Choss' 96 gallon Reef Savvy "Nano" Tank

[Janci]

Love that you're getting on board with the KH Director, im keen as to see how it and all the other KH monitors go over the long term.
I think i read this right somewhere, but the KH Director can control each pump head to dose a 3 part instead of just ALK yea?

With the KH Director you need at least a 3 to 4 pump head dosing pump.
3 pumps will be used to supply the KH Director (1 x tank water supply, 1 x reagent supply, 1 x water removal). The 4th pump can be used to dose ALK to the sump/tank.
So if you want to use 3 part dosing, you need an extra second pump with at least 2 heads.
The nice thing is that, as far as I understand, if you chose the stand alone GHL doser 2.1 together with the KH Director, you do not need the Profilux controller.
@choss, did you order the stand alone or slave pumps?

 

[Mattres]

With the KH Director you need at least a 3 to 4 pump head dosing pump.
3 pumps will be used to supply the KH Director (1 x tank water supply, 1 x reagent supply, 1 x water removal). The 4th pump can be used to dose ALK to the sump/tank.
So if you want to use 3 part dosing, you need an extra second pump with at least 2 heads.
The nice thing is that, as far as I understand, if you chose the stand alone GHL doser 2.1 together with the KH Director, you do not need the Profilux controller.
@choss, did you order the stand alone or slave pumps?

Thanks @Janci That was my understanding as well and I think you are definitely correct on not needing a Profilux. I was luckily enough to part of a shipping bungle a couple years ago and ended up with 2 GHL Doser 2's so when the Director is available in Aus I'll strongly look at it.
As Choss said I need to comment and scour the GHL thread but I thought I saw on @Jerel thread that if the Director measures a low KH value instead of just dosing an Alk solution it can be programmed to dose equally on the other pump heads not just the one. For two part and three part solutions I think this is paramount to keep all the parameters not just Alkality in check and in equal proportions.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

following!

 

[Janci]

... but I thought I saw on @Jerel thread that if the Director measures a low KH value instead of just dosing an Alk solution it can be programmed to dose equally on the other pump heads not just the one. For two part and three part solutions I think this is paramount to keep all the parameters not just Alkality in check and in equal proportions.

Here is the thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/kh-director.289907/page-8

In order to dose 2 or 3 part in equal amounts to ALK you will need a Profilux controller I am affraid. At least that is what i understand from the thread.
But still, I believe that not always all parts are to be dosed in relation to each other.
I use a calcium reactor to maintain KH and Ca. But I do not dose Mg and after more than 1 month now Mg remains stable.

 

[Janci]

Thanks @Janci That was my understanding as well and I think you are definitely correct on not needing a Profilux. I was luckily enough to part of a shipping bungle a couple years ago and ended up with 2 GHL Doser 2's so when the Director is available in Aus I'll strongly look at it.

I had 2 GHL Dosers 2 as well... till 2 months ago 1 fell in the sump with power still connected.
I am still angry to myself for being so clumsy.

 

[Mattres]

Here is the thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/kh-director.289907/page-8

In order to dose 2 or 3 part in equal amounts to ALK you will need a Profilux controller I am affraid. At least that is what i understand from the thread.
But still, I believe that not always all parts are to be dosed in relation to each other.
I use a calcium reactor to maintain KH and Ca. But I do not dose Mg and after more than 1 month now Mg remains stable.

Thank for the link I'll have a look.
I'm disappointed I'd need a profilux as dosing all three elements is what I would be after as I use AF three part.
That's a shame about dropping the Doser into the sump!

@choss how's it progressing? Or are you too busy drinking wine?

 

[dough]

Following this awesome build

 

[Janci]

@choss how's it progressing? Or are you too busy drinking wine?

Looks like it is wine...;Brb

 

[choss]

UPDATE:

Ok so it has been a while since I updated the thread. It’s been slow going but I’m getting closer. With the setup of my sump in a side cabinet, and the electrical in another, there are some unique challenges to working through the plumbing and the electrical in a way that is both functional and hides the messy of wires and pipes. That said, I love the red/grey PVC pipes and its almost worth showing them off to the world! Really sexy the way it’s all turning out.

So here are the basic pieces of plumbing. I am using unions and ball valves in as many places as I can. This is actually critical because of the many angles I need to get all the plumbing to come up and to the left from the sump cabinet to the DT. I’m also working in extremely tight places.

