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Controllers, are they worth the money
- Thread starter Ben1
- Start date
Depends what you want to do.
pH Controller for calcium reactor, you don't need a fancy Reefkeeper/Aquacontroller if that's all you want to do. Milwaukee makes a good one. And you can always buy light timers without any issue
ditto on temp or orp controller.
However if you want to do all of them, the price does add up and an all-in-one unit is useful. In addition to the above mentioned items, having it control mechanical switches and what not is nice. Even pump controllability for some pumps on higher end models or with add-ons.
For me, and FYI I'm still waiting for one particular controller to come out before I get one, I'm interested in the history of those various variables, I want to know what the tank is doing when I'm not taking a direct measurement. pH controller? I don't need it as I don't have a calcium reactor, but I still would like to know what it's doing through the day and night.
For a single controller, you're probably looking at around $100. For a "unit" that does the "bare necessities" then the Reefkeeper 2 or Aquacontroller Jr will run you about $300 for everything. (no ORP however).
Are they necessary? Nah, unless you might have a calcium reactor or ozone generator where an "overdose" could pose a hazard to your tank.
pH Controller for calcium reactor, you don't need a fancy Reefkeeper/Aquacontroller if that's all you want to do. Milwaukee makes a good one. And you can always buy light timers without any issue
ditto on temp or orp controller.
However if you want to do all of them, the price does add up and an all-in-one unit is useful. In addition to the above mentioned items, having it control mechanical switches and what not is nice. Even pump controllability for some pumps on higher end models or with add-ons.
For me, and FYI I'm still waiting for one particular controller to come out before I get one, I'm interested in the history of those various variables, I want to know what the tank is doing when I'm not taking a direct measurement. pH controller? I don't need it as I don't have a calcium reactor, but I still would like to know what it's doing through the day and night.
For a single controller, you're probably looking at around $100. For a "unit" that does the "bare necessities" then the Reefkeeper 2 or Aquacontroller Jr will run you about $300 for everything. (no ORP however).
Are they necessary? Nah, unless you might have a calcium reactor or ozone generator where an "overdose" could pose a hazard to your tank.
Well all my lights are on timers and not dimable and my CA reactor has a ph controller already on it. So I dont know...I just got my tax return and its burning holes in my pocket lol. Nothing else needs replacement on my tank and its all pretty high end over sized stuff.
I got a PLC than can basically do anything with and here all I'm using it for is a fancy temperature controller (heater and fan). Have a solenoid on my reactor CO2 and a spare probe but the reactor has settled in so haven't worried about it and the only other thing I control is my lights and considering I already have wallmount timers never did much with it.
It's still collecting logs and can hardwire to a PC or even dial in from work but the novelty's gone.
Having said all that, controllers are neat and here's a great comparison (they're at the bottom). http://www.aquariumcontrollers.com/aquarium-equipment-comparisons.php
It's still collecting logs and can hardwire to a PC or even dial in from work but the novelty's gone.
Having said all that, controllers are neat and here's a great comparison (they're at the bottom). http://www.aquariumcontrollers.com/aquarium-equipment-comparisons.php
I have an AC Jr. that I use to control my lighting and some of my circulation. I like the ability to monitor the temp and Ph swings with a chart. It also give a little piece of mind that if something goes wrong it will turn off the lights if the tank start to get hotter than I want. It has four feed timers that I use some of as well. One to feed (Turns off 90% of tank flow), one to turn off the MH to show off the actinics in the day, and one to turn on the MH in the evening for the same reason.
I Used to control my heating and cooling with it too, but one moring when the temp probe went out things quickly went awry with all of the systems. Thank god I was home.
I also have a milwaukee Ph controller for my ca. reactor
and most recently a Ranco dual stage controller for my heating and cooling.
I woulndn't use a single controller for the whole tank regardless of brand.
Are controller necessary? NO. Are they a nice option, IMO Yes.
If I had to do it over I would not get the AC Jr. because its a PITA to hook up to the computer. The AC III or RK2 are far better options. AFAIK the RK2 automaticly updates software if hooked up to the web.
I Used to control my heating and cooling with it too, but one moring when the temp probe went out things quickly went awry with all of the systems. Thank god I was home.
I also have a milwaukee Ph controller for my ca. reactor
and most recently a Ranco dual stage controller for my heating and cooling.
I woulndn't use a single controller for the whole tank regardless of brand.
Are controller necessary? NO. Are they a nice option, IMO Yes.
If I had to do it over I would not get the AC Jr. because its a PITA to hook up to the computer. The AC III or RK2 are far better options. AFAIK the RK2 automaticly updates software if hooked up to the web.
I would like it to comtrol my lights on a DC4 so I can ramp the pc's and halides up and down with out using 3-4 timers. I would also like to moniter the tanks pH, other wise I dont know what I would use it for.
I just bought the wave controller for my vortech, I have a redseaozonizer with orp controller built in, I have my CA reactor on a american marine pH controller, and my chiller has a dual stage controller as well. I guess with a all in one I could get rid of the three controllers but as you mentioned trido maybe not a good idea to put all my "corals" in one basket.
I was looking at the ACIII last night on Marine depot and it looks like 300, plus 130 for a DC8 and 150 for a DC4, and about 200 for the probes. SO I am almost at 800 there.
I just bought the wave controller for my vortech, I have a redseaozonizer with orp controller built in, I have my CA reactor on a american marine pH controller, and my chiller has a dual stage controller as well. I guess with a all in one I could get rid of the three controllers but as you mentioned trido maybe not a good idea to put all my "corals" in one basket.
I was looking at the ACIII last night on Marine depot and it looks like 300, plus 130 for a DC8 and 150 for a DC4, and about 200 for the probes. SO I am almost at 800 there.
I have the ACIII and love it. I've had a controller of one type or another for years, and while it's definitely an option, it's one I wouldn't live without. I've found them to be reliable. The only time one caused a problem was when I accidentally got water into the wiring connection, leading to a short. Otherwise, I trust my tank to them.
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