Canopy and Stand Build for 42 Gallon Hex Tank

[Jim Harrison]

Wow, incredible build and incredible source of knowledge! I know who I'm going to when I have issues with RKL or Archon.

 

[n2585722]

Wow, incredible build and incredible source of knowledge! I know who I'm going to when I have issues with RKL or Archon.

Thank you.

 

[n2585722]

Night time in the tank. I used a flashlight to get the video.

 

[n2585722]

Well the tank setup has passed the 2 year mark. I filled it where it sits on 9/22/15. Below is a photo of the tank being filled.

This was going to be just a test run with salt water. I added some rock I had left form a tank I had in the 90's, so it was not just a empty tank.

Then it started cycling and the test became the final fill. It was the first of December before anything was added.

In these photos the inserts were not installed between the panels of the stand. I did shut down the sump for a few days in November that year to make some changes to the sump plumbing. That is when I made the mount for the float switches and probes. I also made and attached the drain plumbing to the sump. I also made the cooling fan mount for the sump.

 

[n2585722]

I finally got around to making a stand for my DP1's. It will hold 6 DP1's. I want to get them mounted vertically in case of a tubing leak. At least the water won't be as likely to get into the electronics. Below is the backboard and the tray partially assembled.

I used a template to create the sides. The photo below shows the template taped to a board used to create one of the sides.

The photo below shows the backboard and tray assembled. One side and a board ready for the other side. I had to use two board to make the side boards. I did not find a wide enough board at Lowes at 3/8". Once the two boards were glued together it was run through the planer to trim sown the thickness.

Below is three photos of the assembled stand ready for paint.

I have 5 of the DP1's. I am currently using three of these. I also updated the firmware on the DP1's and calibrated the flow to 30ml per minute after the firmware update. After updating the firmware it zero's out the voltage setting. I hooked it up to the RKE to test and calibrate. The powered photos below were when it was powered with one PC4 and the old RKE head unit.

Now I just have to hook them all back up to the Archon. I am waiting on a couple of leak detectors that I plan on placing in the tray on each side of the stand. I should get them Friday. Not sure when I will get around to mounting them though. I will be busy at work the next two weeks. I have another pump running as the ATO for while these are off line.

 

[n2585722]

I had the return pump fail last week. I accidentally turned off the ATO and the return turned off for low sump level. After 15 minutes it was suppose to turn back on. It did but the pump was not working. After I removed the pump I found the impeller was damaged. See photos below. The tank is running on a backup pump for now. I am trying to decide on getting a new impeller or a new pump. The impeller is $57. That is not much less than $90 for the pump.

 

[n2585722]

I have been ask about setting up the Archon for access from the internet. This requires a DDNS ( dynamic domain name system ) service and port forwarding setup on the router. Nothing needs to be done on the Archon itself for this. I have an Asus router and with it was a free DDNS service with Asus. The first thing to do is setup a static IP ( Internet Protocol ) address for the Archon. I did this on my router by reserving the current IP address assigned to the Archon. On my router this can be done under LAN ( Local Area Network ) and the DHCP ( Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ) Server tab. At the bottom of the page is Manually Assigned IP around the DHCP list. I added the Archon to this list. You may need the MAC ( media access control ) address for the Archon to do this with your router. In my case 192.168.1.118 is the local IP address for the Archon. Once setup any time the Archon request an IP address from the router it is given this address. It is reserved for the Archon only. The router uses the MAC address of the Archon to identify the Archon. The reason for doing this is so the router will know where to route any incomming transmission for the Archon.

Next is the setup for port forwarding. Port forwarding is how the router knows when the incoming transmission is for the Archon. For this to work you need to pick a incoming port for the Archon. I chose 7092. On my router to setup port forwarding you choose WAN ( Wide Area Network ) and the Virtual Server / Port Forwarding tab. At the bottom of the page is the Port Forwarding List. I setup the Archon in the list to receive any incoming transmission on port 7092. The 7092 port is converted to port 80 before it is forwarded to the Archon. Doing this keeps the Archon on port 80 on the local NET. I also have another device with a static IP and port forwarding. This is an old android phone I am using as a webcam. Port 80 is assumed if no port is given in the IP address of the device.

Next is the ddns service. You will have to setup an account at one of the services that is supported by your router. What is does is every time your internet provider changes you Internet IP address your router will send the new address to the ddns service. The ddns service reroutes your call back to your router. The screenshot below has the ddns setup for my router. Select WAN and the DDNS tab. Under host name you would put the name you chose when setting up your account. The server is a drop down menu with the ddns services supported by your router.

Once this was all setup all I have to do is type in my hostname with the ddns service webname.

Example: MyHostName.Asuscomm.com:7092

The number after the ":" is the port number you used when setting up the port forwarding. In my case it was 7092. The way I have it setup the only time I need to use the port is when accessing the Archon over the internet. Hopefully this is helpful. Unfortunately every model of router has settings that are a little different.

 

[n2585722]

I have been battling dyno's of some type. I tried the lights out and peroxide without any change. So I decided to get a UV system and try it. It has been running for a little over a week and there is almost no sign of the dyno's now. I have now went from running 24 hours to 16 hours a day on the UV system. It was only a 9 watt system, but it seems to be keeping them in check for now. The zoanthids are opening again.

I also got a Duncan about a week ago it is on the right in the photo above. Short video below.

 

[Evan Kamien]

AWESOME write-up. Lots of knowledge here. Thanks for sharing!

