JeF4y
El Conquistidor
So I know it's a double post from the main forum, but thought it was pretty relevant here.
The next step in the evolution of the BioCube from hell was to pick up a reef controller.
Knowing nothing about them, I set out to see what we could find. One thing I REALLY wanted to make sure we had was the ability to manage the controller remotely (from, say Mexico or Rome) while we are out. This was very important, and I found some controllers that had the ability to display data online but you couldn't control anything. That was a definite "NO" for me because the last thing I want is to watch our reef melt-down without being able to do anything about it from 5500 miles away. No thanks.
Talking to several manufacturers, we ultimately settled with the new Apex controller from http://www.neptunesys.com Curt was VERY quick to answer all of our questions and help us make appropriate decisions.
Ultimately we ordered the following:
Apex Controller
Energy-Bar 8 (8 controlled outlets)
Temp Probe
Lab Grade pH probe
I/O Breakout Box (for adding ATO & other level switches)
Lunar Sim 3 (3 LED lunar lights which use the built in moon-cycle of the Apex)
and some 7.0 & 10.0 pH calibration fluids
Grand total $681.12
We were on the pre-order list so we waited a while to get the controller. Then it sat around for another 6 weeks while we bounced around the country on a couple of pleasure trips.
Then finally came the day...
The documentation for the controller is not miserable, but does leave a bit to be desired from my perspective. However, much of it seemed pretty intuitive with programming and setting up the network, etc.
Our reef is upstairs in our bedroom (2nd floor) while our home router is actually 2 floors below in the basement. The Apex requires a wired connection, so I had to extend our home network upstairs. I tried to do this with another router (had one netgear and one linksys), but quickly found out that "WDS" (wireless distribution system) isn't something easily done on low-end hardware. After messing around with 3rd party firmware on the routers, etc for a day, I seized the opportunity to throw more money at the project in the form of a new Apple AirPort Extreme and an AirPort Express routers. The Extreme went in the basement and the Express went upstairs near the reef.
I have to say that if you're going to do this, you CANNOT GO WRONG with Apple hardware. Literally 5 minutes out of the box, I had WDS running and the network completely configured. It was the easiest networking I've done in my life! How it works is simply that the Apex is wired via CAT5 LAN cable to the AirPort Express (plugged into the wall 10' away) and the Express wirelessly connects to the Extreme in the basement.
(Read more on how much I enjoy Apple stuff here http://www.kufalk.com/?p=33 )
So now that the networking was setup, I needed to configure the controller itself.
I had the following 8 items which I wanted to plug into the first EB8 (another one is on order) and how I wanted them configured.
1 - Actinics - On daily 9am - 9pm
2 - Daylights - On daily 11am - 7pm
3 - Refugium lights - On daily 9pm - 9am
4 - Main sump return pump - On 24x7
5 - Koralia 1 (left) - on daily 8am - 8pm
6 - Koralia 1 (right) - on daily 8pm - 8am
7 - Heater - On if temp <77.7, Off if temp >= 78.0
8 - Filter - On 24x7
So, a couple of things. I actually ended up moving the 2 Koralia pumps to outlets 4 & 8 because they are relay switched outlets which guarantee cut-off when the time switches off. Because the K1's have such a low power draw, they don't always shut off from the normally switched outlets.
The other question is "why would you want to control outlets that are ALWAYS on? Well, that's simple. They're NOT "always on". When I feed, or change the tank, the filter & main return need to be cut off. This is done MUCH easier via a controller than through pulling plugs.
During setup, I did have one small issue with a bad display which NeptuneSys quickly replaced, and another issue with old Firmware that Neptune again helped me upgrade quickly. In all, setup was pretty simple, but then again, I do not have an overly complex system.
For installation, I mounted the EB8 and Apex itself on the top inside cabinet of my stand. When I add the second EB8 it will be mounted on the opposite side of this cabinet.
While this is kind of hard to see, I mounted the temp and pH probe using a piece of acrylic which I drilled holes into, and notched out so that it holds in place to a chamber separation tab in the back of my tank. The probes are below the LockLine here.
The display, I mounted on the left hand side of the stand and it's easily seen in the room.
In all, I still have some work to do with configuring feed cycles and sorting out a temperature accuracy issue I have, but I'm pretty satisfied in being able to manage things much easier. I also still need to sort out remote access to the controller, but based on Apple hardware, I don't think this will take me more than a few minutes.
