Electronic Alarm Tester...?

[JeremeyN]

Does one of these exist... Like a Nitrite and ammonia and etc. that monitors the water every 1-2 hours and sounds an alarm if water parameters are not in range??? I see that Hanna Instruments Testers are made but I do not see a Nitrite tester? If anything it would be nice to have these kind of electronic testers so I didn't have to mix chemicals all the time to get parameters.

 

Any advice on any type of technology?

 

Thanks,

Jer

[kgross]

As far as I know there are none. I believe there is an electronic Nitrate monitor, but I know of no electronic monitors for ammonia/nitrite that work in saltwater.

 

Once your tank is through the cycle you should not have any problems with ammonia, and nitrite is not toxic in saltwater at normal levels (below 40 ppm).

 

 

Kim

[JeremeyN]

PH is toxic right? Also what is ORP?... I came across AquaController Jr. which monitors and controls PH/temp... But AquaControler III monitors PH and ORP? Also I the Hanna Instruments Testers one that test the conductivity???? What use is a conductivity test?

[kgross]

pH is not toxic, it is a measure of the acid/basic of the water. You want your tank around 7.8 to 8.5 and things will be fine.

 

ORP is oxidation reduction potential, it can be good to monitor for trends, but does not tell you anything directly.

 

Conductivity can be used to tell you salt concentration of the water.

 

Kim

[JeremeyN]

So conductivity can be a way to measure Salinity in some way.

 

So what are the key test that are important to monitor to ensure your tank does not crash?

[kgross]

It really depends to be honest. If the tank is setup correctly, I will say the items that need to be monitored are calcium, alkalinity, nitrate, phosphate and magnesium. Ammonia and Nitrite should be at zero unless things are really wrong.

 

Kim