another controller question(rklite)

[fox2589]

hey guys thinking of purchasing a reefkeeper lite very soon..i want a controller for piece of mind..the main things i want it for are ph readings,heater control,and lights control(which would include shutting lights off at certain temp),can the rk lite do these things for me?and what other things would i have to buy other than the 99 dollar controller to do what i need?o and experiences would be cool as well-drew

[wharyat]

Looks like the L1 package, the $99 one, includes 4 outlets and a temp probe. For pH you'll need a RKM-SL1 or RKM-SL2, $69 and $79 respectively. You'll also need a pH probe if you dont have one. DA has them for $39, which is actually a pretty decent price; but you can find them cheaper elsewhere.

[Fat Tony]

If you have to buy all those expansion items and such, I would just suggest getting an ACJr kit for not a lot more money and have a more diverse controller able to do more items (like ATO control/input)

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/cat...oducts_id=1569

[ckusnierek]

FWIW you can do auto topoff with the SL1 and SL2 They both have float switch inputs 2 of them. To do top off with the ACjr you have to cut the PS2 cable and will only have one float switch port. you get 2 with the RK.

I think the RKLV2 comes with SL1 for $200 and I think you can get a free PH probe.

Another plus with the RK is the MLC (moon light controller) I have one and it is AWESOME. TOTAL lunar simulation. It's pre-programed with moon cycles. Just plug it in and nights with a full moon the lights are bright and nights with no moon they are off and everywhere in between.

I really love my RKL. and I have had:
RKL
RK2
Ac2
Acjr

[fox2589]

well i have an auto top off.com unit that works great..what are the advantages of ATO on the controller tony?and the RKL for right now does sound better for my price range....-drew

[Fat Tony]

The advantages are that it is programmable and you can program failsafes into the unit.

[ckusnierek]

Fail safes meaning you can string multiple floats in series in case one or more fails.
You can also set up floats that will shut off your pump if the water level gets too low or two high.

If the water get too low in your sump there may be an obstruction in your drain you would want to shut off your return pump to keep your tank from overflowing.

[Fat Tony]

Bingo..LOL

Yeah what CK said

[SoK]

Originally Posted by ckusnierek

FWIW you can do auto topoff with the SL1 and SL2 They both have float switch inputs 2 of them. To do top off with the ACjr you have to cut the PS2 cable and will only have one float switch port. you get 2 with the RK.

I think the RKLV2 comes with SL1 for $200 and I think you can get a free PH probe.

Another plus with the RK is the MLC (moon light controller) I have one and it is AWESOME. TOTAL lunar simulation. It's pre-programed with moon cycles. Just plug it in and nights with a full moon the lights are bright and nights with no moon they are off and everywhere in between.

I really love my RKL. and I have had:
RKL
RK2
Ac2
Acjr

It looks like, if you want a controller that can do everything here in an (almost) all in one buy, you need the reef keeper lite level 3. I was looking for a level 2, but it looks like they only make a lvl1 and lvl3 before you move into the elite. level 3 costs 279.

I say almost earlier because you'll still need to buy the moon light controller for it seperately and it's 69 bucks + 10 for each set of lights.

[fox2589]

i will keep all this stuff in mind guys thanks for the advice as usual!the moon simulation sounds awesome..279 is more than i was hoping for.but like everything else i will still end up with it.HA-drew