Red Sea REEFER 250 ALL Pre-Conditioned and most CAPTIVE-BRED Fish, SPS, Zoanthids. Slow Poke Reef. WE HAVE WATER!! start page 61.

[powers2001]

I’m going to wrap this wire loom around the probes cables and mount them in the overflow box. The loom keeps the probe cables from kinking as they double over the tank edge.

 

[powers2001]

Now I’m thinking of not setting up my UV. To set it up properly I can’t recirculate it from the sump back into the sump, it has to come from the sump and go into the tank over the edge. I would have to take part of it apart to get my screen top off. I’m better off with a quarantine/hospital tank for ick management.

I’ve been researching different dosing regimen for algae control to replace the UV like Red Sea’s Nopox. I’m also researching Red Sea’s Reef Energy AB+ for coral nutrition. For the AB+ I would have to keep it refrigerated and dose out of the fridge. A mini one dedicated for it. I was thinking of dosing phytoplankton but experts aren’t sure if corals ea

Top pic plumbing the chiller. I’ll have to go over the top of the CO2 scrubber so the shelf. The other pump in the return section only purpose is to pump for the chiller so I could probably turn it off in the winter months when it’s cooler. Bottom pic templates for media reactor and Apex DOS to do water changes.

 

[powers2001]

Well it's been purchased, an Alpicool mini portable fridge to dose Red Sea Reef Energy AB+ out of. I bought it through Wayfair as opposed to Amazon and saved $50. I'll probably also try Red Sea NOPOX which is a bacterial additive hence the use of the UV sterilizer would be counterproductive as it would kill a lot of the bacteria in the water column. I might mount the UV but not plumb it completely and just have it there in case of an outbreak of something terrible.

 

[powers2001]

I believe I only have two major projects left to finish and several minor ones. The plumbing is only started. Every time I get somewhere I then don't like it and start over. I keep sending extra fittings back to BRS so I will have the need to purchase a $100 minimum order from PVC pipe supplies. There were 6 pieces in the PVCPIPE order I couldn't find anywhere else on the internet with exhaustive searches. So I gathered a bunch of fittings I bought from BRS going back 60 days (guarantee) and sent them back for a refund. After subtracting the shipping, there was little left of the refund. These returns gave me a purpose to reorder them from PVCPIPE in order to have enough items to total up more that $100. I bought a lot of duplicates in case a glue job was a mistake. Well this is my 3rd or 4th order from PVC PIPE and I have a lot of extras I can't use all in all they don't take returns. grr Now my plan is to sketch diagrams several ways, then just buy a 4 or 5 parts at a time, glue and screw, and to the drawing board again. The threaded fittings can be taken apart and used again but a lot of the job requires gluing, it's just the nature of the beast. The other major job to finish is the T5 reflectors and assembly. I will touch on that in a later post.

 

[powers2001]

Bought a dual Apex optical water level sensor with brackets for the sensors on an adjustable rod for alarms for low and high water levels in the sump in which the Apex will alert me and shut off pumps or other equipment if the water level is too low or high. This keeps the pumps from running dry or the sump from flooding.

Read a R2R thread saying Klir filters where shipping early on with under powered motors. Emailed Coralvue with a photo and they sent me a brand new upgraded motor free.

Bought a pair of clips for 1/4” RO tubing. They slip on a sump baffle and I’ll use them for water changes, one for dirty system water going out and one for clean makeup water going in.

Received a 1/2” Apex flow sensor for the media reactor and a PMUP with its AC voltage power supply.

 

[powers2001]

@SkiCatTX per our discussion on the safety of acetone I posted in the reef chemistry forum. Randy Holmes-Farley responded with saying it evaporates very quickly and as long as it doesn’t get in the water it should be okay. I will try to use it to remove the PVC cement purple primer marks on the pipe and fittings.

 

[SkiCatTX]

@SkiCatTX per our discussion on the safety of acetone I posted in the reef chemistry forum. Randy Holmes-Farley responded with saying it evaporates very quickly and as long as it doesn’t get in the water it should be okay. I will try to use it to remove the PVC cement purple primer marks on the pipe and fittings.

Good to know!

 

[powers2001]

Getting things ready for glue jobs and pipe fittings sealed with Rector Seal # 5. Couldn’t find it around here had to order online. RussM of the Neptune Systems support forum recommends it for sealing threads on Apex flow sensors. I can attest to say it works really good for that. I tried Teflon tape for this and no go. Once I took my plumbing apart multiple times to keep adding more tape to sensor threads and it still leaked. Rectorseal is slow drying and sets up soft so it can be taken apart down the road if needed. I believe pipe joint compound has lead in it and is formulated for metal pipe.

 

[powers2001]

Connected the COR-15/flow sensor plumbing to the reefer up flow return pipe plumbing with a Georg Fischer check valve and silicone tubing. My COR pump keeps pumping water just enough to keep the plumbing filled with water during feed modes so when the pump goes back into normal mode there is no gurgling or bubbling. Although this feature prevents the need for a check valve, I installed one in case a power outage overflows my sump.

