Aquarium Logging Software – Personal Online Aquarium Log
By: Scott Zachow
As promised in the last edition of RHO in the Aquarium Log Update article, we are very pleased to announce the release of Version 2 of the Personal Online Aquarium Log. If you are not familiar with the Aquarium Log, you are missing out on the very best in saltwater aquarium maintenance and tracking. Most of the industry authorities agree that keeping detailed logs of your aquarium can be very beneficial. In order to reduce the burden on this task, we developed the Personal Online Aquarium Log. Below is a comprehensive list of what the Aquarium Log will do for you.
Detailed Tank Information:Tank Information
Upon configuring your aquarium log, you will be taken through 6 steps to gather detailed information about your aquarium. This information includes basics such as tank size and equipment, and goes as detailed as storing types and brands of equipment. Also through the configuration you are able to choose what type of maintenance you perform and the frequency in which you perform it. Lastly in the configuration you are asked to choose which water test you perform and what your minimum and maximum readings for each are.
Tank Tracking:
The most commonly used aspect of the log will undoubtedly be the entry of test results. For each test you perform, you choose the test type, the results, when the next test should be performed and if you would like to receive an e-mail reminder on the date you choose. In addition to this information, a fully formatted message editor is available for you to type comments about that specific test result.
Maintenance is the next item on the list and the same options are available. When the next maintenance is to be performed (based on your configured options), whether or not you would like to receive an e-mail reminder and comments about the maintenance activity performed.
With the Personal Online Aquarium Log, you also have the ability to track your livestock. There is a separate section for Fish, Corals and Invertebrates. When you choose to enter one in your log, you have the ability to upload a picture, enter when and where it was purchased, how much you paid for the item and initial comments. After making the initial entry, you can routinely add comments about the livestock, again using a fully formatted message editor, and upload additional pictures. This allows you to easily document growth and different behavioral aspects.
On top of all of this, your log comes with an Aquarium Diary. You guessed it, it too has a fully formatted message editor which makes it a breeze to format your entry. The Aquarium Diary can be used to document general tank activities, thoughts or dreams or anything else you can imagine about your tank.
Publicly Viewable Logs:
Through the configuration of your tank, you have the option to make your log publicly viewable. Choosing yes on this option allows other visitors to view each and every aspect of your aquarium log. This makes your aquarium log a “personal tank homepage” in a sense. Since every part of your log is viewable by anyone, they can monitor the progress of your tank, how your livestock is growing and how you go about keeping a beautiful tank through your maintenance routine. A list of all publicly viewable logs is available for everyone to view. Making your log public also allows other visitors to subscribe to your log and receive e-mail updates when you update your log. This makes it simple for a user to keep track of everything with your tank.
All publicly viewable logs have integrated personal forums that are available for you to communicate with the visitors of your log. A visitor to your log might have a question about the beautiful Acropora sp. you keep and they now have the ability to post you a question directly into your log about it. When a new thread is started in your log, you are notified via e-mail so you can respond. Likewise when a reply is made, all subscribers to that thread are notified. Communicating with others is now a breeze with this awesome feature.
If you choose to not make your log publicly viewable, you can rest assured that your log is secure and absolutely no one will have access to it.
Full Control:
With the comprehensive User Control Panel, you have full control over your log and how it works for you. All tank configuration options can be edited via the User Control Panel. In addition to this, the user control panel provides a place for you to view all threads that you are subscribed to (just in case the e-mail is missed) and also allows you to list all logs that you are subscribed to. Since the Aquarium Log is integrated with the rest of Reefland.com, you also have access to your private messages throughout every part of the Aquarium Log.
Data Protection:
Version 2 of the Personal Aquarium Log also gives you the ability to download your entire log into .txt format. This is useful if you want to archive the information, remove it and update it into another logging software or just for safekeepings. In the near future we will provide the ability to download your log in RSS and XML format.
We hope that you’ll enjoy the use of the Personal Online Aquarium Log and that you’ll find this to be a useful resource at Reefland.com.
Reef On!
Scott Zachow