135G SPS Cube - Designing for long term stability.

[Wiskey]

Hello all!
So I was in Huntsville Alabama the week before last on a five day work trip, and as it always does, my tank chose that time to have a pretty serious issue. I have been using a BRS 50 ML/min peristaltic pump for my auto top-off because it was $79 and the Spectrapure Liter Meter is $279.

When I came home from the trip I found my sump nearly empty and the pump rotor was not spinning, I figured it was the Apex so I plugged it directly into the wall, and it still wasn't working, so I took the cover off and moved it manually and it caught and moved a quarter turn and stopped. I took the pump apart and the gearbox had completely worn out. There was this grease soaked plastic shavings all over the sides of the gearbox and the gears looked like they were filed down.

Here it is after I cleaned out all the grease so I could get photos:
IMG_5125 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

IMG_5134 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

IMG_5127 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

I had an optical level sensor from Apex in the sump, but it was attached in a way that it's difficult to clean or inspect and as a result when I finally needed it the sensor was covered in Coraline and failed to sense the low water level. I didn't know that was an issue, but it is.

To make sure I get alerted in the future I made this. It is 2 Optical sensors, and 2 float sensors. This part is just for overfull/underfull, the topoff trigger itself is the Avast pressure one.
IMG_3003 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

As far as the BRS pump goes, this is obviously 'normal' wear and not a defect of some kind. The plastic they use on those gears has a shorter lifespan than the tube in the pump which is unusual. I have replaced the one on my big system with a Kamoer pump used for industrial stuff off Amazon. There just isn't a reasonable option for the hobby. This one is rated for a life of 1000h on the tubing alone so it should last 6 years before any maintenance is needed at all.

Whiskey

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Sorry about you pump issues. Hopefully everything made it even with the pump not working

 

[Wiskey]

Sorry about you pump issues. Hopefully everything made it even with the pump not working

Thank you!! Luckily the return pumps stayed submerged, and a very slight salinity rise is the only effect that was felt in the display. This was easily remedied and I honestly don't think the coral and fish even noticed.

One more day gone though and the returns would have run dry cutting the tank off from heat and filtration. I would have noticed then because would have been alerted to the return flow issue but that's far too late to be reacting to something like this and it could have damaged my pumps. That's why I took it so seriously, especially with how much I travel.

In the future I have 4 level sensors using 2 different technologies so I should get a text message when there is still lots of time to react.

Whiskey

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Thank you!! Luckily the return pumps stayed submerged, and a very slight salinity rise is the only effect that was felt in the display. This was easily remedied and I honestly don't think the coral and fish even noticed.

One more day gone though and the returns would have run dry cutting the tank off from heat and filtration. I would have noticed then because would have been alerted to the return flow issue but that's far too late to be reacting to something like this and it could have damaged my pumps. That's why I took it so seriously, especially with how much I travel.

In the future I have 4 level sensors using 2 different technologies so I should get a text message when there is still lots of time to react.

Whiskey

I’m glad everything is still doing well! I would be so sad if anything happened to this gorgeous tank. And hey, a little bit of redundancy never hurt anyone.

 

[Wiskey]

I’m glad everything is still doing well! I would be so sad if anything happened to this gorgeous tank. And hey, a little bit of redundancy never hurt anyone.

You and me both! Lol

I had a 125 and a 180 around the 2000 to 2010 era and I never felt like either of those tanks realized their potential because I was doing this on a shoe string budget and kept having crashes due to things which could have been preventable if I'm being honest. There were the major ones:
1. Power failure while I was gone for a week - Pumps didn't start back up properly.
2. 40 gallons of Kalk dumped in because of a failed float switch.

But there was always little things,.. like my cheap CO2 regulator never really kept the bubble count in my CA reactor consistent so ALK/CA were always slowly going up, or slowly going down. The Seio pumps, and hacked modified maxijets kept failing, falling off the sides,.. or I would break them cleaning. No chiller meant I was constantly fighting MH heat with Fans and even then the temps in the tank would hit 83 during the summer with the AC in my little APT running full blast. The AC would even ice over sometimes and the heat would get even higher.

