ReefKeeper Feedback

[Smeagol]

The ReefKeeper sound like a great product. Has anyone on RC already purchased one?

If so, what do you think of it???

[livicks]

I just purchased one today....it is a lot cheaper than the neptune, but I hope it works just as well.

-Livicks

[Azilla]

Any chance of PH control coming in the future?

[opihi]

livicks, please report back with a review. i'm sure there are a lot of eyes on this promising product.

jeff

[SHOmuchFUN]

I would also like to hear any sort of review based on this product... I'm keeping my eye out.

[MadTownMax]

Yes, also I'm also interested if it picks up interference from other devices - i.e. Ice Cap electronic ballasts - they're the reason that I ditched my Octopus - the ReefKeeper says that it has "digitally filtering .... to provide stable and accurate readings" If that really works, it would definately be worth the price alone as a temperature controller, the rest would just be gravy - would be nice if there was a PH control on there though - seems to me that the extra channels for powerheads could be much better utilized for top-off/Ca Reactor solenoid controls, but hey - maybe I'm just hard to please ;)

[digitalaquatics.com]

Greetings Reef Central Users,

In response to the pH and other features question:

We have plans on adding pH to the product along with some other features. It won't happen for a while, but we have planned from the beginning to add to the ReefKeeper, we recognize the potential of the ReefKeeper doing more.

First and foremost we wanted to produce a product that all of you could afford. That is why we limited the product to all of the essential things that all of you need. But the features that are included in the ReefKeeper are very powerful. I would encourage anyone who is interested to download from our website the user manual for more details what the ReefKeeper can do.

You can expect more exciting things from Digital Aquatics in the future.

Sincerely,

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[MadTownMax]

Nick,

Have you tested your systems w/ ice cap ballasts for interference?

Just wanted to add that I like the "hard-wiring" design as opposed to remote-controlled, bulky, outlet-hogging X10 modules ;)

-Nick

[rufio173]

I am definitely interested in the versatility of this product. It would make my life a whole lot easier and I think you really thought your initial product out very well.

The majority of aquarists will have powerheads in their tank to provide flow and the fact that it does work as dual temp controller almost justifies the price in itself. Adding on to the mix is the ability to precisely control your lighting regimen with only one device is really nice. I personally don't use powerheads anymore, but I definitely think this would be great to control the amount of time my top off pump is on to reduce the chance of flooding.

I was wondering if future upgrades will come as just one unit or if there was some ability built into the unit to upgrade the firmware or add another probe (pH, orp, or both) to the initial unit that you are offering now when you do decide to add extra features.

Peace,
John H.

[digitalaquatics.com]

Nick,

Yes, we tested our system on Icecap mh and vho ballasts. It should work great with Icecaps. I'm glad you recognize the benefits of the ReefKeeper design, one being the built in sockets. It just made sense to us to do it that way.

John H,

The next round of features down the road will be add-ons to the current product. All you will need is a software update and accesories. We want to make it easy to add on and protect your original investment. We have some good ideas for upgrades. We haven't decided all the details or pricing yet but I'm sure they will please.

Take care guys,

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[rufio173]

Hey Nick,

Thanks for the quick reply. I actually shot an e-mail to you guys and got a reply from Paul, but I didn't exactly get a specific answer.

I was wondering what were the time intervals that you could set for your lights? I mean, is it by hours, minutes, or seconds? I didn't find details for this aspect in any part of your manual. Also, how would one go about upgrading the software? I know that in the manual it briefly mentions that the machine displays the current software version that it is running. Is it currently on version 1.0? :)

This sounds like a great thing. I like that you guys are working to make the product better. I just might have to support your efforts. :)

Peace,
John H.

[digitalaquatics.com]

Hi John,

Sorry I didn't totally answer your question. I primarily was responding to your interest in top-off. I'll answer it here to give everyone a better understanding.

As far as timing intervals go, you can set the pump cycle times to be anything from 20 seconds to 30 minutes. For cycles A and B, they alternate at this set interval. For cycle C, it turns on for the specified amount of time, and then off for the specified time, independent of the other cycles.

For lights, you can specify an on time and an off time in hours and minutes and AM/PM. The current software supports one on-time and one off-time per day. This may change in future versions.

Right now the software is version 1.0. An upgrade would require a return to us to reprogram the unit. As Nick said, we haven't worked out the fine details on what this would entail as far as details and pricing, etc, but we'll let you know when we decide.

Hope that answers your questions. Let us know how else we can help.

Paul
Digital Aquatics, LLC

[digitalaquatics.com]

The time interval for a light is 15min. A few things would have to be different to support other (like top-off) features. Unfortunately, Software upgrades would require sending it back to us. The current software is v1.1, a some have shipped with v1.0 but there is hardly a difference, a customer wouldn't even notice a difference.

[rufio173]

Thanks guys,

It wasn't a big concern. I will have two or even three floatswitches to increase reduncancy, but you guys already have a nice beginning feature set and it sounds like you are devoted to making a great product.

Peace,
John H.

