3 Foot Office Nano

eschulist · Mar 31, 2017

Playing around with something new that showed up today!!

Neptunes Auto Top Off Kit
Fluid Metering Module, PMUP, Magnetic Optical Sensor bracket, and accessories.

I tried to use a 5 gallon jug I had but the PMUP was just a tiny bit too big to fit in the hole. So to test it out I needed to improvise. My real ATO container will be delivered on Tuesday so hopefully that has a hole large enough :fingers crossed:

All hooked up

Psymon · Mar 31, 2017

eschulist said:
Going to share something embarrassing that happened hoping that others can learn from my mistake. But it lead to a cool discovery.

My tank drain system is basically a herbie with one drain being a siphon and the next being a trickle. 95% of the water goes down one drain and the other 5% goes down the second. The other drain can handle fluctuations but can not handle the same volume of water that the siphon side can. To prevent overflows due to power outages I created some Apex code which I posted before.

Code:

POWER_OUTAGE Set OFF If Power Apex Off 720 Then ON

The return pump has this code

Code:

RETURN_PUMP Fallback OFF Set ON If Output POWER_OUTAGE = ON Then OFF If FeedD 720 Then ON

If power failure happens the first set of code tells the pump to not turn on for 720 minutes (12 hours). This gives me time to reset my siphon manually and prevent water on the floor.

Well it had its first unsimulated test on Wednesday. In the middle of the night we had a very slight snow storm that had maybe 1-2 inches. This is nothing and should have caused no issues. But for whatever reason at 7:50am (Long after the snow storm stopped and 10 minutes after I left to drop my daughter off at day care) I get an alert on my phone that says the Apex has lost a connection to Fusion. This could mean the router went offline or the power went out at the house. I never got an update that it was restored so I figured it was just network wifi issues at home and went to work like normal. If my code should have worked it would stay off until 7:50pm and I would have time to restart everything if needed.

I get home from work and see the return pump is still pumping away and the siphon is going like normal. Must have been wifi issues.... Nope. The carpeting is slightly wet and there is a small puddle on the granite top. In my dumb stupidity I had the Return_Pump set to ON on my dashboard rather than AUTO. ON overrides all code you have setup and this failed to keep the pump turned off. The siphon and system however was running just fine and as I was dabbing up the water with a tower I noticed very little of it was actually on the floor. Maybe 1/8-1/4 gallon. It then hit me that I can do something so incredible easy to solve my overflow issue.

LOWER THE WATER LEVEL IN THE RETURN CHAMBER

If the pump can't physically pull any water there can't be any to overflow the display tank rim. This is what happened after the power failure but there was just a little bit too much water in the sump. I've found the absolute maximum amount that will make the system work every time without any code or interference from me.

In this video I used feed mode rather than unplugging the Apex or return pump but shows how the system restarts itself and doesn't overflow.

Do you have/use an ato?
In which case, wouldn't it refill the missing water in the sump/return chamber = flood?

Anirban · Mar 31, 2017

eschulist said:
Playing around with something new that showed up today!!

Neptunes Auto Top Off Kit
Fluid Metering Module, PMUP, Magnetic Optical Sensor bracket, and accessories.

I tried to use a 5 gallon jug I had but the PMUP was just a tiny bit too big to fit in the hole. So to test it out I needed to improvise. My real ATO container will be delivered on Tuesday so hopefully that has a hole large enough :fingers crossed:

All hooked up

Can you please tell me the exact push fitting you used for the pump outlet to connect to the hose. I am looking for one but not getting the exact dimensions on them.

eschulist · Mar 31, 2017

Psymon said:
Do you have/use an ato?
In which case, wouldn't it refill the missing water in the sump/return chamber = flood?

When the water starts to suck in during restarts it is true the water level would drop and cause most ATOs to refill basically negating this water overflow limit.

When I tested that I did not have a ATO. On my current tank I run my ATO on a timer and 50ml doser. Its calculated to add the same amount of water every day and doesn't take current water level into account. This was my approach for the new setup as well until I got the Neptune ATO Kit. It has failsafes and delays built in. If the water level drops below the optical sensor it wont pump water into the tank for 10 minutes. This is to prevent exactly the scenario you described. It prevents extra water being added when doing maintenance, doing feed modes etc. As another level of safety I can program it to only check the optical sensor at say 8am and 8pm. If during those exact times the water level is low it would add water. If the sensor was dry at 5pm (When I usually do water changes after work) it wouldnt trigger, even if it was dry for 30 minutes or longer.

eschulist · Mar 31, 2017

Anirban said:
Can you please tell me the exact push fitting you used for the pump outlet to connect to the hose. I am looking for one but not getting the exact dimensions on them.

The PMUP to RODI tubing connector is a push connect 3/8" to 1/4" fitting.

Anirban · Mar 31, 2017

Thanks a lot..

revhtree · Mar 31, 2017

eschulist said:
The PMUP to RODI tubing connector is a push connect 3/8" to 1/4" fitting.

Don't you mean "PUMP?"

HA! Just kidding...

justingraham · Mar 31, 2017

Where did u get the ato from I don't see it online

Jstn · Apr 1, 2017

Love your attention to detail, keep raising the bar!

nitro · Apr 1, 2017

This is a very clean install, I totally love how you did the fit and finish very sleek. How did you bend the pic pipe, and was it difficult?

eschulist · Apr 2, 2017

justingraham said:
Where did u get the ato from I don't see it online

I'm part of the Neptune Systems Insider program and test products and Apex Fusion updates before they are released

Jstn said:
Love your attention to detail, keep raising the bar!

nitro said:
This is a very clean install, I totally love how you did the fit and finish very sleek. How did you bend the pic pipe, and was it difficult?

Thanks guys. Clean and tidy with everything in its place was a top goal with this build. The pipe bending was with a metal spring inserted into the pvc pipe and heated with a heat gun. After a few minutes the pvc and spring get hot enough to make smooth bends. The spring prevents the pipe from collapsing or buckling on itself. You can do it without but the inside diameter can shrink or not stay round. People have also done it be capping one end of the pipe, filling the entire thing with sand, and then capping the other end. This forces the pipe to retain the same volume. The spring is just easier and a lot less messy.

A few pages back I also showed a wooden jig I made with a metal can to replicate the same arc for the black pipes and get exactly 90 degrees.

Mebeknob · May 4, 2017

I had a thought about your build. Why not use one of the optical sensors for the FMM as a limit switch for the display? If tripped it'll cut power to pump.

pboutin · May 4, 2017

@eschulist you get this thing moved into the office yet?

pboutin · May 4, 2017

haha I just watched the video again where you test the power outage and siphon and seen something i didn't see before. the return pump would have easily overflowed the tank had there been more water in that chamber of the sump. What's to say you can't use that to your advantage and put the return pump on a small platform therefore pushing air sooner than it does now giving the siphon time to catch up.

eschulist · May 5, 2017

pboutin said:
haha I just watched the video again where you test the power outage and siphon and seen something i didn't see before. the return pump would have easily overflowed the tank had there been more water in that chamber of the sump. What's to say you can't use that to your advantage and put the return pump on a small platform therefore pushing air sooner than it does now giving the siphon time to catch up.

The water level is at the exact level for that reason so it can't overflow. Putting the pump on a platform is the same. As long as the water level is at the coupling on the return there is never enough water before it sucks air while the siphon restarts.

eschulist · May 5, 2017

pboutin said:
@eschulist you get this thing moved into the office yet?

Not yet. It's still in the basement at home but it might stay there. Wife seemed semi ok with it since it been running for months and hasn't irritated her.

pboutin · May 6, 2017

eschulist said:
The water level is at the exact level for that reason so it can't overflow. Putting the pump on a platform is the same. As long as the water level is at the coupling on the return there is never enough water before it sucks air while the siphon restarts.

So I guess the next build the drains would need to be lowered. Either that or redesigned with more traditional overflows.

I think you did an awesome job on this build. Can't wait to see it filled with beautiful coral and fish.

eschulist · May 9, 2017

I've had them for awhile now but forgot to post. New ATO and matching dosing containers.

Another thing I worked on was creating a picture frame for a print I won in a LFS drawing. I originally ordered a frame from Amazon but it was a piece of crap and wasn't the color I was expecting compared to the product photo.
So I returned it and started making my own. I had some left over walnut to match the stand and while not the best woodworking tools they work well enough.