In this tank I really hope to get into a consistent, repeatable routine with reliable equipment that will keep things truly stable for the long term and really maximize the color and health of these corals.

Since I'm talking about it, this is the 180 near it's peak.
180FTS by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

Whiskey

 

[Wiskey]

Just a quick update to the thread here. I have new FTS shots!
IMG_5396 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

IMG_5392 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

IMG_5399 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

Also, I found out that Triton Core 7 was costing $1,300 per year, and that is way too high for me. To reduce that, so far I'm down to a dosing level which will cost about $500 per year, I have added a Kalk Reactor to this tank. It's a $380 investment, but if it can replace $800 per year in Triton Core 7 supplements with $60 per year in Kalk it pays for itself pretty fast. This will also take more load off my topoff pump and give me additional topoff redundancy. I'm dosing 5000 ML per day through the reactor right now using one of the DOS heads.

New controller board arrangement:

Whiskey

 

[Wiskey]

So! The Kalk stuff is going well on this system, and it's brought the PH up so much that I've stopped pulling outside air into the skimmer. The net result of this is that when I leave town and board my dog, the PH in my tank is going up well into 8.7 which is has caused some issues while I'm away. I don't have a solution for this at this time, during my last trip I cut Kalk dosing in half and tripled Core 7 dosing, and this kept PH around 8.6 as a high which is better but caused some little Alk swings as I stabilized everything.

The second phase of my reduction of reliance on Core 7 is about to be underway. I'm down to less than 3 weeks of Core 7 product left, and when it runs out I will be cutting over to BRS 2 part, with the Part C by Tropic Marine, and their trace elements to make it a complete solution. This is drastically cheaper at the quantities I'm consuming, and we will see how long I put up with mixing it and whatever. I swore I'd never go back to a CA reactor again, but you never know,... It depends on lazyness in mixing up solutions more than anything.

IMG_5569 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

IMG_5571 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

IMG_5563 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

Whiskey

 

[Wiskey]

Well! To make a long story short, that didn't work.

I have switched over to the BRS 2 part, but in my calculations I didn't take into account the potency differences between Core 7 and the BRS 2 part, I also didn't account for the higher PH from the Kalk raising growth rates so much that not only did it completely negate the CA/ALK it was adding, but it caused me to drastically increase the amount of two part I needed. DOH!

I'm up to dosing 260 ML of BRS 2 Part per day, which means 520 ML of TM Part C per day. I'm only needing about 210 ML of CA/Mag per day but I'm still dialing that in a little bit. Keep in mind I'm not using the super cheap version, the recipe I'm using includes the Tropic Marine A and K trace elements and Part C to ensure the recipe keeps traces up and is ionicly balanced which is important to me. This all puts me at a cost of about $1200 per year again, and that number is rising quickly.

Also, I use a DOS with the DDR, that means that my dosing containers are only 2000 ML, and I travel for work often enough that 4 days of dosing on a full container simply won't cut it.

New plan!!! I started pricing out a CA reactor. I swore I wouldn't use one again, but my tank isn't going to get any smaller, so instead of staying away from them I'm going to set it up right this time. Instead of relying on Needle valves I got a Kamoer FX-STP2 peristaltic pump to control water flow, and I have very high end dual diaphragm CO2 regulator to control CO2, I will go to a carbon doser if I must.

Then! I came across this absolute beast of a unit on clearance at BRS as an open box return!!!! It was too cheap to ignore, so this is happening soon. Dual 8" reaction chambers, 24" tall. That should do it!!! This means I have lots of surface area to melt the course media. This should be good for whenever I double my tank size down the line as well.

For now I'm going to keep the 2 part in place, get the CA reactor to dose 90% of the load ish, and then do the rest with the 2 part and trace recipe. Partly to use it up, but partly because it gives me some redundancy if one of the systems has problems while I'm out of town or something. The two part is also nice for making little corrections while I'm tuning things in.

Stay tuned for the big update!
Whiskey

 

[Wiskey]

I have progress!

