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Pirates Reef Fruity Pebbles / BC Bubblebath Unicorn
Diving The World's 80g Acro Wonderland!
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Whats this colony?
That one’s ASD Rainbow Milli. It yellowed a bit from some Vibrant dosing I did, but it’s since regained most of its pink. Keep an eye out for an upcoming daylight pic.
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ASD Rainbow Milli
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PC Superman
You've had the Alkatronic for while now...any negatives?
Any reason you chose it over other options or upgrading your Apex to the 2016 model and getting a Trident?
I believe it would have cost more to go the upgrade route, but you're already invested in Apex and are familiar with the system.
Are you/were you using the CO2 scrubber as a recirculating style or non recirculating?
Tank looks great, please keep up the good work.
Any reason you chose it over other options or upgrading your Apex to the 2016 model and getting a Trident?
I believe it would have cost more to go the upgrade route, but you're already invested in Apex and are familiar with the system.
Are you/were you using the CO2 scrubber as a recirculating style or non recirculating?
Tank looks great, please keep up the good work.
OP
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I chose the Alkatronic for a few reasons:
1. It was a PITA to get a Trident and I was just tired of waiting.
2. I had to upgrade to Apex 2016 which I've heard a lot of negatives about. My old school Apex is bulletproof and I love it.
3. I have no reason to auto test anything other than Alk and the reagent for the Alkatronic is MUCH cheaper. You can also mix up a bunch so you can have it auto test for a month or more without needing replacement. You can also buy a generic version of the replacement reagent for far less money.
4. Tech support feedback is AWESOME with the Alkatronic. Any questions I've had have been responded to quickly and I've even had conversations with Jonas. Having support access to the person who created the device is invaluable.
5. I've never had an issue with availability of parts or reagent (I've read this to be common with the Trident).
6. I can adjust the testing to be what I want. Trident testing is fixed based on how many per day you want. Alkatronic is the same, but you can set your testing times. In other words, my lighting runs from 10am-10pm, so I wanted to at least test at those times. You can't do that with a Trident. You can with an Alkatronic.
7. It seemed legit. Trident is made by Neptune, and they're legit. But the other testers on the market were a bit sketchy and seem to vanish in the night. The Alkatronic seemed to be sort of the second most trusted after the Trident.
So what don't I like about it? It's kinda big. It fits under my stand but I wish it was smaller. It's loud, compared to the rest of my tank which is almost silent. I hear the Trident is loud as well, but I don't know which is louder. It doesn't auto calibrate like the Trident, although I read some people getting sketchy results with the Trident. You have to manually calibrate the Alkatronic periodically, both the pH probe and the pumps. It's a fairly easy process, but still something I'd rather not do. You also have to mix up your own reagent. The reagent comes as a concentrate which needs to be mixed 1 part reagent to 4 parts r/o. I'd rather pay a little more to have it pre-mixed and know that I'm not mixing wrong. Test results never seem to match my manual tests (Salifert, Hanna) and they vary a little each time I mix up new reagent. But they are consistent. In other words, if Hanna is showing 7.3 and Alkatronic is showing 7.5, when Hanna shows 7.5, Alkatronic will show 7.7. There is a way to calibrate the Alkatronic to match your manual test, but I'm too lazy to figure that out yet. ;Woot
Cost wise, I calculated them to be about the same initial purchase cost (assuming you need to buy a new 2016 base module. But the ongoing reagent costs are FAR lower with the Alkatronic. I've been running it for 6 months now and just swapped out the pump inner tubing (easy peasy). All said, I'd buy it again. I have no regrets and would not replace it with a Trident.
Yes, I ran a BRS CO2 scrubber winter 18/19 but have since taken it offline. It worked exactly as designed. It kept my pH between 8.3-8.5 and my corals were growing like there was no tomorrow. BUT...my tank was precipitating calcium like crazy as well. My Alk/Cal consumption was off the charts and there was so much precipitation that my pumps were seizing up. I came back from a couple week vacation to Oregon and my skimmer pump had seized, both vortechs were seized and had fallen off the wall, and the day I got back (thank God for timing!) my return pump seized. Basically my whole system took a giant dump because of the CO2 scrubber. So I pulled it offline and haven't used it since. To be honest, my corals still grow at a great rate and my pH isn't bad. I no longer have any precipitation issues and I'm using far less Cal/Alk dosing. I also don't have to waste money on media, although it really wasn't that expensive.
Edit: I just re-read that you were asking about recirculating. Yes, I was recirculating my CO2 scrubber through my skimmer which allowed the media to last just over 1 month. It's the only way I would run a CO2 scrubber.
