First dose of waste away questions

Discussion in 'DrTim's Aquatics' started by MatroxD, May 15, 2013.

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  1. MatroxD

    MatroxD Plankton

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    I am using my first dose of waste away in an attempt to rid my tank of a small bit of Cyano and also to enhance the filtration. My system it's a 110 wide with 55 sump/fuge(I estimate 25 gal of actual water) and I dosed 70ml.

    I performed the dose 1/2 an hour ago and so far, no ph drops and no clouding. Also,i have my vortechs still going on their normal scheduled profiles(between 65-90 percent depending on the mode). According to the directions and threads on here,I will leave my skimmer off probably until the morning(I did read that on one thread that it can be turned back on after 8 hours, but I just want to do what's best for maximum effect).

    I do have my pellet reactor still flowing in the thought that this will enhance the biodiversity of those bacterial strains also.

    I also purchased eco balance and once I have done a week of the waste away(another 70ml in 48 hours and then a full dose 48 after that),I will begin the eco.

    Dr Tim am I in the correct thinking mode with the above and my plans? And also, with the bottles of both, my house stays about 70 degrees F so do I need to refrigerate since I purchased 16oz bottles, or just regular "out of sunlight" parameters sufficient?

    Thanks much

    D
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2013
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  3. oldfishkeeper

    oldfishkeeper Giant Squid

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    just my .02, I would be very apprehensive to keep pellets going without a skimmer running.
     
  4. MatroxD

    MatroxD Plankton

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    I just don't want to shut it down.. but ah! Your right,I can turn the output flow down to very little until I turn the skimmer back on. Since my tumble is separate,I can keep them tumbling and just cut the output(recirc reactor).

    I just figured it would get rid of "any"bad bacteria in there also, thus adding the good bacteria to the pellets also..

    Thanks though, nice catch..
     
  5. DrTim

    DrTim 3reef Sponsor

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    Hello

    Since this is your first time dosing waste-away I would NOT leave the skimmer off until morning. You just don't know what may happen and once the bacteria start to bloom they can bloom. Much safer to turn the skimmer on before you go to bed.

    Starting the eco-balance after the waste-away is fine. Just be patience.
     
  6. MatroxD

    MatroxD Plankton

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    Ok Dr, and wow! Thanks for the quick response. And until I turn the skimmer back on, leave the pellet reactor closed as suggested above?

    And what, dry skim it overnight you think?
     
  7. MatroxD

    MatroxD Plankton

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    Ok, had to turn the skimmer back on. Came downstairs and I could see the fish gills moving more than normal. That was quick(3 hours)!

    I have the pellet reactor output closed and it is set to dry skim at the moment just so I can get some oxygen back into the system and also pull some of the excess out slowly. I will see what happens by 11(it's 8:37 my time).

    But I am guessing(hypothesizing) by dry skimming and also by the reactor being closed after being exposed to the water and waste away that once I do open it back up(maybe in the am?) and set the skimmer back to wet(if all goes well I will do that at 11), that should give the system enough exposure time to the allow the bacteria to both innoculate the system while at the same time, not stressing the animals?

    Thanks again...
     
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  9. DrTim

    DrTim 3reef Sponsor

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    Not sure what you mean by dry skimmer.

    Here is the thing - don't change so much all at one time. Turn your skimmer on and run it as you normally would, turn your reactor on and run it as you normally would.

    Basically, we say to turn the skimmer off for a little while (6-8 hours) max after adding waste-away leave everything else running as you normally do (except UV and ozone).

    You don't know what may happen once you add waste-away since it is a very concentrated mixture of bacteria so do not go to bed with the skimmer off and don't just pour it in and forget about it. And never overdose better to underdose more often than overdose.
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2013
  10. MatroxD

    MatroxD Plankton

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    Oh, sorry,I meant "dry skimming". Basically the consistency of the skim. I can make the typical dry or foam/bubble like or, wet/liquid. Even with it being liquid,I can tune it to dark or lighter in color.

    Ok though, I will open the reactor back up to normal and skim like normal(with my pellets,I skim a darker yellow to light brown liquid that is pretty cloudy).

    Just want to make sure if that's ok? I think it will be fine for another hour and a half if you think it would be better to run the full six hours? I try to be as proactive in setting abd running the system parameters and equipment as possible..

    Thanks much for your patience and instruction..
     
  11. oldfishkeeper

    oldfishkeeper Giant Squid

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    I had a tank crash while running pellets with a low grade skimmer - oxygen deprivation and all of my fish died overnight, it was very quick and extremely disheartening. I was running more than I should have in terms of amount of pellets, not the 1/4 dose I should have started with but the poor skimmer was also an issue. Thus, my concern for you and your fish......
     
  12. MatroxD

    MatroxD Plankton

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    It's cool. .

    Honestly, this skimmer is amazing! I have never seen or used anything like it before, and I have messed with some skimmers over the years. That is why I asked what you're off skim I should do. In most of the skimmers I have had, with the exception of the last 3, it was basically foam or yellow.

    The last two I had were Aqua C (remora then an EV120) and they taught me a ton about skimming, what to look for, and most importantly, how to really tune one. With those Aqua models, it was an understanding of the method first, then working the pump and air to get it the way you wanted. By the time I got done with the EV, I could and can tune some of anything (j/k).. But seriously though, they should be a prerequisite to learning to skim.

    But this RD is extremely flexible and consistent. It should be as much as it cost. But I can't see myself using another brand of skimmer. It just performs well!

    And his pellet reactor is the same. Very specific in the amount of pellets you should use and the break in, adjustment and operation procedure. I'm not going to say it's impossible to nuke a system because the thing can and does pull heavily, but it's a lot more difficult that a single flow control reactor to overshoot. Because your controlling your pull amount by the flow-through and not the tumble (which, typically also controls the flow-through or process ratio). With this one, you can tumble hard and never pass a single drop of fluid through the reactor. This goes all the way up to 3/4 open, that on my system pulls nitrate and phosphate to zero. That is the most I've had it open.

    So, these two are designed to work together. With the pellet reactor, it even came with a fitting so the output is drawn directly into the skimmer.

    But at the same time, I'm still learning with it/them. Bacteria is always an unknown as each system reacts differently. So thus all the questions. . I probablycould have just left it off for the rest of the six hours, but I want to, as doc stated, keep an eye and be proactive. This never hurts in my experience messing with this stuff. But I feel your pain and appreciate the second set of eyes. .:thumbup: