Aqua Controller 3....Worth it??

[joem1cha3l]

Im setting up a 55 Gallon this weekend, or at least in the beginning stages. I will be doing this build over the next month or two and doing it right. Will this make my life much easier? Keep in mind this is going to be an SPS only tank. If so I want to build it right into the side of my stand and trim it out so its necessary for me to decide on if I want one of these prior to assembling the stand completely. thoughts guys?

[THE ROOK]

I have the less expensive Jr & it's great. There is a new model coming out soon to replace the AC 3. I would wait for the new one or get the RK Elite.

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by joem1cha3l
Aqua Controller 3....Worth it??

Yes its great.

[Sisterlimonpot]

If you wait a month or so I bet you'll see some great deals on the AC3's. once the new Apex comes out.

[joem1cha3l]

any idea what the apex is going to run? and what are the additional features?

[Sisterlimonpot]

$499 is what they are preordering them for.

[Sisterlimonpot]

heres the thread on it:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1643601
This is it's loger brother:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1612322

[qfrisco]

I think any controller is a good investment for your tank. I happen to have the AC3 and love it. I don't think it necessarily has to be one of the first things you buy though, but I think any reefer should get one eventually.

[Dholmblad]

I am looking at purchasing a controller, mainly because my tech savvy father will be maintain the tank for about half of any given year. With a basic unit(like the JR, or AC3) what can you monitor besides ph, & temperature. Do either of those units allow you to have an auto shutoff for your heater if the temp raises above a certain level?

[Lyotim88]

i've never really looked too far into controllers but the AC3 actually seems pretty cool to me now. But how can it be a timer for up to 30 devices? obviously they don't all plug into the unit, so how does it work?

[xroads]

You have to ask yourself that question. If you are going to be serious about SPS, yes it will make your life so much easier. Not only is it a timer for your lights, but also it can control your temp & ph. You can also set it up to do automatic water changes, or even send you an email or page if parameters get out of wack or water is on the floor.

[qfrisco]

@Dholmblad: Absolutely - even the entry-level units will allow you to monitor temperature and act accordingly depending on certain stimulus, such as temp too high, etc.

@Lyotim88: The controllers attach to controllable powerstrips, where each outlet on the powerstrip is controllable on/off. On an AquaController, these are called DC4s or DC8s (depending on how many power outlets they have). These powerstrips are what you plug into the wall, and each device you want to control plugs into the powerstrips. Each of these outlets is assigned a unique ID or channel. The controller then turns each of these channels on/off depending on how your program it.

In order to be controlled, each powerstrip has a control line that connects to the controller. On the Aquacontrollers, the cable looks a lot like a phone line cable. So for a controller to control 30 devices, you need several of these powerstrips, each of which are controlled by the controller. Hope that helps!

[KarlBob]

The temperature control aspect is pretty self-explanatory, especially when you know that heaters often fail by staying on until they cook the tank.

On the other hand, what can these controllers actually do about pH? Do you plug in dosing pumps loaded with solutions of hydrochloric (muriatic) acid and sodium hydroxide (or calcium hydroxide, AKA kalkwasser)?

Edit: According to the AquaController home page, it mostly controls pH by turning CO2 injection on and off. I guess if you don't have dosing pumps or a calcium reactor, the pH control feature doesn't do you much good.

It can act as a light timer and wavemaker, though. Those are nice features to consolidate into one box.

[qfrisco]

You can also look at the temperature control aspect from the standpoint of turning off other sources of heat in the event the tank temperature rises above a certain point. You can have it turn off your halides, for example.

The pH control aspect of it is less to control the pH of the tank, but more to monitor the pH level in a calcium reactor, then dispense CO2 if needed. In my tank, I don't use a calcium reactor, so pH is more for monitoring.

I use 2-part and and don't use the pH monitoring for it per se, but I used the historic readings of pH to know when my pH drops at night. I then schedule the dosing of my alkalinity component to help minimize how low the pH drops.

[andywe]

I have an RKE and have compared it it to the Apex.

The ACIII was much better than the reefkeeper II, but the RKE leads the pack even over the Apex. Both are good units, however the Apex is not even out yet.

RKE is much more extensible and imo greater use and richer features. Most bugs worked out, but always keep in mind complex systems like this will sometimes have issue.

Apex allows for Programming via their net module. However, that is all about the apex has over the RKE right now. Apex is based off old technology and I think rushed to market because DA was innovative and hit the market. Neptune is hurriedly playing catch up. Neptune is also notoriously slow at introducing new functions and abilities.

If you have a bunch of AC3 stuff and want to reuse it, then wait for the Apex. If your getting your 1st controller, get the RKE or the RK Light. Just my opinion, so take it for what it is (or isn't) worth.

