reef-pi :: An opensource reef tank controller based on Raspberry Pi.

[Tom Bishop]

I meant to post this some time ago, I still like the DJ8 power strips and they were getting harder and harder to find but low and behold it looks like that is just one of many. It appears that the relay strip is actually made for many other labels, here are some other alternatives, same thing different name:

Eliminator Ez-8
Chauvet SR-8
Ness SP-RP8
Elation SRP8

I am sure there are others and sometimes if searching on ebay 8 channel relay pack will give you more options, just thought I would pass this along for anyone looking for options.

p.s. these are near as nice as the one's Rob puts together and sells but still an option.

 

[Tom Bishop]

I meant to post this some time ago, I still like the DJ8 power strips and they were getting harder and harder to find but low and behold it looks like that is just one of many. It appears that the relay strip is actually made for many other labels, here are some other alternatives, same thing different name:

Eliminator Ez-8
Chauvet SR-8
Ness SP-RP8
Elation SRP8

I am sure there are others and sometimes if searching on ebay 8 channel relay pack will give you more options, just thought I would pass this along for anyone looking for options.

p.s. these are near as nice as the one's Rob puts together and sells but still an option.

What I meant to say was that these powerstrips are NOT near as nice as @robsworld78 robotank outlets but they do work.

 

[JachPot]

How are you guys mounting your non contact sensors to your sumps?

 

[Ranjib]

was playing with my macro lens after a long time....
coco worm ...

another type of feather duster (forgot the name), one of my favorite

myagi tort

colors are very subdued by some reason, it looks much brighter in color (blue )
red milipora .

alveopora

...
planning to start setting up more pico tanks. now that most of the house work has settled, and post pandemic life is settling in.. i am thinking i should at least start the other tanks. I have the space and all the spare hardware.. theres no point in keeping all those things in shelves. ..and some of the corals in the main display tank will soon need some pruning, which i can use as started corals for the new tanks.

 

[JachPot]

im using 12v submersible pumps with higher lift (6feet) for my nano and 65G tanks. For the smaller picos im using 12v peristaltic pumps

Did you just strip the ends off of these and wire them directly?

 

[Ranjib]

Did you just strip the ends off of these and wire them directly?

i connect the 12v power supply directly through these barrel jack connectors. They are either controlled by reef-pi via kasa. And recently for couple of setups i am directly wiring them through float switch (no reef-pi, no network dependency).

 

[Ranjib]

Guess what day it is , Aiptasia appreciation day....

 

[Wolfw28]

My robo tank reef pi comes in Saturday and I'm excited. What pump do you guys use for auto top off?

My robo tank reef pi comes in Saturday and I'm excited. What pump do you guys use for auto top off?

Awesome little pump same pump used by
JBJ

Dual Sensor Nano Auto Top Off - JBJ​

great no problem with lift 5-6ft no problem haven’t tried any higher after buying one form Amazon I bought 4 more from AliExpress for around 5buck a piece. Submersible also

 

[KonradTO]

My robo tank reef pi comes in Saturday and I'm excited. What pump do you guys use for auto top off?

I use a usb 5v pump from amazon, super easy to power this way you can't lift crazy high though..

 

[JachPot]

I grabbed the first one suggested to me and it seems to work well. I also grabbed a 20 gallon high Aqueon tank brand new for $13.50 yesterday as my reservoir!

 

[Tom Bishop]

I use a usb 5v pump from amazon, super easy to power this way you can't lift crazy high though..

I'm using the usb pumps also for ATO and agree with the lift height, for me mine dumps into my sump which is pretty much same height, float controlled.

 

[kdx7214]

Quick UI suggestion. When you go to calibrate the pH probe, you should be able to do the 7, hit done, then come back and do the 10 when you're ready. I wasted a whole set of calibration fluids today by not knowing that. The calibration fluids for the probe I'm using come in packets and you just set the probe in the packet - so I can't have jars setup before hand.

 

[Ranjib]

Quick UI suggestion. When you go to calibrate the pH probe, you should be able to do the 7, hit done, then come back and do the 10 when you're ready. I wasted a whole set of calibration fluids today by not knowing that. The calibration fluids for the probe I'm using come in packets and you just set the probe in the packet - so I can't have jars setup before hand.

