squiddly November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 I have heard of or seen the ACs, the ReefKeepers, the Aquatronicas, and the Octopus. I have two tanks that will need controlling. One is a 180 reef where I'll need to control 3 MHs, fans, hopefully two supplemental lights, a set of moonlights, ph monitor (likely with a calcium reactor at some point, and/or kalk), refugium lights, top off, heater, and whatever else I may need that I'm not thinking of. The other tank is a 120 fish only with two sets of lights, fans, moonlights, heater, top off, ph and some sort of control when I figure that out. For both I would LOVE to have some kind of a moisture monitor that would shut down the pumps and alarm if the floor starts to get wet. Perhaps even call my cell phone or otherwise go insane. Ideally, I'd like a controller I can program and download information to/from a Mac, or through a web interface. I can code when I have to, but would much rather have an easy to use programming language and/or GUI than giving this old brain a headache type workout. So, can anyone be so kind as to give me recommendations? Let's pretend that price is not relevant. I'd really appreciate any pointers and/or help. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhoch November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 Get the AC III Pro and get the PX1000 expansion unit.... It can do everything you want... get 3 DC8s (2 for the reef, and 1 for the FO)... Add a homemade switch and have mositure control and float swtiches... all with a good UI... web browser gives you everything you need. Yeah it's going to set you back a pretty penny, but it'll be worth it in the long run. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwildman November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 Dave, About how much is a pretty penny . Assuming is is high $100's or 4 digits (shiver). What is your next best choice? Thanks, John Get the AC III Pro and get the PX1000 expansion unit.... It can do everything you want... get 3 DC8s (2 for the reef, and 1 for the FO)... Add a homemade switch and have mositure control and float swtiches... all with a good UI... web browser gives you everything you need. Yeah it's going to set you back a pretty penny, but it'll be worth it in the long run. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emissary November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 I'll echo that. I use an AquaControlller III Pro also. You're welcome to come by four a tour off it if you'd like details. Dave,About how much is a pretty penny . Assuming is is high $100's or 4 digits (shiver). What is your next best choice? High means beyond the 3 zeroes mark. And no, they're not leading zeroes. Next best? A smaller Aquacontroller. Note that for Squiddly he's spec'ed out something that is aleady very expanded. Base cost of the AC3Pro I think is 600ish. You can get an AC3 for I think 400ish or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhoch November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 That setup ain't cheap: Combo pak of the III Pro + DC 8 + ph & temp probe $884 2 more DC8s $350 px1000 expansion $175 2nd ph probe $50 Total: ~$1500 which aint to shabby (gives you A LOT of flexibilty)... or save $300 and get the ACIII instead of the pro. Get the ACIII or the III Pro... Baring that you're going to have to sacrifice something...Other controllers with the "same" features are going to cost the same or more... If you go cheaper you could get a couple of reefkeeper IIs (probably 3, as you'll need 2 for your 180), but at that point your sacrificing integrability, uniform single place to access, etc... Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiddly November 21, 2006 Author Share November 21, 2006 Next best? A smaller Aquacontroller. Note that for Squiddly he's spec'ed out something that is aleady very expanded. Base cost of the AC3Pro I think is 600ish. You can get an AC3 for I think 400ish or something. Squiddly is not a he :-). That setup ain't cheap: Combo pak of the III Pro + DC 8 + ph & temp probe $884 2 more DC8s $350 px1000 expansion $175 2nd ph probe $50 Total: ~$1500 which aint to shabby (gives you A LOT of flexibilty)... or save $300 and get the ACIII instead of the pro. Get the ACIII or the III Pro... Baring that you're going to have to sacrifice something...Other controllers with the "same" features are going to cost the same or more... If you go cheaper you could get a couple of reefkeeper IIs (probably 3, as you'll need 2 for your 180), but at that point your sacrificing integrability, uniform single place to access, etc... Dave What does the px1000 and the DC8 bits do? And what is the difference between the III and the pro? And this unit will run 2 tanks? Do I have to string wires all over the place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhoch November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 The DC8s are effectively the controllable power strips...(DC power, 8 sockets... DC8)... THe controller is only the brain... The px1000 is an exapnsion module to be able to have an additional set of probes (temp, ph)... all controlled by the single brain, but can be ina remote tank. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emissary November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 Squiddly is not a he :-). Sorry, my english teacher would have admonished me -- that's what she woudl have called an ambiguous antecedent. I was referring to what "he's" speced out being dhoch for squiddly (not he, as you say!