[andywe]

FYI, digital Aquatics just announced will be offering their RKL1 package for a reduced price ($99.00) starting in a few weeks. The RKL (Reef Keeper Light) version is good for those who do not need every bell and whistle or just needs to support 1 tank. This is a heck of a price for this unit.

Here is a link to the RC article.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...hreadid=1646270

__________________

[Hop]

The measure of my time alone has paid off both the AC jr and AC III that I run on my tank. Just one of those items that makes everything so much easier.

[Dholmblad]

Does anyone know if there is open source software available for aqua controllers. Has anyone put together their own controler by using a pc or linux box?

[qfrisco]

Originally posted by Dholmblad
Does anyone know if there is open source software available for aqua controllers. Has anyone put together their own controler by using a pc or linux box?

It's not PC- or Linux-based, but there's a DIY controller that folks have been developing based on the Open Source Arduino Controller board. The RC thread is here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1629397

[rort]

Which is the controller that can be controller over the intenet/iPhone??

[qfrisco]

Originally posted by rort
Which is the controller that can be controller over the intenet/iPhone??

Not sure about the ReefKeeper Elite, but there's an iPhone app for the AquaController. Even without the app though, you should be able to control/access any controller with network access via most phone's web browser (as long as they have an XHTML browser, and not just a WAP browser).

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by rort
Which is the controller that can be controller over the intenet/iPhone??

The Aquacontroller has a real slick iPhone app.

Originally posted by KarlBob
On the other hand, what can these controllers actually do about pH? Do you plug in dosing pumps loaded with solutions of hydrochloric (muriatic) acid and sodium hydroxide (or calcium hydroxide, AKA kalkwasser)?

Edit: According to the AquaController home page, it mostly controls pH by turning CO2 injection on and off. I guess if you don't have dosing pumps or a calcium reactor, the pH control feature doesn't do you much good.

The AquaController works by changing the states of the attached power strips (dc4 or dc8). So basically whatever you plug into these powerstrips can be turned on or off via some program statements. In the case of CO2... the solenoid will plug into the dc8... then whenever the pH drops too low (monitored by an attached pH probe) the controller will turn off power to the solenoid shutting off the flow of CO2.

You could essentially program dosing kalk in a similar fashion... however, I've been told it's not recommended to dose kalk based on a real time pH reading.

Originally posted by Lyotim88
i've never really looked too far into controllers but the AC3 actually seems pretty cool to me now. But how can it be a timer for up to 30 devices? obviously they don't all plug into the unit, so how does it work?

The various powerstrips (dc8 or dc4's) link together and are connected back to the original controller. Each outlet or socket has it's own name designated by a letter and a number which you then use to write program statements which control that device/piece of equipment/outlet.

Neptune Systems has a forum on here for those with questions... and they can probably answer questions better than the majority of the general RC membership.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...s=&forumid=368

Here is the program for my AC3:

Timer Names (equipment)

MH1$-A01 - Metal Halide
RTN#-A02 - Return Pump
CO2&-A03 - CO2 Solenoid
HT1%-A04 - Heater
KLK#-A05 - Kalk Reactor Stirring Pump
FUG$-A06 - Refugium Light
ATO%-A07 - ATO Pump
HT2%-A08 - Heater
ALM&-A09 - Alarm
FS1&-I11 - ATO Float Switch
FS2&-I12 - ATO Backup Float Switch

Program Statements

If Time > 00:00 Then ALM OFF
If Time > 00:00 Then RTN ON

Lights

If Time > 14:00 Then MH1 ON
If Time > 22:00 Then MH1 OFF
Max Change 015 M Then MH1 OFF
If Temp > 83.0 Then MH1 OFF
If Time > 22:00 Then FUG ON
If Time > 10:00 Then FUG OFF

Heaters

If Temp < 79.8 Then HT1 ON
If Temp > 80.3 Then HT1 OFF
If Temp < 79.5 Then HT2 ON
If Temp > 80.0 Then HT2 OFF
If Temp < 50.0 Then HT1 OFF
If Temp < 50.0 Then HT2 OFF
If Temp > 83.0 Then ALM ON
If Temp < 76.0 Then ALM ON

Kalk Stirring

OSC 005/240 ON/OFF Then KLK ON

Ca Reactor

If pH2 > 06.80 Then CO2 ON
If pH2 < 06.50 Then CO2 OFF
If pH2 > 07.00 Then ALM ON

ATO
If Switch1 CLOSED Then FS1 OFF
If Switch1 CLOSED Then ATO OFF
If Switch1 OPEN Then FS1 ON
If Switch1 OPEN Then ATO ON
If Switch2 CLOSED Then FS2 OFF
If Switch2 OPEN Then FS2 ON
If Switch2 OPEN Then ATO OFF

Power Fail Alarm

If Power 000 Then ALM ON