Equipment list

[Paulm87]

Ive never used auto top up before but would like to use it but not if it's ridiculously expensive, has anyone used a cheaper brand before and if so which one?

I'm also interested in the Seneye reef, which monitors ammonia and pH amongst other things, it's priced at £98 which I think is reasonably priced. Has anyone ordered it?

I also want an RO unit which I'm willing to pay up to £150 but preferably want a 6 stage RO unit but I will fitting it in the shed and using a hose pipe to attach to the tap to feed it.

Last thing a protein skimmer again up to £150 and for a drain do I just drill a small hole in the collection cup with a pipe leading to a bigger cup? How big is the piping need to be so it doesn't get clogged up?

Thanks for any comments

 

[Affordable Aquatic]

I cant comment on your equipment questions because I dont know whats available to you in your country. I will make one suggestion. Be very careful when drilling into acrylic, it cracks easily and chips when you bring a drill within a yard of it. I would strongly suggest purchasing a bit designed specifically for acrylic, it will help. You should cover the area you are drilling with paper masking tape to prevent cracking.

I drilled the collection cup on my large skimmer and siliconed in a threaded elbow with a John Guest quick connect fitting on the end. I used a threaded connector so that the threads could flex in the hole and provide friction to improve the bond. I use 1/4" icemaker (RODI) tubing as a drain line. The hose drains into a salt pail with a screw on and a 1/4' hole drilled into the top. Because the fit is so tight, no smell leaves the bucket.

It takes longer than you might expect to clog the hose, but when it does, I just connect it to my sink using a hose bib attachment and rinse fresh water through it.

 

[Jereli]

As far as the skimmer goes the collection cup usually already has a hole in it that is plugged. Then you can just unplug it and attach a proper sized hose to an extra container to drain into.