Here's where we start, this CA Reactor is HUGE!!!! I'm sure that's why it was returned. This thing is 18" Wide, and 24" tall, it's 2, 8" tubes, and it holds over 10 gallons of water. The only place it has any chance of fitting is under my 40G Frag Tank stand. The only problem is that the shelf is way to high up to fit it. Here's where we start:
IMG_5610 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

All of that junk has to go! I put the Trident over on the sump for now:
IMG_5612 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

Just Dosing containers left:
IMG_5614 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

I got a little stuck here, I tried lots of places to put these, and couldn't find a solution. Finally I decided to use the space under the tank and run longer lines. In the future I will color code these, but for now this will work fine:
IMG_5626 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

Back to the action, When I built this stand I glued and pin nailed that shelf, which turned out to be a huge pain to remove. But here we are:
IMG_5627 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

To reattach the shelf I decided to use pocket hole screws that were 2.5 inches long. This way I can move it if I needed.
IMG_5630 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

And, I painted it black mainly to protect it, and put it back on:
IMG_5635 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

Ready for the Reactor!!! Stay tuned, it's coming right up.
Whiskey

 

[Wiskey]

Now,.. these things can get complicated to operate if you are always trying to adjust effluent speed, CO2, and dealing with inconsistent flow and CO2. I don't want complication, so here's how I'm tuning this:

1. Set a consistent PH in the reaction chamber. I will maintain this with a PH probe in the main reaction chamber and the APEX to control it. I will try and tune the needle valve so it doesn't turn on and off too often, but still let the APEX set the low point by turning off the probe. The PH will be set by monitoring the alk of water leaving the unit, and looking for 20-30 DKH.

2. Adjust Effluent speed on the Parasitotic pump to maintain the levels needed in the tank.

3. Keep 2 part online, but tune the CA reactor so I can dial it way back. This will dose my Tropic Marine A and K trace elements, and give me a backup if I run out of CO2 while I'm out of town or something. I can adjust the 2 part remotely using the DOS pumps.

This thing is an absolute beast!
IMG_5633 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

And it barely fits:
IMG_5642 by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

That is 3 gallons of ARM Course media in there, and it's been running for about 16 hours now, with PH between 6.40 and 6.45. I tested the Effluent ALK just now using a 50/50 diluted test on my Hanna, and got 16. Good, not great. I'm working on lowering it to 6.25-6.30. I was looking at a BRS Investigates series and they said something about running PH at 6.1 for 30 DKH using ARM, I'll go that low if I need to, but it's good to know the media won't melt quite a bit lower then I have it set.

Whiskey

 

[Wiskey]

I took a little time today to add some equipment shelves and clean things up a bit:

 

[Wiskey]

I've been working on trying to offset the cost of dosing for some time now, and the CA reactor should be the final solution for that. Various changes to the design have affected PH in various ways.

Before I made any changes, when I was just dosing Core 7 PH was pretty hands off. I was pulling air in from outside to help elevate PH and make it more stable when I was at home or traveling, or whatever.

Then I tried adding 1 Gallon of Kalk per day to add some CA/ALK without the high cost of Core 7, this made PH go way up and I removed the external skimmer intake. The issue with that was when I would travel PH would get seriously high. Some corals really didn't like this. Here I left for a trip on the 17th of July:

Now, I'm hoping with the CA Reactor this gets to be allot more stable. I have reconnected the external air pull because when the dog and I are gone, or I have a bunch of people over CO2 in the house can vary. Here's where we are in the last few days with PH:

This looks allot lower, but we are still over 8.3 as a high, and above 8.1 as a low. I've had tanks that fought to go above 8.0 as a high before so I'm still happy with this.

One final thing to note, this has taken a little tinkering, but the Trident has made this allot easier to get dialed in. I've been keeping the reactor near my initial set points, along with the Kalk reactor, but adjusting 2 part to keep things steady. I'm changing the dosing times of the 2 part to try and even out natural ALK swings that occur.

Whiskey

 

[ScottD]

Hi Whiskey,

Your tank looks wonderful. I’m looking at a 135 cube as well. I’m thinking about building my own and was curious what your stand is and how it’s built. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Scott

 

[Wiskey]

Attach files

Hi Whiskey,

Your tank looks wonderful. I’m looking at a 135 cube as well. I’m thinking about building my own and was curious what your stand is and how it’s built. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Scott

Thank you! I love the size.