I didnt get it, how this led to waste of the calibration fluid? can you elaborate? The ph module is a general purpose one and can be used with any analog sensor. As long as we can keep that semantics possible any improvement suggestion is welcome

 

[kdx7214]

I didnt get it, how this led to waste of the calibration fluid? can you elaborate? The ph module is a general purpose one and can be used with any analog sensor. As long as we can keep that semantics possible any improvement suggestion is welcome

I opened a pack, calibrated 7. Hit done. Readied pack of 10 fluid, couldn't calibrate it and since it's a pouch I couldn't set it down. Had to open another package of 7, calibrate 7, and then immediately calibrate another pouch of 10.

This one doesn't use a powder mixed with ro/di to make the solution.

 

[Ranjib]

this rainbow challice is almost 6 years old. its one of my very first coral ... i has dozens of mouth now.. back when i first got it, it had only two heads

macro...

same coral in 2017,

 

[elysics]

I opened a pack, calibrated 7. Hit done. Readied pack of 10 fluid, couldn't calibrate it and since it's a pouch I couldn't set it down. Had to open another package of 7, calibrate 7, and then immediately calibrate another pouch of 10.

This one doesn't use a powder mixed with ro/di to make the solution.

You should use some kind of cup or glass or tube as a stand to put those packets in once open, like a specimen cup that's hanging in your tank for temperature stability for example, or even just a glass on your desk, much more comfortable and stressfree.

And in general, making calibrating both at the same time an optional thing is a weird solution, how often do people hit done by accident when they are not in fact done calibrating (at least after the first time when they learned/ read that that is a bad idea)? If one value has drifted, then in all likelihood both have, so only calibrating one of the two makes pretty much never sense, unless you clicked the done button by accident.

 

[Ranjib]

You should use some kind of cup or glass or tube as a stand to put those packets in once open, like a specimen cup that's hanging in your tank for temperature stability for example, or even just a glass on your desk, much more comfortable and stressfree.

And in general, making calibrating both at the same time an optional thing is a weird solution, how often do people hit done by accident when they are not in fact done calibrating (at least after the first time when they learned/ read that that is a bad idea)? If one value has drifted, then in all likelihood both have, so only calibrating one of the two makes pretty much never sense, unless you clicked the done button by

Should we change the calibration ui behavior ? Instead let user specify both observed and expected value ?

 

[elysics]

Should we change the calibration ui behavior ? Instead let user specify both observed and expected value ?

I guess what i would do is change the done button to say "Abort" when you open the menu and have that change to "Finish" once you calibrated both points, and have it only save to database in the second case. That would probably cause less confusion. Calibrating the first point and not the second one and then forgetting about it is what i would want to avoid, could be dangerous if there's stuff controlled based on ph

 

[Sral]

Should we change the calibration ui behavior ? Instead let user specify both observed and expected value ?

Since the whole thing is done with modularity in mind, I think it should be a possibility, that would make it easier to be used for other sensors as well. There are also calibration fluids that come at values other than 4.0, 7.0 and 10.0, so would be helpful there as well.

Similar to elysics idea you could change the button label and color based on the amount of points you have calibrated and/or display a message saying "x of 3 points calibrated". Not sure how it looks right now, but I think you should always have both Save and Cancel button in case you drop your last pH solution or something.
So I'm thinking something like:
- no point calibrated: red cancel - disabled save - red message: "0 of 3 points calibrated"
- one point calibrated: red cancel - normal save - orange message "1 of 3 points calibrated"
- 2+3 point calibrated: normal cancel - green save - green message "X of 3 points calibrated"

 

[KonradTO]

Since the whole thing is done with modularity in mind, I think it should be a possibility, that would make it easier to be used for other sensors as well. There are also calibration fluids that come at values other than 4.0, 7.0 and 10.0, so would be helpful there as well.

Similar to elysics idea you could change the button label and color based on the amount of points you have calibrated and/or display a message saying "x of 3 points calibrated". Not sure how it looks right now, but I think you should always have both Save and Cancel button in case you drop your last pH solution or something.
So I'm thinking something like:
- no point calibrated: red cancel - disabled save - red message: "0 of 3 points calibrated"
- one point calibrated: red cancel - normal save - orange message "1 of 3 points calibrated"
- 2+3 point calibrated: normal cancel - green save - green message "X of 3 points calibrated"

I never tried but today I will get my ph probe. Can't you already specify the ph value of the calibrating solution? Or you can only calibrate to 4, 7 and 10?