Salt Water Mixing Stations Let's See Them

[dekand]

dekand What are the black containers W/the 3) 3/4" lines coming out the bottom & are they controled by the two boxes to the right of them

Those are the reservoirs for the Genesis Renew (I also have the Storm, which handles ATO - they talk to each other so ATO doesn't perform when water changes happen)

Basically it takes 1 gallon from the sump, meters it in one of those black reservoirs, takes 1 gallon new saltwater from the container below and meters that in the other, then dumps the new water into the sump, and old water down the drain pipe that runs along the wall to the washer drain on the other side of the wall in the laundry room.

Also the RO/DI unit is controlled by the Storm + RocV module (a box you can't really see) and what that does is kick on the RO/DI unit when the freshwater reservoir empties, and shuts it off when it's full.

So all in all from making water, to ATO, to water changes, it's 100% automated ... the only thing I have to do is mix salt every 12-13 days!

It's awesome! in my humble opinion :bounce1:

 

[dekand]

Where is everyone getting their tanks? Plastic mart is not free shipping, they want $80 freight for two 25 gallon tanks. I tried to buy locally, we have a tank depot, but they lied to me about what they have in stock and hiked the price up 150% to include freight, despite me picking them up. I'm looking for somewhere with free or reasonable shipping.

http://www.ruralking.com/25-gal-vertical-dome-top.html

That's where I got mine from, and they offer free shipping on orders over $99 which if you're looking for 2 of them, would be enough to qualify for free shipping.

 

[rrasco]

http://www.ruralking.com/25-gal-vertical-dome-top.html

That's where I got mine from, and they offer free shipping on orders over $99 which if you're looking for 2 of them, would be enough to qualify for free shipping.

Thanks. I found that place just a little while ago. How quick did you get yours? I was being cautious as it says it may take up to 4 weeks for delivery. That's a long time to wait for something I want today...haha.

 

[dekand]

Thanks. I found that place just a little while ago. How quick did you get yours? I was being cautious as it says it may take up to 4 weeks for delivery. That's a long time to wait for something I want today...haha.

I ordered it Feb 28, and received it March 7th - so it wasn't that bad of a wait.

 

[rrasco]

I ordered it Feb 28, and received it March 7th - so it wasn't that bad of a wait.

Thanks. I called them and they drop ship from the factory, so they say up to 4 weeks just to be safe. They said it's usually 5-10 days.

 

[d2mini]

Just finished up my water mixing station.
Took a while to figure out being stacked rather than side by side, but I got it.
I needed it to do the following:

1. Send fresh RO/DI water from the top 65g container to the bottom 65g container.
2. Pull water out of the bottom of the bottom container and send back to the top of the bottom container to mix saltwater.
3. Drain water from the top container into a any other container via the flex hose.
4. Ditto for the bottom container.

The last two will work great for getting water into containers and to my office for my nano tank. Also for general draining/maintenance purposes.

You can also see some 1/4" water lines. The blue on top is the feed from the RO/DI unit and is complete with a float valve inside the container. The yellow will be run to my sump for auto top-off. Eventually there will be one more water line run from the bottom saltwater container to the sump which will be part of my auto water change setup using the LiterMeter pumps, just like i had in the old cube.

 

[cordell]

Very nice, d2.

Where did you get the white containers, and is that metal rack the standard type from places like Lowes? All of the similar ones I see at Lowes and the other stores come with very thin shelving material, less than 1/2" IIRC, which seems awfully flimsy, but it looks like yours has some thicker wood material.

 

[Padrino]

Very nice dude!

 

[DHyslop]

Dennis, you might consider cutting a piece of plywood on top of the cinder blocks for your sump to sit on. I've never seen it happen to a Rubbermaid -- so it might be overkill -- but I have seen some containers settle or deform around the blocks and eventually fail.

Also, I'd run the ATO from a dedicated tank to keep the RODI from cycling. Can be as simple as a Brute on the floor. Added bonus is there are fewer failure modes if the ATO has to pump water up and over from a container below the sump.

 

[wildman926]

Just finished up my water mixing station.
Took a while to figure out being stacked rather than side by side, but I got it.
I needed it to do the following:

1. Send fresh RO/DI water from the top 65g container to the bottom 65g container.
2. Pull water out of the bottom of the bottom container and send back to the top of the bottom container to mix saltwater.
3. Drain water from the top container into a any other container via the flex hose.
4. Ditto for the bottom container.

