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Unread 11/08/2017, 02:50 AM   #376
tkeracer619
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Building the BTA Propagation System (Part 4)

The BTA tanks are up and running (I however, can barely keep my eyes open)! Still a good amount of work to do but each system is up and running, dosed with ammonia, and dosed with bio-spira. The Pond Matrix media has been cycled and running for a couple months already so I fully expect ammonia to be zero by tomorrow. I'll be picking up some clownfish from a local breeder sooner than later.


Return setup and Heater. Temp controller soon to follow.


I use a 5.25" section of Python No-Spill siphon tubing. It fits the parts tightly and is a high quality tubing so it should last for a long time.


The return pump has a dedicated chamber and bubble trap.


I've already freshwater tested these systems for the last two days. I drain, dry, and fill each system with saltwater.


I cut out a section of egg crate that will be used as a stand for the filtration. It rests on two acrylic extrusions I glued in place last month.




I chose this glass at random to be my measuring device for the pond matrix, each tank gets two glasses poured on top of the egg crate.




These systems will also utilize a sponge for mechanical filtration. Cut to size and inserted above the Pond Matrix.





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Unread 11/08/2017, 02:55 AM   #377
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I think they came out awesome. Next up is electrical management, ATO system, temp controll/fans, and then clownfish.




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Unread 11/08/2017, 05:09 AM   #378
OurCoralReef
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Build Thread: TKERacer619's 600gal SPS Tank

Lids
Very nice

Im just thinking about the maintenance on these things



Last edited by OurCoralReef; 11/08/2017 at 06:03 AM.
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Unread 11/08/2017, 07:41 AM   #379
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the clown / BTA system looks awesome!!


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Unread 11/08/2017, 02:19 PM   #380
tkeracer619
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OurCoralReef View Post
Lids
Very nice

Im just thinking about the maintenance on these things
Thanks! I'm hoping to keep maintenance at a minimum but it was certainly a criteria I considered when I decided to go 6 independent systems vs one with a shared sump. I have a few solutions that in the end will greatly reduce the amount of work I need to put into these.

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Originally Posted by iced98lx View Post
the clown / BTA system looks awesome!!
Thanks! I appreciate it.


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Unread 11/08/2017, 11:47 PM   #381
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Somebody's been busy...
I have to make some time to come visit! Everything looks great, I love the contrast with the black tanks and the white stands. Looks sweet!


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Unread 11/09/2017, 12:04 PM   #382
whyamisofly
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Coming along VERY nicely Mark!


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Unread 11/10/2017, 12:59 PM   #383
tkeracer619
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Thanks guys! Appreciate it!

I need to learn to take better photos under Blue LEDs. I want to show how I aquascaped these tanks.


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Unread 11/15/2017, 12:00 AM   #384
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Aquascaping the BTA Propagation System

My friends down at The Furnace Glassworks blow glass art and make these pieces of art that mount to walls. I got this idea that I could use them inside BTA propagation tanks and that hopefully they would give the BTAs something to attach too, be comfortable, and be easy to peel off without damaging their feet.

This is the collection of pieces we came up with.


I used the 3M 5200 to attach a handful of the pieces to 4in tavertine tiles, the same ones people use in fragging. I wanted a few of them to sit upright and a few of them to lay on their sides.

Here are the tanks. I basically just threw a handful into each tank. They look pretty cool and with the LEDs on suprising they don't glow all that much.







Same as above with LEDs on.








I'm sure I will move pieces around to make them look better. I have about a dozen left to use in the Sunburst tank as well so I didn't want to stuff these full. Hope the Nems like them... if they don't I'm going to have a really cool wall in the house, this is about $5000 in art inside fish tanks


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Unread 12/04/2017, 12:02 AM   #385
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Hey love your build

Sent u a pm with a few questions as well


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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Unread 12/08/2017, 03:03 PM   #386
tkeracer619
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Originally Posted by Linkfalcon View Post
Hey love your build

Sent u a pm with a few questions as well


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thank you! Not much progress in the last few weeks... end of a project is upon me and I am swamped at work. Eat, Sleep, Work.


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Unread 12/10/2017, 02:23 PM   #387
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you are one crazy mofo, this is an absolutely amazing build.


