Aquarium Monitor?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Oughtsix said:
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.
Click to expand...

Moot point or mute point? :D
 
Oughtsix said:
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.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they both are going to do ph, temp, salinity and the Apex does dissolved 02 but its expensive to set up for 02. Mostly aimed at saltwater or those who need to control and montior from afar. Heater control comes in handy too as most heater thermostats are shady at best.

I still use my API test kit for ammonia, nitirte and nitrate. lol
 
I really want one of these just because. If I'm gonna have a 1,000 gallon multi tank system(as I plan to) testing through a shared sump just makes sense. It is one more way to easily monitor and ensure the safety of your fish. At any rate if I'm in another state and get a call from a friend tending my fish that something is wrong the readouts on these devices would be invaluable since strips aren't accurate and novices don't know how to use a chemical testing kit to save their lives (they can barely manage to feed fish without spilling food everywhere and over feeding the tank). I travel allot and this kinda device or devices would potentially be invaluable in trouble shooting something from afar.
 
kamikaziechameleon said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Phox-Systems-18...628?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3cb7a1002c

I don't see how these works and besides this listing you can't find them anywhere else I feel like.
Click to expand...

And they weigh 300lbs.....a bit too big to hang on the side of a tank!

The idea of testing in a shared sump may sound nice but if the test(s) show something wrong then you are still going to have to test the tanks individually untill you find the one with the problem. As others have said, for FW at least, there isn't really a digital tester that covers everything (at least I haven't found one) that would be economical to buy (unless you're running a public aquarium or something).
My thoughts are, Ammonia should always be 0ppm, Nitrite should always be 0ppm, Nitrate needs to stay <40ppm, test strips will show a reading >0ppm on Ammonia and Nitrite and they are cheap, if they show anything then I can use my API kit to see how bad things are, a steady WC schedule is going to take care of Nitrate, no need to spend $100's when I can use the money for fish!
 
Oughtsix said:
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.
Click to expand...
Currently, there is no such thing as a good monitor in the hundred or so dollar range. In any case, with all of these filter questions - redundancy is a nice thing to have ;).
aclockworkorange said:
I think embracing new technology is in the spirit of MFK personally...
Click to expand...
I think most people don't like blowing $300+ on something they have no (real) use for, or when they do, they do it on something with potential use, like an extra filter. But than again, I also believe "the spirit of MFK" doesn't involve grammar nazis. Liking gadgets is not the same as "embracing new technology". And last I checked, MFK is yet to implement an agreement where everybody states that they are going to follow a unified spirit direction. That being said, I believe anybody with the money to spend is free to satisfy their inner gadget fan. I must say the gadget aspect is the only reason why I am attracted to these "solutions".

To the guy that said that you'd have to test each tank after testing a shared sump. A shared sump connects all of the tanks, if one has a water quality problem, it's not just the one tank, it's the whole system.

Of course these things are made for the reef crowds. The cost difference between a reef tank and a fish only freshwater tank is so enormous that while a controller might cost a lot in comparison to most fw tanks, it is a small cost to pay for the security it provides in a reef tank, where there are many many more variables.

From what I know, hanna drop checkers are the quickest and most reliable way to test for things like ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (it's what the salty folk use :P). They are a bit pricey (compared to strips), and I'm not completely sure as to which ones are available...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom