Aquarium controller or individual controllers?
 

As the title states I'm considering my control options here. I'm looking at either buying

1) a Profilux II or Aqua Controller III
2) Individual controllers such as a dual-stage Ranco, Tunze 7095, digital timers, pinpoint ph

The appeal of the all-in-one solution is obvious. Also (in the case of the Profilux) the sex-appeal is staggering. My concern is a failed controller. The Ranco for example has been proven to be rock-solid. It'd be nice to keep my system mostly operational and replace a timer etc rather than manually do EVERYTHING the all-in-one controller did.

Please vote which you would go with if money wasn't your primary driver. And share why =)

I really like a lot of things you can do with controllers but unless I had a backup of some sort I would probably keep the stuff that is on 24/7 on a seprate power strip just as a safety measure. (Return pump and skimmer)

But the ability to monitor ph 24 hrs is nice, feed cycles, etc. ones more safety net for temp problems, etc. the benefits outway the disadvanrtages or the risk...

But then again I don't reacall ever reading about anyone having a failure either....

Just my 2 cents

tagging along, as would like to know the answer as well

I bought myself a Reefkeepr 2 the other week. I did not need all the fancy stuff the profilux has (dimmiable lights, mooncycles etc etc.) and just wanted it for the basic control and moitoring. I only wish it had the orp option (the elite and the new lite have it)

Even if you spend the big $$ on a profilux it would be way cheaper than buying all the different monitoring equipment and timers/wavemakers on their own.

I have the ProfiLux Plus II and I have been very happy with it. It is everything and more than you want in a controller. I wish I had of bought it before the 4 Tunze pump controllers that I have as the savings on the Tunze controllers alone would have paid for the ProfiLux starter kit. I started with the Basic ProfiLux started kit c/w 1 6 way digital power bar and have added as I have grown with its use.

I am now controlling:

System PH
Ca Reactor PH
Heat
Chiller and Chiller pump
Kalk Reactor
Main System pump
Non Dimable MH and Actinics
Dimable Moon lights
Skimmer

Tom R

There is no risk, even if the controller fails, nothing shuts off. Basically everything stays in the state it was in while the controller was working...so if it was on, it stays on, if it was off, it stays off.

AWSOME very good to know as I was unaware of that....

RK 2. Controls halide, actinics, heater, cooling fan, wavemaker for pumps, main plug ins for skimmer, power filter, {return pump}, which gives me a feed mode, ph monitor, temp monitor.

my temp probe on my ac jr failed a while ago. it was reading my tank temp as 120, good thing i only have a fan and not a chiller.

i got a new temp probe but now im scared it might do it again.. when im not around or will say my tank temps like 50 and kick my heater on and fry everything. i will probably end up selling the thing and buying a reefkeeper 2 because i havnt read anything about a temp probe failing on them.

That's sort of my fear. Let's say the controller turns on a dosing pump or something. It fails. You're saying the pump would continue to operate...perhaps emptying a bunch of freshwater into the tank etc.

Also...should the controller fail you have nothing while you try and replace it. Individual controllers seems to be smarter to me in that respect. They can all fail but it seems to me that if something goes on the mainboard of a all-in-one that it ceases to do anything.

Keep it coming =)

If money was no object I think I'd go single controller, so long as it had the flexibility I would want.

Things that would make or break the deal for me:
- fewer timers for lights and able to stagger lighting. Dimmable is a "meh" feature for me but staggering is nice
- monitor the state of electrical outlets and alarm or callout if a circuit fails. I can't count how many times a GFCI has tripped in the middle of the night or when I was at work. It kills me that it's hard to find a simple plugin device that squeals if the power goes out. So an aquarium controller that does this would be worth it to me. GFCI's may save our lives, so they're good, but I've lost livestock due to me not knowing in a timely manner that they went out. Heck, I lost livestock YESTERDAY due to this very issue, so I'm still a little steamed on this one... I wish I had the money for a controller ... I need to sell off some stuff I guess.

As far as controllers for reactors or monitoring pH or ORP .. Meh, I dunno. I have yet to really be convinced that keeping track of my pH or ORP is an important thing to do. Ca and Alk and NO3 are the only numbers that I really care about, and there's no such thing as an Alk monitor and the NO3 monitors aren't meant for continuous monitoring (they aren't, they really aren't) so for that aspect, a controller doesn't make or break the deal for me. For me the controller is the remote monitoring and safety failback features that just don't seem to be there otherwise.

