Grim Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 ENJOY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizardx322 Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Pm'd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 WOO APEX REVOLUTION! don't forget to put the tank into the signature I'm dragging people one at a time kicking and screaming into apex sigs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 man i just cant bring myself to the revolution...i know nothing about programming and realy dont want my phone to notify me when theres a problem with my tank cause then i rush to get home and tend to it and take the chance of getting killed in an auto accident on the way.....just doesnt tickle my fancy....Yall have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 man i just cant bring myself to the revolution...i know nothing about programming and realy dont want my phone to notify me when theres a problem with my tank cause then i rush to get home and tend to it and take the chance of getting killed in an auto accident on the way.....just doesnt tickle my fancy....Yall have fun. My phone has told me about issues and I never even thought to rush home and wreck I just use my phone to turn of what is causing and issue and get it working right, if I cant then I shut down everything required and activate an airstone to keep the fish oxygenated. They will wait until I am back to fix the issue Don't think of the revolution as a wreck, think of it as an arm extension able to reach your tank from anywhere you have signal =) As far as the programming its nothing hard often people have already done all the work and supply the codes that you copy and paste to get the same results the have on your tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 I must admit, I find this aquarium hi-tech stuff amusing. In my job as a Deep Water Subsea Engineer, we had redundacy and failsafe protocall similiar to what you have on your 29G tank. Our equipment was similiar to an aircraft in flight, when it failed it was terminal, plus it was in 10,000 feet of water. It is hard for me to jump into something when I have no problem with my present operation, but you'll have fun now. Remember, KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 For me, my AC3 lets me keep it simple. It regulates my lights (T5s and MH), my fan, my heater, my sump light, and my return. Since I set it up years ago I have been able to sit back and enjoy the show while it turns the lights on and off, switches on the fan when the temperature gets high, and magically tracks all the stats of my tank so that if/when I see a problem in it I can go to my computer and pull up a report of the last month showing what has been happening with my Temp, PH, etc. I have had much more trouble with $5 and $10 lamp timers on equipment than I've ever had with my controller. To me, it makes things much simpler in the long run and does a lot of the heavy lifting that can take the fun out of the hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Agreed. Best piece of equipment a reefer can own. Post questions. We're here to help ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I am glad you'll like it. Viva la difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 i have a controller but its not the apex or neptune...i know i know Its the Reef Keeper, controls everything just doesnt give me the realtime stats. If i could sell my controller i might get one of the others but would have to have someone else come set it up cause once i get aggrivated me and electronics dont get along around water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Hey Dodge, you and I must be "Old School" dinosors. We have trouble telling the electricity what to do? I do not know how I manage to keep one of these reef tanks going without all this stuff. I guess I will have to give this hobby up because I can't embrace the technology. Patrtick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 i have a controller but its not the apex or neptune...i know i know Its the Reef Keeper, controls everything just doesnt give me the realtime stats. If i could sell my controller i might get one of the others but would have to have someone else come set it up cause once i get aggrivated me and electronics dont get along around water. Jeremy, If you get the Apex or something that needs programming you know I'll help you Just tell me when and I can make sure everything gets figured out right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 For me, my AC3 lets me keep it simple. It regulates my lights (T5s and MH), my fan, my heater, my sump light, and my return. Since I set it up years ago I have been able to sit back and enjoy the show while it turns the lights on and off, switches on the fan when the temperature gets high, and magically tracks all the stats of my tank so that if/when I see a problem in it I can go to my computer and pull up a report of the last month showing what has been happening with my Temp, PH, etc. I have had much more trouble with $5 and $10 lamp timers on equipment than I've ever had with my controller. To me, it makes things much simpler in the long run and does a lot of the heavy lifting that can take the fun out of the hobby. Mike, Tthe main objection I have to this teckie option (not necessary for operation) is the cost and the illussion that if you move up to teckie equipment, all problems will go away. We all know that this is not true. It is an expensive toy that brings up the cost of reef keeping. It does little to foster a basic understanding of the natural processes of reefkeeping. When you guys make it seem necessary to have this equipment, newbies are confronted with a major purchase to enter into this hobby. From the point of view of fostering an enviroment to understand basic reefkeeping, I feel that this emphasis fosters a race to keep up with the Jones. Victoly, As a control systems engineer, I understand PLC logic. From having had worked on fiber optics and multiplexing (timed shared signals), I know how to intergrate LAN networks and signals, including accoustic controls (wireless) from 20 years ago. For me it is frivilious to do this in an aquarium. I prefer to spend my money elsewhere. