Yep just fresh water and drain well

if the old sand carries any detritus then this could have gone bad, I would suggest throughly washing the old sand first to avoid any ammonia or nitrite spikes

Close up of the tube holder, I have been crafty and used spare peri tubing to run through the bubble Magus holder so the pipes are nice and tidy going into the sump. I have also used the more flexible air line as the Calcium line especially can choke up like a vein and is easier to unblock with this pipe.



And 1 x stand back and admire the goodies shot



Tomorrow I will discuss GHL programming with screen shots and also how to work out initial dose rates. I have cheated and already done this by 5 days of manual pre dosing and measuring of the element depletion per day, so i know already what my system draws, but I will focus on this important step more tomorrow

The equipment set up.

As you can see below the whole system is set up minus adding the actual elements which I will do tomorrow.

GHL 4 stage doser connected to the profilux and plumbed in



All Pipe work going to the tube holder and coming from the balling containers, the containers come with screw tight fastners for the tube so no risk of one flying off.

So in the picture we have

3 x Bubble Magus 2.5L canisters (also available in 5.0L) ideal for balling mixtures

3 x Fauna marin balling salts, no I am not using cheap salts that I have no clue what has been added to them or not, FM salts are designed for the tank.

3 x FM trace B elements, for that all important colouration of the corals

1 x Bubble magus tubing holder, I was amazed at the attention to detail and quality iin such a simple item.

1 x GHL 4 pump doser

If anyone is interested in balling or especially the containers and tube holders or anything for that matter I talk about here, all Aqua Digital dealers carry it all so drop them or me a line for more info. We can supply any dealer you wish

For reading up on this concept here is the manual

http://shop.faunamarin.de/media/cont...K-comm_ENG.doc

So the next step is set up.

Tomorrow I will insert the GHL doser into the cabinet and drill the 8 holes required to run the 1/4 hoses through the shelf, I say 8 as one pump will be used for AWC at 1L a day when i finally get that set up.

More to follow tomorrow.

Hiya

So 120 gallons converted to European, we are working with 464L.
So taking into account displacement you can work the dosing out on 400L

Based on heavy stocking of SPS

every 15 days -
1 vial of Bio Digest
1 vial of BioPTim

IF and only if you have very low nutirents you can then dose

1 vial of Reefboster once a week, HOWEVER this is very strong and concentrated, and I would go with caution make sure your nutirents ar elow, no algal issues etc etc then dose this.

if you have algae then do not dose reef Booster until this is under control.

If you have light stocking of SPS the bio dosings stay the same the stocking level is only effected by the dosing of Reef Booster

Hi,

Welcome to my bog, i am pleased to hear it is useful info.

I am not sure of your size system, so go on product rather than dosing your specific tank, although given this information i can help with that also.

Bio Digest is a very powerful bacterial supplement, that is full of strains of bacteria that work as a team, each strain continuing the work of the last one, just like a chain effect.

Bio Digest will reduce the negative nutrients such as PO4 and Nitrates.

You can read more about it here
http://www.prodibio.fr/anglais/biodigest.htm

BioPTim is the food source for Bio Digest to keep things simple. the two products work together in doing so creating a low nutrient system.

Dosing is as follows
Every 15days add 1 vial of Bio Digest and 1 vial of BioPTim for 6 weeks or until nutirent levels have dropped. Until you have reached a PO4 of less than .05 keep phosphate remover working. After this the Prodibio will do the rest.

Here is a link to BioPTim
http://www.prodibio.fr/anglais/bioptim.htm

If you have any questions just let me know.

Questions?

Q - The dosing says every 15 days for up to 1,000 litres for Bio Digest and BioPTim, but my system is less than this, do i only dose part and store?

A - No, it is impossible to overdose these products, use the whole vial and just increase your dosing regime to 20 days.

Q - Reef booster says dose every 7 days for a 400L system, my system is half this size.

A - Two choices, dose half the vial or increase the time span to 10-14 days.

Q - My system has hgh nutrients should I use Reef Booster?

A - NO use Bio Digest and BioPtim first to remove the nutrients otherwise you are just feeding them. Remember Reef Booster is for established systems with nutrients under control or already using a Low nutrient system.

Q - I already use other LNS products like zeo aor FM, can I mix and match?

A - Yes - many users choose what works best for them from each range, for example if you do not wish to dose bio additives daily and dont want to have a zeo reactor then use Bio Digest and BioPTim, but like dosing your own aminos daily, then use in conjunction Fauna Marin Min-s but the Min-s would have to be dosed a few times a week unlike ReefBooster. For this reason we recommend Reef Booster.

