NXE's Red Sea Reefer Peninsula 500

[Simonv92]

Thank you very much! and

Thanks Simonv92! I'm sorry for not responding sooner – we've recently welcomed our first child, so life has been rather busy lately.

Your post has prompted me to upload the code for the touchscreen software to GitHub: https://github.com/natbird/kivy-reef It is still a work in progress, but I hope to add more features over time.

Thank you very much! And welcome to the new child
I'll try it soon! I'm not so expert in linux, if I understand it right I can use it on a different machine? I'm planning to use a Rpi zero to run Reef-Pi with low power consuption an run a Rpi 3 with lcd only during the day.. Do you think it's possible? thank you!

One last question, how did you add the flow sensor to reef-pi? which sensor have you used?

 

[NXE]

Thank you very much! and

Thank you very much! And welcome to the new child
I'll try it soon! I'm not so expert in linux, if I understand it right I can use it on a different machine? I'm planning to use a Rpi zero to run Reef-Pi with low power consuption an run a Rpi 3 with lcd only during the day.. Do you think it's possible? thank you!

One last question, how did you add the flow sensor to reef-pi? which sensor have you used?

You are welcome! It is certainly possible to run Kivy Reef on another Raspberry Pi. It can connect to any reef-pi instance accessible over the network.

The flow sensors work using an add-on for reef-pi released by @robsworld78 – he has instructions for installing it here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/flow-meter-addon-for-reef-pi.812932/ I am using 'Digiten' branded hall effect flow sensors (https://digiten.shop/collections/counter) because they were available on Amazon, but they should be fairly standardised.

 

[Simonv92]

Thank you very much for your answer! I'm trying to use Kiwi-reef, I think I've installed Kivy 2.0.0 in the right way. Now I've cloned your github repository with "git clone https://github.com/natbird/kivy-reef" and then run "python3 main.py" inside that folder.
When I try to run it nothing happens, I think I'm doing something wrong.. Sorry but I've never used Kivy before...

 

[NXE]

The Aquascape
Settling on the aquascape for the tank was probably the hardest part of the build. I decided at the outset that I wanted to avoid the 'wall of rocks' type scape and go for an island-type style (particularly as the tank is a peninsula and may be re-orientated one day), but it still took several weekends of trying different combinations and orientations to get the right look.

I purchased 55kg (120lbs) of Marco Rock in total, 20kg of the Fountain type with the flat base and 35kg of boulders. I ended up using most of the rock, but had some large boulders left over. Here is some but not all of the rock out of the tank:

I did my scaping in the tank, which made the job harder, but I was not confident that I would get the scape right without being able to see it develop in the tank.

To begin with, I had the idea of piling rock against the overflow as I thought that it might obscure it, but the result was too overbearing:

I did retain some features of this design however, including most of the right-hand island and the arch connecting the two 'islands'. The inclusion of the arch was pure happenstance – one of the pieces of fountain rock had a narrow semi-arched shape and I decided to extend it into a full arch. This was the next iteration of the scape, which was close to its final form:

I had originally intended to have a sand bed and purchased some Caribsea special grade sand, but instantly regretted it when I added the sand:

I felt that the sand covered up too much of the lower scape and took away a lot of its dramatic variation. So I ended up removing all the sand, which was a very tedious process!

This is the final scape with the sand removed and the arch raised higher and extended:

I am pretty happy with the result. The scape has plenty of variation in height and mass and there are numerous caves and nooks for the fish to sleep and hide in, while also leaving sufficient swimming room. In hindsight the left-hand island may be too tall and close to the lights at the top, but I could if necessary remove the top-most rock in future. The structure is held together by a mixture of putty and thick superglue.

 

[NXE]

Thank you very much for your answer! I'm trying to use Kiwi-reef, I think I've installed Kivy 2.0.0 in the right way. Now I've cloned your github repository with "git clone https://github.com/natbird/kivy-reef" and then run "python3 main.py" inside that folder.
When I try to run it nothing happens, I think I'm doing something wrong.. Sorry but I've never used Kivy before...

