Reef nutrition

Apex + Trident counter top cabinet

thesassyindian

thesassyindian

Supporting Member
BARcard
TL;DR: Countertop Apex cabinet design & build thread.

TS;WM:

I'm finally at a point in reefing and generally in life, where I need my tank to be pretty much on autopilot, except for water changes.
Currently, I have a single doser dosing ESV B-ionic Alkalinity, and I manually dose Calcium and Magnesium.
All my feeding automation is done through a Wi-Fi powerstrip, and my temperature control through a homebrew temperature monitor / controller.

9828c873-a955-48c8-8a1e-4aae48564fb8.76c1ddb141cdca60f4c64001a954f062.jpeg
image0-jpg.18048


The problem is, with the auto dosing of alkalinity, I tend to not test/dost calcium as often, and it often falls as low as 300ppm.
Never had an issue keeping Mg values within spec, since Red Sea Coral Pro salt has high Mg values to begin with, and I am diligent with water changes.

That said, the main changes I'm making are as follows:
  1. Switch over my only doser to Tropic Marin All-For-Reef for unified Alk/Ca/Mg dosing
  2. Add an Apex El + Neptune Trident for testing Alk/Ca/Mg
Here's the catch.
My tank sits on our kitchen counter "bar" area and as such, I don't have a stand under the tank like most of you folks.
Also, my primary directive from she-who-must-be-obeyed, is that it should look pretty.
To make things more complicated, I only have a19in x 19in x 6in volume to work with.

This is what my current setup looks like:

IMG_9286 (1).jpg
 
Oof! 19in x 19in is tight for an apex and EB832!
Made some quick models in CAD to test the layout.

It’s going to get cozy in there, but I’ll have to make it work.

Will be making the back plane from a 1/4” thick HDPE sheet.

Here are some preliminary renders:

A29200B7-B8D8-4BC2-AF52-676D1327614D.jpeg


E99F1189-EFE0-4B6F-B690-0B9CD58DD499.jpeg
 
H2OPlayar said:
Consider putting the power bar on the rear. It cleans up the face of the display and keeps more of the wiring in the back.
Click to expand...
Good point! My thought was to have easy access to the plugs in case I need to unplug anything. Also since the EB832s are well known to let out the magic smoke, I’d rather have them visible from the outside :)
 
Are you going to have a hinged door on the front to close it? If so keep in mind the added size of the plugs. Some of them can stick out quite far from the face of the EB832. Also, there are companies that build cabinet doors that can match your existing kitchen cabinets. Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in. I’ll see if I can dig up the vendor I used to use there in the Bay Area.
 
Yessir! I ordered a few of these 90 degree adapters so i can put the power bricks behind the main mounting plate.
As for the front. I want it to be visible from the outside, and planning on laser cutting a clear door out of 1/4" acrylic / polycarbonate.

515NZDk4riL._AC_SS450_.jpg
 
Cabinet is built!
Front has the main Apex, EB832 and wavemaker controllers mounted.
Behind that mount backplane, is an empty cavity to hoard power bricks and long cables.
This cavity is easily accessible by opening the two draw catches.

Now I need to figure out
  1. Backing and how to mount it to the tiled wall without drilling (I live in a rental apartment).
  2. Lasercut a clear Acrylic / Polycarbonate door.
IMG_9302.jpg
1.png



2.png
IMG_9312.jpg


3.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top