aquacontroller/reefkeeper question

[james3370]

will they control my lights on & off times too or do i have to set that up w/ seperate wall timer plugs???

i know that you can set it to turn the lights off completly if the water temp gets to a preset temp, but can i use one to do my light cycle as well??

i plan on running actinic early morn, then 10k for a few hrs, then halide for a few hrs, then back to 10k, then actinic, then moonlights.

also plan on having multiple fan layout in canopy that will run more or fewer fans depending on the lighting cycle :)

[IslandCrow]

Yes, you can control your lights and anything else you would normally put on a timer. You can also do exactly what you're planning with the fans. Basically, you tell the controller that any time a particular light is on then turn a particular fan on.

[james3370]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13483524#post13483524 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IslandCrow
Yes, you can control your lights and anything else you would normally put on a timer. You can also do exactly what you're planning with the fans. Basically, you tell the controller that any time a particular light is on then turn a particular fan on.

is this the regular reefkeeper2 or the elite??? saw an add @ the top of the page from digital aquatics for the reefkeeper elite as i was typing the message LOL

the plan i have for now in the canopy is as follows:

*dual actinic retrofit
*dual 10k retrofit
*250w halide retrofit
*2 or 3 fans on each end blowing inward across the lights
*3-5 fans in front of the fans blowing outward thru the top
*6 fans in the back mounted on a 45-degree angle & blowing downward onto the water

*moonlights
*actinics: 8am-10am....no fans
*10k: 10am-noon....end fans only
*halide: noon-4pm....all fans
*10k: 4pm-6pm....all fans
*actinic: 6pm-8pm....end fans
*moonlights....no fans

this should best simulate sunrise/sunset & also running the fans after the halides go out for awhile should help w/ the temps....otherwise i'll have to invest in a chiller :(

thoughts?? suggestions???

[SquidHC]

Holy fans. There's really no reason to use that many.

[eshook]

Thats possibly 14 fans!! That is a lot of fans.

[Rendos]

I agree - I don't see why you would possibly need so many fans.

Aquacontroller/Reefkeeper will do what you want it to do, but remember you can only plug 8 things into a DC8.

[IslandCrow]

I have an Aquacontroller and not a Reefkeeper, but I'm pretty sure you can do everything I said with either system. They're pretty basic functions. You're going to either run out of outlets or have to spend quite a bit of money on power modules to run that many fans, though. Assuming you really need that many fans (and I don't think that you do), they really don't draw that much power, so I'd just wire them all into one outlet and turn them all on and all off at the same time. Or maybe split them into two groups, which I believe may be what you're getting at. That should certainly be manageable.

[james3370]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13487848#post13487848 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SquidHC
Holy fans. There's really no reason to use that many.

well i have already ran into heat issues w/ the halide light in the open-top nano i have now.....much less in an enclosed canopy, so i am errring on the side of caution. think i have decided of 2 on each end blowing inward across all the lights & the 6 on a 45-degree angle blowing downward onto the water.....for a total of 10

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13490934#post13490934 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IslandCrow
I have an Aquacontroller and not a Reefkeeper, but I'm pretty sure you can do everything I said with either system. They're pretty basic functions. You're going to either run out of outlets or have to spend quite a bit of money on power modules to run that many fans, though. Assuming you really need that many fans (and I don't think that you do), they really don't draw that much power, so I'd just wire them all into one outlet and turn them all on and all off at the same time. Or maybe split them into two groups, which I believe may be what you're getting at. That should certainly be manageable.

on the recommendation of a friend, i rustled up 4 laptop power supplies from work from old laptops we have had. think i am going to use one to run the 4 fans that are on the ends & one each powering 3 of the fans blowing onto the water. since they will be powered seperately in 3's, i can set a paramater for all 6 to run while the halides are on & then cut one set of 3 off when the halides go out so 3 still run for awhile to pull out heat. maybe have 3-4 in the front part of the top blowing outward powered by the 4th power supply & set that on an "emergency cool" option that'll turn off all the lights & run all the fans if the temp gets too high. figure it's better to build in some measure of overkill, than wish i had later......