Sorry I'm a bit slow but what does that thread have anything to do with the discussions here. They were talking. About rising pumps there. Am I missing g something?
1000 Gallon Build- Here we go- Lots of Pictures
- Thread starter Socaltoaz
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Sorry I'm a bit slow but what does that thread have anything to do with the discussions here. They were talking. About rising pumps there. Am I missing g something?
Sorry I'm a bit slow but what does that thread have anything to do with the discussions here. They were talking. About rising pumps there. Am I missing g something?
from Post #776
"Why not use a DOS from Neptune? Or two, or three....Could do 15 gallons a day or something. "
to #785 folks were talking about using the DOS for water changes correct? And you asked for any links, or more information. But if you know Scott and have been to his place I would go with his advice.
I will look into getting an apex set up. Thanks all. Just need my plumber to finalize the darn plumbing already. The suspense is killing me.
nuxx
.Registered Member
So I know the advantages of automation. I know what Apex and other systems can do. However there are a ton of options and a ton of things that you can accomplish with automation. What do you guys use automation for? What are the must have items? What are frivolous? Comments and insight appreciated.
BTW- inspector is coming for certificate of occupancy today. We expect to get it either today or monday if some minor issues need correcting. Next week is final touch up and clean up. Friday I get the keys to the house. Im working next weekend but have taken a week off to get moved and settled in. Can you say excited!
BTW- inspector is coming for certificate of occupancy today. We expect to get it either today or monday if some minor issues need correcting. Next week is final touch up and clean up. Friday I get the keys to the house. Im working next weekend but have taken a week off to get moved and settled in. Can you say excited!
nuxx
.Registered Member
Our APEX does the following so far...
- Controls our Kessils. Dimming, various "clouds", etc... Spectrum and intensity.
- Controls fuge lighting.
- Tied into a float in our skimmers collection cup to turn off on overflow.
- Monitors PH and Temp, controllers heaters.
- Controls Auto topoff.
- Alerts us to events that could crash the system. Audible alarms and also email/text alerts.
- Allow us to monitor the tanks parameters while away via their app.
- All of our powerheads are tied into the Apex and run them 12 programs a day. Bypassed the powerheads controllers. Best thing I've done to the tank.
- Runs our skimmer's neck cleaner on a program.
- Allows us to shut down various pieces of hardware from my phone for maintenance.
- Runs our automatic water change using the DoS.
I'm sure I'm forgetting more...
dave.m
Active member
Lights can be run off their own timer or from a master controller like the Apex.
Automated top-offs is the first. You have to run your tank for a while to see what your average evaporation rate is, then set up a top-off tank that just holds that amount of RO/DI water. If anything sticks open then only that much freshwater can get added to the tank.
Second is an automated restocking of the daily top-off reservoir with RO/DI water, again only as much as the top-off reservoir can safely hold.
Third is dosing. You will have to have a load of invertebrates before you have to worry about dosing. Then you will have to run the tank for a while and measure daily to learn what your usage requirements will be for each element. Set your doser to only add that much per day in amounts small enough not to shock the system.
Some people add ozone overnight to keep the pH up. Some people only run their skimmer at night to keep the pH up. Some people automate cleaning the skimmer. You will have to know how each element of your system runs with a full bio-load to know what can safely and easily be automated on your particular system. Every system is different and you will have to monitor yours to see how it behaves and what it wants in order to run well. All of this takes time and hands-on attention from you.
Automation is great but you have to have a stable system and know what it wants before you can go very far with automating regular maintenance tasks.
Dave.M
Automated top-offs is the first. You have to run your tank for a while to see what your average evaporation rate is, then set up a top-off tank that just holds that amount of RO/DI water. If anything sticks open then only that much freshwater can get added to the tank.
Second is an automated restocking of the daily top-off reservoir with RO/DI water, again only as much as the top-off reservoir can safely hold.
Third is dosing. You will have to have a load of invertebrates before you have to worry about dosing. Then you will have to run the tank for a while and measure daily to learn what your usage requirements will be for each element. Set your doser to only add that much per day in amounts small enough not to shock the system.
Some people add ozone overnight to keep the pH up. Some people only run their skimmer at night to keep the pH up. Some people automate cleaning the skimmer. You will have to know how each element of your system runs with a full bio-load to know what can safely and easily be automated on your particular system. Every system is different and you will have to monitor yours to see how it behaves and what it wants in order to run well. All of this takes time and hands-on attention from you.
Automation is great but you have to have a stable system and know what it wants before you can go very far with automating regular maintenance tasks.
