Aquarium Monitor?

[joeg]

I'm new to owning an aquarium and I'm interested in some monitors on the market, but I'm not exactly sure what I need/want and i don't want to spend a fortune.

Here is what I think I need to monitor, please correct/add anything (Tank is a 75 Gallon Freshwater tank):

Temperature
Ph
Ammonia/Nitrate levels? (is this the same as ORP?)
Hardness

I don't need Salinity because it's freshwater, correct?

I was looking at something like this:
http://www.marinedepot.com/Digital_...iums-Digital_Aquatics-DA1131-FITEMOMI-vi.html


Like I said, i'm a total noob to this stuff, but i'm looking to learn and protect my investment. I'm not really concerned with how difficult they are to program, I work in IT.

 

[joeg]

also, Chlorine level?

 

[limz_777]

www.seneye.com

 

[joeg]

that looks great, but it's not out yet. I already signed up for the Beta.

 

[Oughtsix]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Phox-Systems-18...628?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3cb7a1002c

I signed up for the beta also. It looks like the only thing to do currently is some kind of home brew. I have several PCI and USB Analog / Digital IO cards. Finding the test probes and controllers will be the hard part.

Think of how much fun it would be to chart a tank as it is cycling. Then compare a 10 gallon tank cycling to a 100 gallon tank cycling.

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

I do not believe in such monitoring once you have a healthy routine established for tank maintenance. Follow pH, nitrates and/or conductivity for the first few months, and you will soon know your tank better than any monitor could.

HarleyK

 

[aclockworkorange]

Howdy,

I do not believe in such monitoring once you have a healthy routine established for tank maintenance. Follow pH, nitrates and/or conductivity for the first few months, and you will soon know your tank better than any monitor could.

HarleyK

I think embracing new technology is in the spirit of MFK personally...

 

[Oughtsix]

Howdy,

I do not believe in such monitoring once you have a healthy routine established for tank maintenance. Follow pH, nitrates and/or conductivity for the first few months, and you will soon know your tank better than any monitor could.

HarleyK

I agree, once a tank is up and running well monitoring is a mute point.

I enjoy the hydraulic engineering and experimentation side of the hobby. What do the water parameters look like charted when a tank is in its initial cycle? Is a sump a better filter than a canister? Do plants really reduce Nitrates? To what degree? How long can I go between water changes? What effect does cleaning the filter have on the water parameters? Are there mini mini-cycles after a filter cleaning? How much filtering is enough filtering and how much is over filtering? If I turn off one of my filters how will it change the water conditions? If I add a new fish or two how does it affect the balance of the tank? How do the water parameters today compare with the water parameters a year from now?

Are any of these questions significant? Probably not but I would really enjoy finding out for sure. Will it make my fish any prettier?... probably not but I will enjoy finding the answers. For most people it would probably be a waste of money but for me it would be worth in the hundred or so dollar range to be able to find out.

 

[Jc1119]

I think embracing new technology is in the spirit of MFK personally...

Me too. I looked at the Digital Aquatics line before i decided on Neptunes Apex Lite. Im sure the reefkeeper is a great unit but Ive heard they can be glitchy. I just went with the tried and true Apex. Plan on setup next month

 

[Oughtsix]

Me too. I looked at the Digital Aquatics line before i decided on Neptunes Apex Lite. Im sure the reefkeeper is a great unit but Ive heard they can be glitchy. I just went with the tried and true Apex. Plan on setup next month

It looks like the only available inputs for these controllers are PH and Temperature? (Ok salinity too but I am not a reef keeper). I want Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels and the ability to chart them to see what effect changes I make in my tank have on these parameters. I have never worried about PH, it has been rock solid through every change I have ever made in my tank. And temperature... my $20 heater takes care of that. I guess these controllers are aimed at the saltwater world.