A Reef Tank in the Desert - +/- 1,400 gallon system

[danfeig]

I don't know about the logic of having the pumps shut off when the floor gets wet. Seems to me the floor gets wet for two reasons... a) your top off system (of whatever means) is overflowing your system b) your main pump fails and the sump can't handle the water from the system draining back.

But what ever these circumstances, by shutting the pump off to an already flooding system, you are just dumping more water onto the floor when the display tank drains back to the sump.

Let's face it out return pumps are pretty much one of the more inexpensive items to replace, and if your flood is from a split sump or display tank, shutting on the return pump isn't going to save you anything.

Unless your flood is cause by your display tank over flowing, which means your overflow stopped draining the tank, how is shutting of the return pump going to help. In the old days when we had little corner overflows, with a couple dozen teeth and a single 1.5" return line I could see this as a potential issue. But now we all have larger over flows with redundant drains.

I added a float sensor to my overflow, so if the over flow fills then I get an alert.

I think being alerted of the flood is a great feature of controllers and flood sensors, but shutting off the pumps is not one of the things I would have the controller do immediately, as in most circumstances I think you are going to be adding to the quantity of water flooding.

Just a thought

Dave B

I don't necessarily disagree with your logic pertaining to the main display pumps. I think that they are high enough off the ground where they won't get shorted out.

With my system, though, I am running several different mag-drives and Eheim pumps through my sump, feeding my skimmer, refugium, rock tank(s) and QT's when they are not housing any fish. While my sump can handle any electric shutdowns, it can't handle any floods caused by a broken piece of PVC, seal, or crack. In those situations, I think it is good to have your pumps shut down.

My 200 gallon mixing/storage tank definitely needs to be tied to my Apex so that it automatically shuts down.

This was my first major flood in several years. Not too bad I suppose.

 

[o2manyfish]

Dan,

For the solenoids look at Redhat/Asco for fresh water applications. New/open stock is available on ebay and they work well under pressure. I don't think they go to 3/4" but for 1/4" and 1/2" they work really well.

I used an all plastic irrigation one for my surge tank for awhile (3 years) and had no issue with it. Finding one that is entirely plastic for salt water top off is a little more challenging.

Dave B

 

[danfeig]

Glad you caught it before it was any worse Dan. I left my RO unit on and went to bed more than once and woke up to half the house flooded. My wife takes it worse and worse every time it happens

Thanks Brett!

You are right, it could have been a lot worse. The timing could have been better that's for sure. I did get the new power supplies/ballasts for my Vortechs this afternoon. Fortunately the pumps and controls were fine. Just the power supplies got fried.

 

[Little-AL]

Read this thread over the course of the last two evenings whilst i'm away for work Have to admit when I first read the dimensions and saw the intended rock structures I just didn't think I would work... I'm really truly glad I was wrong!
It looks absolutely amazing and really is something to aspire to! I would never have such a deep tank personally as the maintenance would annoy me - I have to say hats of to you for making it work! When it matures further and the SPS grow out it will look absolutely stunning.
Really envious of the fish list too - all of my favourite Tangs in there and some! Keep the updates coming

Oh, and hats off for the warts and all accounts of everything that has gone on - many people with a tank of this profile and that level of investment keep mistakes and bad luck under wraps - much respect!

 

[Little-AL]

Read this thread over the course of the last two evenings whilst i'm away for work Have to admit when I first read the dimensions and saw the intended rock structures I just didn't think I would work... I'm really truly glad I was wrong!
It looks absolutely amazing and really is something to aspire to! I would never have such a deep tank personally as the maintenance would annoy me - I have to say hats of to you for making it work! When it matures further and the SPS grow out it will look absolutely stunning.
Really envious of the fish list too - all of my favourite Tangs in there and some! Keep the updates coming

Oh, and hats off for the warts and all accounts of everything that has gone on - many people with a tank of this profile and that level of investment keep mistakes and bad luck under wraps - much respect!

 

[danfeig]

Dan,

Whenever I build something I try to put redundancy in. In the case of my float switches I have two and wish I had used three. The two are at different levels so my water level needs to drop down far enough to need water but the the water must also be lower then the top float switch. This way if the bottom float fails the top float will stop the ATO once the water hits the high level.

Its not much but just thought I would pass it on.

Joe

Hey Joe. I agree, redundancy is great and I have several floats and fail safes.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a solenoid on my mixing/storage tank and so while the pump shut off, gravity let it continue to flow. The solenoid has been ordered along with some new floats from BRS. I am also ordering a solenoid for my RO so that my floor sensors will also shut off my RO, magdrives, canisters, storage tank, etc.

 

[danfeig]

Dan,

For the solenoids look at Redhat/Asco for fresh water applications. New/open stock is available on ebay and they work well under pressure. I don't think they go to 3/4" but for 1/4" and 1/2" they work really well.

