Reef controller

[lnevo]

A few ways with reef angel and i do it today... In fact just yesterday my 9 month old was in my stand and was tugging on wires. I have a loose connection somewhere so it triggered a power outage alert and i was able to get him away and block it all off right before i got in the shower...

[seantadez]

Just wanted to thank SEANTADEZ  for posting this.  I'm in the same boat.  Was in the hobby around 2005-2008, but then moved to CA and got out of the hobby.  Now, six years later, I'm trying to get back into the hobby and am completely lost.  Everything has changed it seems.  It seems I have to start from scratch again on researching what I need/want.  However, I do recall my number one fear was going on vacation and worrying the whole time about my livestock set up.  

 

For those who have been using controllers for a while - I would be very interested in hearing how the controller has "saved your bacon" and situations in which it helps avoid catastrophe in the tank.  This will help me figure out why I think I need one and which aspects are most important to me in terms of functionality.

 

Also - not meaning to hijack the thread, is it ok to ask another related question?  Can controllers handle power outages?  I mean, if power goes out and I have a back-up power system in place, can the controller be programmed to automatically switch to the back-up power and power-save functions to run only critical life support?

 

Thanks again everyone for contributing your experience and opinions.  That's one of the things that makes this club so awesome. 

 

That's not a hijack i'm interested in that too never though about it and now i know there is another amazing think that this little toy can do.

[Origami]

Regarding Sharkb8's question. Some controllers automatically switch over to a battery back up. For example, the Apex has a 12V battery backup input that it will switch to automatically to keep the controller going. (I have a DIY one made from a Belkin telco battery backup unit.) This does not mean, however, that it will continue to power heaters, lights, etc. For that, you'd need a lot of battery capacity or a generator. If your router and network stayed up and operational during the power outage, the Apex could be programmed to send you an alert when the power went out.