all in one system

[v8maro]

Is there a company that makes an all-in-one type system that monitors all of your water parameters, water level, reserve topoff, reserve salt mix, and a water changer all in one?

[Julio]

YEAH OK, good luck with that one.

[v8maro]

no, seriously. If not, I want to make one, and sell it. I am a computer programmer by day and would leverage that to create a program to do all this for me. It would include live video monitoring etc. Dosing of the sw mix. you name it. It would broadcast any event that the user set a limit to via email, page, cell phone txt, u name it. Would this not be a very cool item to have?

[Travis L. Stevens]

It would be nice, but the cost would be too great for your average joe. Also, checking water parameters will be extremely difficult, unless you can find a robotic arm to do the tests for you

All in all, it COULD be done, but the price is most likely too much

[v8maro]

Never said it would be cheap. I would design it so you could have plug-ins of different things you want. Start with a base unit and add things as you need them. Like start with a pH live monitor and 6mo down the road I want to add a SG live meter, plug it in, configure it, done.

Just wondering if something out there is actually done and like this. I don't want to do it if it's been done already.

[BOBHILT]

SOUNDS LIKE GREAT IDEA,YOU COULD SELL LOTS OF UNITS IF THEY WEREN'T TO EXPENSIVE,SOUNDS LIKE GREAT IDEA.

[jg013c]

There are currently systems that interface electronic probes with computers. To my knowledge, electronic probes are available for temperature, salinity, pH and even calcium. I have not seen such a system integrate doseing. That would be an interesting idea.

However, the system would be very expensive (think $10,000) as electronic dosers are not exactly available at petco. I think anyone who would spend that kind of money would not want an all-in-one and would instead want a custom reef tank. Also, it would probably be cheaper and nore effective to pay someone from the LFS to service the tank.

Now if you could build a fish tank that does its own water change I think you would have a product.

[BOBHILT]

HEY WOULDN'T THAT BE GREAT TO HAVE AUTOMATIC WATER CHANGES,JUST HIT BUTTON AND WATER CHANGED.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

There is a system that is sold by a company in florida that has had it on the market for a few years now. It called the dialasea's or something like that. It uses a human dialisis filter that they use fir kidney failure to clean the water. It monitors everything and even add salt when needed to keep a stable S.G. as some of teh salt is removed thru the filtering process. It's supposed to be the final complete filtering system for teh lazy man who dosen't want to do anything. It does it all except feed the fish.

Do a search on the internet for it. I'll see if I can find a link. There was a thread on here about it and someone in that thread mentioned that he knew someone who had one on their system.

[v8maro]

Yeah, i know it wouldnt be cheap, but there are people here with well over 10k into a system. I would think the base system would run anywhere from 1k-3k with lots of add-ons available.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Here you go.

http://www.seavisions.com/dialyseas_...lysis_equi.htm

[fppf]

LOL, that thing is almost like running your water through a RO membrain.

I like there "Cost" of operation. All they do is look at the salt, what about all those additional filters that will need to be changed? Even still so what, a 5 gallon bucket of salt is $35. If I normally get 150 gallons from it and with this thing getting 210-250 from it how long would it take to pay for the machine?
125 Gallon tank, say you change 25% a week (I know thats a lot)
So that would be 1625 gallons a year.
That would cost about $380 a year for salt.
Now using there machine its $250 a year for salt.
Total diff of $130 a year, not counting for filters, power, maintnace exc.
So to pay for the machine with a cost of $2700 it would take you 20 years!!! LOL.

I would just mix up a bucket a month and let it slowly drain into the tank over the month. Put an overflow on your sump and let it go down the drain. Done.

[Harold Edwards]

Reef keeping is suppose to be a hands on hobby! Not something that it just there!

[easttn]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumd...s=&forumid=145

[reefclown]

Take a look at Aquatronica, a relatively new Italian comer to the market that is heading in this direction.

[Donw]

www.appdig.com
You can automate just about any task with one controller and a few modules. Affordable and been around for a long time. Ive used them for years without a glitch.

Don

[loosbrew]

Originally posted by Harold Edwards
Reef keeping is suppose to be a hands on hobby! Not something that it just there!

I disagree. The biggest problem with unsuccessful aquariums is people not being able to keep their hands out of it and leave their tanks be.

luis

[CaptiveReef]

This system can be designed, but as said earlier in this thread it would be at least $10,000 to cover the equipment cost's.


CaptiveReef

[Donw]

Originally posted by CaptiveReef
This system can be designed, but as said earlier in this thread it would be at least $10,000 to cover the equipment cost's.


CaptiveReef

Absolutly not the case. Just takes some creativity and a decent controller. Not sure about water recycling but changing and all the other functions are easy.

Don

[RobbyG]

The Aquatronica system is the first step in a practical hands off system. With enough test probes, water level sensors and power bars you could achieve just what you want and it could be done in stages as needed. The final price tag may be about $2500 in Just Aquatrionica equipment alone! but you could start out with as little as $750 worth and add more Eq as needed. Another system that may make it possible is the ACIII from Nepune.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

My tank is pretty much hands off now. It's a well established 7 + year old tank. All I do is add a little topoff water each morning with some calicum or buffer in the water, feed the fish and do a wate change every few weeks. It's a very simple tank, LR, LS, HOB skimmer and lights that are on a timmer. Other than that, nothing fancy and it's been running great for a long time.

[barryhc]

The original idea in the thread, and as it has progressed in just one page, allows for vacations to be handled somewhat better, and reporting to a log, which in some instances can be very valuable.

Consistency is exceedingly valuable in keeping a reef system, and this type of "control", can in many cases, further that endeavor.

The cost is quite reasonably, a matter of concern, and that seems to me, to be the real "crux", of this discussion. I can't afford "everything", and cost can certianly limit the enjoyment and development of a reef system.

That having been said, this type of discussion is going to help "many", to find an affordable "solution" to their requirements, and will eventually cause the "cost" to come down as a result of finely tuned competition.

I shall be "following" with great interest.

> barryhc

[RobbyG]

Barry I would agree, I think that in this day and age it's almost a certainty that you may be away from your Tank for periods and you should have systems in place that allow for the most amount of automation possible, provided that you can afford it. With that in mind I think the more sophisticated computerized systems are going to become not just a luxury but a must have for people in this hobby, I believe that the current systems by Neptune and Aquatronica provide a great platform and a valuable starting point for this, the ability to upgrade these systems over time makes it have endless possabilities.

[CaptiveReef]

Originally posted by Donw
Absolutly not the case. Just takes some creativity and a decent controller. Not sure about water recycling but changing and all the other functions are easy.

Don

Yes, but we are talking about a true all in one system, as hands free as possible. 1st rule in a true automated system is price, next is the design practical. The original question was, is there an all in one system?
Which would monitor system parameters,provide filtration, protein skimming, calcium addition, water changes,trace element addition, top quality filtered top off water.(true hands free)
$2,500 would be my fee just for designing and installing this system.
Your talking about automating all functions of this system, the only hands on would be adding salt for the water change function, and refilling the trace element dosers, and servicing the water filter,(changing filter membranes as needed)
So $10,000 is not that much for a true automated system. Creativity is one thing, it cost nothing to draw a design, but getting the materials is another.
Unless you are MacGuyver

CaptiveReef

[barryhc]

The price is based on profit, and profit is related to costs, which are inherently "high" when volume is "low". Volume is very "low" right now because this is relatively new ( whether it started 20 yrs. ago or not ). Not enough people are using them yet, but that will be changing.

These systems (even "full blown" ) do not include anymore than $700-800 of materials or components, and the price will drop, just like computers, as volume goes up, and it is going up now.

> barryhc