Need controller advice.

[ssgatbliss]

When I added up the controller for the ecotech pumps and additional items I need the price came out to $916.00 (Apex with upgraded PH $521, WXM $124, Energy Bar 4 $109, PM2 $85, Aquanotes $75). Would still need the doser which I figure will run about $300.

When I really thought about where I'm going and the time change there's no one around to do anything if I do get an alert. To me it was like dropping cash on a laser detector for your car. You end up spending a lot of money on a system that alerts you to something you can't do squat about. (radar detector = good, just laser = bad).

I'm not saying I still don't want one because I do. But I'd rather get something like the AI Illumination Leds for my tank at that money.

 

[ssgatbliss]

I wanted the PM2 for salinity and I have two ecotech pumps along with a miriad of different lighting solutions (4 T5's, 1W moonlights, .05 moonlights, 7000K Led's, 20K Led's, sump light). Add in the ATO, return pump, circ pump in lower back of tank, skimmer, and Bio-pellet reactor, there's a lot of stuff to conrol.

Would I need all this stuff? No. But with the wife at home and not willing to do much more than feed the fish I was looking for a point an click solution where she can hit an icon and the right pumps turn off for x amount of time to add food to the tank. AFter X amount of time pumps turn on in sequence so the overflow or skimmer doesn't run dry. (Yeah I'm running an old fresh water system pieced together with add ons but it works).

The Apex may or may not do the simple icon point an click but I have guys at work that can program XML, C++, Unix, etc that can hook me up with a solution so it will.
End game is $1300+ will replace all the livestock in my tank. Once someone pointed me to a sub $300 dosing solution (which is really what I need) the controller became a very expensive automated power strip.

Sure I can get alerted via the web that the temp, PH, Salinity, etc is out of range (which is soooooo cool) but I'm not there to do anything about it. When I started reading about these I thought they monitored/controlled a lot more. These things are neat and one day I will get one but for now I think I would like to spend that kind of money on some high tech lighting or just get a bigger tank.

 

[NWDiver]

It really is a luxury not a requirement and I get that it is expensive and not necessary.
To clear a few things up though, you do not need Aquanotes for the Apex, that software is for older controllers.
WXM is only needed if you don't have ethernet close by.
You do not need to know how to program, feed operations are a button press on the controller.
Dosing is really the cost of the pumps ~$200, but as you say, you can do that with a programmable timer.
Geeze I sound like a Neptune fanboy. I'm not really, but I do think a controller is a great tool.

-Todd

 

[ssgatbliss]

So I don't need the aquanotes, that good. I thought it added some extra tracking/graphing features. I do need the WXM though, whole house is wireless. It would cost me half the price of the module just to buy the length of cat5 cable not to mention drilling holes and having ugly cat5 cabling running around. I can program a bit so that's not a big deal (enough to do the scripting required by this anyway). For the feed cycle I would need to add a delay when my skimmer turns on. When the main return goes back on it takes 3-5 seconds for the water level to come up otherwise the skimmer will run dry and it's a bit tricky to get it started again (wife will never be able to do it). If I was single I would have pulled the trigger on this a while ago. I can justify getting the dosing setup, "Look honey you won't have to add these chemicals on a daily basis." But if she ever found out that I spent upwards of $1100 on a something like this it would be me and my fish tank living in a carboard box.

 

[NC2WA]

ssgatbliss,

I was in the same shoes as you.

Really wanted a controller, but after thinking about what I wanted controlled (that is pH, temp, salinity, and nice looking graphs), it was not an expense I could justify. I already have a pinpont pH and wireless temp probes, so the decision was to either get a salinity probe and call it good OR to get a controller. IN the end, I did neither as right now getting my fish stocked with fish is more important than either of these things. For the time being, my refractometer will do for salinity until I can get my tank stocked with fish.

 

[ssgatbliss]

NC2WA,

I have a PH monitor as well. Since I run a combo of LED's and T5's temp isn't a problem. My worry was being gone for 30+ days and having calc/alk out of whack or the saliity drop too low. Found out that the controllers don't do calc/alk and really started to question what do these things do for that amount of money. Like I said I can replace every coral and fish in my tank for well under $1000. Now researching the dosers with a controller built in and they are stupid expesive as well. I may end up just getting two doser pumps (one in and one out) with a timer and two 30 gallon Trash cans on eash side of the tank. One 30g filled with replacement SW and another empty to collect it (or have it drain somewhere) and set the pumps up to remove 10G of water a week. ATO will take care of top off water in between. Hmm, that may be the trick. This way I have doser pumps when I upgrade to a controller and don't waste money on "extra's". I also get to change out the water while I'm gone. I can teach the wife to use the refracto and it's not time consuming or difficult so she might actually do it.
Sounding better all the time.

 

[NC2WA]

ssgatbliss,

My job doesn't require me to travel, so my decision was easy to reach. Also all of the WC and top offs are automated and dont require me to lift a bucket.

IF my job required me to travel (which is does NOT), I may be looking more closely at a controller, but for now I am content with the probes I have.

 

[ssgatbliss]

Well it's done! After looking at more products and weighing the pros and cons I pulled the trigger and got an Apex Lite. Since my tank is small and I don't see going down the path of using a calcium reactor I decided on the Lite rather than the full model. Getting the Lite allowed me to save $100, I decided I would try and use my PH probe from my Milwalkee PH meter which worked fine, saved another $50. Got the WXM module and two dosing pumps (only one came in). All in all dropped just under $700. Time to set it up and play.

 

[NC2WA]

ssgatbliss,

Well, after viewing this video from BRS, it has but the "hmmmm" into my head

NEW Video - ReefKeeper Lite Demonstration

 

[NWDiver]

Nice SgtBliss! If you have any questions I'm happy to help!

 

[ssgatbliss]

Thanks NWDiver, and you were right. The controller makes life much easier. Still playing with the functions but I've got all the lights and vortech pumps, heater etc, set up. Programming is straight forward, had no problem setting up the vortech pumps to chage modes through the day (night mode, reef crest, 2 hours of of nutrient removal, back to reef crest, then night mode). I'm having some issues with my skimmer wanting to turn back on but once I have that solved I'll set up the last piece (return pump and skimmer off during feed mode). Still waiitng for one of my dosing pumps to come in as well. Tank should be aprrox 80% automated in a week or two. Now if there was just some way to automate cleaning my skimmer cup and feeding Rod's Reef food I'd be good to go.