Automatic Water changes. It doesnt get any better then this.

[FLSharkvictim]

I truly believe that it stresses out the corals if you change your water all at ones vs taking it out slowly with some sort of Dossing pump.
In my opinion, if I slowly take out 1-gallon per day and replace with 1 new gallon per day that I get the best results in my corals!
Long story, short, my new GHL MAXI DOSER should be coming in hopefully this weekend! HOPEFULLY

 

[Mark Derail]

EDIT: This is automatic WC not ATO, but both apply - see below. At first I thought I was posting for ATO.

To (possibly) spin a new idea. I like how the Micro ATO controller that you buy only lets water run for 10 minutes, then stops.
I have decent electronics knowledge, and a software programmer by trade.

That said, I do DIY a lot, cuz I don't have the money to buy the fancy stuff. So.

This fellow Canadian, aVe, made me think of this. In this video, he wants to prank a drill with a piezo + vibrator, and of course you can't fit an arduino board in the drill handle. But there is room... The video links to a cool software Fritzing he uses that helps breadboarding.
At 5:26 in the video, he talks about the Digispark (http://digistump.com/products/1)

Soooooo, I'm thinking I could combine some cheap float valves and a Digispark to control the "how long" to run the ATO motor. Since it has 6 I/O pins, it can monitor resevoir float, a min & max float in the sump, as well as not running the pump for more than 10 minutes...and a cheap piezo speaker to let us know what's going on.

Forgive me if this was brought up before, I didn't research the other posts... Plus I wanted to post.

EDIT: a search on Digispark brings up nothing on R2R...Seems I'm first to talk about it.

 

[FLSharkvictim]

EDIT: This is automatic WC not ATO, but both apply - see below. At first I thought I was posting for ATO.

To (possibly) spin a new idea. I like how the Micro ATO controller that you buy only lets water run for 10 minutes, then stops.
I have decent electronics knowledge, and a software programmer by trade.

That said, I do DIY a lot, cuz I don't have the money to buy the fancy stuff. So.

This fellow Canadian, aVe, made me think of this. In this video, he wants to prank a drill with a piezo + vibrator, and of course you can't fit an arduino board in the drill handle. But there is room... The video links to a cool software Fritzing he uses that helps breadboarding.
At 5:26 in the video, he talks about the Digispark (http://digistump.com/products/1)

Soooooo, I'm thinking I could combine some cheap float valves and a Digispark to control the "how long" to run the ATO motor. Since it has 6 I/O pins, it can monitor resevoir float, a min & max float in the sump, as well as not running the pump for more than 10 minutes...and a cheap piezo speaker to let us know what's going on.

Forgive me if this was brought up before, I didn't research the other posts... Plus I wanted to post.

EDIT: a search on Digispark brings up nothing on R2R...Seems I'm first to talk about it.
Though another video I found on youtube, HOW To - Diy Arduino Auto Top OFF, by Carl Recktenwald Jr., Published on 3 Aug 2013



@Mark Derail -
Sounds like a lot of time that I don't have on my hands due to work Mate. I am not on here to judge just to here to help and support! - You know what they say different strokes for different folks! There is one thing I don't mess around with for me or my clients,
are any type of DIY electricity projects.

I have been keeping successful coral reefs for over 20 years but when it comes to this hobby, this is Totally my Motto the that I Live and die by even if that means saving the Benjamin Franklins up!! I have seen in person and read way to many horror stories on house's burning down due to bad quality gear.

ALWAYS use quality products, I believe that 50% increase in coast is definitely worthwhile, even if you only gain another 5% - 10% of the product reliability especially if you have a mature tank with years of time and effort invested like I do. Most Importantly, Please keep in mind that your tank is a place where water and electricity come's together.

Not to change the subject but I just got an email from one of my GHL suppliers that my Doser 2.1 Maxi will be shipping out to me by the end of the week! Which will be connected to my ProfiLux4 to control for my Automatic water changes that will run from my Saltwater mixing station into my sump.

