Brand New 8 gallon bio cube

Katrina71 · Sep 28, 2018

I can't believe I'm even asking this... controllers...any you guys would recommend for ease of use?

NY_Caveman · Sep 28, 2018

Katrina71 said:
I can't believe I'm even asking this... controllers...any you guys would recommend for ease of use?

All equipment we use for reefing is suspect right? Why do we worry about controllers more? Sorry for the tangent, your post just stimulated my brain.

I personally do not have an Apex or anything like that. I do have an Ink Bird ITC 308 temperature controller (heaters fail), a Tunze 3155 ATO (redundant systems) and my first doser should arrive tomorrow. To some extant, some automation is required. The tolerance for that is subject to the individual. First thing to ask is what you want the controller for and why?

Katrina71 · Sep 28, 2018

Heater, LED add on light, and a Gyre.

Katrina71 · Sep 28, 2018

NY_Caveman said:
All equipment we use for reefing is suspect right? Why do we worry about controllers more? Sorry for the tangent, your post just stimulated my brain.

I personally do not have an Apex or anything like that. I do have an Ink Bird ITC 308 temperature controller (heaters fail), a Tunze 3155 ATO (redundant systems) and my first doser should arrive tomorrow. To some extant, some automation is required. The tolerance for that is subject to the individual. First thing to ask is what you want the controller for and why?

Hey the ink bird is cool. Maybe I'd be better suited for something with just a timer... Thanks! I like that idea better.

Brew12 · Sep 28, 2018

I think the ink bird is a great idea for now.

I do enjoy using a controller on my aquarium. I have used both Apex and GHL and they both have their strengths and weaknesses. A controller allows a few nice features if your equipment is set up for it. Real time pH and ORP readings. A maintenance mode where you can click on a button and shut off everything you need to while you do water changes. It's nice to be able to log in remotely and monitor things if you aren't home much. If that seems like it isn't worth $1k+ to you, I'd wait.

Fudsey · Sep 28, 2018

Brew12 said:
If that seems like it isn't worth $1k+ to you, I'd wait.

There in lies the problem..... 1k - 1.25k is crazy money for a controller.... m2c

Brew12 · Sep 28, 2018

Fudsey said:
There in lies the problem..... 1k - 1.25k is crazy money for a controller.... m2c

Value is all in the eye of the beholder. We all have a different perspective on the value of a dollar, our time, and convenience. What is crazy expensive for some is a no brainer for others.

Fudsey · Sep 28, 2018

That's not my point @Brew12. As I have said before, for under $1250 I can get a SMOKIN pc with a large 4k screen that can do a million more things than a controller.

The sum doesn't equal the parts.

Brew12 · Sep 28, 2018

Fudsey said:
That's not my point @Brew12. As I have said before, for under $1250 I can get a SMOKIN pc with a large 4k screen that can do a million more things than a controller.

The sum doesn't equal the parts.

I think this goes to the point. How much would it cost, and how much of your time would it take, to get that PC to work as an aquarium controller? A high end PC would have much less value to me than an aquarium controller at this stage in my life. It doesn't matter what it "can" do or what the components cost. Obviously, you see it differently as we perceive the value of each to be different. And that was exactly my point.