insane
Member
I am insane and my sister is nerotic. This is the build of her new reef. She buys the toys I want then I get to play with them. A Glasscages 120g RR eurobraced with 3 sides starphire, 30" stand, canopy and acrylic sump/fuge combo. MP40w, Apex System + extra EB8, PM2, Conductivity, Wireless. MD18 return, Octopus XP-2000 cone skimmer, Phosban 150, Reef Illuminations 2 x 250w HQI + T5 + LED, 4 x ½" Locline returns, a 1 1/2" durso and 1" return. Three peristaltic dosing pumps, one for top off and two for constant water change. A calcium reactor and/or more dosing pumps, Apex Lunar Sim with LEDs & Vortec module will be added on later.
I have been working on it 12-14 hours a day for 3 days now setting it up. It is running with salt, new substrate, Miracle Mud and about 100lbs of rock that was being held in 4 other tanks. Two new good sized pieces of shelf rock. There is probably 200lbs of aged live rock between the 72g BF reef and the smaller BF FOWLR and I brought her some from the 180g. The forest of aiptasia in the fowlr go to the 180g to feed the CBB. The Snowflake eel and Spiny Puffer go to the 180g. There will be rock leftover.
It has now been 5 days of work and the majority is done with exception of the auto water change system, numerous float sensors and bundling up of all of the wires and PET lines. I transferred all of the softies into the new tank yesterday. I have a ton of complex programming to do and will probably establish the connection from home to my sisters home network & Apex today so I can do the programming from my house 90 miles away. Her husband has been bragging on the new set up to his friends and now wants to add a webcam on the reef even though he doesn't care for the amount of money she just spent on it. He's a super mega geek bean counter.
Initially doing a direct connect with my laptop to the controller took a minute to start playing with the controller. Using the display was fun and pretty easy. My brother-in-law is a networking guru and it took him a minute to set up the wireless gaming adapter into the systems without even establishing a direct wire connection from the network to the Apex. This Apex is the bomb. I know quite a bit about 1,024 channel lighting/special effect programmable controllers and compared to this unit, an Apex is worth twice as much as they cost. The ability to add command after command to each output and input is incredible.
EB8 outlets are:
1. Fuge Light
2. LED
3. T5
4. Halide
5. Return Pump
6. Skimmer
7. Fans (DT & Sump)
8. Heater 1
9. Vortec (Until she gets the WXM)
10. Salt Water In (Fresh)
11. Salt Water Out (Waste)
12. Heater 2
13. Empty 1
14. Top Off (RO/DI)
15. Empty 2
16. Stand Exhaust
I/O:
1. Sump Low
2. Sump High
3. Skimmer Cup High
4. Fresh Saltwater Low
5. Water on Sump Floor
6. Water on Floor
I am learning as I go since I have never set up a RR tank, auto water change system or aquarium controller before. I am enjoying the challenge. It will look much nicer in the stand once I finish next weekend. I am very picky about wiring systems which comes from my installation of commercial sound and light systems. I only have the lights programmed so far, the top off is working from its own float sensor and the return and skimmer pumps are manually set ON until I have time to dive into the serious programming.
I am installing a sump high, sump low, skimmer cup high, fresh saltwater low float switches as well as a water on floor and water on sump floor sensors.
The only major problem I encountered was with the new skimmer and sump. While the skimmer sales person and sump/tank builder were in contact about the foot print of the skimmer, they didn't discuss skimmer water level. Since this sump also has a fuge in it, the water level is somewhat high, 10" deep in the skimmer section even sitting on 3" acrylic legs with egg crate on top of them. The skimmer needed to sit in 5.91" of water. I tried quite a few things to make it work but there was too much back pressure on the skimmer causing overflow into the cup. I ended up butchering the brand new acrylic sump with a Dremel to cut two inches off the top of the second baffle. I also had to raise up the skimmer about an inch and extend the skimmer output/gate valve up about an inch to get things to work. As it sits, the skimmer cup lid has to be pressed flat against the top of the stand and slid over before it can be removed.
The second beginning.
