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The Lazy Shallows - Automaton 40g


gus6464

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A year and a half ago I got a cad 70g but after a mishap with some marine velvet and SPS dying for no reason that I could find I tore it down over 6 months ago and sold it all off. Found out later my gyre magnets had swollen up and torn open all covered with rust so who knows for how long it was like that in the tank. Regardless I decided I wanted to go back to a smaller tank and custom this time and I wanted to automate as much as possible. I have been planning this tank for over 6 months getting all the equipment.

Visio 24x24x16 rimless
Synergy Overflow

Gyre 150

Fluval SEA SP4 return pump

JBJ Arctica 1/4HP chiller

Vertex Omega 130

Tropic Eden Grand Select sand

 

Stand

 

 

Solid walnut with dark walnut stain

IMG_20161013_182440.jpg

 

Testing mockup of aquascape in stand before the stain.

IMG_20161011_165741.jpg

 

 

 

Lighting

 

 

Kessil AP700

4x T5 retro with Centium ballasts

Floating canopy attached to wall with a TV full motion wall mount

 

Mockup

floating%20canopy.png

 

Finished shell awaiting 3x Noctua fans to be delivered to I can cut holes and install.

IMG_20161017_194815.jpg

 

The fans will be controlled by my Apex thanks to O2Surplus and a custom pcb.

 

 

 

Equipment which will all be in the garage plumbed through wall.

 

Sump

 

 

GEO SU36R

IMG_20160909_102143.jpg

 

The sump will be modified to have a suspended in the air Brightwell BIO brick which will have water falling through it from the outlet of reactor which will have some carbon. This will make it a wet dry for my aerobic/anaerobic bacteria.

 

 

 

Chaeto reactor

 

 

DIY Aqua Excel FR60 with uplight LED strips. The reactor was modified to accept 1/2" push connect murlok tubing being fed by an MJ1200. The reactor has a divider so will have cheato on one chamber and dragon's breath in the other.

IMG_20160922_233828.jpg

 

 

 

Automated ATO container system

 

 

So my ATO container consists of 2x home depot 5g buckets connected together via uniseals. One bucket has 2x madison horizontal float switches, one at the top and the bottom. They connect to the BOB on my Apex and a solenoid will trigger RODI creation when the buckets are empty and fill them up. The second bucket has a float valve attached to the rodi output as a failsafe in case float switches fail and solenoid remains on. The float valve will cut off rodi. This means I will only be making rodi 10g at a time to preserve membrane life. Will get some pics to show what I am doing.

 

The ATO itself consists of 2x madison float switches in the sump controlled by the Apex and fed through a litermeter basic pump.

 

 

 

Auto water change system

 

 

This consists of a 55g drum with new saltwater and a Stenner dual head 100DMP5 chemical pump. The pump will fire off every day and change out 1.4g of water per day and ~10g per week.

 

The pump

IMG_20160722_121902.jpg

 

Will be using 1/4" ro tubing with the pump.

 

 

 

Calcium reactor

 

 

GEO 612 with 1/4" ro tubing push connect conversion and cole parmer masterflex pump for effluent control. Regulator is a Victor VTS-203b dual stage with fabco needle valve. 20lb co2 bottle. Reborn media in the reactor.

 

The masterflex

IMG_20151222_143307.jpg

 

 

 

Dosing

 

 

I will be dosing calcium nitrate and phosphorous to feed my chaeto and also maintain levels higher than 0 of nitrate and phosphate for my SPS. Doing 0 nitrate and phosphate ULNS system is playing with fire so going to maintain low levels with high nutrient export. Dosing will be handled by 2x BRS 1.1ml pumps.

 

 

 

 

 

Garage mockup

garage.png

 

 

 

 

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Cencalfishguy56

A year and a half ago I got a cad 70g but after a mishap with some marine velvet and SPS dying for no reason that I could find I tore it down over 6 months ago and sold it all off. Found out later my gyre magnets had swollen up and torn open all covered with rust so who knows for how long it was like that in the tank. Regardless I decided I wanted to go back to a smaller tank and custom this time and I wanted to automate as much as possible. I have been planning this tank for over 6 months getting all the equipment.

 

Visio 24x24x16 rimless

Synergy Overflow

Gyre 150

Fluval SEA SP4 return pump

JBJ Arctica 1/4HP chiller

Vertex Omega 130

Tropic Eden Grand Select sand

 

Stand

 

 

Solid walnut with dark walnut stain

IMG_20161013_182440.jpg

 

Testing mockup of aquascape in stand before the stain.

IMG_20161011_165741.jpg

 

 

 

Lighting

 

 

Kessil AP700

4x T5 retro with Centium ballasts

Floating canopy attached to wall with a TV full motion wall mount

 

Mockup

floating%20canopy.png

 

Finished shell awaiting 3x Noctua fans to be delivered to I can cut holes and install.

