Security camera setup for active monitoring

[Dooner248]

I have a 210 saltwater reef tank in my basement and I want to set up a camera so I can see what is going on when I am not downstairs. I tried zmodo and recently a Neye3C camera. Problem is where to place/mount the camera and whether a zoom is adequate. Even more importantly is the blue light of the tank lights drown out the fish colors. That part of the hobby is what appeals to me. I will not be using it for motion tracking or recording purposes though a screen grab would be nice. I would like to hear or see what you have done.

 

[jaylach]

First I don't care much for blue lighting other than for a few hours at night to mimic moon light as it can adversely affect the eyes of some fish.

As to your actual question... If I wanted to record fish activities when they are alone I would probably go with a cheap computer with a Logitech web cam. I say Logitech as they offer free software for their web cams that is motion activated. Years ago I played with this kind of setup and it worked surprisingly well. It has been long enough that what they now offer on this is probably even better.

 

[Jewenyann]

I just pointed my indoor cam at the tank from a shelf across the room and it works fine for checking in. Motion alerts are a bit too sensitive for fish movement though.

 

[MaloK]

I would use a Professional CCTV cameras that can have digital orange or yellow filter and 3x-5x zoom.

There are filters often called "reef viewing glasses" or specialized lens kits that are designed to cut out the excess blue light, allowing your camera to capture more accurate colors.

You can find clip-on versions for smartphones or screw-on filters for DSLR/mirrorless lenses.

Some cameras give a pretty good result just by adjusting the white balance, others have color temperature control that can help. But if you want top results, the physical filters are the best.