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Aquacontroller 3 Pro

JohnS_323

JohnS_323

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
We have an AC Jr and an ACII, both of them are worth their weight in gold. I can only imagine that the III is equally good. Once you start using it you'll wonder what the heck you ever did without it.
 
Edwardw771

Edwardw771

NJRC Member
I got one at one of the last Premium Aquatics group buys. If your a member of the club its a big discount. I think the next one is in June.
I love it because its linked to my computer.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
PA Group buy in June will give you 15% off of their pricing. They usually give a decent package price on the DC8 to go along with it. Definitely a worthy investment.
 
C

Carlo

I've got a 3 pro. Yes it's worth it to me but I think it's overkill for the average person.

The main differences between the 3 & 3 Pro are:
2x16 backlit display on the 3 versus 4X20 Backlight on the 3 Pro
2 Digital inputs on the 3 versus 4 Inputs on the 3 Pro (if you even use them)
24 (3) versus 40 (3 Pro) Maximum Controlled Devices
BacklightConductivity Monitor/Control on the Pro if you have the probe
Dissolved Oxygen Monitor/Control on the Pro if you have the probe

The extra display lines are nice but you'll probably find you use the software or web interface more then looking at the box itself after you get it setup.

The amount of electrical outlets probably aren't that big a deal either. For example lets say you have two heaters. You don't have to plug each into it's own socket. You can use an extension cord or powerstrip to have 3 or 4 heaters on one electrical socket all controlled by one programming port (heater on, heater off). Same with your lights. I leave my moon lights on all the time and it's not even plugged in via the controller. I doubled up my actinics and Halides so they use the same socket on the DC8 controlled power panel. (lights on, lights off).

If you use this for the wave maker (I've burned out a lot of pumps doing this) will need one pump per outlet unless you get fancy and double up a couple hooking them into the same outlet (ie left side pumps on outlet 1 - right side pumps on outlet 2).

So the main "draw" to the 3 Pro over the 3 is if you need to control devices based on Conductivity Monitor/Control (SG/Salinity) or Dissolved Oxygen Monitor/Control. I really doubt many people need this.

For $250 more it's probably not worth the extra money over the 3 for the average user.

Also worth mentioning. I'd also suggest not buying "lab grade" probes. The difference between the normal and lab grade ones isn't a big deal. When you think about it you are using the probes as a reference to turn something on or off. I've actually found the lab grade PH probe to be further off (3 of them) then the normal probe. Again it really isn't a big deal because if you know the PH is low by .1 then you just take that into consideration in your programming.

Just knowing that having any of the controller working and turning on/off your heaters is priceless. If you ever had a heater stick in the on position you'll know what I'm talking about!

The best advice I'd give you is sit down with notepad or paper and figure out everything you need to control (turn on/off) and figure out out many outlets you need. Also make sure you have the probes you need (ie ORP, PH, etc). If you order everything you need at the same time you can get a bundle package which is cheaper. Also if you plan on using the webserver order the normal software at the time of purchase as you probably won't like the "lite" (teaser) version.

If you want to see one at work I've got one and you're welcome to check it out and drill me with questions.

Carlo
 
J

jazzsam

I agree with the lab grade probes. I actually called them about this and it is almost the same probe but just holds up to a lot more so you can put it "in-line". It will report the same as the standard.
 
C

Carlo

I wouldn't say that Ed. But when I can combine two of my favorite things (reef and programming - actually macro programming) it's right up my alley and I know a lot about it and can get it to do a lot.

I'm working on some clever things for it's use on my new system. Using a combination of conductivity (salinity) and PH probes, I can replenish water using premixed salt water, RO/DI or Kalk based on values pulled by the probes.

I'm also moving away from weekly water changes by using a pair of dosing/luft pumps (3.5 gph). One pulls water out of the fuge and then the Neptune balances the addition of new water as above (for evap too). I figure with 500 gallons water if I changed out 10% a week that's almost the same as doing 7 gallons a day. At roughly 3.5 gph I can turn on the "discharge" pump for 2 hours a day to take water out of the system while the other pumps put water back in. With small constant water changes like this I'd image the use of trace elements won't be needed anymore (or a lot less). I'll know better on this later as well as the ROI on doing this (ie salt costs versus trace element costs and time).

I'm presently using the following outlets:
1 several water heaters on a power strip
2 Kalk doser drip pump
3 RO/DI doser drip pump
4 Premixed salt water doser drip
5 Doser to discard tank water
6 Kalk stir/pump (5 minutes once a day) - Kalk doser pump is turned off for one
hour after this mix to settle.
7 tank lights

Items 2-4 also have a top-off power outlet plugged into each outlet just to make sure I can't pump to much water into the sump (for good measure).

If I get tight on outlets I could remove 5-7 above and put them on cheap timers to get the same job done and free up the Neptune outlets for more control. I don't use the Neptune to control powerheads as I've ruined too many powerheads with the frequent starting/stopping (went Wavy Sea Plus instead). This really isn't a problem with the Neptune per say but in the pumps themselves. Very few pumps will stand up to constant on/off use.