Wow I'm the only person that voted for redundancy?

I'm not sure if I'm surprised or not... really, having everything in one spot is very convenient... But I do believe that having a separate controller for everything reduces the risk that if something goes wrong you don't lose the whole system, and since I like to buy one thing at a time, I don't want to spend what an all in one controller is worth.

EDIT: Further, I think that the remote monitoring feature is cool on the controllers, and the fact that if the controller fails things stay 'status quo' assuming that an 'event' such as top-off wasn't occurring or the heater was in the 'on' position... I'm all about redundancy, even if I had a controller, I would still have a temperature controller, separate pH monitor (to make sure the controller wasn't inaccurate), etc... I like the extra net of safety but for someone like me it's just not worth the hundreds of dollars for remote monitoring and knowing if a GFCI was tripped.

Well, unless I one day have a system that contains like 200 gallons, or more... than it would definitely be worth it because I would have lots of expensive livestock, so then any extra level of safety would be worth it, right?

Well ..he did say "vote as if money was no object."

I thus voted controller. But I don't have one in real life. I use individual timers and controllers and whatnot.

I would want some level of redundancy in a single controller if money were no object. So really, you're not quite alone in your thinking .. just didn't quite know how to capture that in a vote for one or the other..

I am going to say my vote is for an all in one. I have had my Profilux for a few years now. The thing I have been most happy with is upgrades. I can continue to add features to the unit without having to buy another controller to run different things on my system. Like my tunze's, price out a controller for the tunze then price out an auto top up system. And you'll find your not far off the mark of what a Profilux costs. I paid 25 buck for a pump for my auto top off and it is controlled by the profilux. I have had the power go out a few times on me aswell and the computer doesn't loose it's settings. My tunze's are battery backed so thats never been an issue.

But like I said I am very happy with being able to add so many features and save on costs of extra controllers that only do one thing.

I prefer an all in one solution simply for the ease of use. Now I just have to figure out which one.

$599 Profilux beginner pack and lots of room to upgrade if you want the led lights and such,

always a happy reefer profilux makes.


http://progressivereef.com/proddetai...rod=prflxp2bgn

Thought I have a PLC that can basically do anything I can think of, I voted for separate devices.

Upstairs below the tank my T5's ballasts are on a plug-in type timer. In the basement fish room, have my MH ballasts tucked away connected to a hardwired timer and the PLC by the sump on the other side of the room for the heater and evap fans. Don't turn of my pumps for feeding, Ca reactors stable so see no reason to control, my ATO is working perfect with a simple mechanical float valve...

So between how I have things spread out and simplicity of a couple of timers and heat/cool controller, don't see the need for a dedicated aquarium controller. Guess I won't be able able to monitor my tank from across the country but for me, see the novelty wearing off fast with that anyways.

link to a Controller Comparison chart, might help

Don't get me wrong, I think controllers are great... I just missed the 'vote as if money were no object'. For someone of my thinking though, the controller would still be sort of an expensive timer, with e-mail :wink:

There was a thread about this on nano-reef.com (i'll look for the link) but the guy who originally started it, sort of the controller guru over there basically showed that every controller fails, Yes despite what SOME claim, they ALL fail. With that being said the consensus was a ranco (which fail as well but are cheaper to replace) or a high end system like was used in a recent rc totm (huge system, did everything, but was basically professional level, not hobby level like ALL the ones normally associated with reef keeping) I;m not against controllers personally, if i were to buy one i'd get a aquatronica, seems they along with the reefkeeper elite/lite and neptune have dropped prices..while some...raise them. I think it is like anything else, if YOU want it get it

Interesting I'd love to read that thread if you ever track it down.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Profilux but if the prices on these continue to climb as they have I will likely go the Ranco etc route.

X 2 Expencive timer with an e-mail ! LOL

Yeah that is pretty true depending on what you want to do.

I want temp, light and tunze control. Beyond that it's just extras.