[digitalaquatics.com]

Sorry for the duplicate responses, Nick and Paul were working independantly. The current version is v1.1, sorry for the contradiction on that.

Nick and Paul - Digital Aquatics LLC

[livicks]

I just receive my Reefkeeper today. These are my personal first impressions
as compared to the AquaController.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/livicks/IMG_4095.jpg">

Pros:
Price Price Price $219
Includes backlit display
Very Compact design
Nice power LEDs for each channel
No need for bulky and expensive X10 modules and/or extra powerstrips
Easy menu to navigate
Wavemaker switches smoothly
Works great with my lighting: MH (Hamilton and IceCap ballasts),
VHO (Hamilton), PC (Coralife). Selecting MH on Reefkeeper will delay
start, even though most ballasts has that builtin feature.

Cons:
No screws supplied for mounting
No track record of reliability
No mentioning of backup battery replacement
Fuse hard to replace (once system is set up)
Limited upgradability (no PH/ORP/computer monitoring)

Again, a comparable Neptune would cost about $450:
AquaController II Base Unit w/ Backlit $300
X10 Control Modules (At least 4 @ $20 = $80)
Control Interface $30
Temp. Probe $40

-Livicks

[SHOmuchFUN]

Ooooh. I like how the power strip can be mounted remotely... I saw how small the unit was and wondered what they were going to do with all the power channels. Looks great!

[MadTownMax]

Nick - thanks for that info - If I hadn't already blown away my "tank budget" for the month I would grab one right now.

If you are open to suggestions though - one function that I would really like on a controller is open programming - like the Neptune has - another reason that I dumped my Octopus. Things like simple "turn on at this pH, turn Off at that pH" so that I could hook up a solenoid to swith my top-off between straight RO/DI water and a kalkwasser reactor - would really keep my pH in check during the night, and also opens up the functionality of the device - realizing of course that pH control units already cost about the same as this device I guess it would be more expensive, but nice none the less ;).

Another big plus of the aquacontroller is the ability to hook it up to a computer for programming w/ 3rd party software - I would see that as a huge boon to any control device, especially when matching on/off lighting schedules to match those of the tropics ;)

[MadTownMax]

damn, doublepost

[rufio173]

That thing is puny! I like it! :) Hehe. It's definitely smaller than my pH/orp controller and I've got one of the smaller ones.

Peace,
John H.

[livicks]

One other thing, it would be nice if the temperature probe came with a suction cup to keep the probe in place. Those small things really adds up. :)

-Livicks

[~ChrisB~]

Nick,
It would have to be sent in for software upgrades? Couldn't you work out a deal with a disk of drivers and upgrades and just connect the unit using the cat 5 to a home computer? Maybe a stupid question, but was thinking of convienience. Anyway Looking forward to using your product either way.
Thanks,
Chris

[Psyire]

So how many amps can you put through that power bar? Will it support 3x 250 watt MH's, 4x T5's, 2x 180watt pumps & a heater or 2?

[~ChrisB~]

As I remember it is 15 amps.

[digitalaquatics.com]

The ReefKeeper can support 6A on any channel with a total maximum of 15A. So if you stay within these limits you will be fine driving many lights, heater, pumps, etc. Take care,


Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[Chrismo]

How many plugs can be set to temperature control?

Is it possible to have one cooling fan turn on if the temperature gets above 80 degrees, and another to turn on if temp goes above 81? Or turn the lights off if temp gets to 82?

I just want it for temp controll.

Chris

[digitalaquatics.com]

Hi Chris,

You can have as many of the channels be temperature-based controllers as you like. Any of the channels can perform any of the many functions the ReefKeeper includes.

You can get our manual here (http://digitalaquatics.com/20040830_ReefKeeper_Manual_web.pdf)

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Paul
Digital Aquatics, LLC

[Fanatic]

Nick & Paul,
Another suggestion from a current Reefkeeper owner....
Space the plugs on the power strip farther apart. I have fans for my MH plugged into my Reefkeeper, and they're set to turn on with my MH's...the DC transformer plugs for the fans are huge, making it difficult to plug anything in next to them on the current power bar.

Thanks!

Mark

[Chrismo]

One more Q! :)
Can a channel be controlled by time and by temperature? So the MH comes on at noon till 10PM, but if temp goes above 82 light goes off? I couldnt tell in the manual if it could do that.

Chris

[Fanatic]

Originally posted by Chrismo
One more Q! :)
Can a channel be controlled by time and by temperature? So the MH comes on at noon till 10PM, but if temp goes above 82 light goes off? I couldnt tell in the manual if it could do that.

Chris

Not currently.

[MadTownMax]

they do sell extensions for outlets that are too close, like a mini-extension cord.

[Fanatic]

Originally posted by MadTownMax
they do sell extensions for outlets that are too close, like a mini-extension cord.

I thought about that too;) However, there is plently of space on the power strip to space the outlets apart.:)

[Psyire]

If I wanted my Metal Halide lights to turn off and on at the same time, could I run a powerbar off one of the outlets and plug the 3 ballasts into it? So long as I remember to keep within the 6 amps per outlet spec.? This would free up more 'programmable' outlets. Is this possible?