Hi Simon, on the first run a .ini file is created in the folder which contains settings such as the reef-pi IP address and username/password. You will need to edit this to point to your reef-pi server and then re-run the program. Have you also installed the other dependencies listed in the instruction on Github?

I have created a dedicated thread for discussion of Kivy Reef, so please feel free to post any issues there so that others can see the answers as well: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/k...i-announcements-and-discussion-thread.865824/

 

[NXE]

Saltwater Mixing Station and RODI
With the aquascape done, my next task was to install a RODI unit and create a saltwater mixing station. I live in an apartment in central London, so space is limited. Thankfully the closest containing our washing machine and hot water tank had some free space to work with. The space is narrow but relatively deep and has a cold water source and drainage for the washing machine, as well as not being too far from my tank, so was a perfect location.

Apologies for the blurry photo:

This Amazon Basics shevling unit fits the space perfectly and is rated to support enough weight for my purposes:

Finding a mixing container that fit into the space was more challenging, but I eventually found a 95L food grade tank which fitsthe space well (https://www.tanks-direct.co.uk/95-litre-water-tank-tower/p6474):

There is no space for a separate RODI storage tank, so the mixing tank is filled directly from the RODI unit. This also simplified plumbing the mixing tank. I am using a Jecod DCP-6500 which is rated for external use to circulate the water for mixing and to pump the mixed saltwater to my tank (https://www.theaquariumsolution.com/product/3068/265).

To circulate water within the tank for mixing, I drilled and installed a 25mm bulkhead at the top of the tank. The bottom of the tank was pre-drilled with a 3/4" bsp threaded connector:

Plumbing for the tank:

Plumbing installed on the mixing tank:

As you can see, the pump is gravity fed from the tank via the bottom outlet on the left. The pump sends water up to the T-valve, from which it can be directed either back into the tank for mixing via the top bulkhead or out to my display tank for water changes. The T-valve makes things simpler and more compact compared to having two ball valves. The external outlet of the T-valve is a 3/4" bsp threaded connector, to which I can attached my Python Water Changer and pump the newly mixed saltwater straight to my display tank. Not having to lug buckets of saltwater around makes maintenance much easier.

To fill the tank, I added a shut off float valve with a 1/4" push fit connector:

My RODI unit is installed above the mixing tank:

The output of the unit is split and can be directed either to fill up the mixing tank or (via a long coil of RODI tubing) to top up my ATO reservoir in the cabinet of my display tank.

The RODI unit itself is a 4-stage Aqua Medic Platinum Line Plus (https://aquamedicdirect.co.uk/produ...smosis/platinum-line-plus-24v-latest-version/). It was rather pricey, but has a built-in booster pump, high and low pressure cutoffs, auto-flush valve and digital controller with a built-in TDS meter. The unit has performed flawless and consistently produces 0 TDS output:

 

[NXE]

Sump Manifold
Fitting a manifold with dual reactors and a UV sterilizer into the sump area of the Peninsula 500 was a tight squeeze!

The manifold consists of the following:

• Jecod DCP-2500 pump – there is no space to run a manifold off the return pump on the Peninsula 500, so I am using a small DC pump to drive it. This also means that I can pump water out of the sump for maintenance/water changes.
• Two generic cannister media reactors.
• D-D 10 watt UV sterilizer – this is probably undersized for my tank volume, but was all I could fit inside the sump cabinet.
• Flow meter on the UV sterilizer output.
• 3/4" bsp threaded outlet – I use this for doing water changes via the sump using my Python Waterchanger hose. It is much more convenient than syphoning water from the DT.

I wanted to avoid drilling into the plywood cabinet as much as possible, so the manifold is affixed to a piece of laminated MDF which rests against the cabinet frame and is supported by the sump when it is installed:

This also made plumbing the manifold much easier since I could prepare everything outside of the cabinet and slide it in when ready. The main pipework is 25mm which is reduced to 16mm for the reactors:

The UV is mounted at the top of the cabinet. It has a gate valve on the inlet for fine adjustment of the flow through the sterilizer and a flowmeter on the outlet for monitoring:

The media reactors are hard plumbed for maximum reliability (the blue brackets were subsequently spray painted red in keeping with my colour scheme):

The main segment of plumbing in all its glory:

At present, I am only utilising one of the reactors, for Aquaforest Phosphate Minus (GFO), and plan to convert the other into a CO2 scrubber since I do not regularly run carbon.