I won't choose the ghl doser over spectrapure due to it only having 3 rollers and not 4 and it's likely less risky to use a ranco and tunze 7095 since they are simple and tried, tested and true devices. Lighting I could find some digital timers...don't need diming. Also plan on dosing so I don't really think measuring ph is all that big of a deal either.

But still it is a pretty slick unit and I'm not crazy about home depot light timers. It's going to be a tough decision.

Pan

Without getting into hot debate :( and I write this as gentle banter :lol:

Show me a thread, a report anything where it shows a GHL ProfiLux controller has failed due to manufacturer fault :) odd component maybe even though thats rare.

Sorry I dont mean in any way for that to be taken as hit, jibe or anything else just wanted to have a level debate :mrgreen:.

Lastlight - dont get hung up on roller numbers in dosers, the GHL doser has medical grade components, the amount of rollers has nothing to do with reliability, but the quality of the components used. I am not saying another make mentioned is unreliable, I am in no position to judge or comment but dont disregard a product just because it has less rollers, look more at the functionality it offers and client feedback of that product. And prices have not gone up ;)

In regards to the controller comparison link. The Author is a long standing Aquatronica user that also helps with the support side on RC

we have asked the author countless times to update this for the profiLux but still has not done so, we do ask ourselves why?

believe there has been the odd failure when dropped into a mix barrel of saltwater. Might be stretching the manufacturer fault bit but hey, these are made to be used around aquariums :lol:.

(I'm joking here)

:mrgreen: I was waiting for that

I did say manufacturer error ;)

My biggest advise before buying a controller is go look at the support forums see how many main controller issues are reported and then decide, user feedback is paramount when spending this sort of hard earned cash.

Price is always a factor in everything we buy but a bargain is only a bargain if the product can be relied upon. I am not saying cheap or cheaper means unreliable as even more expensive things in this life can have its troubles too. But price is not a judge on quality whether higher or lower, user feedback and reports on forums etc etc is the best judge in my own oppinion.

So what is best controller or seperates? Well this comes down to personal choice. If lets say you want to only turn a light on and off a day and monitor/control pH and see the tank temp then hell no! A controller is not the way to go what ever the make. But if you for instance want to have level control, ph control, temp control, maybe even tunze control then just that little lot seperately would cost you more than a controller that can do all that in one box. It all comes down to what you want to do and if you feel comfortable having all your eggs in one basket which comes right back to choosing a controller you "personally feel" (irrelavant what the manufacturers claim) you can rely upon.

I appreciate readers will say my oppinions could be biased, but I hope I have come across as neutral as possible. :redface:

Some good discussion here =)

I've read reports of the 4 rollers preventing any siphoning issues and there is much more feedback about the litetmeter out there. I'm still a ways off from buying anything but I'm enjoying hearing everyone's opinion.

I have done a lot of reading and besides the water on controller issue I haven't read about total profilux failures. As an example the AC3 have temp probe issues. Think that was mentioned here but I read about issues such as that one many times. I tend to believe what I read over and over.

IMO any amount of rollers will not stop syphoning.

I am not going to say anymore about the GHL doser on this thread in regards to whether you should choose it over another, as I am staying neutral but please do your research in the "relevant" places and I think you will be very impressed ;) But if you are going down the profiLux route as you have intermated then the GHL doser would be a natural addition if you are looking for a doser. No matter what controller you go for there is no point having a doser you cant control by your funky new controller.

However if you are not going down the controller route then you need to look for a doser with built in controller that can be expanded on easily, oops that will be the GHL then :)

Ok before I hear shouts of "hijack" Im outta here ;)

I'll find it if i can and have the time...frankly i don't care really. He said he had evidence showing every controller failed...he didn't state why or how and if he did I didn't care to look...as I wasn't really interested. I only mentioned it as an alternative to the you need a 900 dollar controller for your nano banter that always goes on. I don't what anyone uses nor do i care if i really care if i influence that choice. rankly i see no difference in profilux or the aquatronica other than price...i'm sure there good units as most probably are and if one wants to buy a controller go for it. A pro-active consumer would search the nano-reef forums for that thread...if they don't again their problem. I wasn't knocking anyone's controllers specifically. That being said if i had the money i and the desire for a controller i would buy an aquatronica as it is cheaper than the profilux, if i had sufficient funds to burn i would buy the profilux. But i'm not lazy enough to need a controller :)

But...since you asked...

http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/s...d.php?t=224406

:) I guess you did not read the entire thread from UR in the UK. :)

If you read the rest of the thread you will see the issue was caused by people connecting high voltage devises to the wrong port, even though each controller came with a warning label to make sure correct devises were connected to correct ports, and also it was mentioned in the manual.