Main Pipes laid out by choerenz, on Flickr

These are the main pieces within the sump - 1" schedule 80 for the overflow fittings, and 3/4" for the return. There is a flaw here that I just discovered today, but I'll point it out further down in this post.

To attach the plumbing to some support, I picket up these brackets at home depot. They work perfectly.

Brackets for overflow lines by choerenz, on Flickr

Here is a shot from above the sump cabinet looking at the back of the tank. You can see three bean animal overflow pipes, coming off the Ghost Overflow, hitting 90 degree turn via two 45s, and coming towards the sump being supported by the brackets.

Overflow Pipes by choerenz, on Flickr

And here is how they enter the sump

Closeup of ball valve by choerenz, on Flickr

Plumbing Issue
So here is the issue. The picture below shows how the return plumbing works in the sump and cabinet. The pump is a Varios 6 Reef Octopus, which I used soft tubing to connect to hard plumbing. It then goes directly into a wye check valve which is easy to reach and service. From there it "T"s off to a manifold that I want to hook a single reactor up to. It didn't occur to me that this "T" needs to be below the wye check valve. Right now, a power outage will drain back through the manifold and into the tank.

Powerbar 4 by choerenz, on Flickr

Because I have a height limitation in the stand, the pipe that goes back to the display is at the only height I can have it to work it around the overflow pipes. So the distance between the pump and the "T" is limited. I suppose I can leave the manifold offline and buy a small pump to power my reactor but I have put so much time and planning into this build that I would like to figure out another way to get this fixed. I'm looking for some suggestions where I can either salvage the existing parts, or add something like a solenoid to the push connect fittings (its a BRS deluxe reactor) that closes with a power off situation.

On another note, I was reading a thread on electrical, and there was a discussion about keeping power bars out of sump areas. I have seen pics of bars catching fire from freak water accidents so I decided to find a solution for this as well. The power bar 4 that you seen in the pic above is difficult to relocate so instead I found the perfect solution in the form os a rubbermaid box.

Powerbar solution by choerenz, on Flickr

The lid is even red!

Box with lid by choerenz, on Flickr

 

[Fin]

Nice build! Just read through the whole thread. I am slowly stumbling through my own Reef Savvy build. You are right about Felix. I had a question on an issue I was having with the overflow and left him a note on Messenger Sunday evening. He called me within an hour (9:00pm) to answer my question. Cannot be happier that I went with one of his tanks.

I will be following this one.

A note on the RLSS skimmer. I had the 8i and absolutely loved it. I was a fan. Now, not so much. After a couple of years, the Waveline pump rusted itself to a standstill. No replacement available. I was going to try to use a different pump, but didn't want to spend money on a pump that might not fit properly in that tight allotted space. So, it is in the skimmer graveyard in my attic. I went with a Nyos Quantum 160 on my Reef Savvy build. If that doesn't work out, it will be the end of experimenting with skimmers for me and back to the old tried and true LifeReef skimmer. It just always works and you can use any pump with it. I wish you luck with yours. They do skim great while they last.

 

[choss]

Nice build! Just read through the whole thread. I am slowly stumbling through my own Reef Savvy build. You are right about Felix. I had a question on an issue I was having with the overflow and left him a note on Messenger Sunday evening. He called me within an hour (9:00pm) to answer my question. Cannot be happier that I went with one of his tanks.

I will be following this one.

A note on the RLSS skimmer. I had the 8i and absolutely loved it. I was a fan. Now, not so much. After a couple of years, the Waveline pump rusted itself to a standstill. No replacement available. I was going to try to use a different pump, but didn't want to spend money on a pump that might not fit properly in that tight allotted space. So, it is in the skimmer graveyard in my attic. I went with a Nyos Quantum 160 on my Reef Savvy build. If that doesn't work out, it will be the end of experimenting with skimmers for me and back to the old tried and true LifeReef skimmer. It just always works and you can use any pump with it. I wish you luck with yours. They do skim great while they last.

Fin,

Been following your build.

Nice build! Just read through the whole thread. I am slowly stumbling through my own Reef Savvy build. You are right about Felix. I had a question on an issue I was having with the overflow and left him a note on Messenger Sunday evening. He called me within an hour (9:00pm) to answer my question. Cannot be happier that I went with one of his tanks.