 

[powers2001]

Connected the COR-15/flow sensor plumbing to the reefer up flow return pipe plumbing with a Georg Fischer check valve and silicone tubing. My COR pump keeps pumping water just enough to keep the plumbing filled with water during feed modes so when the pump goes back into normal mode there is no gurgling or bubbling. Although this feature prevents the need for a check valve, I installed one in case a power outage overflows my sump.

I might redo this just to make sure the flow sensor doesn't get wet in a power outage when water back siphons into the sump.

I believe I only have two major projects left to finish and several minor ones. The plumbing is only started. Every time I get somewhere I then don't like it and start over. I keep sending extra fittings back to BRS so I will have the need to purchase a $100 minimum order from PVC pipe supplies. There were 6 pieces in the PVCPIPE order I couldn't find anywhere else on the internet with exhaustive searches. So I gathered a bunch of fittings I bought from BRS going back 60 days (guarantee) and sent them back for a refund. After subtracting the shipping, there was little left of the refund. These returns gave me a purpose to reorder them from PVCPIPE in order to have enough items to total up more that $100. I bought a lot of duplicates in case a glue job was a mistake. Well this is my 3rd or 4th order from PVC PIPE and I have a lot of extras I can't use all in all they don't take returns. grr Now my plan is to sketch diagrams several ways, then just buy a 4 or 5 parts at a time, glue and screw, and to the drawing board again. The threaded fittings can be taken apart and used again but a lot of the job requires gluing, it's just the nature of the beast. The other major job to finish is the T5 reflectors and assembly. I will touch on that in a later post.

What am I saying! Building the water change station will be a major project! How could I forget that?

 

[powers2001]

I have a mini portable power cooler for coral foods. It runs off AC or 12/24 VDC. I will have to drill a hole in it to pump out the liquids through an Apex DOS.

 

[powers2001]

After thinking and waiting and thinking and waiting for the Adaptive Reef inline probe holder to come out it would be difficult to plumb both the UV and probe holder on the outside of the stand. To avoid compacting the sump with too much gear I came up with a great idea of putting the probes in the overflow box weir. However to check on this it is quite disappointing. There's very little room in there and all four probes on the Apex MPR will not work. Maybe 3 probes.

Inside the orange circles are the standpipes of the overflow box. They're just too close together.

 

[powers2001]

While I just found out the Apex MPR won't go in the overflow box I had to find out how much of a PITA in would be in the return chamber. Here it is:

1. Varios maniflold return pump with two unions on the standpipe and a side bleed valve.

2. Magnetic Probe Rack (MPR) butts up against both standpipes.

3. Dual Apex optical sensor mount. Has two sensors, two sensor brackets, an adjustable rod, and a clamp for baffle mounting.

4. Apex ATK bracket with float vavle, and dual sensors.

5. COR-15 standpipe with flow sensor FS100 and 3! unions.

6. Not in the picture: dosing bulkhead holder.

The MPR is def not going in the return chamber.

 

[powers2001]

I tried acetone for removing PVC cement purple primer. It didn’t work. I use a 12 VDC to AC car fan to vent solvent fumes away from me and my work area.

 

[BeMoto]

Buy clear primer and glue!

 

[powers2001]

Buy clear primer and glue!

@BeMoto I already have this can, the purple color allows me to be sure I applied it completely, and it only shows when I get really sloppy.

 

[canadianeh]

Just checking up on you and I am surprised that you are still building. I just noticed that you started this thread in 2017. Is this the longest build thread in R2R history? Wow!

How much further you have to go before the water test?

 

[powers2001]

Just checking up on you and I am surprised that you are still building. I just noticed that you started this thread in 2017. Is this the longest build thread in R2R history? Wow!

How much further you have to go before the water test?

@canadianeh LOL thread goes back to 2017 but actually got the system in 2016 and had fish and corals in it for several months. Check out first 2 or 3 pages of thread. I can’t move into my house until current renter leaves, his rental agreement is up in few months. He was planning to leave last year but renewed his agreement at the last minute. I decided to do some more projects on this build while I wait. How is your tank coming along? I’ll have to check out your tank thread.

 

[powers2001]

Finished a small segment of the plumbing. The part that returns water from the chiller to the sump through a hole in the stand. I put a ball valve here. It will be a major pain to disassemble to get the flow sensor out for maintenance. I’m going to research alternatives to chaetomorpha, something that doesn’t break into little pieces getting caught in flow sensors.

 

[powers2001]

Post # 700!!! I’m waiting to buy a rotary style power tool like a Dremel to cut and shape plumbing so they will fit in tight spots. I’ll show you when I get there. I’m pretty much broke for the rest of the month trying not to use this credit card and get it paid off lol.