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Think maybe there should be a controller section? APEX/RK/Reef Angel? Theres another one but cant remember it .... Im having net issues with my apex so would like to post a thread but a controller section seems so appropriate. What you think Mike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Mike, Tthe main objection I have to this teckie option (not necessary for operation) is the cost and the illussion that if you move up to teckie equipment, all problems will go away. We all know that this is not true. It is an expensive toy that brings up the cost of reef keeping. It does little to foster a basic understanding of the natural processes of reefkeeping. When you guys make it seem necessary to have this equipment, newbies are confronted with a major purchase to enter into this hobby. From the point of view of fostering an enviroment to understand basic reefkeeping, I feel that this emphasis fosters a race to keep up with the Jones. Patrick, I think you make an excellent point. When I started in the hobby I had a 29g with an Emperor 400 hang on back filter. I added a light, then changed lights, then added a powerhead (and then another). Then I started worrying about a hang on back skimmer, etc. The two points I'm making are: 1) it took me almost a year to understand the tank and its inhabitants and to see what how my different actions affected the tank. I would have missed out on that learning curve if I had bought a controller from the start (besides it being major overkill), and 2) I went through a lot of equipment based upon what I thought I needed versus what I actually needed. I heard others talking about skimmers, different lighting, etc. but in reality on a tank that small simple basics like regular water changes and extra flow would have been more than sufficient to fix the problems that I was throwing "hi-tech" at. In a 90g+, I think that a controller makes a lot of sense. There are quite a few pieces of equipment that I have that I want automated and it is the simplest solution both to control them and monitor them. That said, I actually plan to reduce a lot of the equipment that I have on the tank. Currently I have lights, fan, skimmer, return pump, ATO, sump light, wavemaker, yadda yadda yadda. My lighting alone takes up 4 plugs of my controller's ports. I plan to replace the lighting with a custom led fixture which should let me get rid of the fan. My skimmer only runs part time and I'm considering getting rid of it altogether. I will keep the ATO and wavemaker because they both serve useful purposes, but the setup could definitely be much simpler. If you ever end up buying a piece of equipment because it's cool or someone else has it I think you need to re-evaluate your decision. I wish I had several times in the past.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Agree, I could focus my helpful/productive energy there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Think maybe there should be a controller section? APEX/RK/Reef Angel? Theres another one but cant remember it .... Im having net issues with my apex so would like to post a thread but a controller section seems so appropriate. What you think Mike? Actually, yes, I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Patrick, I totally understand your perspective, sometimes KISS is truly the principle that reefers should adhere to you. I know this won't make you a convert, but I feel that the higher degree to which you can automate, the more likely you are to take care of things that are not automatable (pretty sure that's not a word). Also, with space limited applications (Biocube 29 cabinet) having 10 mechanical times is not practical. Finally, being able to monitor the tank remotely when I'm out on business reduces my stress, and my wifes stress. For example, my 2 year old son had a friend over who knocked the MP10 magnet from the tank. Wife texts me, fairly distraught. I tell her not to worry about it AND TURN IT OFF FROM MY PHONE. Truly amazing technology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Grrr, seeing all this sigs with ph in the 8's! Cant for the life of me keep mine in the 8's, always 7.8-7.9.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Monnat Jr Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Ooo, ooo , I want to join the revolution. My TMC AquaRay lights are already setup, but I would love to be able to control fans/heater and remotely read parameters. Can I integrate my PINPOINT meters, or am I screwed there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 You could reuse the probe, but the meters are going to be pretty much useless with respect to integrating. You could always use it to control a calcium reactor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I do not believe they can be integrated. However, they may become obsolete lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Monnat Jr Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I do not believe they can be integrated. However, they may become obsolete lol. Not for what I just paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 lol yeah I feel ya there! I was fixing to order a calc reactor with the controller and probe, glad I didnt. Can use the APEX to control it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesreyn Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Mike, Tthe main objection I have to this teckie option (not necessary for operation) is the cost and the illussion that if you move up to teckie equipment, all problems will go away. We all know that this is not true. It is an expensive toy that brings up the cost of reef keeping. It does little to foster a basic understanding of the natural processes of reefkeeping. When you guys make it seem necessary to have this equipment, newbies are confronted with a major purchase to enter into this hobby. From the point of view of fostering an enviroment to understand basic reefkeeping, I feel that this emphasis fosters a race to keep up with the Jones. Victoly, As a control systems engineer, I understand PLC logic. From having had worked on fiber optics and multiplexing (timed shared signals), I know how to intergrate LAN networks and signals, including accoustic controls (wireless) from 20 years ago. For me it is frivilious to do this in an aquarium. I prefer to spend my money elsewhere. Patrick While not totally necessary, I don't know why you would have any objection to someone wanting to spend their own money on anything they may want. Noone is trying to make any illusions, it is simply a piece of equipment to make things easier. Are you going to object to me buying a microwave to warm my food up in instead of doing it in the oven. A microwave is not a necessity to anyone but they are very handy to have. While you may be knowledgeable in many fields, I don't find it necessary for you to bring up your 43 years of experience in engineering to make every point you make. I should be able to spend my hard earned money on whatever I want without someone coming on here trying to tell me I am trying to "keep up with the Jonses", just for buying it and being excited about using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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