My 600-Lb. Aquarium ( John K's Journey though sanity loss ) by Dr. NowWhatWasIThinking

[Orion9]

How does the smart panel work? Did you install or get an electrician

Do you pick what circuits it connects to? Or does it get its own dedicated ones run

The panel should be installed by an electrician, but it can be a DIY project if you have experience. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and had previous electrical training.

The EcoFlow smart transfer switch is a 100A panel with 12 circuit breaker slots. I chose circuits based on need during previous outages and used tandem breakers to increase the 120v circuit count to 16, and 2 - 240v breakers.

I moved existing 120v circuits to the transfer switch by installing conduit between all three panels to pull wires between them. The 240v circuits were moved out of the original panel and run through the top of the transfer switch.

When there is a grid power outage, the system switches to battery in 20ms. I also cycle the batteries daily so I'm usually running on battery most of the afternoon and would not notice an outage on these circuits. Solar panels also recharge the batteries and help power circuits during the day.

 

[Fish Fan]

The panel should be installed by an electrician, but it can be a DIY project if you have experience. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and had previous electrical training.

The EcoFlow smart transfer switch is a 100A panel with 12 circuit breaker slots. I chose circuits based on need during previous outages and used tandem breakers to increase the 120v circuit count to 16, and 2 - 240v breakers.

That is almost as sweet as STL BBQ sauce

I'm assuming this system switches on automagically with a power loss. Does this run your whole tank like it doesn't skip a beat, or just "emergency" equipment? Can your solar drive all this more or less indefinitely?

 

[Orion9]

OK, yeah, your tank looks great, plumbing, sump, Tang, cool....... ^^But that is some darn good looking STL 'Q! Let's talk about that lol!!

Highly addictive but delicious stuff!

 

[Orion9]

That is almost as sweet as STL BBQ sauce

I'm assuming this system switches on automagically with a power loss. Does this run your whole tank like it doesn't skip a beat, or just "emergency" equipment? Can your solar drive all this more or less indefinitely?

Currently all devices in the tank are powered during an outage. My next project is to setup the Apex controller to detect grid outages, disable unnecessary devices, and ramp down pumps.

I'm using 12 x 400w solar panels and 24kW of battery storage, if they were only supplying the aquarium, I believe it could run indefinitely.

The smart transfer switch allowed me to set circuit priorities based on available battery storage, so I have it set to turn off less critical appliances based on % of battery charge remaining. The aquarium is top priority and does not see any power fluctuation during the transfer between grid and battery power.

Below are screenshots showing the transfer switch, batteries with inverters, and circuit status in the EcoFlow app, while running on battery power.

I purchased a gas generator during an extended outage in 2006 to keep my previous tank inhabitants alive, its been my backup ever since. Running extension cords and starting a gas generator in the middle of the night became stressful, I'm hopeful the new system will eliminate that process and reduce stress for the fish and myself!

 

[Fish Fan]

Currently all devices in the tank are powered during an outage. My next project is to setup the Apex controller to detect grid outages, disable unnecessary devices, and ramp down pumps.

I'm using 12 x 400w solar panels and 24kW of battery storage, if they were only supplying the aquarium, I believe it could run indefinitely.

The smart transfer switch allowed me to set circuit priorities based on available battery storage, so I have it set to turn off less critical appliances based on % of battery charge remaining. The aquarium is top priority and does not see any power fluctuation during the transfer between grid and battery power.

Below are screenshots showing the transfer switch, batteries with inverters, and circuit status in the EcoFlow app, while running on battery power.

I purchased a gas generator during an extended outage in 2006 to keep my previous tank inhabitants alive, its been my backup ever since. Running extension cords and starting a gas generator in the middle of the night became stressful, I'm hopeful the new system will eliminate that process and reduce stress for the fish and myself!

That's a really great setup, nice work!

 

[Orion9]

That's a really great setup, nice work!

Thanks for the complement!

 

[Orion9]

Thanks to the used marketplace here on reef2reef my Apex device collection has grown. Most of the hardware was installed in the basement below the aquarium to reduce clutter inside the stand.

Current Apex HMI:

Unfortunately, I have not found a way to automate pest or parasite removal yet. I tried to avoid nuisance algae and pests, but I've spent the last 6 months battling dinoflagellates, bubble algae, and aiptasia.

 

[marcus aurelius]

Nice, looks great.