The last two will work great for getting water into containers and to my office for my nano tank. Also for general draining/maintenance purposes.

You can also see some 1/4" water lines. The blue on top is the feed from the RO/DI unit and is complete with a float valve inside the container. The yellow will be run to my sump for auto top-off. Eventually there will be one more water line run from the bottom saltwater container to the sump which will be part of my auto water change setup using the LiterMeter pumps, just like i had in the old cube.

Very nice, d2.

Where did you get the white containers, and is that metal rack the standard type from places like Lowes? All of the similar ones I see at Lowes and the other stores come with very thin shelving material, less than 1/2" IIRC, which seems awfully flimsy, but it looks like yours has some thicker wood material.

X2 on the shelving. That is cheap particle board, and as soon as any water touches it, it will act like a sponge and start to crumble. I use that shelving in my garage.

 

[d2mini]

Thanks guys.
I will get a piece of board for the big sump, good idea.
I have a 2x4 running underneath the smaller one helping to distribute some weight.

The shelving unit was purchased at a commercial shelving supply company here in houston. Each shelf is rated at around 1200 lbs. The wood is a dense press board and more than 1/2" thick, and I sealed it with a couple coats of kilz. If the wood still gets wet/deformed over time, not a big deal to replace. The plumbing is all set up to make draining quick and easy, and the empty containers, plumbing and pump can all be disconnected and removed from the shelving in less than 5 minutes.

The containers are 65g from Tractor Supply. I'm lucky enough to have one just a few miles from my house. This is also where the rubbermaid stock tanks came from.

Cheers!

 

[johnnie1960]

wow guys those are some impessive setups They have given me some insperation I will definatly be stealing some of your ideas

 

[Dr. Reef]

 

[Dr. Reef]

white bin is ro/di water monitored by Genesis rvoc. fills is automatically when low. brown bin is saltwater bin. run by a reeflo 2600gph snapper dart and a 1/6 hp chiller. Water changes are done by Genesis Renew.

 

[jeremyjoslin]

Just finished up my water mixing station.
Took a while to figure out being stacked rather than side by side, but I got it.
I needed it to do the following:

1. Send fresh RO/DI water from the top 65g container to the bottom 65g container.
2. Pull water out of the bottom of the bottom container and send back to the top of the bottom container to mix saltwater.
3. Drain water from the top container into a any other container via the flex hose.
4. Ditto for the bottom container.

The last two will work great for getting water into containers and to my office for my nano tank. Also for general draining/maintenance purposes.

You can also see some 1/4" water lines. The blue on top is the feed from the RO/DI unit and is complete with a float valve inside the container. The yellow will be run to my sump for auto top-off. Eventually there will be one more water line run from the bottom saltwater container to the sump which will be part of my auto water change setup using the LiterMeter pumps, just like i had in the old cube.

Concerning running your ATO line off the top tank... sounds like it will work OK now, but just an idea in case you ever progress to electric auto methods (like float switches and Apex unit). I use an Apex to allow ATO 5 times a day for 10 minutes each time. If I used your setup the tank wouldn't see any top off water for several hours after you drained the top tank... until it fills to the drain. An electric solenoid wouldn't like to be on/open for hours in that situation.

 

[d2mini]

I typically use gravity and a float valve setup for my ATO. Always worked great for me.
And my auto water change setup is taken care of with my LiterMeter III replacing just ounces of water every few minutes, 24/7. There is an ATO option with the LM, but I just haven't seen a need yet to run my ATO electronically.

 

[rrasco]

I've been following this thread for months, accumulating parts and designing my system based on ideas found here. And I finally built mine this weekend. ATO bucket will soon be a white 10g brute and electrical is going to be cleaned up. RODI is run through attic from laundry room to here, the fish room. The DT is on the other side of this wall.

 

[kewadiak]

2 65 gallon tanks with a blueline 40xd pump. I have a couple questions?

The tanks are vented is this okay or will my water get contaminated?

Do i need to keep the salt water circulating 24/7. Especially if the tanks are vented

any thoughts suggestions or opinions would be great!

 

[jcmelski]

Where r the tanks located? I have mine covered since mine r in my basement. I don't see a problem with the FSW tank being on a timer.

 

[CarlitosReef]

BUMP I am at this stage right now just placed the order on my RODI so I am trying to set up my storage tanks! Bump for more ideas or a better visual explanation since most of you have different plumbing going on! gets me confuse