This stand was built by the tank's previous owner, I love the metal framework, but the wooden overlay could have been done better, and doesn't match my house, so I'm going to make a few adjustments one day soon and I'll talk about those.

Here you can see the strong part of this build, it's 1/4 inch wall steel, which is probably way oversized, but I have no concerns about it giving out. Powder coating would have been nice, but it's not needed. I wanted to paint during the move, but I didn't have time. I love how much access it gives to the underside, also the screw in leveling feet are a massive win. Very helpful on the floors I have.

This is the wooden part. It attaches with screws that you have to unscrew to access which is a pain, plus it doesn't match my modern house. I will recreate this to match the canopy I built with doors just like that on the sides, and drawers in the front to hide all my fragging tools and foods.

The nice thing is that I can do that without disturbing the tank because it's just aesthetic.

Whiskey

 

[ScottD]

Attach files

Thank you! I love the size.

This stand was built by the tank's previous owner, I love the metal framework, but the wooden overlay could have been done better, and doesn't match my house, so I'm going to make a few adjustments one day soon and I'll talk about those.

Here you can see the strong part of this build, it's 1/4 inch wall steel, which is probably way oversized, but I have no concerns about it giving out. Powder coating would have been nice, but it's not needed. I wanted to paint during the move, but I didn't have time. I love how much access it gives to the underside, also the screw in leveling feet are a massive win. Very helpful on the floors I have.

This is the wooden part. It attaches with screws that you have to unscrew to access which is a pain, plus it doesn't match my modern house. I will recreate this to match the canopy I built with doors just like that on the sides, and drawers in the front to hide all my fragging tools and foods.

The nice thing is that I can do that without disturbing the tank because it's just aesthetic.

Whiskey

Thanks Whiskey for the pictures and info. Is that 1” or 1.5” tube steel? A suggestion for you when you go to redo the panels, have you thought about embedding magnets into your new panels? That would make for quick and easy removal for access when you need it.

 

[Wiskey]

Thanks Whiskey for the pictures and info. Is that 1” or 1.5” tube steel? A suggestion for you when you go to redo the panels, have you thought about embedding magnets into your new panels? That would make for quick and easy removal for access when you need it.

I have used magnets many times on other projects, but with the doors I'm planning to add, and the drawers out the front I don't think they will hold up. For the panels I plan to screw them together, and to the bottom board that sits on top of the metal frame. The doors will give almost full access to the sides, and there's nothing under there anyway really, so it should be good.

I can tell you that the literal measurement of the metal is 1.25 inch. I don't know much about metal though, so I'm not sure if it's like a 2x4 where it measures 1.5x3.5 or something.

If you post a build thread link it here! I'd be curious to follow.
Whiskey

 

[ScottD]

I have used magnets many times on other projects, but with the doors I'm planning to add, and the drawers out the front I don't think they will hold up. For the panels I plan to screw them together, and to the bottom board that sits on top of the metal frame. The doors will give almost full access to the sides, and there's nothing under there anyway really, so it should be good.

I can tell you that the literal measurement of the metal is 1.25 inch. I don't know much about metal though, so I'm not sure if it's like a 2x4 where it measures 1.5x3.5 or something.

If you post a build thread link it here! I'd be curious to follow.
Whiskey

Thanks for the info. Sounds like you’ve got a pretty good plan.
I will post my build thread when I get going, probably going to be a winter project.

 

[Wiskey]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like you’ve got a pretty good plan.
I will post my build thread when I get going, probably going to be a winter project.

Sounds like a great way to spend some snowy months!

There is another 135 cube running around here too, this might also give you some tips.

Cube Build - 134-Gallon Cube Build - Random Flow Generator® Powered Mixed Reef - Lots of Pics!

The VCA 134-Gallon Cube - Random Flow Generator Powered Mixed Reef! The first of two new offices tanks are officially under way, and I can’t wait to share it here on Reef-2-Reef Our goal with this tank is to build a mixed reef tank with a unique flow solution that utilizes just Random Flow...

www.reef2reef.com

Whiskey