Few questions on a controller

[SaltieG]

After always hearing about crashed tanks and whatnot I have been entertaining the idea of getting myself a controller for the tank. I have been a bit of searching for some information but there are some questions I still have. First off, I don't need anything fancy right now as I am just looking to have something to control my lights/moonlights and temp, then PH and whatnot down the road. I want a controller that I can expand on down the line as I need and the one that seems to fit my current needs the most is the ReefKeeper Lite model.

The questions I have about these controllers(the RKL in particular) is how does it actually control the temp of the tank? Like does it turn off the heater if for some reason it were to malfunction and stay on? Or would it sound off an alarm if the temp gets too low or too high? Also, I see the RKL just comes with one 4 outlet strip which would cover my lights and my heater. I know for a fact that down the line I will need more outlets to control, so for those that have an RKL, does it allow for the addition of another strip if I were to need it?

[harleyreefer]

Oh my,

Not an expert by any means, but most of the name brand controllers are very expandable. I own the RKE myself, and the RKL is almost the same, except the RKL does not support a couple specific modules.... (not positive exactly whitch ones, sine the RKE supports them all). Yes it is expandable with more sockets... up to 64 strips as a matter of fact. 64 times 4 outlets... do you need more than 256 outlets by any chance?...lol Seriously, all the big name controllers are all expandable.. RKE (RKL), neptune, aqua logic...ect.
I dare say that you could run a fish store with these controllers.

I love my RKE, and i havent even begun to use its potential. I have 3 of the 4 outlet strips, a moonlight module, a ph module and the ney module, that allows you to check on your tank over the internet... Happy with mine

Jeff

[harleyreefer]

Opps, forgot the rest of the questions...
as for heater, you can set it many ways. It can be set to turn off the lights, heater, and anything elce you choose if the temp reaches a certain point. It can send an audible alarm if the temp goes to high or low, and can send a email mesaage if you have the net module. Set the temp control on the head unit, and turn the heater on... the RKL will turn off the power to the heater if it heaches a certain point that you decide on... same for the lights if you wish... it cuts the power to the outlet.. Outlets are daisy chained by a bus cabke... chain up 64 modules if you wish.. Thats 64 total... outlet modules, salenity, moonlights,,,ect..

jeff

[slief]

I just got an Apex a week ago. I have it set to control my moon lights, my halides, pumps etc, monitor temp, PH and orp. Its setup to monitor on the web as well as on my iphone via their free iphone version of AquaNotes. I can turn any device connected to the power bar on and off from anywhere. Think of it this way. I am on my couch watching a game and I decide I want the lights off on the tank to watch the "big screen". I pick up my iphone (newly designated remote control) and turn the tank lights off...... Nothing like having a remote control for your fish tank!

Needless to say that I am very impressed with this controller and its ease of use. The few questions I have had were answered immediately via a phone call to Neptune and answered by the same person that answered my questions years before when I got my first aqua controller. I was really surprised by this!

Chiller or heaters are not an issue. You plug them into a port on the power bar, go to the modify outlet page, choose the id for the port and tell it that its controlling a heater or chiller and what the temp on and off points are. Its that simple.

I still have my original Aqua Controller that I have had for the last several years. Still works great to this day and I will certainly keep it for a backup. Neptune Systems has great support and you get much more than you bargain for as their units have more expandability and ease of use than anything close for the price. You would be better served saving a bit longer and getting something that was more future proof. You could get a base model Apex and expand as you need it or get the base package and have a bit more than you bargained for.

For what its worth, I am in no way affiliated with Neptune Systems. I like their product and their support is terrific!

[DaveMorris]

The RKL can use any of the modules that DA makes. A controller from either company, Digital Aquatics or Neptune will suit you just fine. Your peace of mind and your tank will both benefit from using one.

[n2585722]

As for you last question. The RKL supports up to 4 modules. The power strip (PC4) counts as a module. So yes you can add another that would give you the ability to add 2 more modules. Either the SL1 or SL2 can be used to monitor PH. The difference is one also monitors ORP (SL1) the other also monitors salinity (SL2). If you choose one of these you would have all that you mentioned and still have room for another module. Also if you want to do automatic top off remember to make room for a module capable of monitoring a float switch such as the SL1 or SL2. If you do eventually outgrow the RKL DA has an upgrade available to upgrade to the RKE.

Danny