Calibrate Good Times, Come On!

Floating the calibration solutions in the tank

Manufacturers recommend that you calibrate electronic probes frequently. Once every month or two is recommended. This helps keep the probes accurate, and allows you to get an idea of when its time to change the probe. A pH probe is generally good for 12-18 months.

My pH probe is an American Marine Standard Grade pH probe. It is connected to my Digital Aquatics Reefkeeper Elite. I have the probe in my sump to provide real time pH readings.

*ReefKeeper Alarm Triggered*

Well my aquarium has been giving me grief, off and on, for some time now. Between float switches sticking, temperature fluctuations, and faulty/clogged Aqualifter dosing pumps I've had my aquarium overflow already. After the overflow, I added a float switch to my aquarium that will 1) trigger an alarm and 2) shut off the return pump.

Today while in class, I was notified by my ReefKeeper Lite by email that one of my float switches had activated, triggering an alarm. This float switch is located in my display, and is only activated when the water level gets dangerously high.

Upon notification, I was able to completely shut down the return pump and my ATO pump. I was also lucky enough to have someone close by to check on the tank. Sure enough, the tank had filled up and my sump was full to the rim, but no water had spilled out on the floor; a disaster was averted! Floors were dry, fish were safe, and I could breathe a sigh of relief.

While I'm going to have to do some investigation and tinkering to see what I can do to prevent this issue from happening again, I was lucky that my ReefKeeper emailed me. I didn't have to leave class, and I didn't have to worry all night about what was happening. it also prevented I'd come home to in 9 hours had I not been able to catch this.

While aquarium controllers aren't necessary for every tank, I'd have to say that today my ReefKeeper earned its spot as the best (and coolest) gadget on my aquarium.

RKM-NET Module Signature

 Just in case you were wondering how my tank is doing...

Weekend Update

 

"Go Big Money, Go!"

I had a busy weekend, but I made some time for the aquarium. I mounted all my electrical components to the wall to keep them a little farther away from the tank (to hopefully prevent them from getting wet). I cut a piece of plywood about 24" x 15", painted the board to match the color of my wall, and mounted my Reef Keeper modules (except the head unit) and my aquarium's uncontrolled power bar to the board.

I reconnected my Reef Keeper Lite and was pleasantly surprised to see that even after a week, the internal memory had kept all of my programming. A couple updates to some timers and a new float switch added to this display tank as overflow protection (if the float on the display aquarium is turned on, my return pump will turn off), and we were back in business.The RKM-Net module connected to the system and my network with absolutely no trouble. I just plugged it back in and I was able to start viewing stats from my phone.

Wires will be cleaned up... I promise.

After mounting everything to a board and then to the wall, I started to route cables the best I could. There's still a lot of wires that I need to permanently route by either bunching together the wires or attaching directly to the board, however I'll have to tackle that job for a later day. In the picture below, you can see what it looks like now with out the wiring being cleaned up. The wiring will be channeled between the modules and bundled together to create a cleaner look. The blue "tags" are labels for each cord so that I know what every plug does. Although the picture does it little justice, the new setup is sadly much better than what I had before, and after cleaning up the wiring, should look really nice. At the top of the board, I will likely mount my Ecotech Marine Vortech controllers with Velcro. With these mounted, I'll still have a few extra inches to allow for future upgrades.

Vortech Controllers Join The Party...

Tank is looking better with RKL running the show.

Digital Aquatics RKM-Net Module

I got a new module for my Reef Keeper lite! The RKM-NET module will allow me to monitor my aquarium when I'm away from home, and recent updates to the software allow me to control my channels remotely.

The install isn't any more difficult than say, a webcam or home-network router, however it's definitely going to be a challenge for anyone who is not comfortable with computers.


I have some more tinkering to do, but so far I'm really happy with the new capabilities!

Check out the pictures and screen shots below. I'll post more info soon!

Digital Aquatics RKM SL-1 Module

In preparation for my vacation, I decided that there was no better time than now to set up an auto top off system. After looking at my options, I decided to purchase the Digital Aquatics RKM SL-1 module for my ReefKeeper Lite system.

My ReefKeeper Lite system features the ReefKeeper Lite head unit, 2x PC4's, iTemp probe, float switch kit, and an SL-1 module. Without getting too much into the ReefKeeper Lite system, I will say that it controls my lights, skimmer, return pump, and heater. So far, so good!

The SL-1 module can be used with both the ReefKeeper Lite and Elite systems. The module enables one to connect a pH probe, ORP probe, temperature probe, and has molex slots for two switches. I purchased one float kit (with mounts) to set my water level. When the float switch is "closed", or down in my particular setup, it turns on the Aqualifter pump that pumps water out of an RO/DI reservoir (currently an old salt bucket with a hole drilled in the lid) and into the sump. I don’t have to manually top off my system, or come home to a pump that’s blowing micro bubbles because I didn’t top off enough the night before.

The float switch

After talking with a fellow reefer about his worries of a sticking float switch, I plan on purchasing a second float switch kit to set as a back-up shut off switch. Whenever the water level triggers the second float switch, it will tell the auto lifter pump to turn off. This would be helpful in the event that the first float switch fails. I will also be purchasing a pH probe to monitor pH. I’m not interested in monitoring ORP at this time, however it’s not bad knowing that I can monitor that.

To finish the install, I mounted everything to my aquarium stand with Velcro, which helped organize some of the wiring behind and alongside my aquarium stand. Job well done if I may say. Until next time...

It's RO Wednesday!

Payday comes but twice a month, and what better way to celebrate pay day than buying gear for the tank! I needed a new color changing DI cartridge, but why stop there?

I bought a TDS meter (total dissolved solid) and a flush valve kit. The TDS meter will allow me to monitor the total dissolved solids of the incoming city water and my final product water. The flush valve kit is a simple device that allows me to bypass the flow restrictor, allowing water to flow faster through the TFC membrane. Flushing your TFC membrane will help extend the life, so hopefully I can get 3 years out of the membrane. Time (and my TDS meter) will tell.

After the install, the TDS is reading around 460 tds going into the RO/DI unit (good ol' city water) and reading 0 tds coming out (like mountain spring, but better). Allow me to jump on the bandwagon: "Winning"... Yeah, I said it. It's my blog: I do what I want!!!

Next update: A new fish, coral, and a clam are currently in route for delivery tomorrow. I'll post pictures of the new arrivals after they are all here!