Originally posted by Randy Holmes-Farley
I know some folks do it, but I generally recommend against "controlling" salinity. If you get an air bubble between the electrodes, or you get deposits of calcium carbonate or algae growths, etc, the conductivity will read falsely low, and you may end up driving the salinity excessively high without even knowing it.

So while I like conductivity to measure salinity, I do not recommend leaving the probe in the water 24/7, nor would I allow automatic adjustments based on the reading.

I agree, the pinpoint salinity monitor I use is very accurate but I must often play with it when I know it's off, usually way too low, I move the probe a bit to get the correct reading, would not rely on it for controlling pumps, etc.

[shovel]

interisting

[mobert]

This is what my water going in on the right and out on the left looks like.
I drip the clear water in and it raises the water level in the tank where the CPR SR3 is in the back of my Biocube29 and the waste water drips out into the container on the left. Looks like a pretty good water change to me.

This was done over a 24 hour time period.

[shikhyung]

Originally posted by mobert
replace with 1.022 instead of 1.026
adjust according to tank s.g.

How do you replace the loss water, with an ATO?

[mobert]

Originally posted by shikhyung
How do you replace the loss water, with an ATO?

Actually, I used to have an ATO on my BioCube29 but I have disconnected it and just drip one of those gallons of water in the tank now and the slight rise in water levels causes the skimmer to drip out the yellowish skimmate. Way easier and more efficient way for me to do a water change. I dilute the salt water going in as needed to maintain proper salinity.

On my big tank now I have a very slow drip of kalk water going in the sump for ATO and my new salt water container tops off with a Kent float valve in the sump to replace water removed by the wet skimming.

[vito is hooked]

Just came across this thread yesterday, make's TOTAL sense to me, so I drilled my collection cup this morning. I'm currently doing a 2gal a day manual water change every morning before I,m out the door. It only take's me 5min in between feeding both tank's. I take 2 from the main out, and 2 from the FOWLER out, put the 2 from the main in the FOWLER tank, and 2 gal of NEW water in the main, the other 2 gal from the FOWLER down the drain. I.m Wet Skimming, (started this morning) into a 1gal jug, when this is full I just replace it with New Saltwater. I have a 2gal a day evap and refill with 1gal of R/O and drip 1gal of Kalk every morning. If this work's out like I think, my old water change routine is gone. Does anyone forsee any problems in my future? Thank's.

[Elliott]

Originally posted by mobert
I have a very slow drip of kalk water going in the sump for ATO and my new salt water container tops off with a Kent float valve in the sump to replace water removed by the wet skimming.

I do the same thing

[JMBoehling]

Originally posted by Elliott
I do the same thing

Same here... Exact same setup.. Just check your salinity every week till you get the drip rate dialed in.

I actually replace my salt with 1.030 salinity water, this allows me to drip more Kalk into my reef.

Jim

[JMBoehling]

One more thing...

I added a Aqualifter to my Kalk Drip. I have it on a timer, On for 15 minutes, off for 15 minutes... It does this cycle 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I found it difficult to allow gravity to naturally control the drip rate, the more liquid in the bucket the faster the drip and then it would slow down as the bucket emptied.

Just a little tip for others having a similiar problem.

Jim

[Elliott]

Originally posted by JMBoehling
One more thing...

I added a Aqualifter to my Kalk Drip. I have it on a timer, On for 15 minutes, off for 15 minutes... It does this cycle 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I found it difficult to allow gravity to naturally control the drip rate, the more liquid in the bucket the faster the drip and then it would slow down as the bucket emptied.

Just a little tip for others having a similiar problem.

Jim

I use a dosing pump for the Kalk drip and adjust the rate to dial in salinity

[Reefbox]

I setup a wet skimmate water change on my 125 yesterday. Wet skimmate water changes are the way for me here on out.

[mobert]

I modified the old picture of my kalk drip system. So what I do is drip kalk only when the tank ph is under 8.3 controlled by a Neptune Systems Aquacontroller II. The kalk water ph is 12.07 with no stirrer or mixer---just the slow drip drip of fresh water direct from my RO unit through the kalk in the canister raises the drip ph to 12.07. The ACII turns off and on the power to two float switches in the sump so either a high tank ph or a high water in the sump would close the solenoid valve and shut off the water through the canister. I have refilled the canister back in January after the picture was taken and the kalk level has only gone down about an inch and a half so I probably won't have to refill again for many months. So very low maintenance. I do now drip directly into the sump and Jim's idea of of raising the salinity of the new salt water and thus allowing more kalk water sounds like something I will try also. Thanks!