So what GHL did to stop users making this error and blowing up their ProfiLux was to put a thermal fuse cut out inside all controllers, low and behold since then not one single issue ;)

Sometimes it is hard to compensate for such user errors :( but least profiLux stopped future user mistakes in its tracks.

The person who actually tried to make a big deal of this also from what I gather was the distributors of a competitors brand.

AQ is actually nearly $200 more expensive than GHL ;)

http://www.aquariumobsessed.com/ AQ $799

http://www.progressivereef.com/prodd...rod=prflxp2bgn

ProfiLux $599.00CAD :)

If you are still looking into the AQ best to take a good look at the RC forum to learn all what is happening and get user feedback, just as I would suggest with GHL or any other controller.

On behalf of controllers users. Thanks. You were doing good in your argument until now.

Argh but it has nothing to do with being lazy ;)

But we are in this hobby to create sustainability and try to mimic nature as best as possible by providing a non fluctuating enviromant

Controllers are intuitive making your system run in step with nature by allowing things such as accurate dosing, sustaining pH levels, salinity levels to be kept in check all able to sync together (talk to each other)

Seperates can not talk to each other, for instance GHL salinity control programmed together with auto top off to make sure your salinity does not fluctuate. Thats just one important example where controllers come up above seperates, the ability to combine important functions that your system requires for stability.

Many functions a tank needs interlock with each other seperate controllers like ph and levels can not do.

Another example. tunze control timed and sync'd with moon phase of your lighting for nocturnal ebb and flow.

Level sensor alarms that turn off pumps incase off floods.

I could go on, but this has to be the biggest advantage over seperates that any controller has.

:smile:

But i can do all of this jumping up and down...swearing and cursing and...yeah yeah...okay you have a point. But many reef tanks that look amazing have no controllers. THey are not necessary to maintain a beautiful healthy reef system. They make it easier..or rather more convenient (which for modern humans means lazy!:wink:) they are not a necessary peice of equipment to have. Again if I had the money i would get one...and become lazy..er proactive in my reefkeeping :twised:

See you had to fix the profilux....:twised: Kidding of course. Okay, last time i looked into things the profilux was more expensive, seeing this i would admit that If...if..one was to buy a controller profilux is the best out there...(this is being said by comparing specs/prices and not actually using it...if you want to send me a demo and i'll let you know what i think:wink:)
I do admit that profilux has the best name, my biggest question is the question of whether we need one or not...for me, seeing how many tanks are amazing that don't the fact my tank works nicely etc...i must conclude it is a nice way to automate things i can already do...not sold on the moon thing...if the profilux could automate my shaking of my zeovit reactor...that'd be nice...but again i can do that...

I think Michael makes a good point about controllers tying many operations together. When functioning correctly they can also create a more stable environment and nobody can argue against the importance of that.

I find your laziness comment a little rude. I wanted constructive critique of both methods of equipment control not judgment passed on advocates of either method.

I think at this point I'd totally buy a controller if I was convinced the unit as a whole was as bulletproof as the stand-alone components it was to replace. Nothing is 100% bulletproof but I want to get as close as reasonably possible.

double post.

It is not really rude, convenient=laziness please do try and really think just what convenience means...again i like the controllers, but again there are so many amazing tanks that don't use it. If you think you need one go ahead. But totm's run ranco's and timers...until a controller allows me to do something I CAN'T do without one, then to me it is a luxury than is more appearance than function. Yes if i had the money i would get one, but if asked i would be honest in saying it made my reefkeeping easier...less stuff i had to do manually---ie lazyiness :)

Perhaps it's lazy to not plan a system to the fullest of your abilities? That's what I'm attempting to do =)

You stated in your sentence that the use of controllers was lazy. There was no mention of convenience there so people reading that may see it as rude fyi.

You also state TOTM's use rancos. There are so many varied TOTM's and some use controllers and some don't use anything at all.