Corals And Circuit Boards - Making A Aquarium Monitor From Scratch
Corals and Circuit Boards: The Story Behind Fishbit
Introduction
Reef keeping is a fascinating but challenging hobby, and for many, the learning curve can be steep—often at the expense of delicate marine life. The team behind Fishbit saw this as an opportunity to revolutionize aquarium monitoring and control, making it easier for hobbyists to keep their tanks thriving. In this feature, we explore the journey of Fishbit, its founders, and the technology that could change the way we care for our aquatic ecosystems.
The Problem: Why Keeping an Aquarium is Hard
The harsh reality of the reefing hobby is that many newcomers struggle to keep their tanks alive. Nathan, one of the co-founders of Fishbit, shared a striking statistic: only one out of ten people who start reef keeping are still in the hobby 18 months later. Why?
Fish and corals die due to improper water conditions.
Maintaining stable parameters is difficult and expensive.
Monitoring systems are often complex and not user-friendly.
Fishbit set out to change that, aiming to make aquarium monitoring and control easier, smarter, and more accessible to both beginners and seasoned reefers alike.
Meet the Minds Behind Fishbit
Fishbit was created by Nathan and Brock, two passionate aquarium enthusiasts who combined their love for marine life with their expertise in software and hardware engineering.
Nathan’s Journey: Growing up in Miami, he was surrounded by aquariums and marine life. After years of struggling with traditional tank maintenance, he saw an opportunity to integrate smart technology into the hobby.
Brock’s Expertise: A lead engineer at Fishbit, Brock focused on developing the technology that could accurately measure key water parameters and integrate them seamlessly into a user-friendly app.
Their goal was simple: create a device that allows reef keepers to monitor and control their tanks with ease.
What is Fishbit?
Fishbit is a smart aquarium monitor and controller designed to simplify reef keeping. It consists of two primary components:
The Monitor – A device that sits inside the tank, wirelessly tracking pH, salinity, and temperature without messy wires.
The Controller – A unit that connects with third-party equipment, allowing users to automate their tank’s operation and receive real-time updates via the Fishbit app.
This system ensures that hobbyists can keep their water parameters stable, reducing the risk of coral and fish loss due to fluctuating conditions.
From Garage to Silicon Valley: The Fishbit Startup Story
Fishbit’s journey from an idea to a full-fledged product wasn’t easy. Nathan and Brock started with simple Arduino microcontrollers, but scaling up to a mass-market product required serious development.
Their big break came when they joined Highway 1, a hardware startup accelerator in San Francisco. This provided them with:
Seed funding to take Fishbit to the next level.
Access to cutting-edge tools and manufacturing expertise.
Guidance from industry experts on refining their product.
At Highway 1, they worked tirelessly, iterating through multiple prototypes, troubleshooting signal integrity issues, and optimizing circuit board designs to ensure Fishbit could be manufactured at scale.
The Beta Testing Phase
Unlike many startups that launch without field testing, Fishbit took a unique approach by conducting a public beta program. Over 50 beta units were distributed to:
Influencers and bloggers in the reefing community.
Local reef clubs like the Bay Area Reefers.
Experienced aquarists like Chris Moore and Jim Ruga, who provided critical feedback.
The goal was to refine the product before launching it to the mass market, ensuring that Fishbit met the real-world needs of aquarium owners.
Fishbit in Action: A Look at Advanced Reef Tanks
During the beta phase, Fishbit was tested on some of the most advanced reef tanks in the country. One of the standout systems belonged to Chris Moore, an experienced aquarist with a 300-gallon mixed reef tank.
Chris, a member of the Bay Area Reefers, shared his experience with Fishbit:
“I love how simple it is. It’s monitoring my tank without me having to constantly check parameters manually.”
Another tester, Jim Ruga, emphasized how Fishbit helped him stabilize salinity levels, which is crucial for keeping sensitive corals healthy.
Why Fishbit Matters for the Future of Reef Keeping
Fishbit isn’t just another aquarium gadget—it’s part of a larger movement towards smart, automated reef keeping. By combining technology with marine science, Fishbit has the potential to:
Reduce livestock losses, helping new hobbyists succeed.
Make reefing more accessible by removing the technical barriers.
Encourage sustainable reef keeping practices through better monitoring.
As Nathan puts it,
“A beautiful reef tank is universally amazing, but people give up because it’s hard. We want to make it easier and more enjoyable.”
Final Thoughts: The Intersection of Corals and Circuit Boards
At its core, Fishbit represents the fusion of technology and marine life, proving that smart solutions can make the reefing hobby more enjoyable, sustainable, and successful.
For those looking to take their aquarium management to the next level, Fishbit offers a glimpse into the future—a future where your tank tells you exactly what it needs, before problems arise.
With innovation like this, the world of reef keeping may never be the same.
