Aquarium automation

Keeping fish as pets is much less demanding than taking care of other animals. Apart from the daily feeding, the biggest obligation is to replace the water inside the tank. According to the rule, a third of the water should be replaced every 10 to 15 days. Harmful nitrates are not visible to the naked eye but they are really disturbing the fish.

Nowadays, this task is easy thanks to aquarium automation. The water can be replaced at once every 10 to 15 days or little by little every day. There are automation systems for water replacemenet that can be simpler or much more complicated.

It is possible to replace the water by using a pipe system. This is done by piercing two holes at the bottom of the tank through which the wastewater is transported to the sewer or another container. At the same time at the water level, there is a pipe The pipe helps you limit the amount of water that enters the tank, using the drop by drop system. It’s very important to take care of every detail but most of all the daily amount of water added to the tank.

What that does that imply? It implies that if we have a 66-gallon tank, we should replace 22 gallons of water every 10 to 15 days. In case you opt for the daily water replacement, then you should add 1.5 to 2.1 gallons of water a day, depending on whether you are replacing it every 10 or 15 days.

Ofcourse, you can replace water in the tank without automation. You can use a regular hose and adding the same amount of fresh water.

Complete automation of the tank involves automated water replacement and switching the lights and feeders on

For smaller aquariums, you can use tap water as a replacement because that amount of water doesn’t contain a lot of chlorine that could disturb the fish. Also, the water can be left to rest for 24 hours. Different products can be added into the water to neutralize the chlorine and heavy metals.

There are switches that control the water level in the tank. If there is too much water or a pipe is clogged, the so-called PLC system recognizes the excess of water. Next step is to start the switch to clear out the excess. The same applies if the water level drops i.e. if it evaporates from the tank. Then the PLC system gives a signal to the solenoid valve to add more water into the aquarium.

In case you chose automation, the existing PLC system can control the lighting, heaters, motor pumps, feeders… Aquadecor has all that in its assortment and everything is operable.

Sometimes there is no one who can look after the tank, and that is why the maintenance is also automated. On the other hand, hobbyists really like taking care of the aquarium and everything that comes with it, so they don’t opt for a complete automation. However, sometimes it happens that people get bored with these chores and they quit aquaristics.

People who keep aquariums in office spaces, public places like hospitals, shopping malls or restaurants usually opt for a complete automation… The tank is there to make that space more beautiful and attract the attention of visitors. And the best way for attracting even more attention is to make the fish tank look realistic, and for that people usually chose  3D aquarium backgrounds to decorate their aquariums.

Prices of aquarium automation systems

When it comes to prices, the simplest aquarium automation for water replacement doesn’t raise the price of the tank. The average cost is 250-300 euros. Still, when a complete automation is being done, having the absolute control of everything in the aquarium can be costly. Even over 1,000 – 1,500 euros.