eMac’s 187g Lee-Mar tank rebuild

Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
8,510
Likes
2,448
Points
83
Location
Perris 92571
My Tank Build
This is how I use the apex WiFi to control 4 tanks, a mixing station, and automate the ro/di

Here the apex on its control board in the 187g stand.

The brain and the eb832’s control everything on the main tank.

The WXM controller the radions and the 0-10v port control the LED panel to mimic the radions. Then everything else is pretty much on and off switches of the 16 outlets or the four 24v ports on the side of the eb832s.
I then have three pm1’s and two eb8’s mounted under the frag tank. Each pm1 module gives me a temp of each tank. One on the frag tank, another on the fish quarantine, and last is the berghia pro tank (this was my old coral quarantine tank). I use a 10’ aquabus cable to link the pm1’s and eb8’s to the apex brain.
Then I made a 20’ aquabus cable and ran this to a storage shed that is located outside behind the wall the tank sits against. In the shed I have an eb8, a 100g water barrel, 300w heater, and a mixing pump.


I use float switch’s and a BOB to tell apex when the water is below a certain point. Then the apex will turn off the heater and mixing pump.
I then made a 70’ aquabus cable from a cat8 cable but here’s the tricky part. So when making an aquabus the plug only needs 4 wires. That leaves 4 open wires. I utilized these 4 wires on the 70’ cable. I’m running the 3 float switches from the mixing barrel to the BOB in the laundry room,
The laundry room is located on the second story. I’m using a pm2, a break out box (BOB), and an eb4 to automate the 9 stage RO/DI system.

(This second pic is old but it shows the pm, the BOB, and the 55g barrel)

In the 55g barrel there’s 2 float switches. One in the bottom, the switch tells apex when to start making water. When the water has fallen low enough to open the switch it triggers on the RO buddy and starts making water. Then when the switch at the top closes it tells the apex that the barrel is full and turns off the RO buddy. Then as a fail safe I have a float valve in the very top. The float valve will turn off the water it the switches fail or if my dumbass triggers the ro unit on.
The 55g barrel is also my ato. I have a 1/4” ro line that runs through the walls to the tank and feeds all 3 systems via float valves. I never worry about auto topoff apex has that covered.
 

Gedxin

Pandemic Reefer
Supporter
Joined
Aug 20, 2021
Messages
237
Likes
222
Points
0
Location
Corona
Thanks for the detailed explanation of the apex and automation.

Very interested in the outside RO storage. Any concerns with the SoCal hot temperatures? It's an easy 100+ in the summer. That's my main reason for not storing in the garage, I figured the temp differential would be no bueno. No problems you have there?

What pumps do you have feeding your tanks the RO water?
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
8,510
Likes
2,448
Points
83
Location
Perris 92571
My Tank Build
Thanks for the detailed explanation of the apex and automation.

Very interested in the outside RO storage. Any concerns with the SoCal hot temperatures? It's an easy 100+ in the summer. That's my main reason for not storing in the garage, I figured the temp differential would be no bueno. No problems you have there?

What pumps do you have feeding your tanks the RO water?
This is the first summer I’ve had salt water mixing outside. But the sun doesn’t hit the storage container directly. So I’m not worried about the plastic breaking down from UV damage. Also I was thinking about setting up an auto water change setup. The water would come through the tubing so slow that by the time it hit the system it would have cooled down. I have a good 10’ of RO tubing spooled up behind my tank. Think of that tubing like the fins on a radiator. But the time the water had trailed throw the tube the heat has been pulled off the water. I also run a 12v dc fan behind my tank so that there’s a constant flow of fresh air.

There is no pump on the top off line. I utilize gravity to my benefit. Water always wants to find the lowest point. So if that 55g barrel is full that means there’s a good 400 plus pounds of water weight wanting to find it’s way to a lower point. Then it helps that the 55g barrel is easily 20’ above the sump and qt tanks that the water natural forces it’s way to the float valves. See each tank has its own float valve.

 

Gedxin

Pandemic Reefer
Supporter
Joined
Aug 20, 2021
Messages
237
Likes
222
Points
0
Location
Corona
Thanks for the explanation! That's a really clever and cost efficient setup you've got there. I really like the radiator trick. It has me thinking how I could do something similar, with the water stored in my garage (which occasionally hits ~100 during the summer.) Gravity would be the trickiest for me, I'm not sure I can get it to my office without going through the attic. If I stack the bins.... with the RO on top...maybe? Also, just thinking about failure protection. Any failsafes?
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
8,510
Likes
2,448
Points
83
Location
Perris 92571
My Tank Build
Thanks for the explanation! That's a really clever and cost efficient setup you've got there. I really like the radiator trick. It has me thinking how I could do something similar, with the water stored in my garage (which occasionally hits ~100 during the summer.) Gravity would be the trickiest for me, I'm not sure I can get it to my office without going through the attic. If I stack the bins.... with the RO on top...maybe? Also, just thinking about failure protection. Any failsafes?
Multiple failsafes. I have leak detectors under each tank and under the ro system. The float valves are also failsafes them self’s. Also in my sump I have float switches. If the float switches and leak detectors are triggered it turns of the ro buddy and closes a water solenoid that is located under the 55g barrel. The solenoid stops the flow of water out of the barrel. I also have a webcam that points directly at the tanks. So if any alarm turns on on the apex I look at the webcam to see what’s going on.
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
8,510
Likes
2,448
Points
83
Location
Perris 92571
My Tank Build
Thanks guys!









So here’s the blue saturated pic.

But someone told me get a Diamond gobby, they clean your sand he says.
Well after 2 weeks of my display looking like a dusty mess the tank has cleared up. But now I have a massive Dino’s outbreak in my refuge.
Well what else is a fuge for I guess! Then to have unwanted algaes down there
 

Latest posts

Top