AWC for 300g with remote water station

[sharpimage]

If you go the dos route, for mine to change out 1.5 gallons per day, it ran for 1 minute 40 seconds every 10 minutes. And was loud under the tank. Water tank and dump were less than 10 feet. I disconnected it due to constant noise

 

[PeterC99]

Can you describe you setup? What pumps, sensors and controllers are you using? Looks great!

Starts with 3 float switches in my sump that go downstairs to my basement controllers. First float switch (low) tells RODI or Saltwater to replenish depending on settings. 2nd float switch off. 3rd float switch is emergency off.

Have 2 controllers downstairs connected to float switches upstairs. When low float switch hits bottom, RODI starts pumping from first controller. Second controller manages RODI auto fill.

2 pumps downstairs manage pumping water to/from upstairs. Leave RODI connected to fill pump for auto top off. When changing water, switch to saltwater containers and turn on switch for drain pump. When 1st float value gets low, pumps up saltwater through auto top off. Pumps take out and replace saltwater at same pace. When done with saltwater change, turn off drain pump and wait till auto top off fills with rest of saltwater. Then switch auto top off back to RODI. Takes 10 minutes to change 10 gallons in my 90 gallon aquarium every week.

 

[dwest]

Spectrapure LMIII for my AWC on my 180. Tough to beat IMO.

 

[Brian_68]

The litermeter3 is so amazing. I haven’t touched it in 7 yrs. runs flawlessly!

I do like the litermeter but they have not been available since last year.

 

[zalick]

I do like the litermeter but they have not been available since last year.

Spectrapure just told me the litermeter 4 is coming out soon!

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/richpanel-data/MessengerAttachments/97130f5f-6a17-480b-b902-cb7c589e3f9a/LM4%20Manual_interactive_original.pdf

 

[RuuToo]

I have the same setup except I have a single line with diverting valves on each end. And a cheap pond pump with remote power switch to push water from the basement.

AWC "wastes" a lot of fresh salt water over time, but I do see the advantage also.

I actually run my outbound water “through” my small coral quarantine tank. That way I have an ultra low maintenance qt (just heat, light and flow) that gets a 50% daily water change and is pre acclimated to the main tanks chemistry. I can also feed it like crazy with phyto/ roids/ whatever and have insane food contact time without building up noticeable nitrates or phosphates.

I like to think this is about recycling, rather than just an excuse to have another tank.

 

[User]

I actually run my outbound water “through” my small coral quarantine tank. That way I have an ultra low maintenance qt (just heat, light and flow) that gets a 50% daily water change and is pre acclimated to the main tanks chemistry. I can also feed it like crazy with phyto/ roids/ whatever and have insane food contact time without building up noticeable nitrates or phosphates.

I like to think this is about recycling, rather than just an excuse to have another tank.

Presumably you have a bulkhead as your ‘high level overflow’ and the daily wc fills the tank during your main display AWC until the water level in the QT reaches the overflow and goes to drain?

it 12.30 and I’m not explaining it well, but that sounds like something I need to figure out for my upgraded system. I might be able to run a separate frag tank and just feed it with daily AWC and dump the ‘overfill’ portion straight to drain. That would omit a ton of issues running the line 30 feet to my sump and back again

 

[Brian_68]

Spectrapure just told me the litermeter 4 is coming out soon!

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/richpanel-data/MessengerAttachments/97130f5f-6a17-480b-b902-cb7c589e3f9a/LM4%20Manual_interactive_original.pdf

They added the latest G7 pump to their site now and it is almost double in cost unfortunately:

SpectraPure - Innovators in Water Technology

SpectraPure, Inc. is an Industry Standard in the Water Purification world. From Drinking Water to Aquarium Systems, you don't just want pure water, you want the PUREST Water! Get it with SpectraPure!

spectrapure.com

 

[ScottB]

I actually run my outbound water “through” my small coral quarantine tank. That way I have an ultra low maintenance qt (just heat, light and flow) that gets a 50% daily water change and is pre acclimated to the main tanks chemistry. I can also feed it like crazy with phyto/ roids/ whatever and have insane food contact time without building up noticeable nitrates or phosphates.