[digitalaquatics.com]

Fanatic,

We agree that spacing out the outlets would be nice, there were some internal mechanical reasons why we didn't do that. Of course the other option is to make the unit longer which we didn't want to do, because size was important to us.

But, we still like to know your observations like that for future reference, keep them coming.

Thanks,

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[Fanatic]

Originally posted by digitalaquatics.com
Fanatic,

We agree that spacing out the outlets would be nice, there were some internal mechanical reasons why we didn't do that. Of course the other option is to make the unit longer which we didn't want to do, because size was important to us.

But, we still like to know your observations like that for future reference, keep them coming.

Thanks,

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

After I posted that, I got to thinking it might have something to do with the placement of the connections for the temp probe & controller;) Oh well, put that suggestion on the wish list:)

[linklemming]

Nick,

This is a great product for the price. I was so impressed with the features and flexibility on how this can be setup that I just ordered one:) . All the other wavemakers I was looking at always were less than ideal for what I wanted and this one controls lights, chillers etc..... Now I can reduce appliance timer clutter in my cabinet.

The only feature I would like would be to have powerhead wave modes like the red sea wavemaster pro. Sure with the timed setup, you can achieve all sort of results but why not add predefined modes like the 'gentle', 'rolling', 'turbulent' and 'alternating' done by the wavemaster.

Gary

[nbogner]

Gary,

Thanks for the order. I am familiar with the different modes that the wavemaster pro has. While it is easy for us to implement, I just wasn't convinced that it was worth much. It is one of those features that is there just to say it is there. Like you say, we can accomplish the same thing by giving you the cycle time control. Note: We do have a gentle mode during "night mode".

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[FalsePerc]

This product looks very promising! Looks like I have my X-Mas present right here!

Just one quick question: Would one be able to hook up Metal Halides and Moonlights so that the Halides come on at day, but the Moonlights at night?

[FalsePerc]

Alright, I just read the manual completely. It looks as if this would be possible. However, the moonlight would have to be programmed as a light, would this inhibit the Night Mode? Thanks, and sorry for any inconvenience.

[gearhead]

just tagging along - learning more about my christmas present

[digitalaquatics.com]

Mike,

You are correct, if you use a moonlight and program it as a light the night mode would not kick in. But, that isn't terribly important, since you still want wavemaking to happen during night mode. Most people keep the water current the same at night anyway.

But despite that, it would be easy to have a seperate time to specify night mode. We thought about doing that but we didn't to keep the menu as simple as possible. You could argue that it would have been worth it, but either way it isn' t too important.

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[MurphsReef]

i have a upstairs main tank and a basement sump. since all of the items i am controlling are in the basement, could i use a RJ45 patch cable to extend the cable lengh to go from the controller to the outlet box?

[~ChrisB~]

gr_reefer,
Not to jump into anyone's shoes here, but yes you can extend the controler line. I had to do this myself as well. I'm sure there is some kind of limit, but I have mine at 20 feet with no problems.
Chris

[MurphsReef]

thanks tank. i just got a CAT5 coupler and a 15' CAT5 patch cable today and will be hooking it up tonight. thanks for the info.

murph

BTW, my dad is in cable repair for SBC out of the benton harbor, mi garage.

[~ChrisB~]

Cool,
I work out of the South Side of Chicago on the line. And I also am a dad. lol

[digitalaquatics.com]

Sure enough guys, you can extend the cable pretty far. The limit would be in the 100's of feet.

Nick - Digital Aquatics

[MurphsReef]

i e-mailed the tech support and never heard back. i have a few other issues with the unit.

[Saltybob]

I currently run 24vdc AB relays for lights and my temp if possible could I replace my controls with just the reef keeper head unit to activate my relays? Then would you sell just the head unit if it was 24vdc output?

[digitalaquatics.com]

gr_reefer,

We don't have an email from you, could you please send it again. We are eager to address any questions/problems you have about the ReefKeeper. Especially since it is a new product, we want to take care of any bugs that might exist.

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[gatohoser]

Nick and Paul,
Looks like a great product but i do have some suggestions. Some of which have been said. If you can get the pH in there you will make the hugest difference in this product. It would almost double in value. The second most important upgrade would be to add a cat5 hookup for personal modification to software or simply for upgrades. You guys as well as your customers will be unhappy the day 1.2 comes out and you have 10,000 of these sitting there needing to be fixed and 10,000 customers very eagerly waiting for their controllers to come back. Also i assume the 15A is due to wiring? Or is it due to electronic issues. Either way i think it would be very helpful to make a more expensive model that handles more because i know i would need more than 15A to run my 90g setup alone.

But im really impressed and hope this is my christmas present as well:)

[traveller7]

Been running my 4x400 MH on eballasts for about 10 days now. Very nice unit.

I am running the lighting in a cycle from one side to another and only go on up to 3 at a time, although the unit does not seem to have a problem with them all on at once :)

Again, very nice system.

PS: I would like the option for a longer tail on the temp probe ;>)

[gatohoser]

Any news guys?

[digitalaquatics.com]

Scott,

FYI, Feel free to extend the temp probe cable. It is simply a 2-wire conductor. You can cut it in a convenient spot (make sure there is room on both sides to work), and connect a 2-wires to each side. With this type of probe, you don't even have to worry about which wire goes to which. Of course it might not look pretty when you are done but it will work fine. Remember to insulate the wires well after you are done so water doesn't get to them.

I am not encouraging or discouraging this, but know that you can do it if you want to. You do it at your own risk, but a new probe is only $15 if you need a new one.

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[traveller7]

Thanks Nick :)

That 25' version will be what, $20 and available when :D

Bottom line: I am very pleased with the product, the response to inquiries, and look forward to you guys expanding the product line.

[gatohoser]

Could you respond to my questions please? Im really curious about your product!

[digitalaquatics.com]

gatohoser,

Sorry for not answering your question earlier, forgot to since I was looking at the next page of new posts. Anyway, the limit is due to 2 things. The power wire is spec'd to 15A and the heat dissipation inside the unit. We don't use traditional relays and what we use (triacs) do have more heat dissipation constraints. But their advantages are small size and more importantly, ability to have softstart.

The specs we publish are conservative but do think it is important to stay within them. I higher capacity unit is something we are considering in the future. Let me know if you have more questions.

With regard to the pH, yes, this is a feature that we definitely want to include in the future. We don't have a timeline yet, but we will come out with a product that includes this.

We have gone back and forth about whether to allow for customer software upgrades via serial or USB. We opted not to for the sake of cost and simplicity. A more advanced product might include this in the future.

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[gatohoser]

Thanks for your answers and if you do have a computer compatible one id be the first to buy it! Im going to have to wait for the pH though. Hope to see it soon!

[SHOmuchFUN]

I'm having issues with mine... It inadvertantly turns on/off every few minutes. Sounds like a faulty unit. JUST MY LUCK :furious:. I'm pretty disappointed, especially after having my whole cabinet rewired in the same evening to have the reefkeeper run its tasks... I'm awaiting a response as to what I need to do about it. I will post how the situation gets handled.

[~ChrisB~]

Not to burn anyone here, I think Nick has a great idea, but I had some issues as well. Nick dealt with them well. SHOmuchFUN I had the same problem with my unit, would constantly reset, also had issues with it tripping the GFI if I didnt plug it into a non protected outlet first. Unfortunately we could not fix the problem so I am without a ReefKeeper. Again Nick has great customer service, and if the bugs get worked out I will purchase another unit.

[SHOmuchFUN]

I just noticed that it was the T-5s that was causing the problem... I narrowed it down by unplugging everything and plugging in each unit one by one. I then plugged in a lamp into the same channel to see if it would reset and the damn lamp stayed on... So everything works fine until I plug my 2x54w blue plus T-5s into channel 1. Haven't tried any other channel yet, but assume I'd get the same result. Stay tuned...

[romunov]

Will there be an European version? Our sockets are a tad different. ;)

[rufio173]

Thanks for the extra info. guys, I really want one of these, so the negative feedback makes me more wary when thinking about purchasing this unit.

I still think it is a great unit and will really help me out, but now I'll be more aware of problems if they arise.

I really think these guys are dedicated to their line and will work on fixing any bugs.

Peace,
John H.

[Adonis Mt]

Man i wish i didnt have all this stuff already (thermometer, wavemaker, light timer), or i'd buy this thing in a heartbeat. Guess itll have to wait till later i guess.

[AlgaeMan]

Has anyone run two 400w MH on one circuit? I read that the max wattage for one circuit is 720w. I'm using blueline E-ballasts

[MurphsReef]

yea nix that algaeman, i tried it and it blew the fuse lickety split. it doesnt even fire my VHO light consistently. i have it setup on channel 1 to come on at 11:30 am and go off at 11:30 pm... sometimes it comes on, sometimes it doesnt. perhaps someone could get back to me on this from the company. thanks!

[gatohoser]

You could always run it on 2 couldnt you?

[DerekW]

gatohoser, My ballasts are dual 400 watt ballasts (2 ballasts, one plug), so that won't work.

[traveller7]

Originally posted by AlgaeMan
Has anyone run two 400w MH on one circuit? I read that the max wattage for one circuit is 720w. I'm using blueline E-ballasts

Posted at the top of this page:

Originally posted by traveller7
Been running my 4x400 MH on eballasts for about 10 days now. Very nice unit.

I am running the lighting in a cycle from one side to another and only go on up to 3 at a time, although the unit does not seem to have a problem with them all on at once :)


At around the 5 week mark, I have had zero functional problems with running 4x400wt eballasts(XM20K bulbs). They are set to come on in a staggered fashion, each eballast is pulling 380watts(measured by WattsUp) and no more then 3 run at the same time in my configuration. No other devices are plugged into the ReefKeeper and the 4 other outletss are in the off position.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

[DerekW]

traveller7, I think the question was regarding putting 2 balllasts on one outlet, like if you have a dual ballast with one plug.