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Unread 12/15/2017, 09:46 AM   #388
tkeracer619
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Thanks , hoping to get some good progress done this weekend!


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Unread 12/16/2017, 09:31 PM   #389
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That glass work is very "artsy" LOL It's cool


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Unread 12/21/2017, 12:33 PM   #390
tkeracer619
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The Coral Flat

Made some decent progress moving my coral flat from the rec room to the fish room this past week.

After removing the livestock I cleaned and drained the tank.


Slid the tank and stand over to gain some more room for cutting out the old plumbing. I rarely re-use old plumbing and bulkheads. It just isn't worth the headache or risk.



Removed the light fixture from the ceiling. Will re-use everything here and the top frame will aid installation onto the drop ceiling downstairs.


My buddy Eric came over and helped me move it all downstairs. The stand needed to be disassembled and reassembled to make it happen but that was easy since the entire thing is held together with Kreg Pocket Screws. If you're not familiar with them you should be! We also cut the back piece of trim off the stand so the tank and stand can sit flush against the wall.

We spend a few hours rigging cables to come down from the joists to the light fixture frame as you can see here. I won't go into too much detail but we ran 2x4s across the joints and used a plumb bob to make sure we got the cables in the proper place. These run down through a set of 2x4s that we added to the frame and are secured by double pinch clamps.


Everything in place, two coats of the same Behr semi-gloss white paint used on the rest of the room, and black paint on the bottom and back of the coral flat. Room is really coming together! Plumbing will have to wait until 2018.



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Unread 12/21/2017, 02:08 PM   #391
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I created a DIY thread for the ATO project I did for the BTA prop system. I'm just going to cut and paste them here as well...


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Unread 12/21/2017, 02:08 PM   #392
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Multi Tank ATO: Adding Float Switches to Jebao DP-4

I am not normally one who cheaps out on dosing pumps. I have about $10k retail value of masterflex hardware in my setup but I ran into a situation that required I have 6 ATO setups. My typical setup is an AutoTopOff.com float switch and a masterflex peristaltic but that was going to be cost prohibitive for this particular project. I decided to modify a pair of Jebao DP-4 dosing pumps to accept float switches. This thread should give you the info you need to do this yourself. I am linking the items I bought but have no monetary or incentives from the sellers to do so. They simply have the specs we need and are cheep.

I'm sure there are other ways to do this but I feel like this is a cheap and reliable way to create a bunch of Auto Top Off systems for those folks who need several setups or for someone who needs an ATO and has a spare channel on their dosing pump, Modifying only one channel would allow you to use it as an ATO.

Hope this is helpful to someone . Enjoy!

Supplies needed...
Jebao DP-4 Dosing Pump (others hobbby pumps will probably work in a similar manner)
Float Switches
Connectors - Plugs and Sockets
Relay Board
Marine Grade Heat Shrink Tubing
Various size heat shrink tubing.
6-32 Button Head Screws 2" Long and an extra pack of nuts.
Wire ~22ga
Screwdrivers
Wire Strippers
Soldering Iron - Use a good one

In case you aren't sure, this is the one we are talking about. It's a 4 head pump. I purchased mine via international snail mail for about $55ea. Make sure it functions before taking it apart!

First step is to open up the case. The silver tabs on the front slide up towards you if you are looking at the screen, this gives you access to the clips. Prod in here with a slotted screwdriver. Take care not to drop the pump assembly when taking the case apart. It is best to do this with the screen facing the ground and removing the back of the case from the front.



Once open with the screen facing a bench, this is what we have. Go ahead and unplug all of the cables and remove the pump assembly, set it aside. Remove the 4 Phillips screws that hold the logic board, we will mod it in the next step (pictured at the top)


We need to tap into the 12v power supply to drive our relay board. On the back of the logic board solder two wires to the shown solder joints. Take care not to overheat the board. Use 12" wires here, they will be cut to length at a later time. Note polarity and be sure you can identify which is positive and negative once the board is in place.


With the logic board out remove the backplate. Use a O size bit (or whatever you have that fits the sockets snugly) to drill the back plate as shown for the float switch input sockets.


