Marine aquarium automation
Table of Contents
Marine aquarium automation – Introduction
For many years, marine aquaristics has been one of the most demanding and time-consuming hobbies. Moreover, aquarium owners had to spend many hours monitoring water parameters. This includes caring for filtration, lighting, and maintaining optimal conditions for their marine inhabitants. Thanks to technological progress, we are now witnessing a revolution in the world of aquaristics. This revolution is centered around marine aquarium automation.
Firstly, marine aquarium automation is the process of utilizing advanced technologies and systems. Additionally, these technologies enable automatic monitoring and control of water parameters. They also help manage other factors essential for maintaining a healthy and balanced marine ecosystem. As a result, aquarium owners can enjoy the beauty of the underwater world without the need to spend many hours on daily care.
Water parameter monitoring and marine aquarium automation
One of the essential aspects of marine aquarium automation is the system for monitoring water parameters. This system uses sensors to track important factors in real time. With the support of specialized software, it measures parameters like temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrate, phosphate levels, and salinity. Additionally, crucial water parameters like calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and carbonate hardness (kH) are monitored. If these parameters exceed the set ranges, the system automatically alerts the aquarium owner. This notification prompts the owner to take corrective actions to restore balance in the aquarium. This helps prevent sudden changes in the aquarium environment that could harm the health of fish and corals. By maintaining stable conditions, the system ensures a healthier and more balanced ecosystem.
Water monitoring systems in a marine aquarium
Below are several water monitoring systems for marine aquariums that give aquarists more time to admire the beauty of the underwater world. These systems significantly reduce the time needed to maintain the aquarium.
Neptune Systems Apex
Apex is an advanced monitoring and control system that offers a wide range of features related to marine aquarium keeping. Equipped with various sensors, it monitors water parameters such as temperature, pH, ammonia level, and many others. It also has remote control and notifications, allowing you to monitor your aquarium from anywhere.
GHL ProfiLux
ProfiLux is a comprehensive monitoring and control system that provides precise measurements of water parameters. It includes sensors for monitoring temperature, pH, conductivity, redox, and other important values. It can be easily integrated with other devices in the aquarium and allows for remote control through a mobile application. This feature provides convenience and flexibility for the aquarium owner.
Smart Reef
This is an innovative system for managing a marine aquarium. It has sensors for monitoring temperature, pH, conductivity, salinity, kH, as well as calcium, magnesium, and PO4 and NO3 levels using Smart tester. With a convenient application, all the results appear online, enabling access to device control from anywhere in the world.
Hanna Instruments
This is a series of user-friendly colorimetric instruments that offer accurate measurements of water parameters in a marine aquarium. They have different models that allow for the measurement of parameters such as pH, nitrates, phosphates, calcium, and others. They are compact, portable, and excellent for regular monitoring of water parameters. The downside is that they require manual use and lack online results.The choice of the appropriate water monitoring system depends on the individual needs and preferences of the aquarist. Each of these systems has its own unique features. Their advantages can greatly assist in maintaining a healthy and balanced marine ecosystem.
Automatic filtration and marine aquarium automation
Another important element of automation is the automatic filtration system. Advanced filters can be programmed to clean water contaminated by food residues, fish feces, and other organic pollutants. These systems can also monitor and regulate water flow, ensuring proper circulation and maintaining the biological balance in the aquarium. Devices such as protein skimmers or so-called “roller” filters, which are increasingly available in “smart” versions, can be mentioned here.
Lighting
Lighting is another aspect of automation that plays a key role in maintaining the health of corals and other photosynthetic organisms. Modern lighting systems can be programmed to simulate natural light cycles. They adjust the intensity and color of light throughout the day to mimic natural conditions. Additionally, they can be equipped with light sensors that automatically adjust the lighting intensity based on external light levels. With the help of online applications, aquarists can design the lighting for their marine aquarium. They can also adjust the light settings based on the specific needs of the aquarium’s inhabitants.
Marine aquarium automation with dosing
Marine aquarium automation also includes dosing systems and nutrient delivery. This allows aquarium owners to precisely control the amount and timing of essential nutrients required to maintain proper growth and colors of corals. These systems can be configured to regularly dispense liquid preparations or dose nutrients in the form of microgranules.
Finally, a very useful tool in aquarium automation is remote control. Aquarium owners can remotely monitor and control their aquariums using smartphones, tablets, or computers. This allows them to check water parameters, adjust filter and lighting settings, and even feed fish when they are away from home.
Summary
Marine aquarium automation marks a new era in the field of marine aquaristics. It allows enthusiasts to appreciate the beauty of the underwater world without requiring extensive time and effort. Advanced technologies are making marine aquariums more sustainable. As a result, fish and corals have a greater chance of healthy development. Marine aquarium automation is the future that is already available to all marine aquaristics enthusiasts.
About author
Jarek Wojczakowski
I have been a marine aquarist for over 8 years. The first marine aquarium fascinated me with this underwater world and showed how many challenges await the aquarist. During this time I learned a lot and used my passion for programming and creating electronic devices to create the Smart reef system. Together with a great team, we have created Reef factory and every day we create solutions that make our work with our marine aquariums easier. By the way, we share our results with a large number of aquarists 🙂
Half a year ago I switched to a new, larger aquarium and became much more interested in the chemistry of seawater. In addition, I am fascinated by automation and making my life easier.
For over 5 years I have been co-creating the Reef Factory company, where I am responsible for the development of devices and software. The company deals with the creation of modern devices and software for marine aquaristics.