[MurphsReef]

well it happened again yesterday! actinics never came on, switched it from channel 1 to channel 2 and it pops on. the lights on the control pannel show the channel is on. i am still awaiting an answer on this. anyone from DA out there?

[SHOmuchFUN]

I too am waiting on a response... Haven't heard from anyone in a while. A bit disconcerning with a bunch of customers who seem to be having some issues with their product.

[traveller7]

Originally posted by DerekW
traveller7, I think the question was regarding putting 2 balllasts on one outlet, like if you have a dual ballast with one plug. I was reposting for AlgaeMan. He has bluelines as well and the only dual blueline I know of is a 2x175. That ballast would not be an issue either.

From the posts above, it appears you have a dual ballast and might well be out of luck if you have 2x400's on a single plug. Definitely out of luck if they are 2x400HQI's.

Cheers.

[~ChrisB~]

I want to say that Nick seems to be a stand-up guy, why dont you guys give him a call that are having problems. He refunded my money after me having the product for nearly 3 weeks.

[MurphsReef]

so i should call them at the number that is NOT listed on thier site? riiiiiiight!

[~ChrisB~]

Well guy if you have the shipping box it came in Nick's # is right on it. And BTW I am just trying to help dont throw the sarcasm at me ok? I really dont care, just trying to give my EXP with this product and with Nick himself. Believe me I know its frustrating as heck to deal with the problems, that's why I gave up and sent mine back in for a refund.

[digitalaquatics.com]

gr_reefer,

Sorry for the delay in getting your questions answered. When the lights don't fire I bet that if you unplug it and plugged it back in will turn them on. Kind of like what you did when you moved it to ch2 from ch1. The ballast can get into some kind of shutdown mode when the channel turns on. Now, what do you do about it is the real question, and I will look into how to stop this from happening. The question I have for you is what kind of VHO ballast are you running?

One other thing, we check the forums periodically and if we don't get back to you right away we aren't ignoring you, just haven't gotten a chance. But as far as customer service goes, if you need a timely response we are very responsive to support emails sent to support@digitalaquatics.com. That is the best way to get immediate attention to your questions. We know your questions are important and want to give you the best service possible.

Let me know about the ballast and I will go and do some work to get you a better answer. Thanks,

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[MurphsReef]

the ballast is a Icecap 430

[SHOmuchFUN]

Mine is working alright, but not to its potential. I'm not in any hurry really. I get a little impatient from time to time ;)

It's nothing against anyone at DA. :thumbsup:
I have faith that they're doing all that they can to figure these things out. It does stink to have to be the product's BETA testers though.

[MarkM3]

Is it normal fot the power strip unit to get warm/hot? I've noticed that when running 2x250watt MH on channel 1, the unit gets pretty warm. Is this due to the high current, and is this harmful to the unit?

My other option would be to use the unit to swich a high current relay.

[digitalaquatics.com]

Hi Mark,

As long as you are below the maximum power limits for each channel and the overall unit, you should be fine. It is natural for high current devices to dissipate a bit of heat. The ReefKeeper was designed to handle this as best as possible via various heatsinking methods.

Paul
Digital Aquatics LLC

[MurphsReef]

still no response to the lighting issue... hhhmmmmmmm

looks like i will be sending mine back as well, customer service is the pits.

[digitalaquatics.com]

gr_reefer,

The post to you at the top of this page (posted 11/23) does address your lighting question. So it is not accurate to say there is no answer. However, I do admit that the answer is not good news right now, so you've got us there! We are looking into this, that is our current status with your specific issue.

Customer service is the something that we do not compromise on so to say "its the pits" simply isn't true. People can count on us giving them good customer service. Also, we don't use Reef Central as a customer service platform, all questions that need a timely and specific answer should be sent to support@digitalaquatics.com. We will, however, check the forum and reply on a periodic basis.

We want to make you a happy customer and will work to do that but if you want to return yours I am happy to do so. If you want to wait for a possible solution you can do that too. Email us at the above email when you are ready, to let us know what you want to do.

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[CaptiveReefSystems]

can't ask for anymore then that. Nice reply Nick.

Can't wait to get mine to try it out.

[Psyire]

Howcome you can't set powerheads to turn on/off at intervals greater than 30 mins? 0-80 mins would be so much better.. especially if you use Tunze 6060 or 6080 pumps. ?

[CaptiveReefSystems]

actually, 120 minutes would be even better. I asked Nick and he said they would add it to the list of future updates.

[mikester]

Actually, 180 minutes would be best - then I could use it to cycle my Zeovit reactor every 3 hours. :D

[digitalaquatics.com]

Attention ReefKeeper Customers,

Below is the latest update on a recent problem we have had with the ReefKeepers internal battery, this is will also be posted on our support page:

Updated 12/5/04

“We isolated recent problem in which the internal battery would discharge preventing the ReefKeeper from saving the clock and settings across power cycles. We thought that v1.3 software resolved the issue but now realize that the combination of v1.3 software and using a different battery will now correct the problem, resulting in a product version 1.4. All products with version 1.4 have this correction. If you have version 1.3 or earlier Digital Aquatics would like to trade out the remote display as a precautionary measure (email: support@digitalaquatics.com). Products currently shipping do not have this problem.”

