Automatic Water Changes: One Number Instead of Buckets and Hoses

Water changes are the most thankless routine in aquarium keeping—boring, regular, and easy to postpone until "tomorrow." The Automatic Water Change (AWC) function in Oquari handles this for you: in small portions, quietly, around the clock. You provide one value—how many liters per week—and the controller automatically distributes it into small, regular doses. No mixing in buckets, no hoses dangling in the tank, no "I forgot."

Why Small Portions Instead of One Large Change

A classic 20–30% water change once a week creates parameter spikes every time: temperature, salinity, pH. For fish, this is stress; for corals, it’s a real risk. AWC reverses this logic: instead of rare large changes, it performs frequent, very small ones. The water in the tank practically doesn’t "jump," and inhabitants live within a narrow, stable range. The same weekly volume, spread over dozens of micro-portions, is simply gentler on your livestock.

Freshwater Variant: Simple and Direct

The simplest architecture—no intermediate reservoir. Fresh RO water goes directly into the aquarium. The cycle (every 30 minutes) looks like this:

1. The controller checks the water level—the change starts only if the level is correct.
2. A small pump drains a set portion to the drain.
3. The system waits for the level to stabilize.
4. If the level has returned to its pre-drain state, an electrovalve opens and RO water replenishes the loss.
5. The cycle is logged in the journal (volume, time, status).

You set one number—for example, 30 liters per week—and the controller calculates the rest.

Saltwater Variant: Buffer Tank Because Reef Tanks Forgive Less

Pure RO water must never be added directly to a saltwater aquarium—it must have exactly the same salinity as the tank. Therefore, a buffer tank is added, where water is prepared in advance:

• The RO membrane fills the buffer automatically when the level drops to a minimum—not rigidly at a set time. This allows it to operate in long, infrequent cycles (roughly once a day), significantly extending its lifespan.
• After filling, a circulation pump starts, and a dosing pump adds concentrated salt solution in an amount calculated for the target salinity.
• A sensor confirms the result within the set tolerance—only then is the buffer marked as ready.

The water change cycle itself is the same as in freshwater, but instead of RO, it draws pre-verified saltwater. If mixing is currently happening and no ready water is available, the system uses a previously prepared portion. Under no circumstances does it allow pure RO to enter a saltwater aquarium.

Safety Measures: The Priority Is Not to Cause Harm

Automation that operates with water must know how to stop. AWC has four hard locks embedded in an unbreakable safety section of the program:

All of this executes locally on the controller—not in the cloud. An internet outage does not interrupt or "blindly finish" any cycle.

How This Differs from Competitors

Solutions available on the market treat water changes as an additional function: you prepare the water and monitor reservoirs. Oquari automates the entire chain—from RO water production, through salinity preparation, to the water change itself. You set liters per week and stop thinking about it. And frequent small portions instead of rare large ones mean smaller parameter fluctuations—which is a better home for organisms that don’t tolerate changes.

Configuration in the Portal — Step by Step

1. Panel → Water → Water Change (AWC).
2. Select the variant (freshwater / saltwater with buffer).
3. Enter liters per week and the size of a single portion.
4. Set safety thresholds (minimum level, flow tolerance, for saltwater—salinity tolerance).
5. Save—the controller will compile the sequence and start logging cycles (volume, salinity, time, status).

Finally, a good practice independent of automation: occasionally glance at pumps, hoses, and the buffer tank. AWC changes water—but you know what a healthy tank looks like.

Najczęstsze pytania

Does AWC work if my internet goes down?

Yes. The Oquari controller executes all logic locally. An internet outage does not interrupt water changes or cause the system to "blindly finish" a cycle. Automation continues safely without cloud dependency.

Can I use AWC for a reef tank without buying extra equipment?

For saltwater tanks, you need a buffer reservoir and a salinity probe to prepare saltwater in advance. Pure RO water is never added directly to the reef tank. The system automates filling, mixing, and verifying salinity before any water enters your display tank.

How does Oquari prevent over-draining my aquarium?

The system includes a double-cycle block: the next drain won’t start until the water level returns to its pre-drain state. Additionally, a minimum level sensor stops all operations immediately if the water drops too low, ensuring no equipment runs dry.

Do I need to program anything for AWC to work?

No. You simply set one value—how many liters per week you want changed. The controller automatically calculates portion sizes and timing. There are no scripts or code to write; presets handle the logic while you adjust parameters like volume and safety thresholds.

Is the water change schedule fixed, or can it adapt?

The system distributes your weekly target into small, regular portions throughout the day (e.g., every 30 minutes). This frequent, gentle approach minimizes parameter swings compared to a single large weekly change, providing a more stable environment for sensitive livestock.