Gilroy 425g Build Thread (All Apex, all the time)

Damion · Jan 27, 2016

Yeah, but most of these regulators don't "lockup" and creep up in pressure over time, but by then you'll be home from work to catch it....so nevermind...

I must have missed the part of where you're putting the DOS inline...
Are you putting it downstream on the effluent line, between the output of the CaRx and the Sump? Then using the DOS to divvy out the doses, instead of letting the circulation pump just pump out through the effluent line freely?

Sorry if I'm way off, but your comment about the fail/on solenoid and the DOS pinch rollers, has lead me to this....

Thanks for sharing T! Good stuff.

Terence · Jan 27, 2016

The DOS would be feeding the reactor. A solenoid on the effluent side that is NC is a good safety stop should there be runaway CO2 with a faulty solenoid valve on the regulator.

skydancer · Jan 28, 2016

Terence said:
The DOS would be feeding the reactor. A solenoid on the effluent side that is NC is a good safety stop should there be runaway CO2 with a faulty solenoid valve on the regulator.

I own the same reactor and have been using it for 10 years+. The Deltec Ca reactor is not pressurized. If you put a solenoid valve on the effluent side , you will pressurize the reactor and will start leaking.
It has happened to me.
There are many ways to tell if something is wrong without pressurizing the reactor...
Say your reactor's ph range is 6.2 to 6.3.
If the Ca RX PH is below 6.1 the CO2 solenoid is stuck ON. Replace the bad CO2 solenoid. It would be more appropriate to add a second solenoid on the CO2 line if you'd rather have more safety.
If the Ca RX PH is above 6.4 the CO2 bottle is empty.
The CA RX will not affect your tank PH that quickly so monitoring the DT ph to "fix" a Ca RX problem is ineffective.

Damion · Jan 28, 2016

Terence said:
The DOS would be feeding the reactor. A solenoid on the effluent side that is NC is a good safety stop should there be runaway CO2 with a faulty solenoid valve on the regulator.

A solenoid on SW? That seems doomed to fail! If you put the DOS downstream on the effluent line, then you wouldn't need a solenoid, if you were pulling out of, instead of pushing in through. Or maybe even have one side push in, while the other side is pulling out simultaneously. Anyway, cool project. I like something new, that gets the think tank going.

cb684 · Jan 28, 2016

Damion said:
A solenoid on SW? That seems doomed to fail! If you put the DOS downstream on the effluent line, then you wouldn't need a solenoid, if you were pulling out of, instead of pushing in through. Or maybe even have one side push in, while the other side is pulling out simultaneously. Anyway, cool project. I like something new, that gets the think tank going.

I tried to find a solenoid for saltwater for a while but all would have parts that were not 316 stainless steel and were not going to last (and probably leach metals) in contact with the saltwater. I was told by somebody in the technical support from ASCO that would be probably a good idea to use an automatic ball valve. Those are typically 3 to 10 times more expensive than the solenoid valves and I decided to go other route.
I still use stainless steel solenoid valves for all RODI and freshwater applications including ATO. I use a marine grade 4-5 gpm diaphragm pump to get NSW from my garage to my sump that is about 90 feet away. I have a small container with a float valve to keep about 1 gallon of water near my sump for my AWC, and a manual 1/2" ball valve that allows me to deliver larger volumes of water if needed. For AWC and feeding Ca reactor I use peristaltic pumps.

skydancer · Jan 28, 2016

cb684 said:
I tried to find a solenoid for saltwater for a while but all would have parts that were not 316 stainless steel and were not going to last (and probably leach metals) in contact with the saltwater. I was told by somebody in the technical support from ASCO that would be probably a good idea to use an automatic ball valve. Those are typically 3 to 10 times more expensive than the solenoid valves and I decided to go other route.
I still use stainless steel solenoid valves for all RODI and freshwater applications including ATO. I use a marine grade 4-5 gpm diaphragm pump to get NSW from my garage to my sump that is about 90 feet away. I have a small container with a float valve to keep about 1 gallon of water near my sump for my AWC, and a manual 1/2" ball valve that allows me to deliver larger volumes of water if needed. For AWC and feeding Ca reactor I use peristaltic pumps.

Look for solenoid pinch valves. Saltwater stays in the tube. No contact with metals.

reefwiser · Jan 28, 2016

http://www.coleparmer.com/Category/Cole_Parmer_Solenoid_Pinch_Valves_for_Masterflex_Tubing/43372

cb684 · Jan 28, 2016

reefwiser said:
http://www.coleparmer.com/Category/Cole_Parmer_Solenoid_Pinch_Valves_for_Masterflex_Tubing/43372

Those are really cool and I did not knew they existed... One needs to think about what type of tubing and how long it will last with those valves. I will for sure keep those in mind for future projects. Thank you for sharing.

skydancer · Jan 28, 2016

The Bio Chem are good pinch valves and reasonably priced. I've used them for years...
I connect them to an old 12v wall adaptor and control them with the APEX.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bio-Chem-Va...b2c2075&pid=100005&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=331607143971

JBNY · Jan 28, 2016

Also most (if not all) solenoid valves, even when NO, need a little pressure (like 10psi) to let water through. So most are not suitable for our low pressure situations.

Terence · Jan 28, 2016

Thanks for all the tips guys. I will report back here on how it all goes once I get it installed and some data on a few days operation.

Terence · Jan 29, 2016

A little update today. Just wanted to let you all know that I am still waiting on lighting, but that has not stopped me from having fun with this aquarium. With a couple of LED strips over the top I have been able to have decent light over the tank and put a little livestock in there.

Very early on you know I put in five Chromis. I am happy to report that four are still alive and school around happily in the tank. I love tangs and having a bigger tank meant I could more easily have some of the fish I always wanted to have. A few weeks back I picked up the beginning of that quest. I ordered in my favorite tang, the fowleri, unfortunately he was DOA

However, I also got a purple tang and three small (2") convict tangs. some of these fish I love to see swimming in groups. A week later one of them disappeared and has never been seen again. That was two weeks ago. I also put in another one of my favorites, a Desjardinii Sailfin Tang. I also picked up some cleaner shrimp, variety of clean up crew, melanarus wrasse, and a pair blue neon cleaner gobies (another underappreciated fish IMO). I am happy to say that other than the two mentioned above, they are all doing well. The parameters in the tank have been super stable for weeks.

Today I have some new additions coming. I hope to share some more (and better) pics with all of you soon.