Experienced Reefer's advice needed!! (1 Viewer)

[lilreg]

Ok so I got my shipment from BRS. I got the Kalk starter pack. I read and watched the videos about 10 times to make sure I didn't miscalculate. My calcium was about 390 in my mixed reef so I mixed and added to raise it up to about 420. After I did that I put the Xport-NO3 Biological Filtration Plate in my sump. I let it soak for about 8hrs first while my jug of calcium settled. So to recap I added them within 10min of each other. My protein reactor almost exploded. I immediately took out the plate. It's been 2 days now and I still can't turn on my skimmer. It's an external skimmer. It bubbles so bad that it take a 12-15 seconds after I turn it off to before all the bubbles dissipate in the skimmer. Also micro bubbles are so bad inside my DT it has a cloudy haze. I'm going to go on a limb and say it was the sulphur inside the plate. I have one plate of marinepure and marine pure in a reactor and it never acted like that. All my corals sps and lps seem completely unaffected so far but other than a massive water change what can I do? Has anyone else used the brightwell product?

 

[Jen]

questions:
1. did you add calcium or KalK???
2. how old is your tank?
3. what type of sump, and where was the Xport and the skimmer in relation to each other.
4. If your reactor is in overdrive, can you turn it down to a reasonable level? What kind of skimmer are you using.

I would not stop skimming without knowing what is causing the overdrive. it may be something that needs to be exported. I am not familiar with the Xport NO3 media so not sure if it is a carbon dosing type media, if it is, then that is what is causing the reaction. I would take it out and begin skimming again. If you are not sure about the cause, then I would conduct 20% water change and monitor.

sorry, that is all I have

 

[FarmerTy]

Did you rinse the media plate before using?

 

[lilreg]

I only added calcium, the tank is about 6months old, and the Xport is downstream from the skimmer in what would be the refugium chamber. It took about 2-3min for whatever it was to cycle back around to where the skimmer is in the first chamber. It's a trigger system ruby sump. I'm using a Reef octopus EXT5000. I turned it completely down and it was still in overdrive. Continuing to run the skimmer is not an option since it's external. It would flood the first floor. I removed the Xport block after about 8hrs. All I can really do right now is a 20% change. I did add 2 bags of carbon to an extra reactor I had. I did rinse the media but maybe I didn't do a good enough job. Do you believe it has anything to do with sulfur. Everything I read was how this product was better and safer than Marinepure so I was thinking of switching but not after this.

 

[webster1234]

I don't have any experience with what you added but I am running a RO 5000ext and every time I add new biopellets or new filter socks, my skimmer goes crazy too. I just keep emptying it out until its done. I usually get about 10 gallons out of it before it finally levels off, even if I back it down like you are talking about. Once everything balances out, I would wager that it will return to normal.

 

[dragon99]

I had the exact same problem when I added the Xport Bioplate! I rinsed the crap out of it, but it still blew up my skimmer.

I waited days and still couldn't get the skimmer to settle in. Eventually my solution was to run a tube from the skimmer into a bucket. After running about ~2gal of really wet skim it settled down. I haven't had a problem since.

I also have a marinepure block, but had no issues when I added it to the sump, but something about the Bioplate makes the skimmer explode.

 

[lilreg]

Thank you guys so much. Espically you dragon99 your situation is identical to mine word for word. It makes me feel better about my situation.