Cut the plugs off of the motors. Cut the black wire as short as you can but leave about 2.5" of the red wire intact.


Strip back a small amount of insulation, slip some heat shrink tubing over the wire, and solder this wire to the shortest tab on the socket. Note the orientation of the socket in the image...


Solder an additional wire (black) to the middle (medium) pin on the connector. Apply heat shrink tubing to this pin as well.


Re-install the back plate, the logic board, and install the female connector. Plug the red wire back into the logic board as shown. Go ahead and mark the outside of the back plate with the corresponding number on the logic board so you don't get confused later on (LED1,2,3,or 4).



Repeat this step for the other 3 Female connectors as shown.



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Unread 12/21/2017, 02:10 PM   #393
tkeracer619
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Multi Tank ATO: Adding Float Switches to Jebao DP-4 (cont)

Drill out 3 of the mounting holes in the relay board. Don't drill the one with the purple x as it is too close to a trace. We'll only be using 3 mounting holes. If you can find a 2" long #4 button head you probably won't need to drill.



Drill and mount one screw at a time using the board as a guide. Our goal here is to get the board over the screen board and closer to the back of the unit without covering the plugs you did in the previous step. Secure each screw with a nut to fasten it to the case. Use a nut as a standoff and one one to secure the board. I use a small piece of vinyl tubing (same I use to plumb the pump) as insulators on both sides of the board.





Take the other wire you connected to the female connectors (black) and connect it to the corresponding trigger input on the relay board. **At this point make sure the jumpers on the relay board are set to LOW trigger.** If you use a different relay board know that due to the way this pump is wired the board must be able to trigger on a low input.


Please take note of the step, it is a little confusing!
-Re-install the pump module
-Connect the black wires off each motor (4), a 12" long red wire, and the to the positive wire (RED) you attached to the logic board together.
-Connect 4 wires, a 12" long black wire, and the negative wire (black) you attached to the logic board together.
-Connect the red wires off each motor (4) to the NO connection on the relay board that corresponds to the input number.
-Connect the 4 12" long black wires to the COM connection on the relay board to the 4 relays that are now in use.



Assemble the float valve setup using two floats soldered in series. Use the marine heat shrink tubing here. Use a two wire conductor as an extension. Solder the male connectors and secure all of the wiring. You want to ensure none of this stuff will move or be damaged easily.


Re-Assemble and test the modification by operating the pumps and float switches manually.


Install, calibrate, and program the pumps to provide enough water to use the bottom float switch. My program has the pump coming on 10x a day, every day, 100ml each time, at 2am, 4am, 6am, 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, 10pm. There are plenty of videos on how to program so I won't go into that.

I'm using two of these setups on a BTA propagation system.


If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate


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Unread 12/21/2017, 04:40 PM   #394
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Awesome and elegant solution for ATO on that many isolated tanks. Actually that whole system is well thought out and streamlined.


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Unread 12/23/2017, 10:47 AM   #395
tkeracer619
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Quote:
Originally Posted by halmus View Post
Awesome and elegant solution for ATO on that many isolated tanks. Actually that whole system is well thought out and streamlined.
Thanks! I think it's come together rather well. Appreciate the comment


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Unread 12/23/2017, 02:27 PM   #396
whyamisofly
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Who's the man with the master plan? Mark!

Great information provided!


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Unread 12/26/2017, 03:09 PM   #397
tkeracer619
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thanks

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season! Merry Christmas!


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Unread 12/31/2017, 07:47 PM   #398
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Cool build thread! I love that you left some open sand bed around the islands.


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Unread 01/02/2018, 12:35 PM   #399
tkeracer619
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crypsis View Post
Cool build thread! I love that you left some open sand bed around the islands.
Thanks! I was hoping to provide hiding room and open swim room for the larger fish.


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Unread 01/05/2018, 11:28 AM   #400
tkeracer619
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Quote:
Originally Posted by williamalvez View Post
hello I have a problem and it makes me flip a photo of the serca plate if you could pass me one in particular that you can read the chip thanks
I'm sorry, I don't understand... Could you possibly be the most patient spambot in the history of RC?? This is your first post since joining in sept of 2013


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