Automating a Tank

[DEadsCSU]

I'm buying and setting up a 150 gallon tank this weekend. I want to use my time as efficiently as possible going forward, and minimize the amount of time I spend doing repetitive maintenance that can be done automatically, or with the least amount of work.

What should I look into automating, and what equipment do you suggest?

Here's my list thus far:

1. Auto Top Off
2. Dosing pump
3. Controller / Monitor system

Thanks!

 

[Elricsfate]

A lot depends on your budget. I just spend the money up front, buy good stuff, and roll with it. other people try to DIY, etc.

1. Tunze Osmolator
2/3 Apex controller and DOS for dosing

You may also want to automate water changes, which can be done via a DOS as well, or a stand alone system called Genesis Renew.

So right there you're probably $2k in the hole.

 

[jason2459]

Yep, what's your budget?

I started off with a top off kit from autotopoff.com

For water changes I had a basement where I had a 32g brute commercial trash can for saltwater. I plumbed my system to where I could siphon out some water and quickly pump new water to the tank.


I've since changed to using an Apex to control my ATO but still use a series of switches to turn my ATO pump on and off. They have an optical sensor out soon too. I use a couple float switches and a little higher a pressure switch Tsunami AT1 as a failsafe.

For AWC I also use some other swtiches and a pressure switch as a failsafe and use a spectrapure litermeter III for AWC.


For dosing I use a stand along spectrapure peristaltic pump and a BRS 1.1ml/m peristaltic pump that I've been running since around 2009-2010. Both are turn on and off by my Apex so dosing is timing controlled.

 

[texdoc77]

For AWC I also use some other swtiches and a pressure switch as a failsafe and use a spectrapure litermeter III for AWC.

I believe an AWC is the biggest thing that has led to me enjoying my tank. not doing water changes any more is pretty awesome. Just mix up a little salt once a month and good to go. I too use the LM3 for AWC.

This is a good thread for AWC options. I have a video closer to the end of the thread that goes over how I did my AWC.

 

[nereefpat]

With your ATO and auto dosing system, add a battery operated auto feeder, and you can leave your tank for extended periods.

 

[jason2459]

With your ATO and auto dosing system, add a battery operated auto feeder, and you can leave your tank for extended periods.

eheim auto feeder are great. Used one for years. Timed it with my controller to turn off my return pump so pellets didn't go right down the drain.

Then apex came out with the AFS (automatic feed) and I got that now I don't have to keep making sure the times are in sync.

 

[jason2459]

I believe an AWC is the biggest thing that has led to me enjoying my tank. not doing water changes any more is pretty awesome. Just mix up a little salt once a month and good to go. I too use the LM3 for AWC.

This is a good thread for AWC options. I have a video closer to the end of the thread that goes over how I did my AWC.

That's a great thread. I started with a dual head stenner too. It's very loud.

Here's my Spectrapure LMIII setup
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23789321&highlight=spectrapure#post23789321

 

[Elricsfate]

I believe an AWC is the biggest thing that has led to me enjoying my tank. not doing water changes any more is pretty awesome. Just mix up a little salt once a month and good to go. I too use the LM3 for AWC.

This is a good thread for AWC options. I have a video closer to the end of the thread that goes over how I did my AWC.

Nice setup. I looked at the thread. The same basic setup can be done with a DOS. If you had 2 DOS heads you could do AWC with one and either ATO or dosing with the other.

I haven't decided whether to use the DOS or the Renew for AWC. I'm not even entirely sure what the decision points are lol. I just know I haven't made up my mind.

I currently have my ATO running out of a bucket using the Tunze Osmolator. I use the Tunze water Controller to insure that the RODI unit only refills the bucket when it is empty, thus (trying to) avoiding TDS creep. I am very happy with this setup right now.

 

[Sk8r]

My automations:
A Radion light---runs itself on schedule.
Hydor Smart Level autotopoff.
Kalk in a 40-odd gallon Brute trashcan of ro/di.
An Eheim autofeeder.
I can be gone a month if I set up an additional trashcan of water and tell a friend to move water from tank B to tank A after 20 days. I've come back to a tank looking better than I left it. The pricey bit is the light kit; but lights are expensive in the first place. Excluding the light, probably 35.00 each for the large topoff reservoirs, 50 for the topoff pump (Eheim) and about 80 for the topoff unit, 25 for the feeder; and about 3.00 a pound for the kalk.

 

[texdoc77]

I haven't decided whether to use the DOS or the Renew for AWC. I'm not even entirely sure what the decision points are lol. I just know I haven't made up my mind.

I believe I outline it in the video but I chose the LM3 over the DOS because at the time the DOS used the two roller peristaltic pump and there was a theoretical risk of back siphon. I chose the LM3 over the renew because my reservoirs are over twenty feet and one attic away in my garage and the renew will not pull/push that far. Plus I like the calibration feature of the LM3.

