Help Me Pick Out What I Need

[Reeefer]

I have the following I want to plug into the controller:
2 250 watt MH
2 400 watt MH
1 280 watt VHO
1 Refugium light
1 Chiller
3 Fans
2 Lunar lights

I was thinking the Aquacontroller JR with temp, ph, DC8, and a DC4.

Can I plug both sets of MH in the DC4 and the Chiller in the DC8 with the other goodies? I know for sure the chiller is 5 amp. I'm currently running non controllable k4s, but want to make the switch to some Tunzes with it's propietary controller down the line.

Any recommendations? I looked at the Aquacontroller Pro and Apex and they seem like too much for what I want to monitor and would be money wasted.

Any guidance is appreciated.

What do I buy down the line to add internet connectivity?

 

[schwaggs]

You have listed

~1600 watts of lighting
~600 watt for the chiller
Misc other items

You need more than one DC8 or EB8 to control that much power. Each DC8 or EB8 can control 15 Amps or ~ 1800 watts. You could get away with Outlet Expansons or DC4HD but IMO, you should just get a second DC or EB.

Now for the controller. If you seriously are planning on getting some Tunze controllable pumps, you should get the Apex (not the Apex Lite, the regular Apex). It includes 4 variable speed ports to control Tunze pumps directly. This will save you $150-$200 on a dedicated Tunze controller by itself. Even if you are not sold on the Tunze, if you are serious about aquariums, you should get the Apex as you will be investing in the state of the art, expandable controller that will last you 5-10 years as opposed to buying an entry level system that you may outgrow.

Additionally, the Apex comes with internet connectivity, Neptune does not have a way to add internet connectiviry to the Jr. (there is a PC software based solution from Neptune and a 3rd party source but they are not nearly as good as the built in capabilites of the Apex and require a PC be always on to run them which will cost $$$ in electricity)

 

[rott]

If I remember right the Aqua controller JR can only control up to 12 total devices so make sure you have enough plugins for every thing you might grow into later down the road

 

[RussM]

Both of the previous comments are spot on... with what you described, the ACjr will be maxed out from the start.

 

[rott]

Russ not to change the topic of this but do you know how long of a phone line I can use to go from one DC8 to another DC8 and can I just go to radio shack and get a regular phone cable.

 

[RussM]

Russ not to change the topic of this but do you know how long of a phone line I can use to go from one DC8 to another DC8 and can I just go to radio shack and get a regular phone cable.

If I recall correctly, the 'offical' max length is 10', but others have used 25' sucessfully. Each peripheral (DC8, etc) should come with a 6' cord. You can use standard telephone line cords too... BUT they must be 4-wire cables (normally used to carry two telephone lines) with RJ-11 connectors. I don't know if Radio Shack carries them in stores. If the package doesn't say 4 conductors, look closely at the plugs... you should clearly be able to see 4 different colors of wire. If you can't tell for sure, keep on looking

 

[Deleted member 143833]

Oh, Russ beat me...

What he said...

 

[rott]

Thanks

 

[Reeefer]

Thanks for the advice guys. Is there any other cables or interfaces I need or simply just the Apex with an additional EB8 for the setup I described?