Automation System Updates: CO2 Reactor, Auto Top off / Water Changes, Leak Detection

[krill.zone]

Hi R2R!

I maintain a software platform called "Krill" - originally for my own purposes for automating my aquariums, vivariums, and aquaponics but stable enough for everyone to use.

It's meant for controlling systems, recording data and creating state machines that execute a ton of possible features like send an email, execute a python script, take a photo, turn things on or off.

I just polished a few blog posts in a series called Krill and the movement of water about various projects I think you guys would find interesting (that link is worth it just to see my awesome baby Tortoise "E".) Happy to answer any questions, talk about ideas for features and would love any community feedback.

• What the heck is this thing :)
• Keeping my aquarium water topped off automatically: Water sensors, solenoids, relays - since i draw water from my freshwater planted aquarium to send nutrients around it stays topped off automatically with purified water.
• DIY CO2 reactor with indicator color sensors: I circulate fresh aquarium water through a system before returning and one section is a custom CO2 reactor with a big tank of gas. I out-gas air bubbled through tank water to flow through a container and a little 3D printed CO2 indicator reservoir with an RGB sensor on one side and a bright LED on the other. Krill can record changing colors and detect if a color falls within a danger range and do all sorts of automated things like blast the air stones in the tank, turn off the gas or even automate a water change. I still keep indicator in the tank for safety.
• Leak Detection: Goes a little deeper into using Logic Gates (True / False, On / Off, 1 / 0 logic) combined with water sensors for stopping leaks by turning things off.

If you only check out one post, check out the CO2 reactor with indicator color sensors. It was a ton of work to get right, I even caused an FX6 filter to explode one time experimenting (yes it can be done :). I'm going to put together another post about using the same sensor for recording water tests.

Here's a photo of Mark 42 with the Krill Server running in "Kiosk" mode with a touchscreen:

AMA :)

 

[krill.zone]

One thing I'm interested in hear about is how my CO2 sensor solution can help marine aquariums who want to keep it low instead of planted freshwater folks who inject in for plants but also need safety.

 

[Jamie814]

Cool project, but a CO2 monitor for a reef aquarium might not be that useful IMO. Low pH is already an easy indicator of elevated CO2 and the goal is generally to remove as much CO2 as possible anyway.
Others may disagree......

 

[krill.zone]

Cool project, but a CO2 monitor for a reef aquarium might not be that useful IMO. Low pH is already an easy indicator of elevated CO2 and the goal is generally to remove as much CO2 as possible anyway.
Others may disagree......

Thanks :) I'm here as a fresh water outsider but may setup a reef tank again and interested in this community's opinions. The indicator solution i posted about turns yellow when pH is low and green when high so it could be used in reverse to automate removal systems or out gas the tank.