Definition of Reef Insanity Build - Dave's 120G Tech Tank V4

[FishieBusiness]

Reef Insanity Update: Progress & Some DIY Madness​

Ammonia has (hopefully) peaked and is on its way down—somewhere between 1 and 0.5 ppm. Nitrite, on the other hand, is sitting in the 1–2 ppm range. Has it truly peaked? Who knows. This is a fishless cycle fueled by leftover dead organics, so the timeline is anyone’s guess. They say, “Nothing good happens fast in a reef,” and the nitrogen cycle is no exception.

Display Tank Overflow Protection: Because Disaster is Inevitable
I finally added an extra layer of overflow protection. A float switch inside the overflow is now tied into my Apex to cut power to the return pump if both the main and emergency Herbie drains clog. Because, let’s be honest—it’s not if things go wrong in this hobby, it’s when.

First Maintenance Task: ATO—Because I hate to Haul Water even by the cup.​

Still no solution for water changes! For now, I’ll be lugging 5-gallon buckets from the basement to the display until I figure out a better plan. (Dreaming of an automated basement water change system in the future…)

But for top-off? That, I’ve got covered.

I took advantage of basement access to free up space under the stand. Enter: DIY auto top-off. The RO reservoir? A 9-gallon Home Depot HDX storage container with a shut-off float valve, acrylic rod tube, and John Guest fittings—because why not. To move water from the basement to the sump, I repurposed an industrial Cole-Parmer/Masterflex peristaltic pump I had lying around, connected to an APEX-controlled outlet via an extension cord (because, again, why not?).

For Apex water level control, I grabbed a magnetic mount dual float switch from TL Reefs (Amazon/eBay special), which works with the new Trigger sump. Redundant sump low-level and high/full sensors are also tied to the Apex, adding an extra layer of safety. To prevent the RO system from constantly cycling (and reduce TDS creep), the reservoir refills only once per day via an AC solenoid on a plug timer I had on hand. So far, the ATO pump is running roughly every five hours.

Next Up: Still Watching Water Parameters Daily Like a Crazy Person​

Meanwhile, my clownfish is terrorizing everyone at her vacation home. Every tank maintenance session has turned into a Jaws horror movie, and let’s just say… they’re very eager for her to go home.

Float valve installed in display overflow for pump shutoff protection protection:

DIY reservoir and Auto Top-Off setup using Apex.

I love the DIY stuff. It's giving me great ideas.

 

[afboundguy]

Reef Insanity Update: Progress & Some DIY Madness​

Ammonia has (hopefully) peaked and is on its way down—somewhere between 1 and 0.5 ppm. Nitrite, on the other hand, is sitting in the 1–2 ppm range. Has it truly peaked? Who knows. This is a fishless cycle fueled by leftover dead organics, so the timeline is anyone’s guess. They say, “Nothing good happens fast in a reef,” and the nitrogen cycle is no exception.

Display Tank Overflow Protection: Because Disaster is Inevitable
I finally added an extra layer of overflow protection. A float switch inside the overflow is now tied into my Apex to cut power to the return pump if both the main and emergency Herbie drains clog. Because, let’s be honest—it’s not if things go wrong in this hobby, it’s when.

First Maintenance Task: ATO—Because I hate to Haul Water even by the cup.​

Still no solution for water changes! For now, I’ll be lugging 5-gallon buckets from the basement to the display until I figure out a better plan. (Dreaming of an automated basement water change system in the future…)

But for top-off? That, I’ve got covered.

I took advantage of basement access to free up space under the stand. Enter: DIY auto top-off. The RO reservoir? A 9-gallon Home Depot HDX storage container with a shut-off float valve, acrylic rod tube, and John Guest fittings—because why not. To move water from the basement to the sump, I repurposed an industrial Cole-Parmer/Masterflex peristaltic pump I had lying around, connected to an APEX-controlled outlet via an extension cord (because, again, why not?).

For Apex water level control, I grabbed a magnetic mount dual float switch from TL Reefs (Amazon/eBay special), which works with the new Trigger sump. Redundant sump low-level and high/full sensors are also tied to the Apex, adding an extra layer of safety. To prevent the RO system from constantly cycling (and reduce TDS creep), the reservoir refills only once per day via an AC solenoid on a plug timer I had on hand. So far, the ATO pump is running roughly every five hours.

Next Up: Still Watching Water Parameters Daily Like a Crazy Person​

Meanwhile, my clownfish is terrorizing everyone at her vacation home. Every tank maintenance session has turned into a Jaws horror movie, and let’s just say… they’re very eager for her to go home.

Float valve installed in display overflow for pump shutoff protection protection:

DIY reservoir and Auto Top-Off setup using Apex.

I'm in the process of automating my ATO setup with two float switches, a powered brass valve and some water sensors so I hopefully will never have to worry about filling up my ATO every again!

 

[daves-reef]

I'm in the process of automating my ATO setup with two float switches, a powered brass valve and some water sensors so I hopefully will never have to worry about filling up my ATO every again!

@afboundguy - Previously, when I had my basement sump, I ran my RO system directly for top-off, using float switches and a solenoid valve controlled by Apex. Over the years, I encountered a lot of issues with that setup—failed float switches, multiple solenoid failures (both stuck open and closed), and more. This time, I opted against the direct approach and added a reservoir in between. I still use the solenoid as a backup to the float valve since it works better for shutting off the RO. Eventually, I plan to run it only once or twice a week to minimize valve cycles. An endless water supply can be a scary thing!

If you decide to go direct, I’d recommend a few things I’ve added over the years for extra safety and redundancy. First, install an RO shut-off float valve inside the sump as a backup in case the solenoid fails. Use redundant float switches or sensors. Look into ATO programming that includes max-time cycle limits to shut things off if they run too long or too often (though it takes some tweaking to get seasonal adjustments right).

Despite all my precautions, the basement pump failure that prompted this rebuild went unnoticed until my salinity had dropped dangerously low from continuous top-off. This time, I plan to add an Apex PM2 for salinity monitoring, so you might want to consider that as well.

 

[afboundguy]

@afboundguy - Previously, when I had my basement sump, I ran my RO system directly for top-off, using float switches and a solenoid valve controlled by Apex. Over the years, I encountered a lot of issues with that setup—failed float switches, multiple solenoid failures (both stuck open and closed), and more. This time, I opted against the direct approach and added a reservoir in between. I still use the solenoid as a backup to the float valve since it works better for shutting off the RO. Eventually, I plan to run it only once or twice a week to minimize valve cycles. An endless water supply can be a scary thing!

If you decide to go direct, I’d recommend a few things I’ve added over the years for extra safety and redundancy. First, install an RO shut-off float valve inside the sump as a backup in case the solenoid fails. Use redundant float switches or sensors. Look into ATO programming that includes max-time cycle limits to shut things off if they run too long or too often (though it takes some tweaking to get seasonal adjustments right).

Despite all my precautions, the basement pump failure that prompted this rebuild went unnoticed until my salinity had dropped dangerously low from continuous top-off. This time, I plan to add an Apex PM2 for salinity monitoring, so you might want to consider that as well.

I had planned on adding multiple float switches and an RODI float switch for triple redundancy. I do like the two reservoirs and I might do that and do the double-triple redundancy on both.

I will be using an XH-M203 sensor that is made just for water control and from what I've read they are pretty bullet proof. The solenoid I bought is only opened when power is applied so if I loose power it will shut.

I had thought about how to do water changes with this set up so I was thinking of getting one of the smaller brute trash cans for that purpose and I could use that as main spot and then fill up the ATO from that!

I do have the ability to monitor salinity through my old school ReefKeeper and plan to use that as another level of redundancy and kill power to the outlet to still make sure the solenoid closes.

 

[daves-reef]

First A Nitrogen Cycle Update: Real Progress!
As of today, things are moving along nicely. Ammonia and nitrite have zero out for first time. If all goes well, the tank should be ready for fish next week!

More DIY Madness: Because pH Isn’t Everything… But It Sure Gets a Lot of Buzz
With the basement sump setup and skimmer, my pH consistently sat in the 7.8–7.9 range from the day I added an APEX and probe. That used to be considered okay, especially anything above 7.9. Then I went on vacation, left the house empty, and suddenly, my pH shot up to 8+. That’s when I realized just how much indoor CO2 affects tank PH. I ran an airline outside… and never looked back. With the outside air feed, my pH has stayed above 8 ever since.

Now, with the new build tracking 7.85 - 7.9 , with the DC Maxspect skimmer—which features dual venturi airlines—just running a single line wasn’t going to cut it. So, what’s the solution?

After some brainstorming (and digging through my hoard of leftover reefing junk), I came up with a plan. I cut an extra piece of skimmer tubing in half and adapted both skimmer venturi connections to two lengths of an old 1/2” ID Python water change hose I had lying around—way more flexible than vinyl. That got me through the wall and down to the basement.

From there, I needed a fresh air intake but didn’t want to run another 15+ feet of tubing to the old location. Plus, I wanted a way to add a carbon filter to the intake for extra protection from outside contaminants—not to mention some peace of mind. So, I raided my PVC plumbing stash, grabbed some spare parts, and, with less than $10 from Home Depot, built this:

DIY Charcoal Skimmer Air Intake Filter​

Because, why not DIY everything?
Made from leftover PVC pipe and old MESH MOD Enkamat (if you were reefing in the late ‘90s/early 2000s, you know that the mesh mod was the skimmer bomb!). I held onto this stuff for 20+ years, and it finally came in handy again. Installed today and PH is running 8.06.

 

[daves-reef]

Reef Insanity Update: Clowns Coming Home & More DIY Madness!​

I’ve added a dozen hermits and a couple of snails, lightly feeding the tank while dosing low amounts of Dr. Tim’s ammonium chloride for the past week. No detectable ammonia, nitrates sitting at 15—looks like the nitrogen cycle is officially complete! First water change is in the books too.

Now, my clowns have booked their return trip for this weekend. Wonder how they’ll react to their Extreme Makeover: Reef Edition remodel?

Meanwhile, as I dream of an automatic water change system (today’s manual water change required 12 flights of stairs—six trips up/down with bucket old water, six up/down with buckets of new ), I decided to get creative with some DIY aqua scaping additions.