I used an all plastic irrigation one for my surge tank for awhile (3 years) and had no issue with it. Finding one that is entirely plastic for salt water top off is a little more challenging.

Dave B

Thanks Dave!

I found a 3/4" solenoid over at Spectapure that I am going to try out. I looked at Plumbers Specialty and the Home Depot for an all plastic one - without any luck.

 

[danfeig]

Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Black Friday/Cyber Monday

You have to imagine the setting...

We are all on the beach in Mexico, sitting under our Palapa, drinking cervezas, soaking in the sun, watching the dolphins in the ocean, eating ceviche, laughing, joking with each other, having a great time... all while I have my laptop sitting on my lap -with a faint wifi signal from our condo- taking advantage of all the Black Friday sales. And if that it isn't enough, the day after we get back to the states, it's Cyber Monday!

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Let's just hope that I can hide this American Express bill!

 

[o2manyfish]

Stop advertising for all the vendors... Show us what's in the boxes !!!!

 

[o2manyfish]

You know Dan, if you're getting mileage points from your AMEX card you will probably be the first guy whose fish tank actually sends him to see where all his pretty fish come from.

Let me know if you want to use the mileage for Bali, Micronesia or Thailand... I'm due for a dive trip !!!

Dave B

 

[SPotter]

I see FedEx Friday came a day early this week and from the looks of it, it was a good thing because you are going to need an extra day to unpack everything.

 

[Made2Rock]

I see FedEx Friday came a day early this week and from the looks of it, it was a good thing because you are going to need an extra day to unpack everything.

I signed on this morning to put something in about being Dan day and here he has changed the rules. I'm never going to be able to intercept the UPS & Fedex guy if you keep this up. :lmao:

Joe

 

[dotcommer]

Let's see the goods

 

[danfeig]

Shipments

Shipments

So I am still reeling from when I let my mixing/storage tank running and overflow my sump and blow out the power supplys on my Vortechs.

The flood in general and being without my Vortechs showed some real vulnerabilities.

The first thing I ordered was the attached solenoid for my mixing tank.

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[danfeig]

I then had to address the Vortech situation with the loss of my power/ballast supply units.

I purchased two of the battery backups for my Vortechs which will run my MP40's and MP60's for 48 hours. Next week I have a Solar contractor coming by to give me a proposal to install solar panels on my roof as a source of power and back up power. I also will be pricing backup generators.

 

[SUPPOReefer]

Glad that you realized the failure with a mini-flood as opposed to a major catastophre. For some reason I thought you already had a backup generator. Best investment any reefer can make.

 

[danfeig]

I already have two different floats connected to my sump...

Being as anal as I now am, I decided to add floats to both of my rock tanks as well as my refugium. All of the floats will be connected to my Apex and will either shut off specific pumps and/or will send me warning notices to my cell or email.

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[dotcommer]

I then had to address the Vortech situation with the loss of my power/ballast supply units.

I purchased two of the battery backups for my Vortechs which will run my MP40's and MP60's for 48 hours. Next week I have a Solar contractor coming by to give me a proposal to install solar panels on my roof as a source of power and back up power. I also will be pricing backup generators.

I think the Vortech back ups are a great purchase, I have two of them, waiting to go on my 300 gallon build, However, you might test them out to see what kind of flow you get from them while on the battery back up. Another reefer stated, that they go into a lower speed when on the battery back up, which he didn't think would be enough.

Having solar panels put on the roof for a battery back up is a great idea, but I have to sit here and laugh when I think about going to my wife and telling her that I need to install solar panels on the roof for my fish. What has this hobby / obsession done to us.

 

[pgaudreau]

I have a vortech battery back up on my 265 and I agree that the flow is limited if you lose power, but at least in my case it still gives a decent flow in the tank. I recently had a 500 gallon underground propane tank installed at the house and all we currently have that uses gas is the stove. I am planning on installing a 60 KW generator that runs the whole house in case we get a hurricane. Of course this is all because of the fish tank. Solar panels would be a hard sell for me also. With that said I meant to ask whose float switches did you buy as they look very nicely built

 

[danfeig]

I have a vortech battery back up on my 265 and I agree that the flow is limited if you lose power, but at least in my case it still gives a decent flow in the tank. I recently had a 500 gallon underground propane tank installed at the house and all we currently have that uses gas is the stove. I am planning on installing a 60 KW generator that runs the whole house in case we get a hurricane. Of course this is all because of the fish tank. Solar panels would be a hard sell for me also. With that said I meant to ask whose float switches did you buy as they look very nicely built

It never occurred to me about having a propane generator for the house. I think our propane tank is 1,400 or 2,000 gallons. It's huge. It runs our stoves, water heaters and furnaces during the winter. Summertime, when we have our monsoon storms, we use very little propane. I definitely have to check into a propane generator. Thank you!!!!

With regards to the float switches... I bought them from BRS. They are manufactured for Digital Aquatics. I will be cutting off the ends and connecting them to the break out box on my Apex unit.