Dave.M
So Im not missing the boat then. I want to get the tank set up, ready to go, run it for a while and add the pieces of automation that I feel necessary.
:beer:
slief
RC Sponsor
Such a loaded question... I could write a book on the subject of the benefits of a controller. Nuxx and Dave covered most of it...
For me, first and foremost is the automation.. Second is monitoring and failsafes.
In my case, I have a very large Apex setup with 5 EB8's, 3 EB4's, PM1, PM2, two custom breakout boxes, 3 VDM modules, 3 lunar sims, AFS, DOS etc..
All of my pumps are controlled. My closed loop pump has a number of profiles for day, night and flush cycles. My Tunze power heads have several profiles for different flow ranging from waves to surges to calm to flush cycles that sync with my closed loop RD3 230 pump that uses 0-10v Apex control.
I monitor pH, ORP, Salinity and all of which are part of my failsafes. If my salinity is too low, my ATO is shut off and I get a notification, if my salinity is too high, my auto water changer is shut off and I get a notification. if my ORP is too low, I get a notification. pH too high or too low, I get a notification. If my sump level is too high, my skimmer shuts off and I get a notification. If my sump level is too low, I get a notification and my Autowater changer is shut off. My ATO is managed via my Apex with redundant float switches and I have a Stenner pump to add the RODI water. Heck, I even have a fail safe for my breakout boxes where one of the I/O ports is jumpered closed. if for some reason the breakout box becomes unplugged from my Apex, I get a notification for breakout box unplugged because that port will become open.
In a system of your scale, the Apex Gold package would be the first item of business. If you plan on running a calcium reactor, a PM1 would be the next item of business. You should get two 5 LED Lunar Sims for above your tank. This assuming you can somehow get a cable from above the tank to below it. You may be able to do this through the overflow using a bulkhead and pipe to route the wire through. The other issue given the remote sump is getting a long male USB A to male USB cable from the sump closet to below the tank. Not sure if you have an extra pipe between the two that you can use to run a cable but if you do and can route that cable to above the tank, you could control the lunar sim as well as lights above the tank and pumps inside the tank using VDM modules.
I have cat 5 cables at both above the tank and in the fish room for connectivity. I have a spare empty conduit from the tank to the fish room.
As I stated before, Im going to get the basic tank set up and then add the automation. Need to put Apex Gold on my list of research items.
As I stated before, Im going to get the basic tank set up and then add the automation. Need to put Apex Gold on my list of research items.
slief
RC Sponsor
You could probably get two of these adapters per Cat 5 cable and use just the ends that have the cable with the USB A male connection. The Aquabus cable has the flat end (male USB A) on each end of the cable unlike a traditional USB cable that one has one male USB A connection on the computer side. I am not 100% sure it would work but if it's wired straight through from cat 5 to the USB male connection(which it should be) then it should work. The other alternative would be to cut the aquabus cable and solder/splice it in to the cat 5 cable to create one long Male USB A to USB A cable. That would likely be the route I would go simply because I'm an expert with solder and shrink tube.
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Extender-Transmitter-B202-150/dp/B003WO40V6
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I've been following this for a while. Simply outstanding.....on all fronts. I applaud you for donating your dental services. Indeed a wonderful thing to do and certainly, as stated by another member, provides some additional faith in humanity.
Wonderful home as well.
Thanks for sharing this with us all.
Wonderful home as well.
Thanks for sharing this with us all.
Since I have cat 5 cables, that gives me the flexibility to pretty much do anything I need to do in those areas. I can even set up a local hot spot if needed. I can run the cat 5 into a local computer and run that as a server. Ill figure out all those details later after we move in. Bottom line is that we are set up for technology and future proofing and I have the flexibility to add anything I may need.
I appreciate the very kind words. Thank you!
Looks like everything is coming together nicely. Congrats on getting the C-of-O so quickly and of course the big upcoming move! No more condo 
It's funny because when I saw the photo of your sump outside the closet, it seemed to big to make it in but I figured there must be a way to shoe-horn it in there. But I agree with you, it all worked out the way it should, now you can have a window to show off that amazing RE creation.
Definitely check out Spectrapure for your RO/DI, ATO, and water change needs. They are local, in Tempe right off the 101. I have their 180gpd Maxcap unit which I would definitely recommend, and it is very reasonably priced. If you ever need replacement parts you can drop in and they'll take care of you. Their Litermeter system works great for automatic water changes and ATO, and doesn't even need a controller. They won't set it up for you, but I'm certain that would be child's play for your plumber based on the other work he has done.
