CONTROLLERS! Which one is your favorite and why?

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

This is the first time I have heard that keeping params too steady can be harmful.
I mean i guess it makes sense. Its like building up an immune system from getting sick.
Not sure how much this applies to corals tho.

never heard that theory either, but coral are living organisms so it seems possible.

That would be a really cool experiment idea if anyone wants to do it!

 

[Alexr54]

never heard that theory either, but coral are living organisms so it seems possible.

That would be a really cool experiment idea if anyone wants to do it!

Yup that would be a nice experiment. Although I wont be volunteering for that one. :)

 

[mattdg]

Yup that would be a nice experiment. Although I wont be volunteering for that one. :)

LOL! Me either.

It has my observation after 20+ years of doing this.. Coral adapt. It's what they do best. But, once they adapt to how you take care of them, especially when a small SPS frag has grown into a large colony... good luck if you change anything, including how much your alkalinity swings. This has been discussed, especially when it comes to temperature swings.

Sorry, not trying to derail the thread. Back to the topic at hand.

 

[reefantasea]

I’m looking at the Italian made controller aquatronica. A friend of mine has one and he seems to think it’s a lot easier to use than the others , I’m not that tech savey so this seems ideal.

 

[Zaffor]

Neptune Systems!!!

Been using Neptune gear for years. Works well, integrates well with smart home, programming options are endless. Trident works extremely well to track alk usage (and tank health which go hand in hand) . Plenty of haters out there but the community of helpful users far outnumbers them. Not perfect (as if anything is) but I am extremely satisfied.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I am still running a 10 year old Reefkeeper 2 and it does the job. It's really nothing but a bunch of convenient timers and a delay switch for feeding / cleaning, which is what I want. Why can't an option like that, perhaps with some built in remote PH and leak detection, still be available?? So many reefers I speak with, loved their Reefkeeper controllers.

Everything else has it's own controller anyway... lights AI Hydra HD's, Pumps Tunze / Vortech / Red Sea, Heater Inkbird Wifi. I don't really get the big deal about auto testing, so no need for that. No single points of failure, to contend with. My next upgrade would be putting the dosing pumps on controllable peristaltic pumps and then I'm good.

I already have an X2 waiting to be installed, in the event the RK2 fails.

Love my RK as well. I think @vetteguy53081 still has one for sale if you want a backup

Reef Keeper Lite Deluxe Controller system- Loaded - Ready to use

You say it’s a deluxe but I’m unable to find deluxe as a sold unit online. Do you mean “elite”? Because I only see “light” and “elite”. Also is this a “plus” or “net “ model? I’m interested.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[vetteguy53081]

Love my RK as well. I think @vetteguy53081 still has one for sale if you want a backup

Reef Keeper Lite Deluxe Controller system- Loaded - Ready to use

You say it’s a deluxe but I’m unable to find deluxe as a sold unit online. Do you mean “elite”? Because I only see “light” and “elite”. Also is this a “plus” or “net “ model? I’m interested.

www.reef2reef.com

These are die hards and so dependable

 

[Jeffcb]

Apex is the only one I have had. I like it. Salinity probe is never stable but who needs one anyway.

In the future I like the idea of auto water changes.

 

[flyfisher2]

I've tried APEX and Hydros. Over the years what I've discovered is that 9 times out of 10 when I have problems it's usually not the gear, It's the Controller!
I'm waiting for that special day, the day the controller becomes my hero. Right now it's a way to shut the tank down without bending over when I feed the fish.

For the record, I've been using them since 2012. Presently running three.

 

[Sean Clark]

I've tried APEX and Hydros. Over the years what I've discovered is that 9 times out of 10 when I have problems it's usually not the gear, It's the Controller!
I'm waiting for that special day, the day the controller becomes my hero. Right now it's a way to shut the tank down without bending over when I feed the fish.

For the record, I've been using them since 2012. Presently running three.

So... devil's advocate here... are you saying thst you have never overflowed your RO water since 2012? Perhaps there is some common ground here.

 

[flyfisher2]

So... devil's advocate here... are you saying thst you have never overflowed your RO water since 2012? Perhaps there is some common ground here.

I've always used ATO's and have one on each of the tanks which have Controllers. I've never had an ATO overflow from sump. I've certainly had my brute garbage can overflow out side and now I don't collect in doors unless I'm up and alert and those aren't connected to Controllers.
I guess I'm not using the controllers to their full potential?
Not sure where you're going with the question.

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

Neptune Systems!!!

Been using Neptune gear for years. Works well, integrates well with smart home, programming options are endless. Trident works extremely well to track alk usage (and tank health which go hand in hand) . Plenty of haters out there but the community of helpful users far outnumbers them. Not perfect (as if anything is) but I am extremely satisfied.

Hey, I was planning to go with hydros, under the assumption that no controllers would integrate with a smart home, but you say that the Neptune apex does?

What sort of integration does it have, and is any of this with apple homekit or would it all be with alexa and google?

 

[OU812Reefing]

Let's talk controllers!! It seems we've had a while since our last controller comparison thread, and some new players have entered the ring since then. So tell us which controller you like best and why. What are your favorite controller options?

Hydros control simple to setup easy to use and very helpful support from coralvue

 

[DobsFidge68]

Hi, Newbie here.

I am amazed at what is available these days (monitoring wise) after getting back into Reefing 20 years later. I will be at the point of needing help with monitoring/testing in about 6-12 months as tank matures. 6 months old now so perfect time to research.

Looking at Reef-Pi or this new product due to budget. xepta-autobalance-2

Has anyone got any experience with it? ( I have watched all the Youtube stuff available to date).

 

[Peace River]

Hi, Newbie here.

I am amazed at what is available these days (monitoring wise) after getting back into Reefing 20 years later. I will be at the point of needing help with monitoring/testing in about 6-12 months as tank matures. 6 months old now so perfect time to research.

Looking at Reef-Pi or this new product due to budget. xepta-autobalance-2

Has anyone got any experience with it? ( I have watched all the Youtube stuff available to date).

#WelcometoR2R!!! We have experts here for virtually all types of aquarium controllers including the leading experts on Reef-Pi (e.g., @Ranjib, @robsworld78, and more). You may want to check out our Reef-PI sub-forum at https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-pi-discussion.1296/

Good luck with whatever way your adventure leads!

 

[ultraArcite]

So tell us which controller you like best and why.

I don't know if I can say I like it best, since it's the only one I've ever used... but, I have the Hydros Wave Engine and the Control X2 and I love them both. Pretty simple to set up, much cheaper than an Apex, and has been reliable so far. I like that it works with a bunch of different accessories and not just the CoralVue ones.

 

[strawberry_reef]

Coralvue Hydros. Hands down.

I owned Apex, could not ever have it function properly 100%. I constantly had issues programming it, connectivity issues, etc. Switched to Hydros on my new build in July and have not even experienced a hiccup. To me, its more affordable - easier to navigate - more user friendly to program - and the community is AWESOME.

 

[Midrats]

All of my equipment has built-in controllers. I have never needed a controller to control my controllers.

 

[Borat]

I built my own controller - 3x PH probes, 2x temp probes, 2x leak probes, 4x power sockets with relays, wifi connectivity with email notifications and LCD screen...

Not sure what the whole fuss is about buying an expensive Apex - like controller..

 

[Alexr54]

Neptune Systems!!!

Been using Neptune gear for years. Works well, integrates well with smart home, programming options are endless. Trident works extremely well to track alk usage (and tank health which go hand in hand) . Plenty of haters out there but the community of helpful users far outnumbers them. Not perfect (as if anything is) but I am extremely satisfied.

I wish I did my wire management half as good as this.