Camera’s to monitor tank

[gclackum]

Might be in wrong place. If so please relocate.
I would like to monitor my tank by Wi-Fi camera.
I have tried a couple of cameras. However the tank lighting completely destroys the ability to see any definition in the tank.
Anyone got one that works?

 

[dball711]

They can all work, just use a proper filter (orange) to cut through the blue light.

 

[ecoreefguy]

+1 on what Dave said. Even orange plastic for for gift wrap would improve your coloration. But you can buy ND filters sets and would work

 

[ichthyoid]

You can go with a single camera connected to a wifi router (or wired) and typically an app on your phone to view it. That’s the basic version.

If you are more ambitious and/or already have a video security system, you should be able to add a dedicated tank camera(s) viewable from your phone as well.

Just know there is a very wide range of prices, function and resolution available. High resolution looks great but also requires speedy connections so it delivers smooth video/not jerky (due to dropped data). A color filter has been brought up. Be aware that there is a wide range of quality in CCD (camera) chips and optics used to capture the image itself. You might use multiple cameras to see both display & sump areas, for example. Another option is a PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) capable camera, so you can ‘look around’. All in all, features cost money.

Be aware of security issues also. Especially if you plan to make your system viewable to others/publicly. You may want to run a VPN on your home network, if you don’t already, but that’s another discussion.

Best of luck. I hope you will share whatever you end up with, as there are likely others thinking about the same thing and/or would be interested.

 

[gclackum]

 

[gclackum]

What I’m seeing now

 

[chaples55]

I'm pretty happy with these, especially for the price. When I go on vacation I set up one for the tank and one for the sump area.

Amazon.com

Since it has pan/tilt you can put it closer to the tank to get a much better look at things. Just tape some kind of orange filter to it like the others said and the image quality is good enough to clearly identify individual fish (even little damsels!) and get an idea of how the corals are doing. I like the Tapo line of cameras because they support RTSP and ONVIF in case you ever want to or need to use them without the proprietary app. They also take an SD card for local recording and their app does give you a decent amount of functionality without having to pay a subscription. I've been content just using their app for now.

 

[chaples55]

Here's a screenshot. Corals a bit scrunched because the lights had already turned off

Note that these have a pretty wide angle so you'd have to put it close to the tank. For that screenshot it was only like 1.5ft from the tank which is 2ft wide. If you want to mount it further away but still get a crisp image you would need something with zoom

Honestly my camera kinda looks the same as yours if I place it too far from the tank