4A: Adam's Awesome Automated Aquarium

pseudorand · Jan 8, 2020

So it's far from automated and not yet awesome, but I'm making progress. This is the build thread for my 120G reef. I haven't kept an aquarium in 20 years, but I finally have a bit of extra time, money and no intention of moving any time soon, so here goes....

What You'll Learn
(assuming I finish it this thread)
(a) Plumbing
(b) Electrical
(c) Refurbishing a used tank
(d) Carpentry
(e) Bioligical Filtration
(f) Live Rock
(g) Harry Potter (spoiler alert)
(h) Why Clownfish are anything but funny
(i) Electronics & LED Lighting
(j) Budgeting (or lack thereof)
(k) Water Parameters
(l) Refugium Design
(m) Tank Automation
(n) Programming
(o) Systems Administration
(p) Computer Security

Some of that stuff I do professionally. Some of it I've learned from the interwebs. I suspect you'll be able to tell which is which by the accuracy of info provided. As of this writing, I'm on step (i), so some of it I don't know yet, but I plan to learn. I'm current blocked on shipment of parts, so I figured I'd pen a build thread to while I wait.

Stay Tuned

pseudorand · Jan 8, 2020

Plumbing

Key lessons:

Saddle Values Suck
Need to add a tap in the middle of a pipe instead of at the end? You need a slip end fitting.
1/2" push fittings go on easy. 3/4" -- not so much
Like many other industries, plumbing has lots of standards. Learn the connection types before going to Lowe's.
No matter how well you think you've planned, you will make a minimum of three trips to Lowe's for any home/tank improvement project.
Threaded fittings need Plumber's tape. Lots of it.
Don't use plumber's tape with compression fittings. Compression fittings > threaded fittings for that reason.
Flare, sweat and slip values are just for real plumbers.

One reason I chose to start a tank is that my unfinished basement is the perfect place. There's almost no natural light. The concrete floor is impervious to salt water and has a drain. The pipes run right over where I wanted the tank.

All I needed was to tap them. Simple, right?

Mostly simple, thanks to the push fitting. Push fittings are pieces of pipe that you can push on to the cut end of another pipe. They often include things like shut-off valves or tees. They're dirt simple to use. No soldering. No leaks.

The Plan:

Put a real plumber on speed-dial just in case.
Cut the pipe with a copper tube cutter.
Install a Push/Push/Thread T.
Screw a quarter-turn value onto the T.
Screw a Thread/Barb coupling on that.
Put a hose onto the other end of the quarter-turn valve.

This may seem straightforward, but it took me hours of pacing the plumbing aisle to figure out the exact combination of fittings and couplings that were in stock and would work.

Prelude to The Plan (a.k.a. Murphy's Law):
That wasn't actually my original plan. First I just went shopping and asked the plumbing guy at the hardware store. Perhaps he was a plumber put out of work by push fittings or something, but he steered my away from them and towards a saddle value. "Won't 1/4" pipe take a long time to fill a 120g aquarium," I asked? But he assured me it would be fine. (I don't believe him). When I got home, I discovered that there was already an unused saddle value on my cold water pipe, so I just had to puncture my hot water.

It went poorly. The handle to the saddle value broke -- AFTER my pipe was punctured. Back to Lowe's.

The Execution:
So I go to buy the parts for the plan above. The problem was that my cold water pipe is 3/4" but my hot water pipe is only 1/2". The 3/4" Push/Push/Thread T works great, but they don't seem to make one in 1/2". They do have a push/push/push T though. And a 1/2" push to 3/4" threaded adapter.

Now I just needed some pipe to connect the two. It turns out that not all 1/2" copper pipe is the same. The 5' pieces labeled 1/2" were slightly too big for the 1/2" push fitting. Luckily they sold 1' lengths of copper pipe that fit perfectly. I can't remember what they labeled the short lengths of pipe, but make sure you check that your fitting actually fits you pipe before leaving the store.

When I get home, I cut out a small section of my hot water pipe that includes the puncture I made with the saddle valve. I install the slip end push fitting and other 1/2" stuff. I turn my water back on. No leaks the first time. I fill a bucket. Still no leaks. And all before the wife gits home and scolds me (rightfully so) for leaving her with no water. Phew!

O'Toole's Corollary
On to the cold water. The second time's always easier, right?

When I cut my hot water pipe, I actually had to cut it twice because I didn't cut out enough the first time. I was determined not to make that mistake again. Instead, I made the opposite mistake, which is worse. I cut out too much, so my Push/Push/Thread T wasn't big enough to span the gap. Back to Lowe's again.

Luckily I was only off by a bit. I made another cut in the pipe a foot or so down and used a straight-through slip end push coupling to extend the pipe. Between the two slip end push couplings I had enough length to repair the pipe. Problem solved? Almost.