Magnetic Floating Rock Creations!​

Because why stop at just DIY plumbing, lighting, and automation controls?
Repurposed some old powerhead mount magnets and leftover sump rock to create matching back-wall rock formations. Adds depth, looks cool, and—most importantly—provides extra real estate for frags! The magnet-mounted rocks mimic the top of what would have been a rock wall, keeping with the open, negative-space look I was aiming for.

Still, there’s a lot of empty real estate with no set coral placement plan yet. Time to start searching for ideas and seeking advice.

 

[Cpage101]

Meanwhile, as I dream of an automatic water change system (today’s manual water change required 12 flights of stairs—six trips up/down with bucket old water, six up/down with buckets of new ),

well that sucks Coming along nicely. My build has been stalled still waiting for replacement sump to ship out. Bashsea needed to build a new one

 

[Reefried]

Aquascape came out great.

 

[daves-reef]

Aquascape came out great.

Thanks

 

[N_E_M_O]

Great to see this build thread...looking forward to the progress.
Although...even though she bit me more than any other Clownfish EVER has, I will miss them.
Not gonna lie, part of me was totally fine if you decided not to re-set the tank
But SO glad you did!

 

[daves-reef]

The Clowns Are Back in Town!

Huge thanks to @N_E_M_O (A.K.A. SaltwaterB) for boarding them! If all goes well, the tangs will be moving back in soon too. The clowns have already claimed their new anemone—shoutout to @marinehead for the anemone hookup!

Next on the list: breaking down the old basement Rubbermaid sump. Still has some of my DIY GARF rock from the ‘90s concrete reef—guess I was ahead of my time on the man-made rock thing? Also, there’s a deep sand bed tub and 10+ years of sludge. That’s gonna be… an experience.

Once that mess is gone, it’s water change solution time—with a pump from the basement to the display. My knees can’t handle another stair workout. Might switch to 5% weekly instead of 20% monthly… because, let’s be real, I’m fresh out of ice packs.

 

[daves-reef]

The Basement Sump Is Dead—Long Live the Water Change Station (Yet to Be)

The basement Rubbermaid sump teardown is complete! It was messy, but it’s done. The remaining non-DIY rock and rubble is circulating in a Brute can, while the old DIY rock and sump are stacked outside.
Now, what to do with a half-ton of leftover PVC?

Still debating whether to keep the last 20G Long running with the spare Mega flow sump or just shut it all down until needed. Either way, I’m planning around the 20G L with sump and a standalone 20G H quarantine tank in the closet. Should still be room for a mixing barrel and saltwater reservoir—Once I create a plan - future water change station, here we come!

 

[daves-reef]

The Tangs Are Back in Town!

The Biota Hawaii Yellow Tang and White Tail Yellow Eye Kole Tangs have officially moved back in! They are slightly younger but both I have had for 5+ years old. Unlike the clowns, who act like they haven’t eaten in weeks every time I walk by begging to be fed, the tangs are still a bit on the shy side. Classic introverts.

Maybe with time—and their fancy new digs—they’ll loosen up a bit. Or maybe they’ll just continue pretending I don’t exist unless there’s nori involved. Time will tell!

 

[FishieBusiness]

That yellow eye Kole is sweet!

 

[daves-reef]

Is It Insane to Not Just Keep It Simple? Manual Water Changes vs. Sorcerer's Apprentice Chaos

After 50+ years of manual water changes (bucket brigade strong), The 25-gallon (in 5-gallon increments x2) stair workout is officially retired. I finally gave in to the siren song of automation.

This weekend maintenance is wrapped—tank’s looking good, fish and frags are thriving.

The big upgrade? A shiny new RODI saltwater mixing station and a Neptune APEX DOS pump down in the basement. Now I’m running daily 1.2 gallon automated water changes, supplemented by manual 5-gallon+ bottom siphon cleanups monthly—or as needed.

But now I wonder… have I invited Fantasia-style Sorcerer apprentice mayhem into my reef? Will this simplify my life—or flood it when I least expect it? Would love to hear your water change automation wins—or what cautionary tales, I should be bracing for.

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[Reefried]

Looks good. I don’t have anything for auto water changes or to make water changes any easier I guess. I have a 15 gallon brute that I bring to the tank and fill with RO. The brute has power heads and a heater that stay in it. I mix salt overnight. The day of the water change I siphon tank water into a 5 gallon bucket 3 times. Then I dump the salt water into the toilet, which isn’t too bad, it’s only one room away from the tank.

I do have a solid method for top off, my reservoir fill automatically when it’s empty.


What failsafes do you have in place for that? Does the fresh water refill automatically?

 

[daves-reef]

What failsafes do you have in place for that? Does the fresh water refill automatically?

I have a separate ATO that uses float switches along with apex programing that shuts down if the ATO runs to long. For the automatic water changer the fresh RODI water is not automatic. I refill that when the salt water reservoir gets lower. Then transfer to the SW bin and mix again( Water changer is off during new SW mixing) . If the saltwater reservoir were to run low the DOS water changer shuts off.