All the very best,
Out @FLSharkvictim

Illustration until I get mine this week:

 

[curt creelman]

FL Shark. I love your straight, no S#*T approach to things. You tell it like it is and give GREAT pointers and advice. If you dont have all the answers, you will include links. I am glad you are a Sr. member of our forum because I know there are a lot of people that take to heart, what you have to share with us. You can tell when someone know what they are doing and that they have been through problems before and have found creative solutions. You save all of us time and money and aggravation but most of all, you save our FISH and CCORALS. Thank you.!

 

[tenpercenter]

I tried to search the thread but came up short.

Are the weighted tips Stenner provides safe in my salt water mixing/holding tank?

 

[tcarter1936]

If they are the same as the ones that came with my Stenner Pump then no because mine have lead in them. I don't use a Stenner Pump for my water changes I use the Neptune dos but I use a Stenner Pump for my home water treatment setup

 

[AquamanE]

Ive had mine in my mixing tank and in sump where it draws water since the inception of this thread I started in 12.2013. I do occasional Triton. Never had lead in my tank, but its a good point, I never considered. Will continue to keep an eye on this.

 

[monkiboy]

i just use a pass through 1/4" bulkhead and rigid airline on the end into the container to avoid any metals

 

[tcarter1936]

UPDATE. I've been doing one gallon a day on my 180 gallon reef with automatic water changes in combination with the Neptune dos. And I must say I've never had this great of a response from instituting something so simple my Coral seem happier and I'm slowly getting all of the colors back I'm sure there could have been other issues I was experiencing but I have literally done nothing to my tank other than feed it and do the automatic water changes for the past 15 weeks or so.

 

[tenpercenter]

Ive had mine in my mixing tank and in sump where it draws water since the inception of this thread I started in 12.2013. I do occasional Triton. Never had lead in my tank, but its a good point, I never considered. Will continue to keep an eye on this.

I opened one of the strainers this evening and it looks to be a tube of ceramic material. It would be hard for me to believe they'd use lead.

Anyone else have input here?

 

[Harrison Gordon]

not heavy enough, especially when i run the pump that keeps water stirred. maybe bring down the bin a peice of pvc and tie it as far down as possible. another excellent idea. line does go all the way down the 5 inch strainer.

On my ATO container, I have airline tubing and I keep it at the bottom with a ½" PVC ball valve (it was a spare) which is tightened just so that the airline slips through without being crushed.

Been looking at this thread a while, everything I need in my BRS and Ebay carts.........

 

[User]

On my ATO container, I have airline tubing and I keep it at the bottom with a ½" PVC ball valve (it was a spare) which is tightened just so that the airline slips through without being crushed.

Been looking at this thread a while, everything I need in my BRS and Ebay carts.........

Clever

 

[FLSharkvictim]

UPDATE. I've been doing one gallon a day on my 180 gallon reef with automatic water changes in combination with the Neptune dos. And I must say I've never had this great of a response from instituting something so simple my Coral seem happier and I'm slowly getting all of the colors back I'm sure there could have been other issues I was experiencing but I have literally done nothing to my tank other than feed it and do the automatic water changes for the past 15 weeks or so.

That is a 100% a true statment b/c when I was taking out a gallong a day with my GHL MaxiSA doser, my corals were in heaven. My old tank was a 120, so i would only take out a little less then a gal...

 

[domination2580]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/183685014961
Thus says 24v... so how do i go about powe4inf this?

 

[Bramzor]

Wow, lots of people doing the AWC now. Got a few questions though. Might be an idea to create a FAQ in the first post with a list of answers.

1) Does it matter a lot what the diameter of the tubes is feeding the pump? I was going for 1/4" RO tubing but the alternative is the more expensive 3/8" tubing. But if the difference is only a few ml/min, I would prefer the standard 1/4".

2) I was thinking of using the following dosing pumps (0-400ml) https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/32948192564.html for AWC daily on my 40 gallon tank. I would modify them so they would have 2 heads on 1 motor.

