controllers on a nano?

I have a Reef Keeper Elite on my 24 gallon and embarrassed to admit a Reef Keeper Lite on my 3 gallon Pico. In my defense I won the RKL but probably bought one as when I did not have it hooked up, I was wanting to know instant pH and temp readings but did not have it as accustom to with the other tank.
 
I have a RK2 and will never have another tank without one. It worked great for about a year then dumped its program and had to be sent back to digital aquatics. The controllers make it very easy to maintain a tank

Chaney
 
Can you elaborate on controller making a tank running smoother for a Nano? I have just bought a 28 gal LED JBJ Nano and am currently contemplating the usage of a controller. I have heard both the RKE and the Apex are both viable options if ones gets the controller, but what all can they do for the smaller nano? Thanks for helping me understand these....
 
The controller improves the stability of the tank. If the tank gets too hot it can turn on fans or a chiller. They can turn light on and off at same time of day and if tank gets to hot it will turn off lights. Controllers can stabilize ph by adding kalk at a set ph point. I can glance at tank and see ph and temp without any test kits.
 
I have both the ACJr and the the RKL. The Jr is on my Solana and the RKL is on my Aquapod 12 gal. The aquapod is pretty straight forward, only a return pump, heater, and two types of lighting. The four outlet with the RKL and the temp probe are just what is needed and nothing more. Worth the $99 compared to the cost of quality digital timers.

On the Solana, I have a skimmer, Vortech, GFO reactor, ATO and three kinds of lighting. The eight outlets, temp and pH, all come in handy. Worth the $250 for what it is able to do which is pretty much everything except web access.

So, it boils down to what your needs are - they are both good values.

For my new 120 gal setup, I am getting an Apex for Xmas :)
 
thanks milkman i think i am going to go with the acjr now it sounds like more what i am looking for.

keep the posts coming guys its a big help
 
I read somewhere that the AC Jr. does not keep accurate time? Has this issue been addressed with firmware?
 
For me a controller, even a basic one like the RKL for $99, is worth it if for nothing more than heat monitoring and control. Any heater has the potential to fail at some point, and it will either fail on and cook your tank, or it will fail off and your temp will drop. I'm not in the habit of constantly checking my tank temp, so the controller is set to turn the heater off, turn on a fan, and set an alarm if the temp gets above 82, or set an alarm if the temp goes below 75. It does a ton of other convenient things like controlling lights and pumps, but those could be done with basic timers also.
 
the reefkeepers are hard to program i have messed with mine a bit but my tank isnt up yet. i hear there programing is a pain though
 
I'd like a controller with web access. I've been thinking about getting the RKL... And a NET module for the "coolness factor."

Currently I'm using mechanical timers for my DIY LED setup. Also using a cheap digital thermometer to measure temp. For the price, I wouldn't mind getting the RKL ($99) for that matter.

But getting the NET module paired with the RKL would only enable me to graph temperature. Kinda useless in my eyes. I'd have to get the RKL PLUS or RKL NET package to graph pH. Or just add on a SL1 at a later time.

Decisions...

I guess for the entry cost, the $99 RKL isn't bad. And since it's modular, I can add stuff later as I please.
 
I think I'm going to go with the RKL myself as soon as my tax return comes in. I'll be putting it on our 20 gal with a Eshopps, MP10, AC-70 Fuge, and Coralife PC lighting fixture (with lunar lights).

I was a bit bummed that DA won't work with me on a price for the "plus" package, as I wanted to swap the SL1, for the SL2. I understand the SL2 is a bit more expensive, so I'll just have to deal with it. The only other thing that seems to be a bit of an issue, is with each firmware update, you have to do each module individually. That to me is kind of a pain. Luckly I'm a bit of a computer nerd, and won't mind bringing my netbook to the tank to upgrade each module. But for some people, this isn't a very user friendly way of doing things.

Also, someone in a previous post mentioned DA's programing being a bit difficult. I just checked out their site, which has been updated recently, and they are claiming "our easiest programming yet..." Not sure if this is part of a firmware upgrade or not. May be something worth looking into.

-RYknow
 
I have the RKL and have problems programming it. Anyone have that problem? I'm not getting much help on DA's support forum either.
Still not getting much help on the support forum but sat down and studied the manual and played with the head unit. What really made the difference for me is the "factory reset function". When I get frustrated I just do a factory reset and start over.
 
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