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiddly November 21, 2006 Author Share November 21, 2006 Sorry, my english teacher would have admonished me -- that's what she woudl have called an ambiguous antecedent. I was referring to what "he's" speced out being dhoch for squiddly (not he, as you say!). Is ok. People more often mistake me for an alien life form than they do for an ambiguous antecedent however :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarletknight06 November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 My opinion is that if you're looking for something basic that will get the job done well, go for the Aquacontroll jr set up. I have one and I love it. But if you're looking for something that can do more, I would go for the Aquatronica. Totally expandable, does all the web stuff, controls more than one tank, controls everything you could need, and you can add on a dosing pump system so you wont need a calcium reactor (like a litermeter 3). Its what I'll be getting in the future. you can get it here for $1,099. Seems cheaper than the ACIII pro for the same stuff. http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/p...products_id=432 You can add the ethernet module and dosing pump for a little over $500, meaning that you get much more than the ACIII pro for about $100 bucks more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhoch November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 Actually you don't... much of the additional stuff you would have to purchase, but let's look at it... The Neptune $1500 package includes ethernet, and includes 24 switches (3 DC8s), includes 2 ph probes, 2 temp probes (the PX1000 allows that). Let's price out a similar package from Aquatronica: Base Unit + 8 switches + ph probe (and a water level sensor Oooh a float switch ) $700 Add 2 power bars $460 Ethernet Module $179 2nd ph interface $70 2nd ph probe $70 2nd temp sensor $30 Total $1510.... Hmmm interesting it's right about the same... heh... but I knew that.... Now let's look at the dosing pump... I can get the one for the aquatincs at $329, or buy a reconditioned medical one for $150.... and the medical ones are much better buil than anything else I've seen out ther. I'm not nocking the aquatronica, it's actually a pretty nice system, but the additional advantage of the neptune product (which is why I went with it rather than the aquatronica) SERVICE. Curt the guy who does the neptune products is available at RC, he responds very quickly to questions and requests, and now that I know him, he's responded to upgrades (new beta version of the software has a couple features I asked for)... Now the aquatronica is made in Italy... hmmm if I got a problem I have to call there for support? (In fact I couldn't find a single thing about support on their website). Case closed (well for me anyway)... I like that I have someone I can PM, and/or call if I have a problem. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiddly November 21, 2006 Author Share November 21, 2006 I really appreciate the information being provided. You guys are great! I looked at the comparison between the ACIII and the ACIII pro and may be missing why I would need a pro. Are those extras really that much more important? To be fair to Aquatronica, they have a forum on RC as well and I went to look at it. Everyone seems to be complaining that they have released equipment without a software update to drive the equipment. There were also many confused people trying to program the unit. That always makes me question whether or not a piece of equipment is going to be too much annoyance than it's worth. Of course, it could be that a lot of non technical people are buying the Aquatronica units then becoming confused..... hard to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarletknight06 November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 I understand the service thing and I'll agree that neptune service is great, but the ability of running the dosing pump off of the same controller and the total expandability/upgradeability of the aquatronica appeals to me. If they ever come out with an entirely new program, instead of buying a new unit to upgrade, all you need is a CD. That said, you probably cant go wrong either way. If you're really willing to drop some dough, there are some really really cool new controllers coming out. The Elos one looks pretty neat but I dont have any info on it. Also there are a couple of controllers coming to the US that can control tunze's (as in you won't need the 7095 multicontroller in addition to the aqaurium controller). If you look on RC in the large tank forum for a thread called DIY 900g, theres a guy that made a huge plywood tank and he has a new nifty controller from somebody in Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhoch November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 Didn't know aquatronica had a forum... when I was looking at the two units they didn't (allthough aquatronica was REALLY new then)... I looked at all the controllers when I was at MACNA this past year... there were 2 new ones (don't recall the names)... neither demo worked very well... THe bottom line is Neptune has been doing this for a while and has many of the kinks worked out... sure some of the other features are nice, but do you really want to be a "beta" tester for something as important as your aquarium... OR do you want a product that is recognized allready around the industry for it's reliablity. In terms of programming theres a lot of confusion on the AC units too... most common questions in neptunes forum is help me with my program... The nice thing about the pro is the additional variables/sockets... I don't know about the other controllers, but flexibility in your programming language is very important (at least to me it is). You can do that with the neptune units, but you might have to use "dummy" sockets to do (which is why having more is very important)... hard to explain without an example, but I can come up with one if you want. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiddly November 21, 2006 Author Share November 21, 2006 Didn't know aquatronica had a forum... when I was looking at the two units they didn't (allthough aquatronica was REALLY new then)... I looked at all the controllers when I was at MACNA this past year... there were 2 new ones (don't recall the names)... neither demo worked very well... THe bottom line is Neptune has been doing this for a while and has many of the kinks worked out... sure some of the other features are nice, but do you really want to be a "beta" tester for something as important as your aquarium... OR do you want a product that is recognized allready around the industry for it's reliablity. In terms of programming theres a lot of confusion on the AC units too... most common questions in neptunes forum is help me with my program... The nice thing about the pro is the additional variables/sockets... I don't know about the other controllers, but flexibility in your programming language is very important (at least to me it is). You can do that with the neptune units, but you might have to use "dummy" sockets to do (which is why having more is very important)... hard to explain without an example, but I can come up with one if you want. Dave Hmmm. I think I somewhat understand what you're saying. You know what would be seriously cool would be bluetooth probes or at least the px1000 thingit. One big plus is that the Neptune units have Mac software, unlike Aquatronica. Both would be much easier if they would just set up web based programming through a GUI. But if I start with "wouldn't it be nice" I'll be typing all day :-) Thanks, guys. You're really helping me figure things out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarletknight06 November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 Sorry I offered my opinion. Next time I won't speak up at all......apologies to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikS November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 Sorry I offered my opinion. Next time I won't speak up at all......apologies to all. Huh? Why? Nobody ever learned anything from kum-by-ya agreement fests. To me different opinions are far better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhoch November 21, 2006 Share November 21, 2006 ScarletKnight06... did I say something that was uncalled for? I hope not... I have done a ton of research on these units because I have one, and spending that kind of money it's important that you get something that works for you. Squiddley... the Neptune unit is totally controllable and programable from a browser (it's not drop down choices but text, but the syntax is simple untill you do something complicated. Here is an example of the idea of a complicated program (I'm not sure if the aquatronica can do this or not): I want my in tank pumps to have a short cycle during the day and a long cycle during the evening. Both random during the day 2 min cycle (on/off) night 10 min cycle. YOu can do this with the neptune unit, but it's a little complicated program. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiddly November 22, 2006 Author Share November 22, 2006 Sorry I offered my opinion. Next time I won't speak up at all......apologies to all. There is no learning without dissent. I really appreciate the different viewpoints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnybv November 22, 2006 Share November 22, 2006 There is no learning without dissent. I really appreciate the different viewpoints. I can tell you that Neptunes support for us with our new system has been second to none. You cant go wrong with them as far as im concerened, and as I said before come on in and play with the one we have set up here. john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiddly November 22, 2006 Author Share November 22, 2006 I can tell you that Neptunes support for us with our new system has been second to none. You cant go wrong with them as far as im concerened, and as I said before come on in and play with the one we have set up here. john I really appreciate that, Johnny. I'm planning on trying to get there for your friday "party." If I haven't eaten myself out of the ability to get off the couch. Since I dropped a very heavy object on my big toe yesterday, doesn't take much to make it tough to get off the couch. Course I was trying to clean the tank at the time. Nobody told me that reef keeping is a contact sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardofNOVA November 23, 2006 Share November 23, 2006 Gang, Great info and passion on promoting both views for these great toys by all!! I just read this entire post driving across to PA from Hancock to Morgantown, GREAT READ! I've been looking myself for a system myself soon and fill like I just went to school! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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