Aquarium Parameters
Current Aquarium Status
Aquarium status is being provided by an AquaController III Pro. The unit came with temperature, pH, and ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential) probes and two power modules (one DC8 and one DC4) were added to the system later.
The following table lays out the current aquarium parameters as detected by the AquaController with a 5 minute latency. Note that "dawn" and "dusk" in the tank are based on actual dawn/dusk times in the tropical regions but for evening and late-night enjoyment purposes dawn has been delayed by four hours by setting the AquaController's clock by that amount of time (i.e. when the AquaController thinks it's 5PM, it's actually 9PM).
Basic Tank Parameters
| Tank Time: | unknown | pH: | unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature: | unknown°F | ORP: | unknown |
Overview of Power-Controlled Devices
| Device | Status | Config | Description | Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 Lighting | ON | Auto | First and last daylight bulb (Ushio 10K+Lumenarc A3mini) | On at dawn, off at dusk |
| Stage 3 Lighting | ON | Auto | Main daylight lighting (2x flanking Ushio 10k+Lumenarc A3mini) | On 40 minutes after dawn, off 40 minutes before dusk |
| Gravity Fuge Light | OFF | Auto | TCP 23w 51K Compact Flourescent Floodlamp | On 60 minutes before dusk, off 60 minutes after dawn |
| Moonlights | OFF | Auto | Pair of R2 Solutions Moonlight 11000 MC | On at moonrise, off at moonset (based on lunar schedule) |
| Frag Tank Light | OFF | Manual | Ushio 14K in parabolic reflector | On 60 minutes before dusk, off 60 minutes after dawn |
| Sump Fuge Light | OFF | Auto | Used, crappy, partially non-functional 4 foot 55W lighting contraption | On 60 minutes before dusk, off 60 minutes after dawn |
| Heater | ON | Auto | WON Pro Heat II (LCD) titanium submersible heater | On if temperature deviates from the seasonal temperature by more than 0.2 degrees Farenheit |
| Stage 2 Lighting | ON | Auto | Not currently used | Not currently set |
There are a few additional safety nets programmed in. For instance, lighting is disabled in series as the pH exceeds 8.50, 8.55, and 8.60. Likewise, lighting is disabled in series (including eventually the UV Sterilizer) as the temperature reaches 85, 86, and 86.5 degrees. If you're interested in the complete program, it's available here. Tank monitoring is accomplished using an expect script that functions as a Nagios plugin. This open source monitoring framework provides a means to alert based on a variety of thresholds. For the moment, I get e-mail when Bad Things Happen.
Aquarium Parameter Graphs
The current variables being graphed on a regular basis are the temperature, pH, and ORP. Note that the pH value has been multiplied by 10 and the ORP value divided by 10 so that all variables can reside on the same graph.
24 Hour View
One Week View
One Month View
One Year View
