How do you use your Seneye?

[Sordfish]

I bought a Seneye reef mainly for the par meter a year ago. I got one slide with it, used it, and didn't really get the point so did not buy another. Now I am wondering whether I missed something. Hence this post. Do any of you actually use it for continuous monitoring? And if so, how do you use it?

One use scenario that comes to mind is monitoring ammonia while the tank is cycling. Unfortunately, without nitrite and nitrate tests, it only seems partially useful (and maybe not worth the expense of the slides). Temperature monitoring seems interesting. But once again, without the option to actually control or turn off the heater, it only goes partway. I do not know whether the PH monitoring has any value.

In any case, if you are using it for monitoring any parameters (and buying the sensor cartridges), please chime in - I would love to get some ideas as to how I can get more out of this device, beyond its use as a par meter.

 

[Iván Olalla]

Sums up my experience too, only use it as a PAR meter and as ammonia monitor in qt tank only

 

[Sordfish]

Thanks. Actually using it for monitoring Ammonia in a QT tanks is a good idea. I guess you buy a slide when you set up the QT?

 

[Iván Olalla]

Thanks. Actually using it for monitoring Ammonia in a QT tanks is a good idea. I guess you buy a slide when you set up the QT?

Yup that's what i do

 

[TheOne]

I only use mine for a par meter. Much cheaper than an apogee and does the same thing. Was using it to check my temp until I got an Apex.

 

[Sordfish]

I only use mine for a par meter. Much cheaper than an apogee and does the same thing. Was using it to check my temp until I got an Apex.

Thanks. It really looks like they either need to change the parameters monitored to Nitrate, Phosphour etc, or maybe add couple of outlets to control a heater, or alkalinity dosing (based on Ph the old school way). I wonder how their sales would be if it wasn’t for the par meter.

 

[TheOne]

I only bought it for the par meter after brs showed it having the same readings as one of their $1000 light meters. I've went thru radions, t5's and kessils in that order so a par meter was a must for me, ha.

I did use the slide on a quarantine tank a couple of times. I could see it being useful for that or to cycle a new tank but I really don't see the use for the slides after that.

 

[elic173]

I have it in my DT monitoring temp. Its really fantastic at providing a refuge for my clown, when he needs time away from his wife. It’s kind of like seneye golf day.

 

[Sordfish]

I have it in my DT monitoring temp. Its really fantastic at providing a refuge for my clown, when he needs time away from his wife. It’s kind of like seneye golf day.

That’s funny. How do you mount it? In my case I can’t see the suction cups providing any kind of hold to shelter fish

 

[elic173]

That’s funny. How do you mount it? In my case I can’t see the suction cups providing any kind of hold to shelter fish

The suction cups dont really hold. The seneye just hangs in the corner of the tank below my return nozzles. The clown just hangs out amounts all of that behind the flow and kicks back in peace.it seems he found the no nagging zone.
Btw. I hear if you get a Wemo plug and use the seneye email alerts, it will control a heater/fan.

 

[Ardeus]

I recently got one mainly for the alarm functionalities.

There's a great number of problems that can happen in a reef tank that the monitoring of water level, pH, temperature and ammonia will detect and alert you by email and sms.

The pH monitoring will also help me in fine tuning the schedule of the kalkwasser dosing to compensate for the calcium reactor.

I am guessing that you all have another controller at the same time?

 

[Sordfish]

In my case I don’t have a controller but I think I will. I find that the inability control things to be a detriment. You have to manually respond. That may not be enough. For example, my current freshwater tank has no fish. That is because my co2 tank valve broke and in a matter of hours dumped 5lbs of CO2 into the tank killing all the animals. Seneye was not helpful since this happened overnight and I was asleep. I did see the emails in the morning, but way too late then. Same thing would have happened if I was at work - almost worst since I would have been essentially watching my fishes die in real time, unable to help them. What I needed was a controller that would turn ofthe CO2 solenoid when the PH fell below a certain point. Same thing applies to temperature.

However, as some people pointed before, I now feel this type of monitoring can be very useful for new tank setups or quarantine tanks. And as you mention above it can also be helpful in non-urgent situations. Better than having no monitoring.

I am curious- did you ever have ammonia problems in an established tank? I never thought ammonia measurements would be useful except when cycling. The above suggestions re QT tank was something I hadn’t thought of. Anything else monitoring Ammonia could be useful for?

 

[Tastee]

Ammonia problems in an established tank would be quite unusual. Bacteria reproduce by single cell division and do so in quite a short time frame so once you have a few hundred or so they can turn into millions in a really short time. The most common cause is dumping a large number of animals into a tank an overwhelming the existing colony. It is normally Nitrites that cause the problem however not Ammonia or Ammonium as the bacteria for the latter quickly reproduce. It takes longer to expand the colony devouring the former however due to the lag effect of producing Nitrites.

There are however many varieties of bacteria so a sudden change in a tank can introduce problems in the short term. Once your tank is established however rule number 1 of aquaria pretty much deals with that - make changes slowly. Introduce new fish in small volumes. Change parameters slowly. Do this and the bacteria colonies have time to react.

In a small system (< 30g) then a sudden death of a large inhabitant may cause problems. The smaller the system the more chance of an issue. Even in my 14g planted FW tank however even losing a large snail doesn’t cause an Ammonia or Nitrite spike as the existing colonies cope with it.

Another important point is the surface area for the bacteria to colonise. In a small QT with very little surface area bacteria have a hard time reproducing and finding homes. In a large DT with lots of LR, a sump and other media it is much less of an issue, close to zero.