Product range and how each one will help you.

The biggest product is the Bio Kit reef, this is an all in one box reef nutrient system. each product is broken down as below.

Bio Digest.

A full explanation can be found here
http://www.prodibio.fr/anglais/biodigest.htm

Description -
The best way to describe these is to liken them to already know products. Bio Digest is the Ultra Bio of Fauna marin, but with a difference, and this is what makes the product range so easy to use.

Bio Digest is dosed every 15 days NOT every day or every other day! The glass vial is sealed and the product can not go off, but must be used in one go. The vial contains bacterial strains that work off of one another keeping the dosage alive for the 15 day period.

Use -
For lowering nutrients in your system and or maintaining a low nutrient reef system.

BioPTim
http://www.prodibio.fr/anglais/bioptim.htm

BioPTim is the Ultra Bak in the Fauna Marin range, but again, there is no daily dosing here just dosed every 15 days. BioPTim is the food source for the bacterial strain and aids in the nutrient reduction.

Use
Nutrient reduction and improvement of water clarity when used with Bio Digest. (The two must be used together)

Reef Booster.
http://www.prodibio.fr/anglais/reefbooster.htm

Reef Booster is a VERY powerful coral and system food, just like Fauna Marin Ultra Min-S but far more powerful and as such is dosed weekly and only after 6 weeks of dosing Bio Digest and BioPTim, it must be used in nutrient poor systems. It is this product that will bring to life your corals colours.

Uses
In low nutrient systems only, for coral food colouration and feed of all rock inhabitants.

So for the topic tonight - water alarms.

You can have all manner of alarms -

Maximum on time alarm (this is described in ATO set up)
Low water level alarm
High water level alarm
Leakage alarm

Depending on the amount of sensors you have depends on how many alarm states you can create. I have main tank ovefill alarm and max on time ATO alarm and here i will show you how to create an alarm and shut off for the main pump if the drain got blocked.

As you can see from the photo I have attached a float level sensor to the Euro brace inside the weir box, the sensor will then be triggered if the water level rises too high, in doing so setting off an alarm and turning off the main pump. You can set the same thing up for low water in your sump by putting the sensor there instead, mounted differently of course.



So how to program?

First connect the sensor to a level sensor port.

Now go to level control in the software and select the sensor for editing. Set the sensor to leakage detection and set your max on times etc as you choose.



Now go to socket function outlet and choose what socket you want the return pump plugged into then edit this socket as follows



Here you will see I am using sensor 3 so have programmed as water 3.

If using an optical sensor, when setting up the socket fnction remember to "invert" the socket function.

Thats all for tonight folks

So good ole level control etc etc

Lets start with the basics.

ATO.

There are different ways of doing this

Direct from the RO unit (my choice)
From storage container (most popular)
From one of the above controlled by a salinity probe instead of level sensor (advance topic - later)

So which ever you choose of the first two the only thing that changes in the set up is what you plug into the assigned power bar socket, whether it be a water solenoid of water pump. In my case water solenoid.

So first thing we must do is set a float or optical level sensor up in the sump to the desired (controlled) level point.

Here is mine.



Set up the assembly and loose fit to the sump so it can be adjusted, now go to the profilux front screen and go to level - diagnostic - level 1, adjust the sensor until it just turns off, you now have your level set at where you wish the water to always be maintained at.

So back to the software.

Go to the level control screen



By now you should have plugged in your sensor to the back of the profilux and not by mistake plugged it into the temperature port instead!!

Double click on Level 1 in the settings tab at the top and up pops -



In this box you can set all sorts of treats, the first important thing to set is the function, in this case ATO, the next most important is Max on time, this is your safety net, lets say heavens forbid you forgot to clean your ATO sensor and it stuck on, you are in Cuba and downing a lovely cool local brew while your ATO goes AWOL and floods the Granny apartment below! To avoid such minor issues here you set the maximum time you wish the sensor to be in an active state. So in my case 5 minutes is, well probably to long and needs to adjust that down to 30 seconds, thats a good target. So now you have fail safe ATO

next in the same screen you need to set up the reaction time, no this is not the time you have to get back from Cuba to sort out the mess in the apartment below, but the amount of time the sensor is active before the controlled socket is switched, this is ideal for tanks with turbulance or other things that can make the sensor switch on and off periodically. I have mine set to 5 secs, which is just right.

So thats the ATO sensor set up, what about the socket?

