Help!!!! Water Temperatures

[aquaarche]

I added a swirl filter and the system is running ok.

I took out some older plants but transplanted the others. I replaced the net bags with cups of gravel. As of the moment I cannot tell but will be observing the next few days.

I added potassium before I changed out to the swirl filter.

[stucco]

I went to float troughs because they are not as heavy as gravel beds. I am hoping to use the ferrouscement to build some troughs with. I will use wire mess and small re-bar to frame and cement it. I am wondering what the cement mix should be. A class "A" mix here is 1 part cement to 3 parts sand. I guess it should be made sore of dry but then kept int he shade and light spray until it cured.

After curing we will coat them with non toxic white swimming pool paint inside and out. or rubberized roof coating. Any suggestions on that would be nice.

the 3 sand to 1 mortar mix is perfect. Cure time is 28 days and you should keep it as wet as possible for the first 10 days… after the 10 days wet a few times a day this will make it as hard as a rock. I recently read that a gentleman has been using paraffin wax to seal his concrete tanks so I started an experiment and will let you know how it goes.

[aquaarche]

Stucco,

We don't have any type of mortar mix here. Only pure cement and probably not the best type either. but 3 to 1 is a class A mix.

I will keep checking back to here how it goes with the Paraffin.

[urbanfarmer]

I went to float troughs because they are not as heavy as gravel beds. I am hoping to use the ferrouscement to build some troughs with. I will use wire mess and small re-bar to frame and cement it. I am wondering what the cement mix should be. A class "A" mix here is 1 part cement to 3 parts sand. I guess it should be made sore of dry but then kept int he shade and light spray until it cured.

After curing we will coat them with non toxic white swimming pool paint inside and out. or rubberized roof coating. Any suggestions on that would be nice.

the 3 sand to 1 mortar mix is perfect. Cure time is 28 days and you should keep it as wet as possible for the first 10 days… after the 10 days wet a few times a day this will make it as hard as a rock. I recently read that a gentleman has been using paraffin wax to seal his concrete tanks so I started an experiment and will let you know how it goes.

Oh, that's GENIUS!!!

[urbanfarmer]

I called to check. We have a store called Michaels here, it's a craft store, they sell 11 pounds of candle (paraffin) wax for $35. Is that a good price? Also, how much do you apply to the cement??

[aquaarche]

what about liquid paraffin? if you use it to mix the cement and sand it become inert and wont burn.

[urbanfarmer]

That sounds expensive!

[aquaarche]

Not really you can buy 5 gallons via any of your friends in the restaurant or bar business it is used in those little wax less candle they use on the tables to give a little ambiance. I think if your going to convert liquid paraffin to solid wax 5 gallons will make around 100lbs of solid wax.

[urbanfarmer]

Hm... okay, you have my attention... how would you convert it?

[urbanfarmer]

I did some research on the chemicals...

PARAFFIN OIL (CAS No. 8012-95-1):
CnH2n+2 n=16~24

PARAFFIN WAX (CAS No.: 8002-74-2):
CnH2n+2 n=24~36

5 gallons of paraffin oil weighs 40 pounds, which means by the Law of Conservation of Mass you would have to add 60 pounds of reactant to get 100 pounds of paraffin wax. I don't think 5 gallons makes 100 pounds of wax... maybe 40 some pounds of wax.

5 gallons of paraffin oil costs about $140 and 44 pounds of paraffin wax costs about $140 locally... seems about the same to me!