To Control or Not Control ????

[Sohal Tang Tim]

I would love to hear from those that have controllers how they truly
impact your reefing hobby. I feel they are not that cheap and are
we really paying close to $1000 dollars to turn our lights on and off?

Ok..we can turn our skimmer on and off?
Ok.. we can see our ph at a glance....

fine... is that it??? I am wondering about the true benefit that people
are getting using these controllers....

Can some of you fill me in as to exactly why you feel it was or was not worth
the investment....starting with approx how much you paid for your unit.

Thanks kindly people


Tim

 

[hogben]

For a larger tank I would call them a necessity. Even for smaller tanks there are some really cool things you can do with a controller.

Besides the obvious turn lights on or off these units are programmable. It's not just about being able to see the pH at a glance, but react to it. If for instance you are running a calcium reactor and the pH in your tank drops below a defined level the controller can switch off the reactor. If the tank temperature is too high turn off the heater/lights/etc.

These more expensive controllers are accessible through a web interface, you can monitor your tank through a phone app for peace of mind. They can alert you by email if there is a problem.

If you just want to switch lights on/off save your money, but for larger more complicated systems controllers are awesome.

 

[Paco]

I have an AC Jr which was about $225 with 8 power ports, a temperature probe and a pH probe. I feel it was very well worth it. I'm using it for the following functions:

1. Turn lights on and off (both tank and sump/chaeto). Automagically varies the day length throughout the year (kind of neat).

2. Feed Cycle -- turns off my return pump and skimmer, automatically turns back on after 7 minutes. This keeps the skimmer from overflowing and keeps me from forgetting to turn the return pump back on -- or more likely keeps my kids and wife from forgetting to turn it back on.

3. Controls my auto-top off so that it's only "on" for 2 minutes per 2 hours. This puts a limit on the potential for overflow should the valve fail.

4. Controls my cooling fans (no chiller) and my heaters. Keeps the temperature rock solid.

5. Added an Aquasurf module which I purchased used and it controls my Tunze powerheads all from one place.

I am extremely happy and didn't spend anywhere near $1000 as you say. If I were building it all over again I would absolutely buy another.

 

[Beaun]

I got a reefkeeper lite for $100 when I had a 65g; the safety of knowing my heater would not get stuck ON was worth it alone.

 

[Fishdisease]

I paid $500 from a retail store for an Apex Lite package plus an extra EB8, a pH probe and a breakout box.

The ability to have real time updates sent to my phone and the option of remote control of all of my equipment as well as automated control is a level of security that I can't imagine living without.

Now, instead of getting the wife to check all the params when I travel she can just feed and enjoy the tank. And there's far less of a chance of it going south when I do.

 

[kclewis]

reefangel.com

 

[cilyjr]

i use the apex. there is far more to it then just having the lights go on and off. like stated above you not only monitor ph and temp it controls it. example when the temp in my tank reaches 79 (i keep around 78.5) an exhaust fan turns on over the tank to vent out hot air, at 79.5 fans turn to blow the cool air across the water. and if for some reason it gets really warm at 82 degrees it turns off all mh lights.

the main reason i went with the apex is the iphone interface. i can see the temp ph ect from my phone and can manually switch things on or off from wherever i have 3g coverage.

 

[fishcull]

I travel alot and having the ability to check online is a great peace of mind.

 

[snorvich]

Just be careful about what you control and how. As an example, pH probes require calibration with reasonable frequency so using pH as an on/off has potential for problems. Also be sure your control works properly during a power failure; test it, don't assume. Yet, that being said, I use a profilux for a variety of functions including light control, SG, powerheads, etc.

 

[frankpayne32]

You don't have to spend big bucks to get lots of functionality out of a controller. My Reefkeeper Lite ($100) does a lot:

-Controls heaters.
-Turns a cooling fan on if the temp gets too high.
-Controls my entire lighting schedule.
-Turns off my metal halides if the temperature gets too high.
-Controls my dosing pumps to automatically keep alk/ca solid.

I personally don't see the point in the big money controllers but my cheap RKL practically runs my tank. The only thing it doesn't do is water changes and I hope to implement an automatic water change system into one day.

 

[D-Nak]

Aside from what other people mentioned, are you married or do you have a significant other?

True story -- I was on a business trip two weeks ago and my wife called. She said something was beeping on my tank (high water warning on my Tunze Osmolator). So, I grabbed my iPhone, opened up my AquaNotes apps that's linked to my Neptune Apex, and shut off the outlet.

"Did it stop?" I asked. "Yes, it did!" was the reply. BOOM! 500 bucks well spent. 'Nuff said.

 

[manvsfish]

I travel alot and having the ability to check online is a great peace of mind.

Ok but what if something went wrong. How would you be able to correct problem when you travel or not being right there? Can you do that through phone?

 

[D-Nak]

Ok but what if something went wrong. How would you be able to correct problem when you travel or not being right there? Can you do that through phone?

It really depends on what goes wrong, obviously. For turning things on and off remotely, it's great. As I mentioned, I have an iPhone app that can control anything attached to my Apex. You can also control via web. I have mine send me text messages and email message with an alarm status when anything is out of wack. It also sends me a message every morning, which I use to make sure everything, including the Apex, is running smoothly.

Controllers can really do anything you want, provided you have the programming knowledge and DIY know-how. Want you controller to make a hot cup of coffee? Sure, just hook it up to your controller and program it. Imagine -- waking up to the smell of coffee, tank lights go on, you sit in front of your tank sipping your morning coffee...

 

[manvsfish]

Gotta cha!