Equipment

Equipment

Every choice here was made for a reason, and the reasoning is published alongside it. Status and service history are read from the live inventory that runs this tank, so these pages cannot drift from what is actually installed.

Lighting1

ADA Solar RGBAcquired 2020 — Chosen for its color rendition, reliability, and long-standing reputation in high-end planted aquascaping. It was bought from Aqua Forest Aquarium as the centerpiece fixture for a pendant-mounted layout.In use

Instrumentation1

Apogee MQ-510Acquired 2026 — Purchased because inexpensive PAR meters vary significantly. The goal was repeatable measurements using an instrument trusted in horticulture research, with an underwater sensor and a spectral correction intended for use below the surface.In use

Filtration and flow3

EHEIM Professionel 5e 700Chosen for silent operation, electronic flow control, and programmable day/night profiles, so flow can be scheduled rather than left at one fixed rate.In useADA Super Jet ES-600Runs alongside the EHEIM as a second filter, chosen for its glassware and quiet operation in a rimless display where the hardware is visible.In useADA Vuppa IISurface skimming keeps the film off the water surface, which matters both for gas exchange and for photographing the scape through a clean surface.In use

CO₂1

CO2 Regulator + SolenoidA solenoid-equipped regulator was required so CO₂ could be placed under automated control rather than run continuously or switched by hand.In use

Monitoring5

Neptune ApexChosen as the hardware layer that keeps life support running independently of anything running on a computer. Outlets, probes and safety limits live on the controller itself.In useMilwaukee MA911B/2 pH probeA replaceable laboratory-style probe was preferred over a sealed sensor, since pH drives the CO₂ control loop and drift there has real consequences.In useAtlas EZO Conductivity ProbeAcquired 2026 — Added to turn total dissolved solids from an occasional hand measurement into a continuous trace, so the creep between water changes could be observed rather than guessed at.In useRaspberry PiA small always-on machine was needed to poll every device, hold the CO₂ control loop, and publish the record, without becoming something the tank depends on to stay alive.In useChihiros Heater ProAn inline heater keeps hardware out of the display, which matters in a rimless tank photographed regularly.In use

Dosing1

Red Sea ReefDose 2Chosen so fertilizer dosing is identical every day and independent of whether anyone is home. That is a variable removed rather than managed.In use

Water1

Auto Top-Off (ATO)Evaporation changes dissolved solids concentration. Replacing it automatically keeps the water volume, and therefore the chemistry, steady between changes.In use

Substrate2

ADA Amazonia Ver.2Acquired 2026 — An active aquasoil was chosen deliberately: it drives carbonate hardness down and supplies nutrients from the root zone, which suits the low-KH approach this tank is run on.In usePower SandAcquired 2026 — Used as the base layer under the aquasoil to keep the substrate porous and give the root zone somewhere to establish.In use

Also installed, not yet documented5

These are on the tank and tracked in inventory, but do not have written notes yet. Listed rather than hidden so the gap is visible.

RO Membrane · SpectraSelect Plus 99% 90 GPDRODI Filter Set · P1 + CBC-10 + ChlorPlus-10RODI DI - DI-MC-10HCRODI DI - DI-SB-10HCEZO Conductivity Calibration Solutions · K0.1 set (84 / 1413 microS/cm)

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