[connecticut cichlids]

sent an email....

[maxxII]

Gotta love manufacturers that actually take the time to notify their customers of improvements to their product AND make upgrades available to previous customers easy. Good customer service in my book. I've been watching this thread for awhile and am on the fence of buying one. Things like this make me happy to hear. Keep up the good work guys.
Nick

[connecticut cichlids]

i also agree with maxxII...

[SHOmuchFUN]

Yep, my replacement display is in the mail...

No hassels, don't have to live without, and I can rest easy.

[rjg]

Ok everyone, if you had to do it all over again, would you buy the unit?

There seems to be some commotion about things not working and such, but they are addressed quickly and they are very willing to help people out as it seems to me, but I am an outsider...

[SHOmuchFUN]

If I had the cash, I would've got an aquacontroller...

But, with all things considering, this unit is probably worth the money and troubles. Only problem is that if my power goes off currently, I'm REALLY screwed. My replacement display is on its way which is going to hopefully solve this problem. I may have an entirely different attitude if my power had actually gone out. I unplugged my unit by mistake yesterday and everything reset and the unit continually tried to restart my halides... Could've been pretty serious.

[rjg]

I hear you.. There are 2 features that would make this thing even more awesome after reading the manual and I have included them below.

My thoughts on this controller since it does not have pH monitoring functions is that it is a great place to start, especially if you don't have a Calcium Reactor. It offers all of the features that you would need and you don't have to worry about X10 modules.

1. High Temperature Feature = Set high temp point and turn off all lighting if that point is reached!

2. Max and Min temperature logging for each 24h period, so you can figure out how big the temp swing is.

3. Serial port interface for configuration, data logging, and most importantly alarming..

I know you DA guys read this so I hope it is somewhat helpful for you... :D

[mikester]

I returned mine and bought an Aquacontroller, if that answers your question. If you need a pH controller as well, there isn't much difference in price, and the Aquacontroller does a whole lot more.

[~ChrisB~]

I also returned mine. And sorry Nick, but I am uncomfortable with purchasing this product again. As I have said all along customer service was great. The product just had too many bugs, and having a bit of an electronics back round myself, the bugs bothered me a bit. Get it UL'ed and get a ph controller on it and maybe I'd give it one more try. Just cant figue why it would always trip the GFI on the initial plug in. If I left it plugged into an unprotected outlet and then switched it to a GFI I was fine, but leave it unplugged for 10 minutes and it would trip when plugged in. Has to have been a grounding problem, like ground and neutral were shared in the circuit.......

[newmoon]

I would not give up on mine. If customer service were bad, than I would have returned mine. But Nick have been great and asked all my questions very promptly. My replacement unit it's on it's way to me and I'm pretty sure the reset problem will be corrected. That's what I hope. I will keep people informed on how it goes.
Overall it's a very nice unit. I had an Octopus 3000 (do the same things as the Aquacontroller) and had MANY problems with interference on my x-10 modules. IMO and IME, x-10 suxs.

[traveller7]

ReefKeepers and the other controllers have their places.

Mine is perfect for my application and I am getting another one for the upcoming expansion of the system.

fwiw: my system also uses multiple controllers from previously named companies but when it comes to lighting, they don't have the instant and intuitive control interface I require.

Cheers.

[digitalaquatics.com]

Hey Guys,

I appreciate all the comments from you. Even those of you who aren't pleased with your ReefKeeper. Despite being unsatisfied with it you aren't "bashing" and that says a lot for your class.

We haven't tried to make any excuses for our problems, we just admit it and try to fix it. But if it will help anyone I can give a couple details on what happened. Long story short, we designed in a battery and tested it extensively,... and it worked. Then there turned out to be a long lead time for that part number, so we selected an alternate which we thought was an equivalent. Of course, it turns out that it wasn't an equivalent (shame on us) and is why the problem showed up at all. That is the biggest reason for the issues (and why it seemed like we didn't test the unit before selling it). We are now shipping/exchanging people units with the proper part.

The other know issues are noise from ballasts causing the ReefKeeper to reset over and over when it turn some ballasts on (same thing that causes X-10 devices to not work well), or ballast's not firing. We are currently working on that solution which will probably be an adapter that isolates the noisy ballasts but still controlled by the ReefKeeper. More to come on that. So right now some ballasts have to be driven by a separate timer until we fix this.

So that is where we are. I thank you for all for your comments and really hope to make all of you happy customers sooner or later!

Nick and Paul
Digital Aquatics LLC

[gatohoser]

What is first on the list of upgrades when you get the current fixes done? (crosses fingers for pH controller)

[Ira NZ]

Forget the PH controller! Make a 220V version first!

