Controller Recommendations

The ACIII Pro can monitor/control salinity and dissolved oxygen (though I don't see much need to monitoring DO unless you're getting into serious aquaculture). It can control 6 more devices. I think it can program a few more lines of code. IMO, it isn't worth it unless you plan on using some sort of salinity control (perhaps some sort of method of alerting you if it goes out of whack).
 
I don't really mess much with computer programming. I know a number of people have managed to write programs for controlling the ACIII remotely using the unit's webserver capability. It might be a bit unintuitive when compared to what the Elos might offer. Still, I've seen some rather cool programs. One guy wrote a program that takes the hourly forecast from Fiji and uses it to control the temp, lighting, and pumps in his tank. Browse the Neptune forum and you can find similar examples.

As far as expandability to new technology, the aquatronica and profilux units do have a few cool peripherals that make them stand out, such as their peristaltic pumps and 10V DC control. The profilux has a cool modular design that's pretty appealing, but it costs so much expanding it that I question the worth. I have a feeling Neptune will come out with similar peripherals in the future. The aqua-surf is one such example. If you like to fiddle with things and have a decent electronics/programming background, then you shouldn't have much trouble doing all kinds of things with the ACIII or ACIII Pro.
 
Is there anything that the Profilux can do that the ACIII Pro cannot? How about the Elos? I'm really torn between these.
Los
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12412169#post12412169 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Los
Is there anything that the Profilux can do that the ACIII Pro cannot? How about the Elos? I'm really torn between these.
Los
Click to expand...

Yes there are tons of things the profilux can do that the ac3 cannot. It is about the most expandable controller on the market. They sell sunrise/sunset LEDs. They sell lightning simulator LEDs for storms. You can simulate random storms with powerheads, lightning and random control of your display lighting. Dimmable T5 lighting controls are available. There are videos of this and it looks REALLY neat but I can't justify anything that is $1,000+ to control my tanks unless It was a professional display tank trying to sell the latest technology or something.
Here's a demo video of all the LED colors and effects they have.
The profilux also has remote displays that you can plug in and modular cards like a computer's PCI cards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLHkdvDAViA

Here's some of the cards available http://www.ghl-profilux.co.uk/acatalog/Expansion_Cards.html
 
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I have the Profilux Controller - I got a really great deal on it otherwise I probably would not have spent that much on a new one. I haven't fully set it up yet, but it has alot of options. I will say that the programming and set up is difficult - which is one of the reasons that I haven't fully set it up yet, but the cool thing is that once you get it set up you never have to worry about it becoming obsolete, GHL is always offering free upgrades on their site, and they continue to make it more expandible so you never have to worry about getting the next best unit. Go to their Forum on Reef Central. I am hoping to have it fully set up soon, so you are more than welcome to come check it out once I am finished.
- Jeff
BTW, I had the AquaController II and I really liked it. I found it much easier to set up.
 
Do the base units of the Profilux Controller come ready to use or are there xtras to add to it before it is ready to use??????
 
If you buy the base unit with add-ons they can put it together for you. It's easy to upgrade and mine was pretty much ready to use except for programming the powerbars. I did download the latest version of software after I got it (downloads are free, and updated often). I have the wireless upgrade and it's nice because you can make the changes right from your computer. I like mine, but I haven't set up all of the power bars and programs yet. I think the Aqua Controller is much easier to program from my experience. I thought about selling my Profilux a few times when I read that alot of people have difficulty with the inital setup and I kept reading different versions of how to do things. I am still undecided as I haven't fully set it up yet. Let me know if you have any more questions.
- Jeff
 
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