I also differentiate between level detection and leak detection-level going down slow is a warning (or could be used on auto water change systems), but I'm mainly interested in immediate shutoff of the canister filter if water hits the sensor. I'd need to buy 4 Felix controllers for that and don't want to spend $1800. The Felix controller has 8 outlets which is perfect, but I want sensors from 4 tanks going into one controller. Right now I want temp / leak detection for 4 tanks. I definitely plan on building one to cover the main safety shut off functionality that the Felix controller has (kill thermometer, leak detection, and C02 for when I add that in the future). Now that I think of it, I should probably start a thread and post my progress updates there.
![neptunes aquarium neptunes aquarium](https://66.media.tumblr.com/b04a6bdbdeebdebabe483c0780f3fdf9/tumblr_or5odduFR11w68qaao1_1280.jpg)
It was initially created for reef tanks, however I believe that it will adapt for freshwater just fine. Reef-pi - An opensource reef tank controller based on Raspberry Pi Like I also limit heaters to a specific range. One set is permanent stationed in a magnetic probe rack in my baby discus tank and the other set I move around to other tanks within reach of the probe cables. My most used probes are pH and temperature.
![neptunes aquarium neptunes aquarium](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0_SnLTTgWIQ/hqdefault.jpg)
I am really just monitoring ranges, trends and large variances from those trends.īack in 2015, the Apex system was useful for controlling lights, but now lights have their own controls so I don't use it for that anymore. It is also pretty cool that the Energy Bar 8 measures and displays power consumption.Īs far as calibrating ORP for freshwater, I don't care about the precise value. This also allowed for better cable management. It would be easy to get water into the Power Bar so I mounted everything to a board. At that time I was trying to breed Heckel discus and needed the PM2 module to monitor conductivity.
#NEPTUNES AQUARIUM FULL#
I have the full Apex Classic that I purchased in 2015. This shows the value of this forum as I know who to ask if I want to try something new or if I want what see what another freshwater user is doing. This technology is amazingly versatile and I don't use 10% of what this system can do. Like I got an Apex system because technology like this definitely adds fun to this hobby. Is anyone else here using the Apex, or other systems for monitoring and aquarium control? Please share! There are tons of other things you can do with monitoring, water control, and dosing, but I'm not working at that scale. In the future, I might use pH to control a solenoid for a CO2 regulator. I like seeing how pH and temperature change with my lighting schedule in my organic soil tanks.
#NEPTUNES AQUARIUM CODE#
Probe Monitoring and Control: Currently, I just monitor pH and temperature in one tank, and I have simple code to limit heaters to a specific range. I also tested some programming to provide alternating water flow in one tank by running one internal filter on one schedule, and another filter on a different schedule.ģ. This could be actual feeding, or it could be more time to clean sponges or filters. Feed Mode and Filter Control: Via the web interface or app, I have four feed modes to turn off power to various outlets for different time periods on every tank plugged into the power strip. I also purchased a leak detection kit, so water on the floor will trigger an alert and relevant programming.Ģ. It can notify me when the power goes out, and I can choose what to power during the downtime of UPS battery power. Insurance: The power strip is connected to my UPS, with the Aux Power connected to non-UPS power. While I had grand plans about controlling lights, wave-makers, etc., I found value in the following ways.ġ. You cannot calibrate ORP for freshwater unless you add the PM2 module!Īll the 0-10V DC control stuff was more powerful than I would need for my tanks, and I don't need salinity, so I picked the Apex EL. The full Apex also has four channels of 0-10V DC dimming/power control, salinity, and ORP, but with a catch. The Apex EL has Ethernet, Aux Power, IO, Temp, pH, 2 x Aquabus.
![neptunes aquarium neptunes aquarium](https://www.petworks.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1600,quality=80/https://assets.petworks.com/images/listing_images/images/1272766/original/croppedimage568.png)
The control units are slightly different in port choices. They both come with an eight-outlet power strip (in North America), and you can add more. Is it worth it to get the full Apex vs the cheaper EL model? The system is modular, so you can add features later. There are two main versions, the Apex and Apex EL. There are not a lot of resources for using the Apex in freshwater, so I wanted to make a thread. While I run very low-drama organic soil tanks, I got an Apex system because technology is my jam. Aquarium automation and monitoring is very popular in reef aquariums, but less common in freshwater.