controllers

[The Shan Man]

Can somebody point me in the right direction as far as aquarium controllers. I am debating the Reef Keeper2 or the aqua controller Jr... Somebody that is currently running these and can give me first hand experince.

 

[rhunt]

I too would like this information so I am tagging along

 

[drstupid]

everything you never wanted to know about controllers:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=997688

 

[drummereef]

http://www.aquariumcontrollers.com/

For the money the Aquacontroller Jr is your best bet. With its flexibility and online capabilities you can't go wrong. I love mine. Being able to access your tank when on vacation is priceless, imo. And, Neptune Systems customer support is second to none. Curt is great.

 

[Bri Guy]

I 2nd the Jr. I love mine! If I had extra $ lying around I would have gotten the ACIII but the Jr. fits my needs well enough. Its now the central nervous system for my tank!

 

[trae]

Re: controllers

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10141549#post10141549 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Shan Man
Can somebody point me in the right direction as far as aquarium controllers. I am debating the Reef Keeper2 or the aqua controller Jr... Somebody that is currently running these and can give me first hand experince.

Don't forget that most controllers are useless if you do not have the controll device for the equipment. 1 for each device. I chose the AC3 after having the AC2 it is great and you can monitor online.

 

[drummereef]

DC8's are what you want. Most Neptune products can be bundled with either the DC8 or DC4.

 

[msn711]

What exactly is a DC8 or DC4? Maybe if I could figure out these basics, I could invest in one of these controllers.

 

[NeveSSL]

They are not controllers, but a part of the whole system. They are what receive the signals and switch things on and off.

And I second the AC Jr. It seems to have more features and a lower price point (if you know where to look... search for the group buy thread).

EDIT: Thanks for that link, DrummeReef!

Now that I look at it, it appears that you can get email alarms for cheaper ultimately through Digital Aquatics... plus it can be flush mounted... I am highly intrigued now... maybe I'll go with a RKII now???

Great... now I've got something else to research... lol.

Brandon

 

[moumda]

ACIII has been very good to me! IIt's quite a bit more expandable than the Jr and allows more probes for measuring. The data collection from the aqua notes is a big plus in my book. Just ordered the expansion box for a second tank I'm setting up, looking forward to that!

 

[rsw686]

I've been debating between the ReefKeeper 2 and the AC Jr. I'm going to purchase the AC Jr or if I can find some extra cash the AC III.

The main difference is complexity of the controller. The ReefKeeper 2 has a simple interface and everything is hard coded. You can't write scripts like on the AC Jr. However if thats all you want to do then that is the better choice. If your not afraid of simple programming and want the custom ability then go with the AC Jr. The AC Jr. (if you get the serial port) also has a digital IO input that can be used with a float switch for auto top off.

 

[NeveSSL]

Exactly... the external switch is why I'm doing a Jr. over RKII (or same here... maybe an ACIII if I can get the cash). Although, the new software for the RKIIs looks nice.

Brandon