malulu
NJRC Member
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AUTOMATED AQUARIUM SYSTEMS
- Thread starter malulu
- Start date
Before investing in an automated control system, consider what your plans are for it. In other words, what do you want or need to control. This applies to any of the control systems out there.
If all you need to control are your lights going on and off, it's much less expensive and better done using regular timers you can get at Home Depot or any similar store.
If you need to control a calcium reactor, you also night find a simple pH controller a lot less expensive. Ditto if you want to monitor ORP and use it to control ozone to your skimmer.
Where computer based controllers really come into their own is when you need to simulate something complex like tidal flow or when you want to be able to monitor and record values every hour or so to see what the tank is doing long term. In these cases, a intelligent controller can do wonders, and it's money well spent. You can often spot problems before they become major. For example a sudden unexpected change in pH or ORP can indicate a problem.
A controller is going to be expensive, so make sure you will get some decent use out of it before you spend the money.
If all you need to control are your lights going on and off, it's much less expensive and better done using regular timers you can get at Home Depot or any similar store.
If you need to control a calcium reactor, you also night find a simple pH controller a lot less expensive. Ditto if you want to monitor ORP and use it to control ozone to your skimmer.
Where computer based controllers really come into their own is when you need to simulate something complex like tidal flow or when you want to be able to monitor and record values every hour or so to see what the tank is doing long term. In these cases, a intelligent controller can do wonders, and it's money well spent. You can often spot problems before they become major. For example a sudden unexpected change in pH or ORP can indicate a problem.
A controller is going to be expensive, so make sure you will get some decent use out of it before you spend the money.
malulu
NJRC Member
DaveK,
thanks for the advise, my problem is, i am currently using:
LiterMeter III (Click here for more info) total of 3 pumps.
Tunze Water Level Alarm (Click here for more info)
Neptune Aquacontroller JUNIOR Backlight + temp probe + Serial Port + DC8 (Click here for more info)
am getting this from the recent group buy, mainly for a pH controller to used with my Calcium Reactor, but a pH controller would run about $150, so i as well get the whole thing which a lots of features i don't need right now.
wanted to find something that can easily add on later on when budget allowed, and from the same vendor... too many wires and cables... manuals!! messy!!!
thanks for the advise, my problem is, i am currently using:
LiterMeter III (Click here for more info) total of 3 pumps.
Tunze Water Level Alarm (Click here for more info)
Neptune Aquacontroller JUNIOR Backlight + temp probe + Serial Port + DC8 (Click here for more info)
am getting this from the recent group buy, mainly for a pH controller to used with my Calcium Reactor, but a pH controller would run about $150, so i as well get the whole thing which a lots of features i don't need right now.
wanted to find something that can easily add on later on when budget allowed, and from the same vendor... too many wires and cables... manuals!! messy!!!
malulu said:
Yes, it sounds like a good idea. However, if you think about it, you end up almost right back where you started, because each one of those add ons on a controller means yet another wire or two that you need to deal with.
Most reef people end up with a whole kluge of wires and cables running around in their reef system. This can be avoided, but you need to go about it very carefully, and plan all your runs for power and other cables.
What I did was to get a large package of assorted cable ties. Usually you can find them at Home Depot for under $10. Then take each cable and route it cleanly, using the cable ties to bundle related cables together, so they stay neat. Also, use the cable ties to shorten other cables so they stay neat. Don't forget to label everything, so you are not searching for it later.
This does take a long time, but it solves the cable monster problem.