I will be following this one.

A note on the RLSS skimmer. I had the 8i and absolutely loved it. I was a fan. Now, not so much. After a couple of years, the Waveline pump rusted itself to a standstill. No replacement available. I was going to try to use a different pump, but didn't want to spend money on a pump that might not fit properly in that tight allotted space. So, it is in the skimmer graveyard in my attic. I went with a Nyos Quantum 160 on my Reef Savvy build. If that doesn't work out, it will be the end of experimenting with skimmers for me and back to the old tried and true LifeReef skimmer. It just always works and you can use any pump with it. I wish you luck with yours. They do skim great while they last.

Fin - glad you are following along! I am watching your build with a lot of interest! I'll be happy if the skimmer lasts me a few years. I went with it simply because I saw so many positive reviews. That said, my second choice was the Nyos.

 

[Fin]

Fin,

Been following your build.


Fin - glad you are following along! I am watching your build with a lot of interest! I'll be happy if the skimmer lasts me a few years. I went with it simply because I saw so many positive reviews. That said, my second choice was the Nyos.

I loved the skimmer until the day it stopped. I was in communication with RLSS to try to find another pump somewhere. They sent me pics of their new line of skimmers being assembled. They are orange and not a very attractive orange at that. . But, last time I checked, they are still selling the same skimmers - probably with another brand pump.

 

[Mattres]

That's a pain about the plumbing mistake.
I see there's a tee that splits your returns and then another tee on the left pointing down, what's this for? You could move the manifold valve to that point coming towards your sump?

 

[choss]

That's a pain about the plumbing mistake.
I see there's a tee that splits your returns and then another tee on the left pointing down, what's this for? You could move the manifold valve to that point coming towards your sump?

The plumbing leaves the sump and splits two ways. First, right and left. The pipe to the right then branches up and is capped for now. Its there in case I decide to add a small nano tank for some clowns that I have been raising since they were hatched. The tee to the left splits up and down. This will be connected to the returns for the main tank. The "up" tee will lead to the right side of the tank return line. The tee "down" will lead to the left side of the tank return line. The issue is I glued the wye valve into a tee instead of a union (although I did include a union on the bottom. here is a better pic. I'm not sure I can cut it free an reuse it which sucks since its a $45 item.

 

[choss]

I may just bite the bullet and cap off the manifold. Dead end the line. Then buy a small pump for the reactor. That is probably the cheapest solution. The other idea I'm toying with is a solenoid that sits in between the push connect fitting and the reactor. If I can find one that size that is "off" when the electricity is out then I would have the issue solved for now. The other thing I have to see if how much water will actually drain from the main tank. My sump is a 24 gallon, its 15" high. The water level will probably be around 8-9" so say 60% of the volume. That would leave me about 9.6 gallons of water volume. My tank is 42"X24" wide and I believe that each inch it drops is around 4 gallons. So in theory I could maintain a 2" drop in the main tank before water hits the floor.



UNION BALL VALVE=UNION= STREET ELBOW UP

 

[Fin]

These are supposed to be the "new" RLSS skimmers in assembly. Someone in their Customer Service department sent this to me in February of this year. I haven't seen them on the market anywhere. The pumps are supposed to be a new design.

 

[choss]

These are supposed to be the "new" RLSS skimmers in assembly. Someone in their Customer Service department sent this to me in February of this year. I haven't seen them on the market anywhere. The pumps are supposed to be a new design.

View attachment 619710

Yikes...the old one look a lot nicer.

 

[Fin]

Yikes...the old one look a lot nicer.

I agree.

 

[choss]

With the KH Director you need at least a 3 to 4 pump head dosing pump.
3 pumps will be used to supply the KH Director (1 x tank water supply, 1 x reagent supply, 1 x water removal). The 4th pump can be used to dose ALK to the sump/tank.
So if you want to use 3 part dosing, you need an extra second pump with at least 2 heads.
The nice thing is that, as far as I understand, if you chose the stand alone GHL doser 2.1 together with the KH Director, you do not need the Profilux controller.
@choss, did you order the stand alone or slave pumps?

Sorry I missed this post earlier. I ordered the slave pumps.

 

[choss]

following!

Daniel glad to have you along for the ride. I have been watching your cube build as well.

Cheers.