[connecticut cichlids]

I luv my unit...has version 1.1, and I never had any problems with it...I can't wait to by some upgrades for this bad boy!

[CaptiveReefSystems]

Just got mine, actually for a client. Version 1.4. Unit looks sweet. Can't wait to put it to work.

[linklemming]

I just received my newly upgraded 1.4 unit as well. Great customer service!

Nick, thanks for making the feed timer larger than 30 minutes.....I really needed that.

So far I am loving this unit alot. A few suggestions to make it better:

1.) Add a generic timed device like the lights but dont have it affect night/day mode. That way people could run things like moonlights.

2.) Give powerheads the option of being on/off during feed mode, I would like some circulation during feeding.

Gary

[Jake]

DA,

In your opinion would the controller be able to handle 2 X 400W MH as well as 240W of Acticics on an Ice Cap 430 ballest along with a 300 W heater and a couple of powerheads? I currently have 2 X 20 amp GFI circuits that I spread all my tank load over but I would be very interested in using your unit if you felt confident that it could handle the above load.

[CaptiveReefSystems]

Just a note on AMP load. I had a union electrician do a wiring job on a large aquarium install in a office building. He looked at all the equipment that would need power and wired accordingly. He told me that GFI's would support 17 amps on a 20 amp circuit. If you started to hit the 17 amps or go over, the circuit would trip.

The fuse in the reefkeeper is 15 amps, so judge for yourself. It does not state the load the plug strip can handle in the manual, but you might find it on their web site.

[ReefWraith]

I would also like to throw in my vote for a pH controller. As soon as this becomes available I'll be looking for the checkbook! :^)

[CaptiveReefSystems]

Do we really want to add the complexity of a PH controller to the reefkeeper? I have found that the K.I.S.S. theory works best around saltwater. I would have to believe that it would push the price way above the level it is right now and not all of us need that feature.

Make some adjustment to the timers now and it will be great just as it is. If a PH controller is added, I hope it's a different unit altogether.

[SHOmuchFUN]

I'm with you Captive...

Get the reefkeeper, then get a milwaukee to do your PH needs. It'd probably be cheaper than buying a reefkeeper with PH compatibility. Personally, I don't see the advantage of adding a PH controller with the reefkeeper interface.

[ReefWraith]

Ah yes, you can't please everyone now can you? Thus the manufacturer's recent comments on making an OPTIONAL upgrade.... if you don't want it... don't worry about it. Others will appreciate having everything in one unit. The beauty of this system appears to be it's flexibility allowing for future expansion thus catering to the eclectic mix of reefers here on RC.


Reef On!

[w2]

Please hurry with the fix for the ballasts! I have both IceCap MH 250's and CoralVue MH 250's on my tank. Neither will work. Unit keeps resetting whenever the ballast tries to refire.

Again, please hurry on this fix! This is the only bug I've found so far.....

[gabulldawg12]

Won't work with your MH!!!? That sounds like more than a minor bug. If you can't use the ReefKeeper to cycle your main lighting, that sounds like a major bug.

Chris

[Fanatic]

Originally posted by w2
Please hurry with the fix for the ballasts! I have both IceCap MH 250's and CoralVue MH 250's on my tank. Neither will work. Unit keeps resetting whenever the ballast tries to refire.

Again, please hurry on this fix! This is the only bug I've found so far.....

Have you tried a different channel? I have an issue with channel 1 firing an IC 250 MH ballast, but channel 2 works flawlessly....worth a try :)

[w2]

Unfortunately, no help. I don't understand it. I tried all the channels, and same deal. Getting frustrated......But Nick did email me here at home and explained the deal with the CV ballasts. IF I can get this to work, I will gladly get rid of the CV and buy an IC ballast for my 3rd light......

[~ChrisB~]

I had this problem with the IC ballasts, never got it resovled for me.

[Psyire]

So there is still problems with IC ballasts? I thought this was taken care of?

[jpeavytx]

I'm running two IceCap 660 ballasts and haven't had a lick of trouble as of yet! I do have the newest version of the controller though.

[digitalaquatics.com]

Hey Guys,

Many people are running Icecap ballasts with no problems, I didn't think that any IceCap ballasts had this power noise problem. We do know that there are a couple people whose IceCap ballast didn't fire consistently. The adapter we are working on should resolve the Icecaps not firing and should help many people that have the noise problem. But it won't help every case of the noise issue, it will depend on how severe the noise is. I will be putting together some of the adapter prototypes for people with these particular problems to try out, but won't have them ready for a little bit.

Nick - Digital Aquatics LLC

[~ChrisB~]

My problem was that the unit would shut-off every 3-10 minutes for no arrapent reason at all when my 4 250w IC ballasts were running off of it. Also initialy the unit would trip the GFI as soon as I plugged it in. But after being plugged into an unprtected outlet I could then plug it into the GFI. And this was with both units I recieved. Has anyone else had this problem yet Nick?