I think I will sell my fancy calcium reactor as dripping kalk suffices my tank needs and the reactor hasn't been turned on in over a year.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Assuming that pH of 12.07 is accurate, and it likely is not perfectly accurate at that high of pH, then that limewater is only 34% saturated.

[diverdick]

I have found that the etss 800 is nicely suited for this water change approach. I see more efficient use of salt with this hands down. No more weekly 40 gallon water changes here. The simple fact that roughly 10 gallons of wet skimate/week - quick and dirty math took a 4 week supply (1 bucket of reef crystals) to 4 months! Anualized salt cost from ~ $850 down to ~$200 bones! Pays for lamps and some power to boot!

Now is it worth a try?

Regards,

--Rich

[mobert]

Originally posted by Randy Holmes-Farley
Assuming that pH of 12.07 is accurate, and it likely is not perfectly accurate at that high of pH, then that limewater is only 34% saturated.

Randy, how to you figure out the limewater saturation. I just got a new probe and it reads 12.57 with ACII.
Thanks,

[buy_baff]

I have been doing the wet skimmate water change for about a month now after seeing this thread and it is by far the most productive way to do a water change! When I first did it I could not believe how nasty brown the wet skimmate was. So Thanks for the info.

[96p993]

What is the typical time frame you guys are doing this in..Im am trying this today for this first time and just hooked my topoff to the container with my new SW in it then cranked up my skimmer to what I thought was equal in and equal out...then just let it do its thing....Is this too quick to get a real benefit from it??

[crazzyreefer]

I had major problems with a aqua controller, The probe would be off when there was stray current, and yes it was grounded, The company aknolaged the design flaw and told me to diy a drip onto the condutivity probe, and even then it wasnt accurate, well not enough for this pourpose. I now have a wet neck skimmer, and I love the fact that I dont have to clean it, but it removes skimmate at about twice the salinity, so I have to add higher concentrated salt mix back into the tank everyday, some days its only 3 gal other days its more than 10. I hope to have the system more dialed in, but I have noticed that if a coral gives off toxins or spaws or any thousand of other things happen in the tank that day I dump much more water. Lucky I plumbed the drain from the skimmer head into the toilet air vent in the attic, In this way, skimmate goes down the drain and the skimmate odor vents to the roof.

[JMBoehling]

Little Update:

I took the Saltwater offline from the float. Back to just using Kalk. What I do now is whenever my skimmate reaches 1 gallon, I empty the bucket (Skimmate) and add 1 cup of Salt to my reef (Along with Calcium and Magnesium). I am using a small fish net with the ultra fine brine mesh to hold the salt. I made a little holder that holds the fish net and salt in the overflow of my reef and SLOWLY mixes the new salt into my reef over a two hour time frame.

I still keep the Venturi intake tube in my 5 gallon skimmate bucket so the Maximum skimmate I can remove via my skimmer is 2 gallon (Just in case my bristle worm or snails decide the breed and cause the skimmer to go nuts )

All in all, my tank is looking better than ever using this method, and now I can keep my PH and ALK higher just dripping Kalk

Later,

Jim

[mobert]

Jam, that is really interesting. Gives me lots of ideas.

[augustasalty]

thanks for all the helpful information

[gabbagabbawill]

My wet skimmate change is easy... Just set the skimmer up to skim at a faster rate, drip that into a 5 gal bucket... when the waste bucket gets full, I replace it with the same amount of newly mixed and aerated saltwater. Takes me about 3 hours... I do about a 5 gal change in this time and the water that comes out is always a darker/ yellowish color. I see no need for automating any of this, as that is just something else to go wrong... my sump can take a 5 gallon loss of water without getting too low, so it's really easy to perform.

[KafudaFish]

Just curious but does this method of continous changes alter the size of a skimmer on a tank? Could you put a skimmer rated at 200 galllons on a 500 gallon tank? The skimmer would still be a higher quality skimmer just smaller.
Thanks.