SHARE YOUR DIY MIXING STATIONS PLS!

[ajremington68]

Looking for inspiration.
I am planning to make something similar to this. Thinking I am just going to go with the blue barrels off marketplace unless a nice bigger container comes on the market near me.
Only thing I am trying to figure is making a hose have a quick release on the mixing station to move the water to my tank. And it would be cool to have something tnag I can just reel up the hose on next to the station. If you have done this PLEASE PLEASE share I would love to see it.


also any mixing stations let me see what you have done and if there is anything you would do different let me know so I can fix what you can’t before I make mine please.

 

[JumboShrimp]

My horizontal tanks, incorporated into a two-workbench set up.

 

[ajremington68]

My horizontal tanks, incorporated into a two-workbench set up.

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW CLEANNNNNNNNNNN

 

[EricR]

My horizontal tanks, incorporated into a two-workbench set up.

Nice! So what's the deal with the little clean aquarium thing on the bench? ...purpose, I mean?

 

[ajremington68]

@JumboShrimp have a few questions because you look skilled and may be able to answer these.

1. Do you have a float valve on RODI? If so once your float switches and stops the clean water does your black waste line also stop? If so did you change anything on your original BRS RODI or if you did add something to cause it to stop making water what was it?

2. How are you pulling water out of the mixing containers? External pump? Gravity?

3. If you're using a pump and a hose by chance can you show me how you have it pumped and what fitting you used? Do you have a screw fitting with a generic garden hose?

4. Do you have a heater in your saltwater mixing container?

 

[ajremington68]

@JumboShrimp Also one last thing. Do you love the containers you have? Do you wish you had bigger, smaller. Or wish it was elevated?
I'm not sure if I buy the food-grade blue barrels and make a mixing station out of that or hunt on the marketplace for used water containers. Reason I am hesitant on the blue containers is it will be a mixing station for my 180g with 40g sump and I am going to plumb in 30g lowboy. so max water change I could do is like 50g on a nearly 250g system give or take...

 

[DrkNMighty]

Nice! So what's the deal with the little clean aquarium thing on the bench? ...purpose, I mean?

I think it's a QT tank.

 

[EricR]

I think it's a QT tank.

Could be,,, but isn't QT near source water kinda a bad plan (cross-contaminationwise)?

just kidding(ish)

 

[braaap]

Could be,,, but isn't QT near source water kinda a bad plan (cross-contaminationwise)?

just kidding(ish)

What would you contaminate?

 

[ajremington68]

Could be,,, but isn't QT near source water kinda a bad plan (cross-contaminationwise)?

just kidding(ish)

Def a QT by the type of tank. And once you look at my guys mixing station and the amount of money he has in that. Clearly if it was a frag tank or something he would ball out on it a lot more...

 

[JumboShrimp]

I'll admit going a little overboard on the hose-- I ordered a length of silicone tubing from BRS (sold by the foot) that I think set me back about $200.00. But very flexible, to say the least. I do have a float valve, but don't trust it; I have over-flowed my tank by forgetfully walking away from the tanks while making water. We probably all have (though setting an alarm on my phone has saved me several times.) If you are dealing with 180 gallons in your DT, plus a large sump as you say, you will be amazed at how much water you can go through, and so two 70+ gallon mixing station tanks would probably be the minimum you'd want.

 

[JumboShrimp]

PS: If I didn't go with my workbench arrangement, I was tempted to rig these us stacked. Might be a good idea if someone was pressed for space.

 

[danreef55]

Take a look at this link https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/mixing-station-plumbing-pictorial.1089400/

 

[JumboShrimp]

@danreef55, very useful tutorial! (i struggled to find anything so helpful back when I had to painfully figure mine out myself.)

 

[Kooma]

My horizontal tanks, incorporated into a two-workbench set up.

Those hard lines by the door give me serious anxiety of stepping on them or tripping in a working area.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Fancy, I know…

 

[JumboShrimp]

@Kooma, I hear you. Not ideal, I must admit. But I do have solid rubber blocks under the lines at stress points, so even if accidentally stepped on the pipes won't flex/depress.

 

[lombeard]

Fancy, I know…

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Ty. I worked so hard on this, especially rolling the can on a smooth surface.

 

[Kooma]

@Kooma, I hear you. Not ideal, I must admit. But I do have solid rubber blocks under the lines at stress points, so even if accidentally stepped on the pipes won't flex/depress.

Be careful you don’t catch a foot and end up on a sharp corner or falling.