 

[coralclown12]

What kind of a lid did you get for your aquarium? I couldn’t find this on the thread. Thanks!

 

[NXE]

What kind of a lid did you get for your aquarium? I couldn’t find this on the thread. Thanks!

I got a custom cut acrylic lid from a company here in the UK called ReefTops. I turned out very well:

 

[Matt Carden]

I made a lid out of window screen frame. I AM NOT HAPPY! Looks like a good lid. I'm going to look into that

 

[NXE]

DIY Light Bar - Part 1
Apologies for the lack of updates on this build thread. I will try to pick up the pace!

After installing my lights with the stock Red Sea ReefLED mounts, I quickly realised that it would be impossible to hide the cables cleanly on a peninsula tank and I did not like how visible the mounts were through the glass:

Red Sea does offer a hanging mount, but our ceilings are very high and I did not want the hassle of drilling holes in the ceiling. After some research, I came across Deven from ReefDudes' floating light bar using 8020 extruded aluminium:


I decided to make my own version with a slightly different design and ordered the parts online using a cut-to-size service.

Once everything arrived, the first step was to mark and drill holes on the side of the stand to bolt the upright bar to the stand:

In order to ensure that the metal bar does not have direct contact with the tank glass, I designed and 3D printed spacers that slot into the channel in the extrusion (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6480673):

I also stuck some foam to the spacers that touch the glass.

Here is the upright bar with the spacers and fixings attached:

I also designed and printed some cable clips to keep everything tidy:

The horizontal bar is attached using angle brackets. For additional security, I decided to use two brackets:

Perflectly level!

That's all for now. In part 2, I will show how I attached the lights to bar with some custom 3D printed mounts.

 

[NXE]

DIY Light Bar - Part 2

Red Sea does not make a rail mount kit for the ReefLEDs, so I designed one myself and printed it using my Ender3 Pro.

The starting point was identifying a way of securely attaching to the lights. After removing the top cover, I realised that the heatsink is held on by bolts which thread into the base of the unit. These provide a perfect way of hanging the lights from the rail:

To use these holes, I snipped off the plastic cover with some pliers:

A bit messy, but the rough edges will be completely covered by the mounting brackets.

I then designed and 3D printed some hanging brackets (download here - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5272079):

The brackets are bolted to the lights and the top bolt will then attach to a t-nut on the light bar:

There is plenty of gap between the fan inlet and the bracket for airflow:

Installed on the rail:

And after cable management:

I am very happy with how sleek and unobtrusive the final result is.

 

[Rhapsody in Blue Reef]

How's you tank doing? I have a peninsula 500 coming in the mail and your sump has been an inspiration!

 

[NXE]

How's you tank doing? I have a peninsula 500 coming in the mail and your sump has been an inspiration!

Thanks @Chojubai ! The tank is doing well and the corals are starting to grow in nicely. I am away at the moment, but will take some updated shots when I get back and finally get round to finishing off the build thread... Have followed your build thread and look forward to seeing your tank!

 

[NXE]

Update
Well it's been a long time since I last updated this build log. Work, life with a toddler and moving house have meant that I have had less time for the tank over the last year, but I am determined to finish this build thread as this tank is now in its last few months... I have something much bigger on order for the new house! While starting to plan that build, I have been reflecting on what has worked and what needs to be improved from this build. Overall the tank has worked well for a beginner, but a big focus of my next build will be ease of maintenance and long-term reliability. More of that in due course, but for now I want to pick up the build where I had left off.

 

[Nano_Man]

Great looking set up nice and tidy .big thumbs up

 

[NXE]

Electrical and Equipment Cabinet – Part 1
Packing all of the equipment and electronics into the Reefer stand in an organised fashion was not easy.