IMG_20161017_194815.jpg

 

The fans will be controlled by my Apex thanks to O2Surplus and a custom pcb.

 

 

 

Equipment which will all be in the garage plumbed through wall.

 

Sump

 

 

GEO SU36R

IMG_20160909_102143.jpg

 

The sump will be modified to have a suspended in the air Brightwell BIO brick which will have water falling through it from the outlet of reactor which will have some carbon. This will make it a wet dry for my aerobic/anaerobic bacteria.

 

 

 

Chaeto reactor

 

 

DIY Aqua Excel FR60 with uplight LED strips. The reactor was modified to accept 1/2" push connect murlok tubing being fed by an MJ1200. The reactor has a divider so will have cheato on one chamber and dragon's breath in the other.

IMG_20160922_233828.jpg

 

 

 

Automated ATO container system

 

 

So my ATO container consists of 2x home depot 5g buckets connected together via uniseals. One bucket has 2x madison horizontal float switches, one at the top and the bottom. They connect to the BOB on my Apex and a solenoid will trigger RODI creation when the buckets are empty and fill them up. The second bucket has a float valve attached to the rodi output as a failsafe in case float switches fail and solenoid remains on. The float valve will cut off rodi. This means I will only be making rodi 10g at a time to preserve membrane life. Will get some pics to show what I am doing.

 

The ATO itself consists of 2x madison float switches in the sump controlled by the Apex and fed through a litermeter basic pump.

 

 

 

Auto water change system

 

 

This consists of a 55g drum with new saltwater and a Stenner dual head 100DMP5 chemical pump. The pump will fire off every day and change out 1.4g of water per day and ~10g per week.

 

The pump

IMG_20160722_121902.jpg

 

Will be using 1/4" ro tubing with the pump.

 

 

 

Calcium reactor

 

 

GEO 612 with 1/4" ro tubing push connect conversion and cole parmer masterflex pump for effluent control. Regulator is a Victor VTS-203b dual stage with fabco needle valve. 20lb co2 bottle. Reborn media in the reactor.

 

The masterflex

IMG_20151222_143307.jpg

 

 

 

Dosing

 

 

I will be dosing calcium nitrate and phosphorous to feed my chaeto and also maintain levels higher than 0 of nitrate and phosphate for my SPS. Doing 0 nitrate and phosphate ULNS system is playing with fire so going to maintain low levels with high nutrient export. Dosing will be handled by 2x BRS 1.1ml pumps.

 

 

 

 

 

Garage mockup

garage.png

 

 

 

 

such a clean clean build! Can't wait to see this bad boy up and running, how do you like the Visio tank quality? I was very impressed with my custom tank from them
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such a clean clean build! Can't wait to see this bad boy up and running, how do you like the Visio tank quality? I was very impressed with my custom tank from them

 

I had gotten a bunch of quotes from other builders and didn't even think of Visio until my buddy got his rimless 120 from them and checked it out. His tank was flawless and I liked the big silicone seams they use. When I received my tank I was surprised to see how thick of a glass they used for a such a small tank. They also cut the holes of my Synergy and return perfectly to the point where the return bulkheads look like they are part of the overflow box.

Link to comment
Cencalfishguy56

 

I had gotten a bunch of quotes from other builders and didn't even think of Visio until my buddy got his rimless 120 from them and checked it out. His tank was flawless and I liked the big silicone seams they use. When I received my tank I was surprised to see how thick of a glass they used for a such a small tank. They also cut the holes of my Synergy and return perfectly to the point where the return bulkheads look like they are part of the overflow box.

yea they do use some thick ass glass, and the seams are perfect, I don't have any messy seams at all on mine, extremely well built, I'm glad you went with them as I was interested to see another build with the same brand, that synergy overflow is something special
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Almost done with the floating canopy. Was testing fan mounts and came out perfect. Wall arm is attached as well and holding it steady. All that is left is installing the t5 endcaps and staining/sealing.

 

 

 

IMG_20161019_185528.jpg

IMG_20161019_185751.jpg

 

 

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Cencalfishguy56

We have light!

 

 

 

IMG_20161022_233127.jpg

 

 

 

That actually won't be my bulb config. Thinking of doing 4x True Actinic or 2x True Actinic 2x Coral+.

its beautiful!
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Thanks everyone. This is definitely the most meticulous tank I have ever done. I have been planning this for over 6 months and want it to be perfect. This is in a way my last try in doing a full sps only tank that can hopefully thrive so I have taken all of the things that worked in all the many other tanks I have owned including my freshwater ones. Basically all the things I have learned in 8 years of having aquariums.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well I haven't updated in a while but I am super close to filling the thing up. Although there is now a change of plans in the lighting. The Kessil/T5 is going away as I was contacted a few weeks ago about being able to acquire a light that is not available in the US.

 

As of right now it's :ninja:

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