FearTheTerps September 19, 2011 Share September 19, 2011 (edited) Last night my top off reservior was running low, and I didnt feel like carrying a bucket full of water up 2 flights of stairs from the basment so I just turned off the pump and decided to re fill it today. Well when I refilled it I noticed I didnt turn the ATO pump off I actually turned my heater off instead!!!!!! Everything on my power station is labeled, it was just dark when I flipped the switch. Palm meet forehead Good thing is the pump for my ATO never ran dry. The temp in the tank fell to 73 but it feels ice cold. Everything looks ok as far as corals ( my borneman anemones look a little different but not bad) and the fish are all out swimming around. I guess im just gonna let the heater bring everything back up to temp, I have 2 150W heaters for the tank. 55 gallon with a 20 gallon fuge. Or do you think they might bring the temp back up too fast? maybe unplug one? I know the temp swing is more harmful then the lower temp. Edited September 19, 2011 by FearTheTerps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech September 19, 2011 Share September 19, 2011 Get a controller. If your heaters are plugged into a strip, you are waiting for a disaster when one of the thermostats dies. You want them on a controller to make sure they don't cook your tank. Also, with the controller, you can program the ATO not to run constantly. For example, mine is allowed to run for around 3 minutes every couple hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps September 20, 2011 Author Share September 20, 2011 I have the heaters on a Ranco controller, which is what was actually turned off. Basicly its only good for if a heater gets stuck in the ON position, doesnt do much good when the operator turns it off. No need for a big budget controller here, my little set up doesnt need one IMO and my wallet doesnt need the dent either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps September 20, 2011 Author Share September 20, 2011 Temp is to 76 now, all still looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech September 20, 2011 Share September 20, 2011 (edited) I have the heaters on a Ranco controller, which is what was actually turned off. Basicly its only good for if a heater gets stuck in the ON position, doesnt do much good when the operator turns it off. No need for a big budget controller here, my little set up doesnt need one IMO and my wallet doesnt need the dent either. A used Ranco sells for what $40-60? A new RKL is $100 and the new Apex Jr is $150. So, upgrade cost is around $50-100. For that, you won't make the mistake made here which could kill everything in the tank, you have better temp control options (ie a fan when it gets too hot, shut off lights if it gets too hot, etc). You could even do a poor mans "email" and plug a buzzer into one outlet that goes off if temp gets too high/low. You could also implement the above ATO limit to minimize the chance of flooding or pump burnout. You'll have to choose on a budget controller that comes with just 4 outlets, but they are expandable. I'd go with the Apex Jr on a small tank and add another EB8 down the line if you need to. Edited September 20, 2011 by hypertech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now