And there is a place in Tempe that sells Norwesco water storage tanks in all shapes and sizes, I'm actually heading there tomorrow morning myself to pick up a couple 50g or 105g tanks to set up a saltwater mixing station. I'm sure your plumber knows of them. You should be able to set up a very good ATO and water change system for less than a 1/10th of that ridiculous quote. With a little effort, you can even set up a single continuous water change & ATO system using two dosing pumps and diluted saltwater, where say x gallons a day of tank water is removed and replaced with new salt water that is diluted with extra RO/DO to make up for evaporative losses.
You will certainly want a controller for operation of other tank equipment, and for data logging and monitoring everything when you're not around. The Neptune Apex and GHL Profilux are the best. I went with the latter as the price had dropped dramatically with the favorable exchange rate, and I was already familiar with the software and programming from my old rig. It's a bit cumbersome to set up, but it is very robust and reliable once it's running, a typical German engineered product. And the support is great, they will help you with any issues that arise. You can get the Ultimate Set with remote Touchscreen and nearly all the needed accessories for about $1,000 now, I think, which is a smoking deal - much less than the individual components sell for. You're welcome to come check mine out if you wish.
I'm sure the Apex is great too, and it definitely has more modern and user friendly software. At least when I was looking at it, there were extra pieces that one had to buy in addition to the basic kits and it was a bunch of individual components that were wired together, versus the Profilux which has a primary base station and a bus which daisy-chains the various accessories.
It's funny because when I saw the photo of your sump outside the closet, it seemed to big to make it in but I figured there must be a way to shoe-horn it in there. But I agree with you, it all worked out the way it should, now you can have a window to show off that amazing RE creation.
Definitely check out Spectrapure for your RO/DI, ATO, and water change needs. They are local, in Tempe right off the 101. I have their 180gpd Maxcap unit which I would definitely recommend, and it is very reasonably priced. If you ever need replacement parts you can drop in and they'll take care of you. Their Litermeter system works great for automatic water changes and ATO, and doesn't even need a controller. They won't set it up for you, but I'm certain that would be child's play for your plumber based on the other work he has done.
And there is a place in Tempe that sells Norwesco water storage tanks in all shapes and sizes, I'm actually heading there tomorrow morning myself to pick up a couple 50g or 105g tanks to set up a saltwater mixing station. I'm sure your plumber knows of them. You should be able to set up a very good ATO and water change system for less than a 1/10th of that ridiculous quote. With a little effort, you can even set up a single continuous water change & ATO system using two dosing pumps and diluted saltwater, where say x gallons a day of tank water is removed and replaced with new salt water that is diluted with extra RO/DO to make up for evaporative losses.
You will certainly want a controller for operation of other tank equipment, and for data logging and monitoring everything when you're not around. The Neptune Apex and GHL Profilux are the best. I went with the latter as the price had dropped dramatically with the favorable exchange rate, and I was already familiar with the software and programming from my old rig. It's a bit cumbersome to set up, but it is very robust and reliable once it's running, a typical German engineered product. And the support is great, they will help you with any issues that arise. You can get the Ultimate Set with remote Touchscreen and nearly all the needed accessories for about $1,000 now, I think, which is a smoking deal - much less than the individual components sell for. You're welcome to come check mine out if you wish.
I'm sure the Apex is great too, and it definitely has more modern and user friendly software. At least when I was looking at it, there were extra pieces that one had to buy in addition to the basic kits and it was a bunch of individual components that were wired together, versus the Profilux which has a primary base station and a bus which daisy-chains the various accessories.
Thanks for the info. Ill look into it. Right now I just have so much going on with the last minute stuff for the home. there were about 50 people there ( I just stopped by during lunch) doing all the final touch ups and stuff.
Marble is getting sealed and buffed
Painters are cleaning up any paint issues
Cabinet guys are putting the finishing touches on the cabinets
AV guys are installing TVs and AV equipment
Carpet guys are putting the carpet in the media room
They have till friday and then come hell or high water, Im going to kick em all out and move in over the weekend.
Oh, and the most important thing- aquascaping begins on Wed with all the remaining plumbing to be completed tomorrow.
stay tuned.....I can see the finish line.....
Marble is getting sealed and buffed
Painters are cleaning up any paint issues
Cabinet guys are putting the finishing touches on the cabinets
AV guys are installing TVs and AV equipment
Carpet guys are putting the carpet in the media room
They have till friday and then come hell or high water, Im going to kick em all out and move in over the weekend.
Oh, and the most important thing- aquascaping begins on Wed with all the remaining plumbing to be completed tomorrow.
stay tuned.....I can see the finish line.....
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