Here's a current pH chart, just cracking a window, no scrubber:
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My tank is in the basement, and is just a 40 breeder, (I'm coming back from a hiatus). My previous set up was 250 gallons total and in the basement as well and I fought constant low pH. I'm planning on using an Octopus 110 int skimmer with a CO2 scrubber set up to recirculate in order to boost pH when the Chaeto reactor isnt running.. I'm going to be controlling it with a left over pH controller so it will shut off the skimmer when pH hits higher than the set point, and comes on when the pH drops lower than the set point.
I will be doing a controller this go around, (didnt have one before) and I'm bouncing between Apex, GHL, or the new Coral Vue one, but I want to be able to monitor dKH levels. The Alkatronic was one I briefly considered, but I didnt find enough about about it and until this thread, didnt know anyone using one with some verifiable results, (IE tank pictures).
You've kicked the Alkatronic up several notches as the Pro's you listed are worthy, and the con's dont matter as much currently since the tank is in the basement for now.
Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.
I will be doing a controller this go around, (didnt have one before) and I'm bouncing between Apex, GHL, or the new Coral Vue one, but I want to be able to monitor dKH levels. The Alkatronic was one I briefly considered, but I didnt find enough about about it and until this thread, didnt know anyone using one with some verifiable results, (IE tank pictures).
You've kicked the Alkatronic up several notches as the Pro's you listed are worthy, and the con's dont matter as much currently since the tank is in the basement for now.
Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.
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You bet. One more thing to keep in mind with the Alkatronic that I didn't mention, but you might already know. You can report the results to Apex via the ORP connection using a BNC cable. It doesn't report the exact figure, but very close. For example, my last Alkatronic test result was 7.7 (about 7.3 on Hanna). In Fusion it's reported as 7.73. Not exact, but close enough if you were using your pH controller. It's an interesting idea on shutting off the skimmer to control the pH.
I got out in 2016. Things have changed so much since then.
I'll be doing a 40 breeder BB with a 20L sump. I have a fleece roller to use for mechanical filtration. The skimmer is only being used to boost pH. If the experiment fails, I'll pull the skimmer and use the space for frags. If it works, I'll swap to an Octo HOB 90 and use that for pH control.
The goal is to get to SPS,but I have some catching up to do before I get there.
The tank is really being set up around a purple H.magnifica that I bought originally in 2011, went through hell getting it back to full health, and then sold it to a friend when I got out of the hobby 5 years later. He's selling it back and I was looking to get back in anyway...perfect excuse for me.
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TGC Orange Creamsicle.
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I’m not sure I have a single favorite. I think a couple with a lot of potential of becoming my favorites are TGC Orange Creamsicle and JF Jolt. I really like some of the more known corals like SCOP, JF Fox Flame and PC Superman.
I’d say my most annoying coral is JF Homewrecker. It just looks green, lol. I think once it grows out I’ll get the nice highlight colors, but it’s a super slow grower for me!
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Battle Corals Aquatic-Man
olaggie01
Active Member
Just finished reading through the thread. I'm shocked that the tank is only an 80g. Looks much bigger and well done with the coral growth.
I also have an Alkatronic and won't run another tank without it. I have it test 2x per day and shows me trends associated with the consumption. I can fine tune my CA RX with it and for that, it's worth it's weight in gold.
I also have a pH / CO2 scrubber on a re-circ on my skimmer (BK 160?). I have it controlled via the Apex and pH probe. When it gets above 8.4, it turns a solenoid off and opens the tubing to fresh air and not the recirc'd skimmer air. Another option for you Maxx.
I think the combination of the ph/CO2 scrubber and the Alkatronic have made my tank much more enjoyable. I'm getting great color and growth from my SPS corals.
I also have an Alkatronic and won't run another tank without it. I have it test 2x per day and shows me trends associated with the consumption. I can fine tune my CA RX with it and for that, it's worth it's weight in gold.
I also have a pH / CO2 scrubber on a re-circ on my skimmer (BK 160?). I have it controlled via the Apex and pH probe. When it gets above 8.4, it turns a solenoid off and opens the tubing to fresh air and not the recirc'd skimmer air. Another option for you Maxx.
I think the combination of the ph/CO2 scrubber and the Alkatronic have made my tank much more enjoyable. I'm getting great color and growth from my SPS corals.
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DTW Purple Chronic
I like the idea of the solenoid with room air option, but I dont currently have a controller, although I'm in the market for one and would like to buy one in the next 12-18 months. Still trying to figure out which brand I'd be going with. Regardless, I will have to pick your brain about going this route in the near future. Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it.
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It sure is!
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