I like to think this is about recycling, rather than just an excuse to have another tank.

That is a very clever outcome. Trying to figure out HOW this is accomplished. Short version?

 

[User]

That is a very clever outcome. Trying to figure out HOW this is accomplished. Short version?

Standpipe just above the water surface that acts as an overflow - once the water change water comes in, it overflows the tank slightly and that goes to drain?

that’s my guess

 

[RuuToo]

That is a very clever outcome. Trying to figure out HOW this is accomplished. Short version?

Standpipe just above the water surface that acts as an overflow - once the water change water comes in, it overflows the tank slightly and that goes to drain?

that’s my guess

Kinda. It's a bit more involved than I originally thought because I have a 1/4" drain line going through the crawl space, and 1/4" line does (and I cannot emphasize this enough) *not* siphon safely. The general idea that water comes in via the "drain" of my DOS, and then overflows out and to the drain. There have been extended arguments about whether this can also defeat the need for top off in addition to dosing etc, and I can confirm that it can within reason (I have a partial lid on there to keep evaporation mostly under control, and then incoming dilution handles the rest).

It cost me about a hundred bucks (I already had the light) for something i can put some frags in for a few weeks/months and not have to worry about every new arrival killing stuff.

The build thread (such as it is) is here

 

[RuuToo]

Here’s a picture with the lights off. I have a clam and a few frags in there right now

The clam is currently getting about 400-450 PAR - underestimate submerged lights at your peril...

 

[User]

Here’s a picture with the lights off. I have a clam and a few frags in there right now

The clam is currently getting about 400-450 PAR - underestimate submerged lights at your peril...

Nice. Why is your overflow setup on that tank?

 

[RuuToo]

Nice. Why is your overflow setup on that tank?

Not sure I understand the question. Why do I have a tiny overflow on the tank? To take advantage of some surface skimming (a really small amount, but every little bit helps)

 

[BZOFIQ]

Spectrapure just told me the litermeter 4 is coming out soon!

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/richpanel-data/MessengerAttachments/97130f5f-6a17-480b-b902-cb7c589e3f9a/LM4%20Manual_interactive_original.pdf

That's amazing.... because I asked this same question about a month ago and nobody had any answers. Happy to hear if indeed the case.

You can't beat LiterMeter for this kind of setup.

 

[User]

Not sure I understand the question. Why do I have a tiny overflow on the tank? To take advantage of some surface skimming (a really small amount, but every little bit helps)

Sorry- typo.

i was supposed to ask ‘what’. What kind of overflow do you have . A pvc pipe and bulkhead, an overflow box?

 

[User]

Sorry- typo.

i was supposed to ask ‘what’. What kind of overflow do you have . A pvc pipe and bulkhead, an overflow box?

Ignore me- I now see the little overflow box.

 

[zalick]

That's amazing.... because I asked this same question about a month ago and nobody had any answers. Happy to hear if indeed the case.

You can't beat LiterMeter for this kind of setup.

They said no idea on launch because still working out some bugs. But they said I should wait for it. my impression is that it will be in the coming months.

 

[RuuToo]

Ignore me- I now see the little overflow box.

Yeah - I drilled a couple of john guest bulkheads (because everything I do has to have redundancy, apparently) and then slapped a JBJ nano cube surface skimmer that I found online on top with some silicone.

The plumbing behind the tank that you can sort of see is basically a drain that hooks into the house drain - I use it to dump the wastewater from AWC, my trident test output and whatever else needs to leave the general tank area.

 

[User]

Yeah - I drilled a couple of john guest bulkheads (because everything I do has to have redundancy, apparently) and then slapped a JBJ nano cube surface skimmer that I found online on top with some silicone.

The plumbing behind the tank that you can sort of see is basically a drain that hooks into the house drain - I use it to dump the wastewater from AWC, my trident test output and whatever else needs to leave the general tank area.

Perfect- and you have it set so that the extra water coming in from the main tank AWC just displaces old water over the overflow into the drain?

I’m going to try this on my frag tank. I was looking at a long return and supply loop since it is 40 feet away from the sump, and there are several doors etc in the way.

This way- I can have a 3/8 line put AWC water into the tank, and put the excess down the drain 4 feet away.