 

[n2585722]

AWESOME write-up. Lots of knowledge here. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Evan. Welcome to reef2reef.

 

[Ento-Reefer]

After reading through all of the great information you have posted here on setting up the Archon I am sure I made the right choice. I am also sure that setting it up will require a ton of trial and error on my part. I know I will be referring back to this thread a lot. Thanks.

 

[n2585722]

After reading through all of the great information you have posted here on setting up the Archon I am sure I made the right choice. I am also sure that setting it up will require a ton of trial and error on my part. I know I will be referring back to this thread a lot. Thanks.

Thank you. If you have question on anything let me know. I will do my best to answer any questions you have.

 

[n2585722]

It has been awhile since I posted. Not much going on as far as the tank. I have not got any more items for the tank since the last post. So far everything is looking good. The zoanthids seem to be coming back to life. I still have dyno's, but they seem to be kept in check. Below is some photos taken the last couple of days.

 

[Fábio Cruz]

Very nice Set up Danny! Apparently you have great skills with DIY projects. I noticed that your Reef has a very considerable growth of pink algae.
Could you share your parameters with us? How's Alk, Ca, Mg? Do you test Sr?

 

[n2585722]

Very nice Set up Danny! Apparently you have great skills with DIY projects. I noticed that your Reef has a very considerable growth of pink algae.
Could you share your parameters with us? How's Alk, Ca, Mg? Do you test Sr?

Thank you, I got a rock with purple and pink algae on it from a LFS along with some of their sand from one of their tanks to seed mine after it was finished cycling. I use Nyos test kits to test Alk, Ca and Mg.

My alkalinity is usually between 7 and 8 occasionally it will drop to 6. I usually add 1 tsp of baking soda via a cup of DI water once a week. If it drops to 6 I will add another tsp later in the week. This seems to be the one that drops the quickest of the three.

My calcium is usually in the low 400's when it gets close to 400 I will add some type of calcium supplement. Occasionally this is Purple Up. I got a bottle as a sample at MACNA one year. I still have that same bottle. I also have a bottle of Coral Up but only occasionally will use it. Most of the time it is Reef Advantage Calcium by Seachem.

My Magnesium is usually in the high 1400's. I don't usually have to add anything for this since it is a part of the other additives used for calcium.

Not sure what you are asking about with Sr.

Most recent Numbers are

Alk 7
Ca 410
Mg 1470

I have a Calcium reactor, but have not started using it yet. I still need to get a CO2 bottle and a regulator for it. I have not been in a hurry since I don't have a lot of Coral yet and none of it is SPS. I do have a auto water change system via the Archon that will go through 5 gallons in about 1 1/2 weeks. This is split up to 3 times a day.

 

[Fábio Cruz]

Very cool, so you introduced two different species of pink algae? They looks great!
Sorry, I mean strontium (Sr), it usually helps in the growth of these algae.
Why not use your Archon dosing pumps to dose Alk and Ca to maintain their parameters? for systems with lower consumption seems to be easier to hit...
Good Reefing!

Thank you, I got a rock with purple and pink algae on it from a LFS along with some of their sand from one of their tanks to seed mine after it was finished cycling. I use Nyos test kits to test Alk, Ca and Mg.

My alkalinity is usually between 7 and 8 occasionally it will drop to 6. I usually add 1 tsp of baking soda via a cup of DI water once a week. If it drops to 6 I will add another tsp later in the week. This seems to be the one that drops the quickest of the three.

My calcium is usually in the low 400's when it gets close to 400 I will add some type of calcium supplement. Occasionally this is Purple Up. I got a bottle as a sample at MACNA one year. I still have that same bottle. I also have a bottle of Coral Up but only occasionally will use it. Most of the time it is Reef Advantage Calcium by Seachem.

My Magnesium is usually in the high 1400's. I don't usually have to add anything for this since it is a part of the other additives used for calcium.

Not sure what you are asking about with Sr.

Most recent Numbers are

Alk 7
Ca 410
Mg 1470

I have a Calcium reactor, but have not started using it yet. I still need to get a CO2 bottle and a regulator for it. I have not been in a hurry since I don't have a lot of Coral yet and none of it is SPS. I do have a auto water change system via the Archon that will go through 5 gallons in about 1 1/2 weeks. This is split up to 3 times a day.

 

[n2585722]

Reef Advantage Calcium has strontium in it supposedly. I have not tested for it though. The tank has been running about 2 1/2 years so the algae has grown slowly to what it is now over that time frame. Using the Archon for dosing has entered my mind. I have 3 DP1's that are not being used, but they are in the garage which is 35ft away from the tank. I guess I could time the dosing with the water changes and send the dosing in the same tubing with the water change. Thanks for the suggestion. I will have to give it more thought on how to accomplish it.

 

[Fábio Cruz]

If you make that daily water change and dose at intervals seems like a good plan.
The Archon DP1 ran on RKE2? and RKE DP1 ran on Archon?

 

[n2585722]

It is the same DP1 module. I have two with the Archon colors. The other 3 have RKE/RKL colors. The only difference I can see is the label on the top of the module. The Archon will work with most of the RKE/RKL modules. The NET, RD1 and RKE/RKL head units are not compatible but are not needed with the Archon.

 

[Fábio Cruz]

Good to know, Im looking for to upgrade my RKE with DP1 pumps.

Thanks man!