DIY Aquarium Monitor

[andywg]

Rather than setting up a complicated computer system to moniter nitrates etc, just use an autochange where the water constantly drains and also constantly tops up as well (into some reservoir). All you would need to do would be to put enough de-chlor in the water to last a week or whatever.

Very interested in the general monitering though.

 

[jmathis7410]

this has already hit the market. it runs about $800. fosters and smith sells it. i made a diy one about a year ago that runs off a networked workstation with webcams. i can control it from any room in the house or even from off site locations through a vpn. even has rain and fog control for my paludariums. but it cost way more than the one you can buy from fosters and smith. and theirs looks like you could modify to your desire. if they only had it a year ago i would have saved myself a lot of headache and money.

 

[Cichlas]

this has already hit the market. it runs about $800. fosters and smith sells it. i made a diy one about a year ago that runs off a networked workstation with webcams. i can control it from any room in the house or even from off site locations through a vpn. even has rain and fog control for my paludariums. but it cost way more than the one you can buy from fosters and smith. and theirs looks like you could modify to your desire. if they only had it a year ago i would have saved myself a lot of headache and money.

No let down mate. Show us the details and the hardware/software etc. Pooling ideas can get costs down by finding alternatives. I'm not sure what you mean by runs of a network workstation with webcams? Webcams have nothing to do with the whole setup in reality as they can just be rigged up as a standard webcam. Nowt expensive or complicated about that. A link to the Fosters and Smith item would be handy. And certainly details of the controllers etc of your own DIY system and how you are controlling them from your workstation

 

[Radius]

I'm going to tie my tanks into an HVAC system, it's gonna be sweet! The best part is it will cost me less than $100 for a controller that costs thousands as I work for the company that makes them.

 

[edotero]

Sounds great..

 

[Dr Joe]

HVAC system ? Do you mean controller & software or are these fish going to be really uptown

seriously tho, sounds interesting. More info when available please.

 

[Dr Joe]

Florescents are dimmable, just expendable . $120.00 for a vf-10-wh ballast.
Maybe better to ramp up and down a set of incandescents and then switch on the florescents if the LED's aren't bright enough. Auto dimmer/brighteners are sold to plug lamps into,some have pre-set timers, others were triggered by a photocell for sun-up/sun-down for sleeping problems for people on night shifts. OR you could Rube Goldberg it and put a motorized shield in front of your florescent lights with a timer to move it out of the way.

 

[Radius]

Well the HVAC stuff is coming from www.reliablecontrols.com and I'm just waiting for the next gen controllers (I finished the software, now it's up to the firmware coders ).

You can do all kinds of neat stuff. Looking at the dimming of flourescent bulbs, you can do that easily with a... what are they called? Proprtional relays, that's it! You can add water changer systems as well which I'm planning. I'll hook a metering pump to the dechlor solution and stuff like that.

When I finally get the equipment I'll post pics and plans. But anyone looking to build these systems, I'd start with HVAC or some other form of industrial control. You can do almost anything and it's really easy to set up and maintain.

 

[Cichlas]

Well the HVAC stuff is coming from www.reliablecontrols.com and I'm just waiting for the next gen controllers (I finished the software, now it's up to the firmware coders ).

You can do all kinds of neat stuff. Looking at the dimming of flourescent bulbs, you can do that easily with a... what are they called? Proprtional relays, that's it! You can add water changer systems as well which I'm planning. I'll hook a metering pump to the dechlor solution and stuff like that.

When I finally get the equipment I'll post pics and plans. But anyone looking to build these systems, I'd start with HVAC or some other form of industrial control. You can do almost anything and it's really easy to set up and maintain.

How much do these controllers cost? No info on the sites that I could find.

 

[Radius]

I'm not sure, I know you can't buy from us directly but I'll snoop around our dealers and find out. What state/province are you in BTW? I might be able to find someone local to you and get an accurate quote.