[untamed]

I've made enough headway on the "Black Box" to provide an interesting update...so here goes.

The box is mounted on the wall above the primary sump. This also helps hide a few power cords for the skimmer, Ca reactor recirc, and light lifter.


Inside the box is the main powerbar for the Aquatronica controller. The controller itself is also inside the box, along with all the connectors for pH, ORP or whatever else I may add in the future. For now, there is only a pH reading from the probe located in the Ca Reactor. The flash lit through the smoky black plexiglas and you can see the powerbar inside.


The reason that the Aquatronica is hidden away is that I rarely ever have to access it. All the input is handled by a 15" Touchscreen display that is mounted on a swing arm directly in front/below the rear centre viewing area.


I won't attempt to turn this into a detailed discussion of the AQT controller or AQT software, but these are the things that the controller is going to be handling for now:

1) Heating/Cooling using 2 x 250W heaters and 4 fans

2) CO2 solenoid based on pH reading from the Ca Reactor

3) Ca Reactor flow rate via control of the Omega peristaltic pump

4) Movement of the lights up and down. (I need to do some more wiring to enable this, but once completed the controller will be able to start the lights in the morning at 2 feet off the tank surface and slowly lower them to the water surface for Noon...then back up again in the evening.

5) Kalk reactor flow rate via another Omega peristaltic pump that I have yet to purchase! (I haven't bought a Kalk reactor yet either!)


...Yes, the fish get to watch TV if they get bored.