You have now chosen a socket to control your pump or solenoid. Just as before go to socket function and click edit the chosen socket. Set this to water 1.

Waheyy, you now have fail safe fully set up ATO

So salinity - This will take a while

First thing I need to address here is YES when you plug in your highly expensive lab grade platinum plated conductivity probe and follow the instructions to calibrate it to the letter, you will then test your refractometer and drop the whisky glass in disbelief!! WOW can the GHL be that innacurate?? Whaooo stop there

Lets look at what the old trusted refractometer is really designed for? Reading NSW? Nope, reading wee? Yep, Reading NACL? YES, but NOT natural salt water! To do this you must calibrate the refractometer using an NSW solution, the most trusted until recently was Pinpoint 53mS but then along came Fauna Marin with its highly technical "multi reference test solution" I strongly recommend anyone getting a GHL salinity probe and wish to match its reading to a refractometer to get this stuff.

We are getting a bit deep here and away from reviewing the ProfiLux but what i am trying to say is do not panic if you see the GHL reading different then the old trusted dog the refract' calibrate the refract correctly and you will not see much of a difference.

My refract - digital pen and GHL probe is calibrated to fauna solution at 53mS. This does not mean the GHL stuff is innacurate at 50Ms it is just no good for calibrating a refractometer. So if you want to match both you need an NSW solution for the refract.

OK so we have follwed the calibration instructions to the letter (mega important) so now what can we do with salinity control?

I do not personally do this but I know many GHL users do and that is control their ATO based on the salinity level of the tank.

Here is the salinity screen



I am not going to touch on setting this up here to control ATO, if you wish to do this then let me know and once the review is finished I will discuss more detailed subjects.

And next is level control ATO and AWC and alarms.

OK so pH -

Well once you have set up the Temp everything stat to fall into place like a jigsaw really, setting pH up is no different you are just dealing with different values.

So here we have the pH screen



Just as the temperature control page, you have nominal value current value and hys'. As with the temp input there are plenty of other funky add ons to play with if you wished here, for example nocturnal mode etc, this is important only if you really do not like natures ability to lower pH at night, I personally let the tank follow a rythm.

So what can pH be used for? In my case its just monitoring, of course I can set an alarm to wake me at 2am if it drops too low, or goes to high if my Alk dosing got stuck on, or if running a kalk stirrer etc. But the main purpose in reef tanks for pH control other than just monitoring the tank is calcium reactor control.

So to set up a ca reactor Co2 solenoid (I do not have this on my tank as I cast that old pony out long ago )

First set up your nominal value in a ca reactor it should be around 6.2 to 6.5 depending on your media. The Hys' can be set to 0.1 in this case, we are controlling a solenoid so does not have so many issues with being switched on and off often.

Now go back to the socket function screen and decide what socket you wish the solenoid to be plugged into, lets say socket 2 for now.

Just as you did with the temp socket set up, select the socket to be edited and set as follows

pH - downward

thats it you are set, of course you can name the socket Co2 control or Freds Diner what ever you choose

If you want to control a Kalk stirrer you can do the same but opposite, if the pH drops you want the kalk to be turned on so set to pH up.

Next Salinity control - Oh thats a scary one.

First corals are in Courtesy of Pat at www.ottawainverts.com

Tri coloured Ricordea - reason = for a new set up this is an ideal choice for the tank

Bright orange Monti frag - reason = Very hardy and a good indicator of tanks stability

Nothing else will be added for two weeks.

Dosing -

2 drops of FM Bio per day
1ml of Ultra Bak
0.5ml of ultra Min-S

Ultra Life is being dosed also at present due to new fish introduction and the tank being new.

Paremeters

Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0.2
P04 = 0.1
Ca = 460
MG = 1410
DKH = 7
Salinity = 1.0249

I will be switching to ProdiBio shortly as it needs to be reviewed by us.

I am not yet dosing any minerals as the draw on the tank is too low to warrant it, as soon as I see a dip in any of the 3 elements then I will set the balling up.

Just planning the auto water change now and then in April the balling chambers The AWC programmed and controlled by the profilux will be as follows

1/4 Ro line gravity drained from sump to basement about 12' below direct to drain, this will be controlled by a solenoid. The ATO sensor will be switched to dual mode ATO/AWC and a second low sensor for the AWC lower limit draw off.

In the coat closet behind the tank will be a large (ish) vat, this will at present plans feed the tank with new water via a tiny power head. The tank will drain and replace 1L twice a day so approx 10% a week.

Due to only draining off 1L at a time the tank will not have to have any equipment down time making the water change process and programming very simple.