Feelin' Hot! Hot! Hot!

Summer is well in full swing now, and if you haven't already been battling heat, you will. Battling the heat can be difficult, and often times we must resort to expensive or drastic measures.

So what causes the temperature in your aquarium to rise? Well in the warmer times of the year (usually Summer), the ambient temperature will certainly be the main cause. The warmer weather can shoot temperatures up into the 80's or even 90's, and this can be extremely stressful (or deadly) for your reef tank. There are also other factors that contribute heat including pumps, power heads, and lighting.

So what can we do to combat this? Well, there are many angles to try. No one way is necessarily better than the other, and you may wish to combine multiple methods. (Read more after the jump)...

Reefkeeper Elite

Look what I got. RKE head unit to upgrade my RKL system. More info to follow.

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 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...