Should more reefers be using a controller?

[Gumbies R Us]

I, for one, love my Apex. For me, it was a good investment due to my traveling a lot throughout the year. So being able to monitor my tank while I am not at home is a huge plus. As controllers have gotten more and more popular over the years, should everyone be using them? Are they something reefers rely too much on? Should we go back to the old school way of not having a controller? Just curious to see everyone's thoughts on this!

 

[Salman123]

I think reef controllers are awesome!

 

[backbayreef]

Yes - I love mine, can’t live without it! I look at it multiple times a day.

Btw: tank water is at 82.2F (I have an alert at 82.5F). Yes, I know — the heat wave is here in SoCal so will need to turn on the AC for the fish room…

 

[FrugalReeferJon]

I use a $40 Amazon Basics Smart Plug Power Strip that has served me well. Does this count as a controller?

 

[BryanM]

I think the user must be comfortable with using things like this, so it just depends.

 

[NeutronMan]

Almost all of my devices have some sort of controller built in so don’t see the need for something centralized.

 

[exnisstech]

I assume your talking about apex, hydros etc? I say whatever floats your boat and makes the hobby pleasurable for you. I have no need or desire. Some people need them because of travel and such. Other people enjoy tech. Me not much of either.
If I had a single tank running and it was settled in and running smoothly I might try one just for the experience and because I do enjoy trying new things. Apex programming is way over my head so it would have to be something more user friendly for a tech challenged person like myself. Having multiple tanks like I currently do it's a no for me.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I, for one, welcome our new Apex overlords.

To be honest, the auto-testing + auto-dosing are why I went with APEX. I calibrate 1-2 times per month, but when I travel for work, having that peace of mind of being able to check whether things are OK or not at any given moment is worth it. If you want to keep acros, auto-dosing is an absolute must.

 

[Koty]

I chase numbers with Hanna checkers, but the frequency declined with time as I realized that besides me, my corals and fish don’t give about the parameters and their fluctuations. Why measure alkalinity every hour? Thus, no controller for me

 

[allof fish]

I, for one, love my Apex. For me, it was a good investment due to my traveling a lot throughout the year. So being able to monitor my tank while I am not at home is a huge plus. As controllers have gotten more and more popular over the years, should everyone be using them? Are they something reefers rely too much on? Should we go back to the old school way of not having a controller? Just curious to see everyone's thoughts on this!

I 100% believe it having one. Not sure what I would do without my apex. Have the control and being able to see what’s going on no matter where you are is a huge plus. Let alone all the time and money you put into your tank you want to have that redundancy

 

[exnisstech]

Just throwing this out. I think people would be better off if they learn how to care for a reef tank with out a controller before adding one. Often I see people asking about controllers and they don't even have a tank filled with water yet. To me that's like buying a high performance street rod when you don't even know how to drive yet.

 

[Subsea]

Just throwing this out. I think people would be better off if they learn how to care for a reef tank with out a controller before adding one. Often I see people asking about controllers and they don't even have a tank filled with water yet. To me that's like buying a high performance street rod when you don't even know how to drive yet.

Kudoes to your post. I couldn’t agree more.

More biology / less technology.

As an instrumentation controls systems engineer in deep water drilling, I have found that more devices create more failure points.

 

[edsbeaker]

Just throwing this out. I think people would be better off if they learn how to care for a reef tank with out a controller before adding one. Often I see people asking about controllers and they don't even have a tank filled with water yet. To me that's like buying a high performance street rod when you don't even know how to drive yet.

^THIS
I’m in favor of controllers for any reefer after they know how to take care of the tank manually. You need to have knowledge of how your tank functions before you can set up a controller that won’t cause mishaps. For instance, if you tell your controller to turn off the return pump, and aren’t aware that the ATO alarm will sound and the skimmer could overflow if you don’t set those outlets to turn off first.

When the time is right, and you’re more experienced, I think a controller is a wonderful piece of equipment!

 

[exnisstech]

I have found that more devices create more failure points.

That mirrors my feelings to the T. As an auto tech that started off rebuilding stuff, adjusting carbs and setting points to diagnosing can and lan systems, entertainment system etc I see pretty much everything as a point of failure. The question is not if it will fail but when will it fail and how big of an inconvenience is it going to be and hopefully it isn't catastrophic.

 

[Subsea]

That mirrors my feelings to the T. As an auto tech that started off rebuilding stuff, adjusting carbs and setting points to diagnosing can and lan systems, entertainment system etc I see pretty much everything as a point of failure. The question is not if it will fail but when will it fail and how big of an inconvenience is it going to be and hopefully it isn't catastrophic.

As part of engineering design, we used fault analysis to focus on “unintended consequences” with every component.

 

[Subsea]

I chase numbers with Hanna checkers, but the frequency declined with time as I realized that besides me, my corals and fish don’t give about the parameters and their fluctuations. Why measure alkalinity every hour? Thus, no controller for me

@Katy
After reading your post, I perused some of your threads and read your “meet & greet” post:

“Hello everybody I just started (my tank cycle) about a month ago. I have a 420-lit total aquarium with a sump inc refuge. My aim is a reef tank. New to reefing but not to aquariums (used to grow black water Apistos). I am a scientist in Tel Aviv university Med school and I my field is cell biology. I actually work using fluorescent proteins (from jellyfish). I am fascinated by the challenge of having a modest sample of a reef at home. I also wonder how my strong background will contribute to my experience in reef keeping. this is my tank.”

AND, then I read your signature:

“Academic degree has never prevented anyone from remaining an idiot.“

Not knowing your age, I salute your wisdom and look forward to your future post.

 

[Biokabe]

Just throwing this out. I think people would be better off if they learn how to care for a reef tank with out a controller before adding one. Often I see people asking about controllers and they don't even have a tank filled with water yet. To me that's like buying a high performance street rod when you don't even know how to drive yet.

I love my controller, but I completely agree with you.

A controller is in no way, shape or form necessary to run a reef tank. I find that it makes mine easier to manage, but I ran my reef for years without one and could absolutely do it again if I needed to. It's kind of like AI, in my opinion - you need to know how to work without one in order to get the most out of having one, and diving straight into a controller cripples your ability to work without it.