I would use my Apex with one dedicated FFM, using the 24V output for triggering and timing them. 2 DIY Apex inductive water level sensors so I can check RO and Salt container without having a sensor in the liquid. No possible corroding sensors anymore. And probably add an Apex DIY leak sensor too.
An additional 2 ports on the tank FFM I would use to put 2 additional Apex DIY IR sensors to measure the water level compared to the normal level in the sump (3rd IR sensor). If the level is off by 10% of the amount of WC I want to do when WC wants to start, it should not do it and notify me that something went wrong and I need to check why water is not evenly replaced. So if something goes wrong I would be notified.

3) For calibration, I wonder if some kind of valve/flow restrictor could be used on the waste line to correct when water is not evenly replaced.

 

[Harrison Gordon]

Wow, lots of people doing the AWC now. Got a few questions though. Might be an idea to create a FAQ in the first post with a list of answers.

1) Does it matter a lot what the diameter of the tubes is feeding the pump? I was going for 1/4" RO tubing but the alternative is the more expensive 3/8" tubing. But if the difference is only a few ml/min, I would prefer the standard 1/4".

2) I was thinking of using the following dosing pumps (0-400ml) https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/32948192564.html for AWC daily on my 40 gallon tank. I would modify them so they would have 2 heads on 1 motor.

I would use my Apex with one dedicated FFM, using the 24V output for triggering and timing them. 2 DIY Apex inductive water level sensors so I can check RO and Salt container without having a sensor in the liquid. No possible corroding sensors anymore. And probably add an Apex DIY leak sensor too.
An additional 2 ports on the tank FFM I would use to put 2 additional Apex DIY IR sensors to measure the water level compared to the normal level in the sump (3rd IR sensor). If the level is off by 10% of the amount of WC I want to do when WC wants to start, it should not do it and notify me that something went wrong and I need to check why water is not evenly replaced. So if something goes wrong I would be notified.

3) For calibration, I wonder if some kind of valve/flow restrictor could be used on the waste line to correct when water is not evenly replaced.

My system uses ¼" but the connections with the pump are actually 1/16" eek. Honestly, the smaller the better because you change water slower (although at this point I guess it's kind of like SPF 150 sunscreen, right?)
For calibration, honestly, just spend extra money on a high quality pump. I went with Cole Parmers. You could also do Stenner. If you get high quality, it should hopefully be exactly the same. Wish I had an apex to do what you're thinking, I have it on a smart plug. Good luck!

 

[Bramzor]

My system uses ¼" but the connections with the pump are actually 1/16" eek. Honestly, the smaller the better because you change water slower (although at this point I guess it's kind of like SPF 150 sunscreen, right?)
For calibration, honestly, just spend extra money on a high quality pump. I went with Cole Parmers. You could also do Stenner. If you get high quality, it should hopefully be exactly the same. Wish I had an apex to do what you're thinking, I have it on a smart plug. Good luck!

Slower as in, probably more consistent flow over long time? I wonder if this is the case actually. Maybe someone could test this out? If a higher voltage on a DC motor (higher RPM) would be more precise compared to a lower voltage (lower RPM). Easy to test out but I'm missing a dual head pump at the moment, else I would.
I read in this thread that using a valve to calibrate wouldn't work. Only thing that might work when volume between the 2 heads are off is basically replacing the tube because in theory distance and pumping out vs in shouldn't cause any difference in water volume?
And high quality vs low quality, I can be wrong but I think the difference is neglectable because as long as you put 2 dosing heads on one motor, the flow rate that the motor provides doesn't matter anymore as both heads will turn evenly, which would be one of the biggest pro's for a high quality pump. Only the quality of the tubes have a direct impact but you could put high quality tube in low quality head.
Mostly it depends on what the runtime is and on a small tank, a high quality pump would be overkill. On a bigger tank where the pump needs to run longer, it might be an idea to go for a higher quality pump.