Ordering a controller, just have to decide which one.

[LowCel]

I am planning on ordering a controller for my 300 gallon tank. I was planning on just getting a temp controller but a complete controller really doesn't cost too much more.

What I need is the following:

Temperature controller
Light timer
Feeding timer
Timer for second set of lights that will be installed later

The rest is just bells and whistles as far as my system is concerned however I am really looking forward to cleaning up under my tank by not needing a bunch or timers and seperate controllers.

I am leaning towards the Digital Aquatics Reefkeeper lite 1. The price on it is very reasonable. I could upgrade to the lite 2 or the lite 3 but I really can't justify the extra cost. My other option is the Neptune Systems AquaController Jr. It is about the same price as the Reefkeeper. The upside is that it has a back light on it, not a big deal but could be convenient. The downside is that it is much more difficult to program. Also, I can't seem to find information anywhere saying how many plug ins it comes with.

Anyway, anyone have any thoughts on this or information that would help me make my decision? Also, are there any other controllers in the same price range that I am overlooking?

 

[LowCel]

Any thoughts?

 

[xiaan]

For the $150, the Neptune Jr. only comes with a temperature probe; you'd have to spend at least another $60 to get a DC4 or DC8 to control anything, i.e. pumps or heaters. It looks way cool though, especially in terms of logging and customization. I wouldn't be too scared of the programming, it looks pretty straightforward.

Christiaan

 

[LowCel]

Thanks, I just feel for the money the ReefKeeper Lites are hard to beat. I'll probably end up ordering one today, just have to decide which one. I'll probably go with the Lite 1.

 

[Neko-Chan]

hmm i dont understand much of those.. but umm if the complete thing cost only a a little bit more.. Might as well get the full set!!! =^_^=

 

[NOLAGT]

I LOVE my RK elite. More $ than you want to spend but has a lot of other cool features I plan on playing with. So if it were me I would go with the RK light. I have no experience with the other one but...the RKE I have is nice. The module that has the 2 switch ports...you can use those switch ports for float switches...for water top off or one at the top of the tank to shut off pumps if the tank starts to overflow.

 

[LowCel]

hmm i dont understand much of those.. but umm if the complete thing cost only a a little bit more.. Might as well get the full set!!! =^_^=

Not sure exactly what you are talking about. The lite 1 costs $150 and does pretty much everything I really need and comes with four outlets. The lite 2 costs $209 and comes with an extra module that I would still need to buy probles for so it really isn't an option. The lite 3 costs $279 and comes with the module, a ph prove, and eight outlets. The ph probe would be alright but not really needed. The eight outlets would be cool but not sure if it is worth another $129 to get them.

So basicly, my options are:

Lite 1 - $150
Lite 3 - $279

That is a pretty decent difference in price.

 

[NOLAGT]

Not sure exactly what you are talking about. The lite 1 costs $150 and does pretty much everything I really need and comes with four outlets. The lite 2 costs $209 and comes with an extra module that I would still need to buy probles for so it really isn't an option. The lite 3 costs $279 and comes with the module, a ph prove, and eight outlets. The ph probe would be alright but not really needed. The eight outlets would be cool but not sure if it is worth another $129 to get them.

So basicly, my options are:

Lite 1 - $150
Lite 3 - $279

That is a pretty decent difference in price.

You need to count up how many outlets you need. You can use outlet splitters to on the main outlets as long as you dont go over the set amount of amps per plug (I can tell you that later today if you like). So 4 outlets might be enough...but if you need to add another 4 outlet strip id look hard at the RKL3. Another thing to note...if you have everything plugged into a GFI....its not a bad idea to split pumps and canisters and stuff like that up on 2 separate strips. Each strip has a plug for the wall...so if you have one strip plugged into a GFI and the other one plugged to a different GFI...if one trips...your whole tank isnt shut off with no water flow.

 

[LowCel]

I LOVE my RK elite. More $ than you want to spend but has a lot of other cool features I plan on playing with. So if it were me I would go with the RK light. I have no experience with the other one but...the RKE I have is nice. The module that has the 2 switch ports...you can use those switch ports for float switches...for water top off or one at the top of the tank to shut off pumps if the tank starts to overflow.

Thanks. It's partially your fault that I am getting one of these. I was checking out your thread one day when I saw that you had gotten one. Once I started looking at prices on some of them it just doesn't really make sense to just get a temp controller when I can get a controller to handle most of my duties for slightly more.

 

[NOLAGT]

Thanks. It's partially your fault that I am getting one of these. I was checking out your thread one day when I saw that you had gotten one. Once I started looking at prices on some of them it just doesn't really make sense to just get a temp controller when I can get a controller to handle most of my duties for slightly more.

glad i can help spend your $ lol.

I got mine from aquacave.com they have free shipping on orders over 175. Might have to wait for the RKL to come in tho...the RK controllers are hot and sell out fast...I had to wait for mine.