[w2]

After checking my wiring and fixing a previous "let's lessen the amount of wires I have hanging all over the place" moment (both ballasts wired into common power cord), everything works just fine with the IceCaps. Both now on solo power cords and plugged into channels 1 & 2. Working good!

Now, anyone want to buy/trade for a CoralVue 250 MH ballast??? :)

[connecticut cichlids]

so what your implying is that there was never a glitch with the reef keeper, it was basically your "wire setup" that was causing the problems you were having?

[digitalaquatics.com]

Tank (was it Chris?),

I'm glad to say that we have yet to have anyone else report GFI problems. So I don't know why that was an issue. Maybe just an overly sensitive GFI circuit, I tried my GFI circuit and it didn't trip. If anyone else has seen this let me know.

Nick

[gatohoser]

If you have one of those yellow plug in GFCI's then i woudlnt be the least bit surprised. Mine trips from anything including unplugging an air pump and i cant even plug my 40w light into it without it tripping.

[MadTownMax]

I agree, there are some very sensitive GFCI's out there, my 2X 32W PC ballast trips mine - while w/ my old set-up my 250W electronic Ice Cap ballast didn't :rolleyes: - very frustrating

[~ChrisB~]

Guys,

Just so everyone knows, I am an electrician by trade. This was not a plug in GFI. This issue occured on several different GFI's with 2 differnt reefkeeper units. Glad to hear no one else has had this issue. Just leaves me all nervous knowing the issues that I did have, and knowing that they have not been addressed. Still dont know why my unit kept resetting every few minutes?

Thanks,
Chris

[masterswimmer]

I read the entire thread. I'm interested in the reefkeeper, not only for me but for a group of us in our club. Initially my concern was that they didn't even publish a phone # to reach them. I find that to be just a basic courtesy for customers.

The way Nick responds to problems/concerns has been nothing short of accomodating, but I like to speak on the phone. I find that certain questions I ask generate certain responses. Those responses many times generate new questions. Going back and forth with emails is too time consuming and frustrating.

I will continue to follow everyones input, you've all been extremely helpful and I appreciate your honest experiences. Our RC family is always looking out for us.

Russ

[tritontr21]

Sometimes people will call with all kinds of questions and take up too much time with the person that works for the company and that person who calls cant buy one or never intends to buy one, this kind of person is called a "tire Kicker" im sure as his company grows and they are able to hire more people there will be a phone number for general questions.

Working retail my self i can say that i am impressed with his customer service and his hands on here on RC.

his website has all the info you need and and if it doesnt there is a email address which looks like he stays on top of.

Didnt a few people say that when you recieve the product it comes with a phone # ?

Great work guys, i will be looking hard at your product over the next few weeks to add to my money pit....I mean my reef tank.

[larry610]

I am a very happy reef keeper owner. I received my this past Friday and was impressed how quickly I was able to set it up. This is the first time I have been able to keep my temp. steady, never varies more than a couple of tenths. I can not say enough good things about it.....

I do have one question though, I notied in the manual that it does not say anything about a back up battery. Will I loose programing if my power goes off? If there is a back up battery, how long will it last and does it have to be replaced?

Larry

[connecticut cichlids]

i do believe there is a battery in the remote display...It's probalby one of those super long life watch batteries...lithium maybe? Nick from DA would mostlikely have to confirm what type of battery it is, but I know theres one in there !!!!

[kbecker]

I have a reefkeeper comming in the mail. What I suggest you do, and what i plan to do is make a few programs then pull the battery and see what happens. Once I know what will happen i can plan for it.

[connecticut cichlids]

obviously if you pull the battery out, the remote will not remember the settings...the battery is used to keep the memory going....I don't think DA would advise you to be fumbling with the inner contents of that remote unit, but thats up to you..! :)

[kbecker]

Well I would have thought it would have a flash rom of sorts. Most electronic devices that have user customized settings do.

[mikester]

No, it doesn't. Read through the threads - there was a problem awhile back where the internal battery was dieing and it would reset to factory settings, which can cause a lot of problems if you have reprogrammed it. Supposedly that problem is fixed now.

[digitalaquatics.com]

Guys,

The battery isn't serviceable by customers, it would get messy pretty fast. However, your discussion about flash memory reminds me to mention something.

We in fact, DO have flash memory (we use a flash based processor) in the product. We originally didn't use it to save settings (dumb). In the process of fixing the battery problems we also added a safeguard to the software in the event that the battery does die for some reason. We save all settings in the flash, so all you can possibly lose now is the clock, which is not dangerous for you animals like the settings being wrong (i.e. thinking a chiller was a light).

We really should be using this more as a selling point since it is so valuable.

Nick

[digitalaquatics.com]

Notice to potential ReefKeeper Customers:

For those of you that are planning on purchasing the ReefKeeper soon, we wanted to let you know that the introductory price will expire on February 14th, changing from $219 to $249. We wanted to mention it on the forum so you aren't caught by surprise. This isn’t a ploy to create a false sense of urgency, just a friendly reminder so you don’t miss out on the introductory price.

Thanks,

Nick & Paul at Digital Aquatics LLC