Ok I have been so busy these past couple of months I haven't had time to spend proper time with my tank. Noticed a few weeks ago the orange and green plating monti was loosing color and actually looking a weird rust color so I did an immediate water change but things didn't get any better. Over the weekend I picked up a phosphate test kit (the one I had was empty) and found my phosphates were thru the roof and nitrates were pushing 100. Now the only thing I have changed is the salt mix. I moved from a salt that I will not name as I had plenty of issues I strongly verbalized here to Reef Crystals so I don't think this is the issue. I am really wondering if it is time to add an apex or that other name brand controler to my system along with a couple other pieces such as kalkwasser etc. Having said all this what are some of yours thoughts as to necessity of going to just a controler such as apex (I keep mentioning this brand from everything I have read concerning controlers) or to also adding on other hardware. Also is there anyone out there who maybe might have a controler they would like to get rid? Oh by the way mag was around 1400 and calcium was pushing 520. In any case I am looking at doing 3 water changes this week in hopes of bringing things back to tolerable levels.
is it time to automate
- Thread starter wmboots
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In this case, not sure a controller would help you much. They don't currently monitor Phospahtes and Nitrates... only temp, pH, ORP, Salinity, Disolved Oxygen.
I love mine as it frees me up from watching several other things like water levels, topping off, kalk mixing, etc...
I love mine as it frees me up from watching several other things like water levels, topping off, kalk mixing, etc...
I already have auto topoff setup and water changes take me about an hour with a thorough glass cleaning included so other than monitoring ph salinity etc I guess I see no real reason which is why I talked myself out of controlers last time I thought about it. I will say it would be nice to be able to monitor magnesium, alkalinity, phosphates, calcium levels along with salinity but I unless I am misunderstanding the capabilities to monitor all of the above is not feasible with either apex or reefkeeper controlers. But it does make me wonder what it would take to write such a program and what kind of sensor devices would come into play. I just don't think it should be that difficult for someone with any sort of training in 1's and 0's to put together.
Following along. Hey Boots, the frags you gave me a while back are doing fantastic. It amazes me how much growth I have gotten out of them. Hope everything works out in your tank and it gets back to looking as good as it did when I saw it.
glad to hear you are getting good growth from your frags, between me spending several weeks taking care of my wife with her knee replacement surgery, finally taking a week away in the cayman islands diving and then business going crazy not enough time was spent on my tank and sadly it has suffered. Now I will take a couple of weeks doing 2 - 3 water changes a week to get params back in order. I just hope and pray I don't wind up eating my words about a certain salt I so berated on this board, but if I do I will be the first to admit I was wrong. I will know after I have done a few water changes with reef salt.
seth the wine guy
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I don't believe a "sensor" or probe has been developed for testing such parameters like PO4 and NO3. So all the programming in the world won't help. Even the fancy photometers need a reactant to work. I can't wait for such equipment to become available.
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ok here you go ysi 9600 Nitrate Monitor Not sure if the probe would work with another controller .haven't seen a po4 probe yet.
Sadly all a controler really does is give you a single access point to control lighting, auto top off pump and probes to monitor temp, salinity and ph.
Auto top off is a very simple fix with a $14 pump and it is much cheaper to buy a couple of timers for lighting.
Do I believe the knowledge and equipment is available to monitor and control things such as alkalinity, magnesium and calcium? yes I do but due to supply and demand would make it a very expensive item.
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Don't under estimate the value of your system emailing or texting you when a parameter gets out of line, then being able to log in to your controller from your phone or another PC and making adjustments to remedy the situation.
FWIW-
I bit the bullet and am automating...a bit. I'm taking my time, and adding in redundancy wherever possible.
I (and many others, btw) suggest that you be careful of automating a potentially system killing process, without a backup (redundancy).
For example, if you control temperature, use 2 different levels of control, with the second able to catch the first if it overshoots.
I bit the bullet and am automating...a bit. I'm taking my time, and adding in redundancy wherever possible.
I (and many others, btw) suggest that you be careful of automating a potentially system killing process, without a backup (redundancy).
For example, if you control temperature, use 2 different levels of control, with the second able to catch the first if it overshoots.
I purchased a small peristaltic type pump from a local LFS for $15 set it up from my RODI drum to my sump and it does a fantastic job for top off. put a couple micro switches along with a float valve for redundancy so I don't worry about potential flooding.
Edit:
I can appreciate the value of a text message or email letting me know temp, salinity or ph gets out of sorts but having spent so many years working with HVAC control systems and knowing what these control modules, sensors and programs are capable of doing I just wonder what it would take to create sensors to read paramatters that are critical to our reef systems. I know the software part is easy so it has to be in the hardware portion that hangs up the ability to handle the monitoring.
seth the wine guy
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Dave, while I appreciate your suggestion. I should have been more specific on what I was going for. A probe RELEVANT to our hobby. I don't think this probe will fit too well under most peoples stands.
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:lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2:
That is not the probe but a canister they are using to protect several probes and to keep it away from items that might interfere with the signals hence the size. The actual probe is maybe 20 % larger than the ones you guys use.
Like this one
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couple of water changes have been accomplished and seeing results in diminished algae growth along with phosphates and nitrates subsiding. Sadly I lost a beautiful green ora spongode, a fairly large single polyp of orange dendro, a colony of orange plating monti, a colony of green plating monti, and three small colonies of branching monti's. Also a nice sized green and red favia has lost its color which I believe will return as it is still alive.
All in all the loss is minimal but I sure hated losing the spongode and I'm hoping some of the frags of plating monti's I have will pull through even though they look off in color at this time.
I plan to do another 20% water change tomorrow evening and hopefully that will get everything under control again
All in all the loss is minimal but I sure hated losing the spongode and I'm hoping some of the frags of plating monti's I have will pull through even though they look off in color at this time.
I plan to do another 20% water change tomorrow evening and hopefully that will get everything under control again
seth the wine guy
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I'll cut you a piece of spongeode. I can bring it for ya at the Jan meeting
Boots, the orange plating monti you gave me is doing great and growing like a weed. It has encrusted the rock it is on but a portion is hanging out into the water column. I have no idea how to frag (other than just breaking a piece off) but if you want to come on over one day, you can help your self to anything in my tank. Yes, there isn't a lot but almost half of it came from you so you are welcome to it.