A slip end fitting works by pushing it on as far as it will go, then using the removal tool (picture below) to pull it back off while slipping the other end of the coupling onto the other part of the cut pipe. The 1/2" slip end push fitting slipped right on just like it should. The 3/4" wouldn't slip off for anything. I ended up rigging my bar clamp between the push fitting removal tool and a stud on the ceiling to get enough pressure to make it work. If I didn't have the stud to work with I might have had to call a real plumber.

I screwed on my quarter-turn value, turned on the water and...quickly turned it back off. The push fittings were both fine, but the quarter turn value leaked like a sieve. I added new plumber's tape. I made sure it was the correct direction. I wrapped it a full 6 times around the threads. Same results. I did this a few more times. I used more tape each time. I cranked the valve as tight as I could. I prayed I would't break the pipe with my plumber's wrench. Each time the leak got smaller, but it was still dripping. Finally on the 5th or 6th time it didn't leak. I turned it on. No leak. I left it for half an hour. No leak. Hurray! I hate threaded fittings.

Here's the finished product, complete with hoses. Note the second straight-through push fitting on the cold water pipe (top center/right). That's the one I didn't really need (or wouldn't have if I'd cut the right length out of the cold water pipe the first time).

Stay Tuned for the next episode on electrical.
(Which I actually did first as you can see in the picture.)

SPR1968 · Jan 8, 2020

Great write up and pictures so far, very nice!

AZMSGT · Jan 8, 2020

Um, what are you using metal pipe for? You should not be using metal for anything except to feed the RODI unit. Once any water has gone through the RODI treated water should not be in contact with metal.

Also reading things, it seems you might not be planning on an RODI. The comments about taking for ever to fill a tank through a 1/4” line. RODI systems are all 1/4” lines.

Copper pipes will leach copper back into the water. Copper will kill inverts and corals.

pseudorand · Jan 9, 2020

What copper test kit should I use to test my display tank?

AZMSGT said:
Um, what are you using metal pipe for? You should not be using metal for anything except to feed the RODI unit. Once any water has gone through the RODI treated water should not be in contact with metal.

Also reading things, it seems you might not be planning on an RODI. The comments about taking for ever to fill a tank through a 1/4” line. RODI systems are all 1/4” lines.

Copper pipes will leach copper back into the water. Copper will kill inverts and corals.

I was considering a planted freshwater or African cichlid tank when when I did the plumbing. However I have opted to go sans RODI (gasp!) for now, mostly because I don't have a great place to store another 50+g of water. I'll likely stick to soft corals only, at least for a year or two. (I know, copper leaches from the rocks, etc. etc.) The 30gal I used to have for years had snails, hermits, skunk cleaners, a mushroom and a bubble coral, and I never had problems.

That said, I should probably at least test for copper, especially since I have a new piece of pipe, which is supposedly more likely to leach (which I didn't think of when I had to modify my plan since they don't make the 1/2" push/push/threaded T fitting).

Reef2Reefers seem to agree that Hanna is the way to go for Cu. But the low-range copper is a bit pricey. I suppose the high-range Cu tester is for testing a quarantine tank you've intentionally treated with Cu. Does anyone have suggestions on the range, sensitivity and/or brand of test kit I should pick up for my DT? If the Hanna high-range copper reads zero, am I golden?

Also, various R2R articles mention that there are multiple types of copper (chelated and ionic maybe), but I have yet to find a good explanation of which I need to test for in my DT and how to tell which test kits test for what. Anyone have a good link on that subject?

AZMSGT · Jan 10, 2020

For testing copper I use a Hanna.

Copper High Range Colorimeter HI702 Hanna Checker

Compatible with fresh or saltwater! No longer do you need to read color charts, trust Hanna's HI702 Copper Checker to know the precise amount of copper in your aquarium water. The High Range Colorimeter gives greater precision over previous models and gives you a digital reading on a large LCD...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Have you looked at a water report for the water you are putting in your tank? Such as testing it for dissolved minerals, chlorine, chlorimine or any other things that will harm your tanks inhabitants?

You titled this build as an "Awesome Automated Aquarium". For it to be awesome it needs to get the basics right out the start.

To put it bluntly, your water is the life blood of everything you put in those tanks. You need to know what it has in it to properly treat it for chemicals. Just pouring in what ever comes out of the tap is not a good plan and could cost you far more than any RODI unit. Think long term. Once you have an RODI unit, there is no need to "store" 50G of water. I took a 5G bucket that I would use. I put a mechanical float in it so I didn't have to babysit the bucket filling. I worked at 5G at a time.. You can do water changes with 5G buckets on a 120G system..

I think you really need to slow down and consider all the aspects of this hobby and what your in for. Just pouring tap water into a 120G tank and adding fish isn't going to work for you in the long run. But that's my opinion so take it for what it's worth.. (not much).

Well, I can bore you to death with what I think is best.. But you seem set on a path and I rudely interrupted.. Cheers

Idoc · Jan 10, 2020

Good job with the build thread. This kind of detail is what really helps others who are working on similar issues. Keep it up, it's going to be an "awesome" build!

I do hope you addres the copper issue, though. This may be the cause of some big problems in the future for you.

Let's see the electrical work!