I also still have to add a second EB-8, add the moonlights and the ATO switches. So there is more to come for sure!
The next step in the evolution of the BioCube from hell was to pick up a reef controller.
Knowing nothing about them, I set out to see what we could find. One thing I REALLY wanted to make sure we had was the ability to manage the controller remotely (from, say Mexico or Rome) while we are out. This was very important, and I found some controllers that had the ability to display data online but you couldn't control anything. That was a definite "NO" for me because the last thing I want is to watch our reef melt-down without being able to do anything about it from 5500 miles away. No thanks.
Talking to several manufacturers, we ultimately settled with the new Apex controller from http://www.neptunesys.com Curt was VERY quick to answer all of our questions and help us make appropriate decisions.
Ultimately we ordered the following:
Apex Controller
Energy-Bar 8 (8 controlled outlets)
Temp Probe
Lab Grade pH probe
I/O Breakout Box (for adding ATO & other level switches)
Lunar Sim 3 (3 LED lunar lights which use the built in moon-cycle of the Apex)
and some 7.0 & 10.0 pH calibration fluids
Grand total $681.12
We were on the pre-order list so we waited a while to get the controller. Then it sat around for another 6 weeks while we bounced around the country on a couple of pleasure trips.
Then finally came the day...
The documentation for the controller is not miserable, but does leave a bit to be desired from my perspective. However, much of it seemed pretty intuitive with programming and setting up the network, etc.
Our reef is upstairs in our bedroom (2nd floor) while our home router is actually 2 floors below in the basement. The Apex requires a wired connection, so I had to extend our home network upstairs. I tried to do this with another router (had one netgear and one linksys), but quickly found out that "WDS" (wireless distribution system) isn't something easily done on low-end hardware. After messing around with 3rd party firmware on the routers, etc for a day, I seized the opportunity to throw more money at the project in the form of a new Apple AirPort Extreme and an AirPort Express routers. The Extreme went in the basement and the Express went upstairs near the reef.
I have to say that if you're going to do this, you CANNOT GO WRONG with Apple hardware. Literally 5 minutes out of the box, I had WDS running and the network completely configured. It was the easiest networking I've done in my life! How it works is simply that the Apex is wired via CAT5 LAN cable to the AirPort Express (plugged into the wall 10' away) and the Express wirelessly connects to the Extreme in the basement.
(Read more on how much I enjoy Apple stuff here http://www.kufalk.com/?p=33 )
So now that the networking was setup, I needed to configure the controller itself.
I had the following 8 items which I wanted to plug into the first EB8 (another one is on order) and how I wanted them configured.
1 - Actinics - On daily 9am - 9pm
2 - Daylights - On daily 11am - 7pm
3 - Refugium lights - On daily 9pm - 9am
4 - Main sump return pump - On 24x7
5 - Koralia 1 (left) - on daily 8am - 8pm
6 - Koralia 1 (right) - on daily 8pm - 8am
7 - Heater - On if temp <77.7, Off if temp >= 78.0
8 - Filter - On 24x7
So, a couple of things. I actually ended up moving the 2 Koralia pumps to outlets 4 & 8 because they are relay switched outlets which guarantee cut-off when the time switches off. Because the K1's have such a low power draw, they don't always shut off from the normally switched outlets.
The other question is "why would you want to control outlets that are ALWAYS on? Well, that's simple. They're NOT "always on". When I feed, or change the tank, the filter & main return need to be cut off. This is done MUCH easier via a controller than through pulling plugs.
During setup, I did have one small issue with a bad display which NeptuneSys quickly replaced, and another issue with old Firmware that Neptune again helped me upgrade quickly. In all, setup was pretty simple, but then again, I do not have an overly complex system.
For installation, I mounted the EB8 and Apex itself on the top inside cabinet of my stand. When I add the second EB8 it will be mounted on the opposite side of this cabinet.
While this is kind of hard to see, I mounted the temp and pH probe using a piece of acrylic which I drilled holes into, and notched out so that it holds in place to a chamber separation tab in the back of my tank. The probes are below the LockLine here.
The display, I mounted on the left hand side of the stand and it's easily seen in the room.
In all, I still have some work to do with configuring feed cycles and sorting out a temperature accuracy issue I have, but I'm pretty satisfied in being able to manage things much easier. I also still need to sort out remote access to the controller, but based on Apple hardware, I don't think this will take me more than a few minutes.
I also still have to add a second EB-8, add the moonlights and the ATO switches. So there is more to come for sure!
