Been a little while since my last update.
I had some
Yugang reactor issues to solve first, but I finally got it under control.
I actually had multiple issues at once that were making it hard to figure out what was going on.
CO2 Issues:
1. My co2 solenoid was leaking, muddying up my degas rates.
2. My
(aliexpress) flow meter float was sticking, and giving unreliable readings.
3. I was seeing a biofilm layer on top of the tank despite having the overflow + increased agitation by adding an upwards facing jet on my return.
4. Yugang is a bit oversized still, as my losses through the sump were nowhere near what I was expecting (almost negligible).
Electronic Issues:
5. My powerbar circuit kept resetting once or twice a night.
6. My UV light was no longer functional during powerbar testing.
1. I replaced the leaky solenoid, and since I was in there anyway, I put in a second one in-line as well (not pictured) as a backstop. I also added an emergency air pump to the sump and connected it to the spare controlled outlet I still had - and set up an automation to kick in at 38ppm co2.
2. I haven't solved the flow meter yet - but after installing an AFS01 flowmeter, both disagree by a lot, though the AFS01 corresponds better with the co2 tank weight loss, so trusting that over the flowmeter for now. What flowmeters are you guys using?
3. So even though the surface was moving a lot, none was actually getting skimmed - this is my first time using an overflow, so I was a bit miffed at first. Even increasing the return flow would add agitation at first which would then get muted by the film.
14º ~2x14mm jet on the return bulkhead transition
I ended up lowering the secondary standpipe in the BA overflow box, which dropped the level there, and inside the weir box, and suddenly the entire surface film got sucked in within seconds, and has stayed clear since. It turns out I was flooding the weir box, so increasing flow was actually making things worse. Its been solid now, and my co2 degas rate to -90% is about 4.5h now.
Before pic:
After pic - didn't take one, so just trust me, but its essentially the same but the level in the weir box about 10-12mm lower, and no film.
4. I'm close to the top rotation my plumbing allows, and will likely trim my reactor a bit, but its not nearly as oversized as I thought initially, but I may still trim 8-10cm off so I'm more in the middle of the rotation rather than at the top. Currently, with lights on - co2 tops out at about 38ppm, and about 45 lights off without control. I'd like to top out a little bit lower for safety and be able to run in overflow mode rather than with the
pH control.
5. After several days of testing, removing the heater/UV, thinking it was a current leak, etc, I also removed the fuse-sense circuitry I had that would detect a blown fuse thinking it was related to that. Still had resets.
I finally pulled the circuit board completely out to inspect, and of course it was a user error. One pin of the I2C leads was cold-jointed, so it would work until the heater turned on, warmed up the solid state relay, which warmed up the pcb, and split that joint momentarily which killed the connection to the controller. Its been rock solid since the repair and reinstall though.
6. Cheap UV uses cheap parts. The built-in $2 starter the mft potted under the UV bulb was dead. I learnt how UV ballasts and starters work, so that's cool - and the mfr offered a replacement if I sent the old one back, but given that I cut the cable to shorten it, had it mounted, and wasn't going to switch to a different model given the trouble I went through to not only fit it, but print special elbow adapters for it...
I decided to get a softstart electric ballast, and replace everything between the lamp and the plug. Now it doesn't have that ping ping bzzzz on start, runs a little brighter, and should survive more on/off cycles if used intermittently.
And into the sump cabinet, working great.
On the positive side- plants are in, there was a lot of melt overall, but things are starting to grow back now - and the tank was fully cycled about a week ago, easily clearing 2ppm ammonia in 24 hours. Blue diamond shrimp are going in very soon and will get a head start before any other fish go in.
The sump got some java moss in, though some has started browning from the transition.
I also got my hands on a borrowed PAR meter, but its an older quantum one - so not sure how useful/accurate it is, but will get some measurements soon on the DIY Leds.
Fertilizer pumps are primed and calibrated, and started on a small dose until I get the AWC system sorted in the next couple days.
The basement cabinet setup is nearly done as well - but haven't taken a recent pic.
)
