will this work as a temp controller

[nbelohlav]

will one of these mini temp controllers work for controlling my 300w heater, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Fahrenheit-Temperature-controller-5A-AC220V-Relay-contact-output-LW-801F-/261027734633?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc6772469

i know daytek did something very similar to this so his input would be great as well but i know there are alot of smart people that can help. im pretty good at DIY so wiring it isnt going to be a problem. i know someone is going to say why not go with a Ranco controller, well i want to mount this where it is going to be visible and looks good and to be honest the Ranco is bulky and plain ugly. i was also looking at these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat-Aquarium-99-C-/400306991421?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d3427f13d and http://www.ebay.com/itm/LCD-thermostat-digital-temperature-control-switch-DC12V-/251100213192?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a76bd2fc8

the only thing that i dont like about the last two is that they are in Celsius, although i might be able to deal with that so that i can have blue numbers. any thoughts and help is greatly appreciated.

[vietnam]

I would be more worried about the sensor rusting. Why not get an APEX Jr. or RKL? They are around $100 and work pretty well, also gives you 3 extra outlets that are controllable.

[nbelohlav]

well as far as the sensor rusting out i can encase that in marine grade heat shrink tubing so that the actual sensor doesn't touch water and because i am just starting out (haven't even added water to the tank yet) this will be for starters as i plan on getting a controller down the road like the apex or reef angel. just dont have the 500.00 to spend on either of them to get all that i want and really dont need it while the tank is cycling.

[nbelohlav]

bump

[kcress]

That first one will work. You do need to cobble up yet another power supply to run it though, so the price is certainly more than what you're paying for it. And the clutter factor with a separate supply..

All of them will work except for the pesky Celsius..


Have you considered a Ranco? LOL.

[RGibson]

Ranco is a very good control and it works well around sat water

[nbelohlav]

well here was/is my plan... i want to order two of the ones that i have posted earlier and use one to control the heater and another one to control a couple fans in the canopy for cooling. the one for cooling is going to be visible and the other one for the heater might be as well so i wanted something that looked half way decent and to be honest the ranco IMO is kinda ugly...

[Dave Thebrewguy]

well as far as the sensor rusting out i can encase that in marine grade heat shrink tubing so that the actual sensor doesn't touch water and because i am just starting out (haven't even added water to the tank yet) this will be for starters as i plan on getting a controller down the road like the apex or reef angel. just dont have the 500.00 to spend on either of them to get all that i want and really dont need it while the tank is cycling.

That first one will work. You do need to cobble up yet another power supply to run it though, so the price is certainly more than what you're paying for it. And the clutter factor with a separate supply..

All of them will work except for the pesky Celsius..


Have you considered a Ranco? LOL.
You don't need to spend $500 to be up and running with an Apex or Reef Angel, The basic Reef Angel starts at $229 ($235-240 shipped) and will do all you need plus a whole lot more.
With the Ebay controllers you will need 2 of them, plus a power supply, plus heat shrink for the sensors (which will numb the heck out of them and kill the response time), plus some assorted wiring and connectors, It'll be close to $100. The RA will doo what you need, plus control your lights (no need to buy timers) and control ATO and still have room to do a few more odds and ends.

[pop0tart]

I think I paid around 30 bucks for the adapter like the one required to run one of those ebay ones, so that puts it up in the Ranco price range, which is shy of a budget control unit. Of the three, the ebay temp controller seems like the worst buy.

[kcress]

You might want to re-think this. The fung shway of a gorgeous tank will be trashed with a visible, jarring, man-made straight-lines, glowing, digital display yanking one's eyes always to it - instead of the point-of-it-all. I know because currently I have a tiny LED display of a crappy heater 2 feet below my tank and I swear I "see" only that display about 80% of the time my eyes wander around the room.

[nbelohlav]

Ok i understand what you guys are saying.... i dont want to have attention taken away from the tank where it belongs. I guess ill have to start saving for a controller. Just have to decide which one now, gonna stay clear of reefkeeper so that leaves the apex and the RA. Quick question... how important is temp fluctuations during the tank cycling?

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[kcress]

I wasn't lobbying for a reef controller.. More like an out of view Ranco.

Cycling? Doesn't matter. It would probably cycle a little faster warmer but that's about it.

If you were to cycle it at, say, 60F then loaded it up and ran the temp up to 79F you might get another little cycle, but that would be it.

[nbelohlav]

What if lets just say that the heater were to go over 80...

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[kcress]

Under 84 you should have no issues.

[nbelohlav]

Well lets hope the controller doesn't get stuck in on position while im gone...

Sent from the bottom of the ocean...

[BeanAnimal]

You don't need to spend $500 to be up and running with an Apex or Reef Angel, The basic Reef Angel starts at $229 ($235-240 shipped) and will do all you need plus a whole lot more.
With the Ebay controllers you will need 2 of them, plus a power supply, plus heat shrink for the sensors (which will numb the heck out of them and kill the response time), plus some assorted wiring and connectors, It'll be close to $100. The RA will doo what you need, plus control your lights (no need to buy timers) and control ATO and still have room to do a few more odds and ends.

Except that most folks who understand process control would never allow the "aquarium controller" to manage temperature :)

Those of us who tend to understand systems failure and probability use a dedicated temperature controller to keep that life support function isolated from other equipment and logic that can (and will) cause failure. Use an industrial temperatuire controller (Ranco) for heating and cooling, and your aquirium controller for the other non life-support functions (lighting, logging, alarms, etc).

[BeanAnimal]

Well lets hope the controller doesn't get stuck in on position while im gone...

Sent from the bottom of the ocean...

You set the controller for your desired setpoint and BY TOUCH (not the the numbers on the dial) set the INTERNAL thermostat on the heater to just above the desired setpoint. In this way, the integrated thermostat DOES NOT cycle (therefore no fatigue or arcing) and can act as a reliable fail-safe if the temperature controller sticks ON (unlikely) or the probe falls out of the water or something.

http://beananimal.com/articles/aquarium-heaters-what-you-need-to-know!.aspx


Sent from my Commodore VIC20 using UltraTerm

Folks... you do know you can turn off those silly tapatalk taglines right? Nobody on planet earth cares what phone you are using :)

[nbelohlav]

i didnt mean the controller i ment the heater, i am gonna get a temp controller when i get back next sunday...

[katchupoy]

This is a very good find... for the price? this is indeed a good one. For people with ranco controllers, I believe they are very good and will keep your temp constant. Unfortunately, the issue with ranco, is that they are very sensitive with power fluctuations or surge. In the last 12 years, I have two gone out. Maybe I could have just added a UPS just for the controller, but I think thats too much and additional device again under the tank.

Been planning to add temp controller on my DIY arduino controller, but if these ebay ones will work for 20 bucks? Hmm i think its a good deal.

[BeanAnimal]

i didnt mean the controller i ment the heater, i am gonna get a temp controller when i get back next sunday...


Heyt look no tapatalk :)

Ahh...do you need a heater to maintain temps in the summer?

[BeanAnimal]

Also, you can get a RANCO with a 0-10V output and feed that into your controller or other display, so you don't have to LOOK at the RANCO :)