Pancho75
Well-Known Member
LOL !
Shaun's 2000 Litre (530 USG) Living Reef & Red Sea Max S 650 LED Design & Build
- Thread starter SPR
- Start date
a guess... Acropora
SPR
Well-Known Member
No it’s a ‘green un’! Lol
SPR
Well-Known Member
I’ve been a bit quiet this week because I flew out to Sal in Cape Verde last Friday. We normally go to the Caribbean or Indian Ocean at this time of year, but weve been going to try this for a few years so here we are.
One of the things I haven’t completely got a back up plan for is the ATO system. The day before I left the Tunze Osmolator started playing up, or rather not refilling when it should. I spotted it and the cause was a tiny piece of detritus on the optical sensor, and quiet frankly it’s not good enough something tiny like this stops the sensor working.
The problem with the Tunze is, if it stops working, unless it’s a high level alarm it doesn’t alert you. It just stops and your pump can be the alarm when it stops or fills the tank with bubbles. Which is no good to me
I've been debating what to use for redundancy for months, from a basic float switch to the Neptune ATK, but all have problems and can fail and Im not going to pay over more money for the ATK (£200) for it to also potentially fail (like the original one did now in the S650). I wish things would just work as they should!
One of the basic things that haven’t failed me are the standard plastic float switches I have in the S650 for sump /RODI reservoir hi/low alarms which are wired in to the Apex breakout box. I hardly ever even clean then but they just work, unlike the fancy optical versions.
The problem with the Apex ATK is, because this is a large tank, the secondary optical sensor would constantly trigger do to slight fluctuations in pump output, and the large volume of water, as It’s only slightly above the primary sensor. I don’t need to try it because this happened with the Tunze, it kept alarming so I had to relocate the ‘high’ float switch. I know I could relocate the second ATK sensor but I’m not sure yet
I have a spare Tunze Osmolator so I ‘think’ what I’m going to do is hook this additional Tunze up with its standard pump, with the sensor slightly above the primary Tunze sensor.
Then I’ll add a float switch slightly below the primary Tunze sensor so if it fails to top up, Ill be notified and can switch the back up Tunze on from anywhere in the world, or get Apex to do it automatically.
Everything is working fine at the moment including the Tunze, and this is the benefit of having Apex and a HD camera from anywhere in the world
One of the things I haven’t completely got a back up plan for is the ATO system. The day before I left the Tunze Osmolator started playing up, or rather not refilling when it should. I spotted it and the cause was a tiny piece of detritus on the optical sensor, and quiet frankly it’s not good enough something tiny like this stops the sensor working.
The problem with the Tunze is, if it stops working, unless it’s a high level alarm it doesn’t alert you. It just stops and your pump can be the alarm when it stops or fills the tank with bubbles. Which is no good to me
I've been debating what to use for redundancy for months, from a basic float switch to the Neptune ATK, but all have problems and can fail and Im not going to pay over more money for the ATK (£200) for it to also potentially fail (like the original one did now in the S650). I wish things would just work as they should!
One of the basic things that haven’t failed me are the standard plastic float switches I have in the S650 for sump /RODI reservoir hi/low alarms which are wired in to the Apex breakout box. I hardly ever even clean then but they just work, unlike the fancy optical versions.
The problem with the Apex ATK is, because this is a large tank, the secondary optical sensor would constantly trigger do to slight fluctuations in pump output, and the large volume of water, as It’s only slightly above the primary sensor. I don’t need to try it because this happened with the Tunze, it kept alarming so I had to relocate the ‘high’ float switch. I know I could relocate the second ATK sensor but I’m not sure yet
I have a spare Tunze Osmolator so I ‘think’ what I’m going to do is hook this additional Tunze up with its standard pump, with the sensor slightly above the primary Tunze sensor.
Then I’ll add a float switch slightly below the primary Tunze sensor so if it fails to top up, Ill be notified and can switch the back up Tunze on from anywhere in the world, or get Apex to do it automatically.
Everything is working fine at the moment including the Tunze, and this is the benefit of having Apex and a HD camera from anywhere in the world
The thing with the floating ball valve is that it is in operation in literally millions of toilets around the world. There is a reason for this. It's simple, it's cheap and it's reliable. However, the floating ball valve only works when the water is gravity fed. The Tunze on the other hand pumps water up from a lower level.
SPR
Well-Known Member
It’s a beautiful beach Pancho
SPR
Well-Known Member
Hahahahaha......! Lol
SPR
Well-Known Member
So with the Tunze, a tiny particle about 2-3mm on one side of the optical sensor made it think it was under water. And it wasn’t and I need something that works 100% and doesn’t fail when I’m away. But I guess 100% isn’t possible, so I need a solid back up that’s basic and works, but without the inherent danger of dumping 425 litres of water into the sump from the RO tank.
When I get back, to reduce the chance of particles interfering with the optical sensor, I’m going to put the whole sensor holder into a media bag and see if that prevents it happening again, or at least reduces the chance. I’ll need to see if it affects the sensor, but I assume it won’t as it would just make it dark all the time. And it works in the dark anyway.
Anyway, the Cape Verde sun, constant vodka coma’s have given me the solution which I’ll update shortly, but basically a gravity fed system but with safety in place as a backup to the Osmolator. The one in the S650 has never ever failed and is still in place as back-up for that system
And why does knowone sell float switch holders, just basic cheap holders...... I know how to make them but......
When I get back, to reduce the chance of particles interfering with the optical sensor, I’m going to put the whole sensor holder into a media bag and see if that prevents it happening again, or at least reduces the chance. I’ll need to see if it affects the sensor, but I assume it won’t as it would just make it dark all the time. And it works in the dark anyway.
Anyway, the Cape Verde sun, constant vodka coma’s have given me the solution which I’ll update shortly, but basically a gravity fed system but with safety in place as a backup to the Osmolator. The one in the S650 has never ever failed and is still in place as back-up for that system
And why does knowone sell float switch holders, just basic cheap holders...... I know how to make them but......
SPR
Well-Known Member
I agree completely Pancho, the optical sensors are completely unreliable I’m going back to basic float switches for the backup system
As you may have read I managed to break my ATO. I popped around to the local version of B&Q expecting to pick up a new one, and I was told that they no longer stock them. Apparently, they are now 'out of fashion'. In the end it was easier to order a Red Sea replacement ATO kit, which arrived yesterday and I fitted in about two minutes!
Two things. First, was that video shot on your phone? If so, get a D-D Coral Lens Kit. Filters that just clip onto your phone. I'm not recommending you buy it, I'm telling you !!!!!
With the MP's, and looking at the video, do you have any concerns about the reduction in the water surface movement?
With the MP's, and looking at the video, do you have any concerns about the reduction in the water surface movement?
SPR
Well-Known Member
Well spotted on the surface water movement Mr Eagle eye, but not really. The scum is because they were fed not long before but it clears
The anemone and the centre green coral and many others have been transformed since adding the MP40’s infact I thought the green thing in the middle was dead a month or so ago, but clearly it didn’t like the flow pattern. And just before I realised 2 of the rear pumps had stopped working, the anemone moved slightly. He’s gone back to full bubble tips now.
And if you see purple on the sand it’s actually coralline algae. I’ve got a wallpaper scraper for the back wall (yes I know it’s not reef safe) and I scrapped the wall about 6 weeks ago and the stuff came off in sheets (like butter! Lol) and landed in the sand, and it’s trying to grow on it.
The video was taken with the Canon EOS 750D which also has that feature. But this is the first time I’ve used it. It’s full HD so I might fiddle with the settings a bit