Icecap Reef Illuminations LEDs. Plug in like T5 lamps. Bright. All ballasts are inside of fixture.
Light was bought before canopy so it didn't fit, needed exhaust at both ends and has vents on the top. Ends will be covered with oak registers. The 1 1/2" sch 80 bulkhead didn't line up with the pre cut hole in the stand.
Return dry fit.
Apex mounted.
I have been working on it 12-14 hours a day for 3 days now setting it up. It is running with salt, new substrate, Miracle Mud and about 100lbs of rock that was being held in 4 other tanks. Two new good sized pieces of shelf rock. There is probably 200lbs of aged live rock between the 72g BF reef and the smaller BF FOWLR and I brought her some from the 180g. The forest of aiptasia in the fowlr go to the 180g to feed the CBB. The Snowflake eel and Spiny Puffer go to the 180g. There will be rock leftover.
It has now been 5 days of work and the majority is done with exception of the auto water change system, numerous float sensors and bundling up of all of the wires and PET lines. I transferred all of the softies into the new tank yesterday. I have a ton of complex programming to do and will probably establish the connection from home to my sisters home network & Apex today so I can do the programming from my house 90 miles away. Her husband has been bragging on the new set up to his friends and now wants to add a webcam on the reef even though he doesn't care for the amount of money she just spent on it. He's a super mega geek bean counter.
Initially doing a direct connect with my laptop to the controller took a minute to start playing with the controller. Using the display was fun and pretty easy. My brother-in-law is a networking guru and it took him a minute to set up the wireless gaming adapter into the systems without even establishing a direct wire connection from the network to the Apex. This Apex is the bomb. I know quite a bit about 1,024 channel lighting/special effect programmable controllers and compared to this unit, an Apex is worth twice as much as they cost. The ability to add command after command to each output and input is incredible.
EB8 outlets are:
1. Fuge Light
2. LED
3. T5
4. Halide
5. Return Pump
6. Skimmer
7. Fans (DT & Sump)
8. Heater 1
9. Vortec (Until she gets the WXM)
10. Salt Water In (Fresh)
11. Salt Water Out (Waste)
12. Heater 2
13. Empty 1
14. Top Off (RO/DI)
15. Empty 2
16. Stand Exhaust
I/O:
1. Sump Low
2. Sump High
3. Skimmer Cup High
4. Fresh Saltwater Low
5. Water on Sump Floor
6. Water on Floor
I am learning as I go since I have never set up a RR tank, auto water change system or aquarium controller before. I am enjoying the challenge. It will look much nicer in the stand once I finish next weekend. I am very picky about wiring systems which comes from my installation of commercial sound and light systems. I only have the lights programmed so far, the top off is working from its own float sensor and the return and skimmer pumps are manually set ON until I have time to dive into the serious programming.
I am installing a sump high, sump low, skimmer cup high, fresh saltwater low float switches as well as a water on floor and water on sump floor sensors.
The only major problem I encountered was with the new skimmer and sump. While the skimmer sales person and sump/tank builder were in contact about the foot print of the skimmer, they didn't discuss skimmer water level. Since this sump also has a fuge in it, the water level is somewhat high, 10" deep in the skimmer section even sitting on 3" acrylic legs with egg crate on top of them. The skimmer needed to sit in 5.91" of water. I tried quite a few things to make it work but there was too much back pressure on the skimmer causing overflow into the cup. I ended up butchering the brand new acrylic sump with a Dremel to cut two inches off the top of the second baffle. I also had to raise up the skimmer about an inch and extend the skimmer output/gate valve up about an inch to get things to work. As it sits, the skimmer cup lid has to be pressed flat against the top of the stand and slid over before it can be removed.
The second beginning.
Icecap Reef Illuminations LEDs. Plug in like T5 lamps. Bright. All ballasts are inside of fixture.
Light was bought before canopy so it didn't fit, needed exhaust at both ends and has vents on the top. Ends will be covered with oak registers. The 1 1/2" sch 80 bulkhead didn't line up with the pre cut hole in the stand.
Return dry fit.
Apex mounted.
