Instant Water Quality

[metalyx]

Hey there folks, long time no post. I'm having something of an idea forming. Stop the thread if I'm blowing sunshine, or second to the call please.

My idea is this: Water quality is a problem for every aquarist, so can we automate the process? The idea would require a 24-7 sort of monitoring system to give constant readings on chemical levels. If this could be done digitally we could cut out the need to pull and test water in the classic sense. In a perfect world we could even set up an led panel to show current levels. From there as most users would have a larger system to even consider using it, why not attach a series of chemical balancers that add directly to say a sump/overflow/filter. In this sense say, your tank is showing a rising level. Instead of having to pull and test the water the info is already there. On a programming sense it's easy to say, drop ammonia by .1ppm every 1-10-30min until ph is 6.8ppm and discontinue. This way we could throttle the system to not shock our various buddies with a rapid change but take away alot of the time and/or guess work.

So whatcha think? Should I start construction, buy the one on the market, or leave this one in the realm of fevered fantasy?

Thanks.

 

[sigepoutdoor]

I've seen similar systems on reef setups and then theres a guy on arofanatics.com that his one on his aro setup in singapore.

 

[portabuddy]

seen it done with a computer monitoring everything from temp, PH, nitrate nitrite, everything... it would adjust heat and make water changed. it was a reef.

 

[Dr Joe]

If cost is not an issue , then go for it.

If your good with electronics check out surplus stores as sources for sensors.

Sensing probes need to be cleaned and calibrated regularly too.

Check this out... http://www.draquarium.com/

I've been thru this before for a client.

I prefer to do the work manually, it keeps me in better touch with the environments.

Dr Joe

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[portabuddy]

you can buy a ph probe for $5-$20 and hoock it to the rs232 port, all it does is increase the voltage by one volt per ph and everything inbetween. the temp sensor works on resistance and the one for nitates works on voltade spikes too but in not sure what rage...


its easy to do... then you can program the computer to open a ball valve run a pump and do your water change every day or whenever the nitrates go to 20... hell you can get it to detect hardness TDS, calcume whatever... you can make it run powerheads in randome order

 

[tunerX]

It takes a little more than that. RS232 isn't analogue, it is digital and relies on TTL to determine 1 of 2 states. Any voltage fluctuations need to be handled by a different controller and bit patterns need to be fed into the RS-232 port which will establish levels.

If you can find sensors that already use RS232 then it makes it a little easier, otherwise you need to create your own controllers and write drivers for you PC to talk to them.

 

[portabuddy]

lol yah i know that, sorry i was tring to over simplify things. you can build a controller easly wikopidaia(sp) has a good like to one.