Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Fair enough with the information. I can be made private so nobody can tell, but the people who make the website can still see it. I just figure nobody really cares about my AP data.

I made a webserver on the Arduino once, I found it very buggy, kept on crashing/freezing. I only had it on an uno though, so might not have had enough power for it. I was toying with the idea of hooking up an intelligent feeder to arduino. So it senses the ammonia, and then stops feeding if it gets too high. Too bad the ammonia sensors are fricking expensive.

What program are you using to monitor the stats? Just the serial monitor? Or do you have something fancier?

A small pascal app running on the server reading data from the Arduino by UDP and dumping the data into a Firbird database. Then a small pascal program that I run on my laptop whenever I need to read the data.

The Arduino Mega reads temps, DO, pump status and controls the timing of two pumps. I am about to add a PH probe and acoustic water level for the sump. I did have problems with it until I realized it needed a larger power supply. So now it run on a small PC power supply. It now runs without a blip at all.

I have set it up so I can send timing values via UDP that it then stores in memory for the next restart as defaults.

A different approach is to measure out more and more feed manually each day until you see a hint of ammonia in your tests, then set a demand switch in your fishtank that your fish can trigger, and that wont deliver any more than that daily limit (less a bit for safety) spaced out over a day. You might have to compensate a bit for seasons (temperature dependant) but it doesn't require any special ammonia detecting tech.

I added a mandatory delay between each feed, and also triggered on the release of the trigger rather than the first hit of the trigger (ie "on_click_off" rather than "on_click") in case a dead fish rested against the switch and dumped a days worth of feed in all at once.

I saw your system you made for it (Quite tricky ), I'm pretty sure I could build something like that. But I've got Murray Cod, and they are still very small and shy. They like to hide in the cracks of the pond liner. I think they'd starve if they had to come to the top to trip the switch. But it's still work without the switch.

I was thinking of an auger drill bit hooked up to a servo, and on regular intervals it'd drop a certain amount of food.

I think you'd be surprised.

I cant quote it because I cant remember where I read the study, but even goldfish can work their way around a maze if food is the reward.

They all figure it out.

My silvers go[t] the hang of it within a few days.

I think when nobody is looking, everything gets hit to see if it's worth eating.

even the tiny ones know how it works even if they aren't brave enough to actually press the lever

Do you find the bigger ones just hang around the lever, just banging it all day? Or do they do their thing and the little guys get in?

Nice job BTW, sorry to hog your thread Johny. I think Adelaide is leading the trend with AP monitoring & tinkering (backyard at least)

Not A problem. I am not one for reporting every thing that I do so you are at least increasing my page count for me.

Well my Atlas Scientific PH probe has arrived and I am hoping to add it to the system over the weekend.

Post plenty of pictures

I finnally got the PH probe connected and setup today. But that is where the fun begins.

The Ph probe will correctly detect the test solution ph of 4, 7 and 10. The problem is when both probes are in the fish tank the PH probe reads 4.9 to 5.1 instead of the expected 7.2 to 7.3 as test by a test strip and PH pen. The PH pen is calibrated in the same test solution.

However if I remove the DO probe from the tank the PH probe reads correctly. I have two 2,500 L tanks side by side and still have the same issue to a lesser degree. The PH probe reads 6.0 instead of the 7.3 when it is in a separate tank. Both tanks drain to the same common drain.

So has anyone had this issue yet or have any ideas.

I dont have any knowledge of this stuff, but if the probe runs a current between two points of itself, it's possible one is effecting the other.

A workaround might be to rapidly switch between them.

I also have no idea if the distance from each other would have that effect given they have a common drain.

Fixed.

The idea was to isolate each probe. The circuits for each probe are all ways on if not you need to allow time for the probes to adjust. That is just not feasible.

So to isolate the PH probe I placed a length of 75mm PVC pipe with one end sealed in the tank. A 20mm PVC pipe inside that 75mm pipe just of the bottom and extending 100 past the top of the 75mm pipe. The probe sits in the 75mm pipe. A small pump will supply tank water into the 20mm pipe to keep the water in the 75mm pipe turning over. Just before the probes are read the pump is turned off.

I have it all together without the pump at the moment and it is working correctly. Tomorrow I will set the pump up and see how that effects it.

I received an email back from Atlas Scientific to day confirming that the DO probe is causing the issue. They have suggested a voltage isolator. So once I get the details we will see what can be done.

On the other hand the mechanical separation with the water and pump is working but I would rather the more elegant solution of he voltage isolator.