Is This The Future Of Aquarium Monitoring?

For many years now applications have been available which allow you to control various elements of the aquarium whilst you are away from it. The can be simple things such as electrical timers to the more advanced controllers.

There are also some applications which allow you to monitor the aquarium over the internet so that you can check various parameters – again these are normally quite expensive.

Watching the aquarium whilst you are away is very simple as you can just hook up a webcam and broadcast it over the internet.

There is a relatively new one now available and it looks to be very good at first sight.

It is called TankedCAM.

What TankedCAM allows you to do is basically monitor your aquarium whilst you are away from home. This could be when you are at work, travelling, on vacation etc.

TankedCAM gives you the ability to be able to view your aquarium using a live video feed. It also allows you to pan the camera, check water temperature, pH levels, feed the fish and operate various equipment such as lighting, moonlights etc.

Now, this probably does not seem to be that new however there is a twist…

You can watch, monitor and control your aquarium directly from your I-Phone!

They have developed an application designed especially for the I-Phone which allows you to monitor/watch your aquarium and take control of various pieces of equipment. How useful could that be?

It is also available to be used on a PC so if you do not have an I-Phone and are interested in this product then you have not been left out.

As said this product is relatively new and or their website there is a poll running asking what else aquarists would like to monitor so I can only believe that they are hoping to add more functionality to the product in the near future.

I can see so many uses for it.

Below is an excerpt from their webpage:

These technologies are nothing new and can be very expensive to implement separately. TankedCAM is a much more inexpensive way to create an interactive aquarium experience that you can enjoy from anywhere in the world that has an internet connection. TankedCAM is a modular set up that combines these technologies in to one solution and allows you to choose exactly which aspects you would like to monitor in your aquarium.

TankedCAM will be built based on your monitoring needs and shipped to you directly. Set up is as simple as placing the head unit near your aquarium, inserting the water probes (if any) and connecting the network and power cables. In a joint effort with WaveJam Technologies, LLC.  we can also set up and host a special web page that allows you to view your tank from an iPhone or computer web browser.

I do have to point out that this does look good but I have never actually tried it (If the owners read this then perhaps they will ship us a review version – hint hint!) however the images on their website lead me to believe that the equipment looks like it has a high build quality however as said I have not tried it so cannot comment on how robust it is, what it’s expected lifetime is etc.

If you want to have a look yourself then pop over to http://www.tankedcam.com

If you want to have a go with their online demo on your I-Phone then open Safari on your iPhone and type the address m.tankedcam.com into the address bar. If you want to try their PC version then they also have an online demo available on their site.

There is one thing that I am not certain of however, and that it whether the probes will be ok in salt water. Perhaps I will drop them a line and attempt to find out.

Below are some videos which show it in action.

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How Should I Go About Choosing A Heater For My Reef Tank?

Most marine systems are set up to house tropical livestock, which means that attention has to be given to maintaining a moderately high seawater temperature. The recommended temperature is 75 to 80 deg F, though some experienced aquarists run at a higher level to increase the metabolism of all the livestock. The novice should not do this but stick to the recommended levels.

Heating the seawater is straightforward nowadays, as a unit called a heater/stat is commonly available. These take the form of a longish tube with a thermostat at the top end and a heater unit at the lower end. They are available from local retailers and online and the price is very reasonable.

Aquarium heaters used to be the source of a few problems in the past with sticking contacts in the thermostats or general failure. Nowadays they are more reliable though the danger of a sticking thermostat is still present. There are ways of reducing the risk but obtaining the heater unit is the first consideration.

The heater/stat is available in several wattages (W) and the size of the aquarium, or rather the net total gallonage of the aquarium which includes any sump, dictates the heating need. The usual guideline is to allow 2 watts per gallon of seawater for a normally heated room. If the room is unheated then the wattage is doubled. So keeping things simple, a 50 gallon system in a heated room would require 100W, and in an unheated room 200W. These wattages are not based on a formula that must be rigidly followed, what is required is that the heating is known to be fully capable for all possible demands. Wattages that are a little higher – within reason – should not be harmful.

It may be thought that buying a bigger heater, say 400w in a heated room, would be better as that capacity will not face any problems ever. However, it is not a good idea. If the thermostat contact sticks in the ‘on’ position then the seawater will heat up more quickly, possibly meaning that the aquarist doesn’t notice the excessive temperature problem until it is too late.

Once the heating requirement is known there isn’t anything to stop the aquarist purchasing a heater/stat of the correct wattage (if the wattage doesn’t match the net gallonage the next heater up should be chosen). Again remembering that though modern heaters are much more reliable than they used to be potential problems have not been totally eliminated, so it is best to obtain two heater/stats. They should not individually equal the full heating requirement of the system, but half of it. In other words, if 200W is required then obtain two heater/stats at 100W each. This will help to prevent a problem with one of the thermostat contacts sticking ‘on’ or ‘off’: if one sticks in the ‘on’ position then the other will turn off when the design temperature has been reached slowing down the temperature climb, or if it sticks in the ‘off’ position then the other heater will prevent the seawater cooling too quickly. Hopefully the aquarist will notice the problem in the extra time the system affords.

With two heater/stats the temperature setting on each should be the same. Many heater/stats are set at 75 deg F before they leave the factory so if the aquarist requires a higher temperature then the devices will require adjustment. This brings up another point: when purchase is being considered ensure any temperature adjustment is easily accomplished. There are heater/stats nowadays that display the temperature setting on a clear scale and an easy to use adjustment knob is at the top of the unit.

There isn’t an absolute requirement that two heating units are used, but for the reasonable extra financial outlay it is worthwhile.

Finally, before parting with hard cash find out what the temperature variance of the heater/stat is. The temperature variance is the difference between when the heater turns off and when it turns on again – in other words the sensitivity of the thermostat. A variance of 1.5 deg F is good but manufacturer’s products vary.

Really that is all there is to consider when obtaining heater/stats, but I’ll just mention one other thing. I should point out that though this is generally desirable for accuracy and dependability there isn’t an absolute requirement.

Some aquarists when setting up a system decide to employ an exterior electronic controller. They can of course be retro-fitted. The controller usually takes the form of a small box perhaps 4″ square or so. There is a mains electricity connection, and a socket from which the electricity for the heaters is supplied. In addition, there is a small temperature probe that goes in the seawater. Temperature is set usually by means of a small knob, and the heaters are shown to be active or not by an indicator light. If two heater/stats are in use, they should both be connected to the controller (ensure the power handling capacity – wattage – that the controller can handle is not exceeded). Once the design temperature for the seawater has been set on the controller, the temperature setting on the heater/stats should be 2 deg F higher. This means that the heater stats are always in the ‘on’ position. Some electronic controllers pulse electricity through the heaters, reacting to the probe readings. If the seawater is trying to cool, the pulses are longer (so the heaters apply heat for longer), if it starting to warm up too much the pulses shorten. It is reported that as the heater coils are always warm, not going from cold to hot and back again the heating coils last longer. These electronic units could control temperature to +/- .5 deg F. It sounds as though they could be an expensive item, but they aren’t.

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