 

[ryeguyy84]

if budget allows pick up an Apex and a breakout box (the one from avast marine is better than Neptune IMO). then you can hookup a float switch or two to allow for an ATO. then get a DOS or some BRS dosers and have the apex control them as well.

Auto water change would be awesome but I haven't gotten that far yet.

 

[homer1475]

With all the AWC threads recently I'm waiting for all the threads about a dosing pump going bad and draining the tank while nothing got replaced. It can and will happen seeing as how there is numerous threads about dosing pumps failing and overdosing something, or not dosing at all.

Something so simple as a WC, I will rely on my own hands and eyes to accomplish.

 

[jason2459]

With all the AWC threads recently I'm waiting for all the threads about a dosing pump going bad and draining the tank while nothing got replaced. It can and will happen seeing as how there is numerous threads about dosing pumps failing and overdosing something, or not dosing at all.

Something so simple as a WC, I will rely on my own hands and eyes to accomplish.

It's possible.

Why I put in as many failsafes as I can with the Apex and external of the Apex.
In Sump
I have 2 in sump high water float switches.
I have 1 in sump piggy back plug pressure switch (I have others but this one is dedicated for AWC)
I have 3 in sump low water float switches.
I have 3 water sensors around the sump itself (I have others in other places to)
I have the intake higher in the sump in the return section so it can only pull so much out.

In New Saltmix Container (55g brute)
I have 1 high float switch in the new salt mix brute
I have 2 low float switches in the new saltmix brute set higher then the huge float switch so it alerts me the salt mix needs filled and shutsdown the AWC.
I have 1 huge piggy back float switch in the brute set to drain down so it switches off the AWC when the brute is empty as a backup to the float switches.
I have 1 water sensor at the base

 

[Elricsfate]

It's possible.

Why I put in as many failsafes as I can with the Apex and external of the Apex.
In Sump
I have 2 in sump high water float switches.
I have 1 in sump piggy back plug pressure switch (I have others but this one is dedicated for AWC)
I have 3 in sump low water float switches.
I have 3 water sensors around the sump itself (I have others in other places to)
I have the intake higher in the sump in the return section so it can only pull so much out.

In New Saltmix Container (55g brute)
I have 1 high float switch in the new salt mix brute
I have 2 low float switches in the new saltmix brute set higher then the huge float switch so it alerts me the salt mix needs filled and shutsdown the AWC.
I have 1 huge piggy back float switch in the brute set to drain down so it switches off the AWC when the brute is empty as a backup to the float switches.
I have 1 water sensor at the base

This is genius...and I mainly say that so I can find this post again later when I set mine up.

 

[homer1475]

It's possible.

Why I put in as many failsafes as I can with the Apex and external of the Apex.
In Sump
I have 2 in sump high water float switches.
I have 1 in sump piggy back plug pressure switch (I have others but this one is dedicated for AWC)
I have 3 in sump low water float switches.
I have 3 water sensors around the sump itself (I have others in other places to)
I have the intake higher in the sump in the return section so it can only pull so much out.

In New Saltmix Container (55g brute)
I have 1 high float switch in the new salt mix brute
I have 2 low float switches in the new saltmix brute set higher then the huge float switch so it alerts me the salt mix needs filled and shutsdown the AWC.
I have 1 huge piggy back float switch in the brute set to drain down so it switches off the AWC when the brute is empty as a backup to the float switches.
I have 1 water sensor at the base

Wow I'm impressed! No really I am, and I'm not being sarcastic. You have fail safes for your fail safes. lol

If I ever thought about doing an AWC, this is something I would probably follow.

 

[DEadsCSU]

Budget is $3k or so. Thanks again!

 

[DEadsCSU]

Sounds like the first thing I need to do is run a floor drain or a floor sink under the tank stand in case of a flood. Then run a domestic cold water line to the storage room next to the tank. Then buy an RO/DI unit with a brute 55 gallon can. Does that sound right?

 

[DEadsCSU]

Does anyone use Wemo wifi outlets to control their tank?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Spyderturbo007]

Sounds like the first thing I need to do is run a floor drain or a floor sink under the tank stand in case of a flood. Then run a domestic cold water line to the storage room next to the tank. Then buy an RO/DI unit with a brute 55 gallon can. Does that sound right?

I don't know that the installation of a floor drain is necessary. With a budget of $3k, you can design a very nice system. With enough redundant float switches, the ability of the Apex to alert you of a problem and take appropriate corrective action, I think you'll be fine.

I'd recommend their ALD kit and sensors anywhere there might be a leak.

I'm working on expanding my automation and with the addition of a mixing station and institution of automatic water changes, I figured the extra $150 was worth the investment.