AquaController III Pro, are they worth it???

[NWhoric]

http://www.neptunesys.com/index.htm

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...06&pcatid=4506

just lookin around at some stuff i need for my tanks when i stumbled acrossed this item... ive heard of them before on another site (cant remember cause it was a long time ago b4 i had saltwater) just wondering if people actually use these or they are just somethin that "rich" people get so they dont have to deal with the messy testing and stuff. what about other controlers and moniters out there? whats good, worth the money and whats not good.

thanks

Nathan

[saltysupply]

its peronal preference really....But they are very helpful if you travel alot etc...

http://www.saltysupply.com/Neptune-S...lers-s/220.htm

[Geoff]

i have an Aquacontroller II. i have had it for 4+ years now. i think they are great to have. i even use it to control my Christmas lights.

it takes a bit of time to get the X10 stuff figured out, but once you have that it is easy. if all of your modules are on one leg of your house you will not have a problem. i have modules spread out over two legs and on two completely different breaker boxes so i have a fairly complex setup, and it works fine.

G~

[NWhoric]

thanks geoff. well they will all be on one level here in a few months and i also plan on settin up a breaker box for just my tanks. what type of setup to u recomend to get with an aqua controller, like what all would i need?

Originally Posted by Geoff

i have an Aquacontroller II. i have had it for 4+ years now. i think they are great to have. i even use it to control my Christmas lights.

it takes a bit of time to get the X10 stuff figured out, but once you have that it is easy. if all of your modules are on one leg of your house you will not have a problem. i have modules spread out over two legs and on two completely different breaker boxes so i have a fairly complex setup, and it works fine.

G~

[NWhoric]

i even use it to control my Christmas lights.

haha thats pretty funny kinda an expensive light controller but hey whatever floats ur boat

[crvz]

I'd just get the AC3 over the pro. For the price difference, I don't think the pro is worth it for general application. There are a few things that the pro has that some users may use, but not many. The AC3 has a built in web server and will give you the features you're looking for, and you can add on almost everything you'd want that the pro has down the line.

[NWhoric]

Thanks. i hopefully will have one around christmas and let ya know how its workin

[hansmatt]

Even the AC jr is great...though limited by number of items it can control & web-access. I would consider upgrading, but have too many other things that need attention first.

[Geoff]

i got mine before the whole web interfaces started. i would have liked that option.

if all of your equipment will be on one circuit than you can just get a way with a boatload of modules. i have had to get X10 boosters and filters to battle various problems with crossing power legs and fluorescent interference.

hey now. if you already have the controller and you have another program you can run on it, why not the Christmas lights. beats going outside every night and turning them on and off.

G~

[NWhoric]

hey now. if you already have the controller and you have another program you can run on it, why not the Christmas lights. beats going outside every night and turning them on and off.

G~[/quote]



yea thats very true. our light normally go up Christmas eve and stay up till around the 4th of july. haha ohwell.

what all comes with the modules??? i have yet to find a good explanation of everything? i know u have to buy the probes and dc8 thing but what actually controls the different parts? who did you buy ur controller from? man some of this stuff can get confusing

thanks again

[Hop]

I think that the majority of reefers can get by with an AC jr kit with the DC8, pH and temp. The extra money involved in the neptune systems really becomes an application specific decision for more advanced units.

[NWhoric]

Originally Posted by Hop

I think that the majority of reefers can get by with an AC jr kit with the DC8, pH and temp. The extra money involved in the neptune systems really becomes an application specific decision for more advanced units.

ok. i may go the next step cause i would like to have the internet connectivity. who knows all depends on how much money i have at the time and what i decide to get. well see

[Geoff]

my system was before the DC8. i have the head unit, temp probe, pH probe, orp probe, and the X10 interface. every thing controlled by the ACII is attached to a X10 module. i had to buy modules for all of my pieces of equipment. i prolly have close to 20 modules. i have very few light modules, most are appliance modules. they are either on or off. lamp modules can be dimmed. some pumps can be run off low power. most do not recommend this though. if you only have 8 components to control then then DC8 may be all that you need. since i have aquarium equipment spread all over the house the DC8 would be ok, but it would not handle everything.

i have a FW tank upstairs that i use the ACII to control the lights on. my chiller and heater are 45' away from the tank in the basement. i used to have a second SW system setup in another room which had lighting and pump controls from the ACII.

G~

[NWhoric]

Originally Posted by Geoff

my system was before the DC8.

G~

im pretty sure im goina go with the ac3 with the dc8 and the temp and ph prob.... the orp is only another $20...

what do u think of this skimmer? http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=984 . im tryin to stay under $300 and would like it to be closer to $200-250

[Geoff]

that skimmer looks ok. a recirc skimmer so the ratings are totally arbitrary. you noticed that you need to buy a feed pump for the skimmer. i would match this to your overflow rate. my guess is a Mag 7 would be good, though i am not sure the skimmer itself could handle that much velocity in the body. it is 6" in diameter, so it might be close. i am betting the skimmer was designed for about 300gph for the feed pump. sure enough i just did the calculation on what the max tank it says it could handle. 1.5X a 185g tank equals about 300gph. not so hot. can you go up a size? you want the skimmer to handle whatever your overflow can handle in most cases this is about 600gph. since most overflows are 1" in size.

G~