When did I last change out my activated carbon?
That is a simple question which should have a simple answer, but for many reef keepers finding that answer means either relying on their memory or finding their tank notebook. Since my goal with reefiris is to provide a tool to help people keep track of their tanks, providing a logbook which is simple to use fits in nicely. To start adding notes to your tank, simple edit your tank and click on the “Notes” section.
Adding notes to your tank is easy
Simply type whatever you want and click ‘Save’. Your note will will appear both on this page, as well as your main tank page. To delete a note, simply hover over it with your mouse and click the delete icon which appears. Two features which I have planned but are not yet implemented are the ability to search your notes and creating a note for a specific date. (All notes are currently created for “now”)
So how is this a new kind of maintenance log for your tank? Putting your logs online simply saves you from keeping a notebook near your tank, which by itself is not that important. But another goal of mine with these notes (and everything else on reefiris) is to change the way aquarists think about and interact with data. How many times have you seen a forum thread about an algae outbreak? Can you guess what the first reply will ask for? My guess is “How often do you do water changes?” or “What are your parameters?”. It happens in every thread, and only serves to waste time; time which could be spent actually discussing the issue. What if the answers to those questions was simply a click away?
Imagine that your tank notebook is available to be read by anyone at anytime. I’m really looking forward to seeing how users take advantage of this.