Fish tank update

Only about 10 hours since I stripped the filter and chucked that
useless carbon bag, and already the tank looks better. Most of the
dark tinge has gone. I dried the carbon bag thinking I might be able
to get the "dust" out of it dry but I ended up chucking it.

Found a place in Brisbane that does filter pads for $3.50 each so I
have ordered a set, I'll use them to make a cutting template and make
my own from doona dacron afterwards. Also ordered another 60 bioballs
which I will use to fill the last tray where the carbon was. Quite
cheap, $27 the lot shipped.

My MonCarbone xarbon fibre iPhone case has also left the USA - got it
for $60 US shipped free. :)

Home brew

Bought a home brew spirits kit for myself and my partner for christmas.  It’s an Air Still kit, uses a simple electric pot still design with an air blast condenser – no water jacket required.  The whole kit is a fermenter vat, the still (which is about the size of a small urn), and a filtration system which is basically a plastic strainer bowl set with plug-in carbon cartridges.  I’ve already acquired a second fermenter.

 

A single “batch” costs just over $10 for the kit of sterilizer, sugar (high solubility dextrose), a carbon suspension slurry, the yeast and a two stage finings system.  It also includes the carbon filter cartridges used to polish the finished spirit.  That will produce two liters of 40% alcohol spirit, to which you then need to add flavouring escence – about $8.50 a bottle.  The only other consumables are a smidge of sterilizer solution, the odd replacement gasket and a tiny bit of anti-foam solution for the still itself to stop fluid carryover.  Call it under $15 for a 1 litre bottle, not bad.

 

I’ve been thinking about this for literally years, but the full reflux still systems are just too cumbersome and large for what I want it to do.  These Air Stills are brilliant.

Pulled my AquaPro canister apart for the first clean today, as it’s been going for about 4 weeks so far.

 

Only slight bacteria buildup on the ceramic noodles and bioballs, but the filter pads were absolutely filthy.  I cleaned all of them in tank water and also pulled out the carbon bag as I’m still pissed off at how much powder it’s releasing.  I found the filters distorted very easily when being cleaned, hard not to tear/stretch them.

 

I definitely have much better pump pressure now, but I still doubt it’s hitting the rated mark – I bet that only counts if there’s no head to pump against.  Not too worried, it seems to be doing the job.

 

I did boil the carbon bag and it’s drying in the sun but I think that if I need to put carbon in again I will be getting something much more granular, this crap is just breaking down to powder.  The darkish tint the water had is already clearing, so I suspect it was just particulate carbon.

 

I found a place in Brisbane which does the replacement filters for $3.50 each, so I’ve ordered a full set plus enough bioballs to completely fill the second and third trays.  I decided to get one set of genuine filters so I can make a template, then I’m just going to make my own from doona wadding after I’ve got something to cut to.

 

Also did a full set of water tests before I started changing water etc.  7.6pH 0ppm ammonia and nitrite, 10ppm nitrate – looks good.

 

I probably should update this more often...

I am slack about updating blogs.  Yes, I know.

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Don’t you go away on me.

Keepalive!