The starting point was to attach a sheet of white MDF to the back of the stand for mounting all of the power supplies (since with the peninsula the back of the cabinet is the door on the other side, which I did not want to drill into). I affixed two server rack PDUs to provide sufficient sockets for everything:

Between the PDUs I installed two brackets to hold up my doser (a Jebao DP4-S, which I will cover in a later post):

To hold all of the power bricks in an organised way I designed these 3d printable holders (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5914469):

Some of the power bricks installed and labelled up:

 

[NXE]

Electrical and Equipment Cabinet – Part 2
To hide the mess of wiring and equipment and for easy access to the pump controllers I added an internal door:

Cutting holes for cables:

Then I wrapped the door with red vinyl (the same that I used to wrap the sump):

First controllers mounted and some 3d printed cable grommets installed:

The controller for the Jebao pump was a little loose, so I designed and printed a small bracket (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5914524):

Later I also designed and printed some shelves to hold foods and additives (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5914548):

Finally, to hold my Inkbird temperature controllers on the back of the door, I remixed a couple of existing designs to create these holders (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5914571):

By this point, things were getting very messy so I started adding some cable management using some 3d printed cable guides (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4164162, these are intented for ethernet cables but I printed them slightly larger to hold power cables):

 

[NXE]

Electrical and Equipment Cabinet – Part 3
The next task was probably the most difficult part of the build. Initially, I did not plan to use an aquarium controller, but I soon realised how useful it would be to be able to be able to control equipment with timers and macros and to be able to monitor pH and temperature. I have been into open source software and DIY electronics for a long time, so naturally gravitated towards reef-pi rather than a commercial offering. I picked up an original v1 Robo-Tank from @robsworld78 which takes much of the DIY work out of reef-pi, but still needed a way to control power outlets (@robsworld78 now sells a power bar, but I don't think he offered one with UK plugs at the time). So I decided to make a relay box.

Import Disclaimer: I am not an electrician or electrical engineer and nothing I say should be taken as advice, instructions or guidance. Working with AC is dangerous and potentially fatal and should only be attempted by those with suitable qualifications and experience. I do not assume any responsibility for the information in this post.

I picked up a four channel 'Sainsmart' relay which has Songle relays rated for switching AC mains voltage. I didn't know whether this board would be reliable and didn't have high hopes as they are quite cheap, but it has lasted for over two years at this point.

The relay is powered by 5V DC and controlled by the Raspberry Pi's GPIO pins. Here it is wired to the Robo-Tank via the Power Bar port for testing:

To safely hold the relays I bought a project box with an integrated DIN rail to mount everything:

Here you can see the basic workings. I added an AC breaker so that the box can be safely disconnected if I need to work on it:

With all of the channels wired up it became quite messy:

For testing purposes I had powered the relay from the Robo-Tank controller, but to ensure isolation between the AC relays and the Robo-Tank I added a small AC-DC 5V convertor:

Here it is mounted in the cabinet with the Robo-Tank:

Finally, I cut a hole in the lid of the box to allow the switch to be operated and wrapped and labelled the lid:

The outlets of the relay box are C14 connectors, which are found on most AC electronics. I have my skimmer, skimmer neck cleaner and UV sterilizer connected to the relays. As I mentioned above, this has worked flawlessly for the last couple of years.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Electrical and Equipment Cabinet – Part 2
To hide the mess of wiring and equipment and for easy access to the pump controllers I added an internal door:

Cutting holes for cables:

Then I wrapped the door with red vinyl (the same that I used to wrap the sump):

First controllers mounted and some 3d printed cable grommets installed:

The controller for the Jebao pump was a little loose, so I designed and printed a small bracket (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5914524):

Later I also designed and printed some shelves to hold foods and additives (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5914548):

Finally, to hold my Inkbird temperature controllers on the back of the door, I remixed a couple of existing designs to create these holders (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5914571):

By this point, things were getting very messy so I started adding some cable management using some 3d printed cable guides (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4164162, these are intented for ethernet cables but I printed them slightly larger to hold power cables):

That red vinyl looks really nice with the cabinet