My Ozone unit has it's own ORP monitor/controller built in so I don't use the computer for that although I might pick up an ORP probe just to view this info via the web and to log it. I currently am not using my calcium reactor as I haven't needed it yet nor do I need to control my nitrate reactors (not used yet).

One semi-goofy installing headache I have now is that I moved the fuge and sump to a basement setup. So the Neptune DC-8 (power outlet) is installed there with a 50' heavy duty (outside) extension cord ran up to the tank for the lights. Ideally I should install another DC-8 at the tank itself but I can't justify the cost in doing that with nothing other to control there but the lights. If anything I could put the lights on a cheap timer and just not use the seasonal lighting feature of the Neptune (not a big deal).

So for me it's a monitoring tool with extra protection for my heaters along with some slick water additions. I'm sure I'll add to this but that's it for now as I'm still putting the system together.

Carlo
 
P

PMolan

Wow, what a respose, very well thought out answers, you guys are great. Similarly I am about to create a sump area in my basement, I am starting out with a 110 fuge and dont know about the sump area yet. I like the idea of monitoring key elements of my tank from my laptop. I was also curious about the controlled outlets, is it a form of X10? I have a background in programming and might be able to write software in VB. VB is capable of communicating with X10. Also what is the PA group buy? Where can I get details? 15% = $150 for the setup I am looking at.
 
C

Carlo

Talk about timing. I sold my 3 Pro this morning for exactly what I paid for it! So I'm off to buy another controller. I think I'm going to get the 3 this time and not the Pro. I thought I would use the extra features when I first puchased it but never really found a use for them.

The manuals are online if you want to take a look at them: http://www.neptunesys.com/manuals.htm

It's not a programming language per say but more of a macro language. If you take a look at the manuals you'll see how it works. It's a lot of IF THEN type statements to control things. Pretty easy if you have ever done any programming at all. Otherwise it could be "greek" and have a decent learning curve.

There is an interface on the back to plug into X10 device however this is a backward compatible feature from the early days when it used to be based on X10 technology. The box itself does not use anything X10 related these days and you wouldn't want to use this feature unless you already have some X10 hardware. It isn't as reliable as the built in stuff and if you do choose to use X10 via the neptune box then use it for items that are non-critical.

Being that I'm without my Neptune now I'm also interested in the group buy. Any info on this?

Carlo
 
JohnS_323

JohnS_323

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
AquaControllers can also be used to control DC-4's and DC-8's. Those are essentially 4 plug and 8 plug powerstrips with each outlet being controlled separately. There is a regular and a heavy duty DC4 and a heavy duty DC8. If you plan to use the AquaController to control MH lights, you'll need to use the heavy duty DC4 or DC8. I really can't think of a reason to buy the "light" duty DC4. For the extra money you get all of the flexibility you need by having heavy duty ones.

As for X10's, they're great too but are used somewhat differently. They work off of the wiring in your home and can be used remotely. Plug them into any outlet (for the most part) and bingo, you're controlling that outlet. There are two types of X10's: the three pronged Appliance version and the 2 pronged Lamp version. The Appliance X10's are better and are good for remote powerheads, heaters, CO2 solenoids, fans, etc. As with the DC's, I generally only buy the heavy duty appliance type so that I can use them for any application I have. One thing to keep in mind is that you can't use X10's for metal halides. They need to be plugged into heavy duty DC's.

The next Premium Aquatic group buy is scheduled for June, which means any items ordered in that buy will not be available until the end of the month.

HTH.
 
JohnS_323

JohnS_323

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Orders will be accepted from the beginning of June until the middle of June. The order will be placed in mid-June with delivery in Late June.

I knew when I wrote it it sounded a little confusing :-\
 
P

PMolan

I'm also moving away from weekly water changes by using a pair of dosing/luft pumps (3.5 gph). One pulls water out of the fuge and then the Neptune balances the addition of new water as above (for evap too). I figure with 500 gallons water if I changed out 10% a week that's almost the same as doing 7 gallons a day. At roughly 3.5 gph I can turn on the "discharge" pump for 2 hours a day to take water out of the system while the other pumps put water back in. With small constant water changes like this I'd image the use of trace elements won't be needed anymore (or a lot less). I'll know better on this later as well as the ROI on doing this (ie salt costs versus trace element costs and time)

I'm curious about this. I assume you make 50gal saltwater weekly for this process? Does the salinity monitor get used in this setup?
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
FWIW, doing smaller, more frequent water changes is, over time, less effective than doing larger weekly/bi-weekly water changes. Over time you'll end up doing less dillution than you intended, and could otherwise accomplish with less frequent water changes.
 
mynd

mynd

I just don't understand how you guys can spend so much money. I am just saying that these gadgets are so expensive when you think about it..

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/controllers.php?product_ID=np-acpro3

That is just a huge investment. I guess for tanks your size though it makes sense. Geez, when I was doing this it was either done by hand and some really good schedule or it wasn't. Still had my tank for 10 years almost. It was beautiful without anything of these things.

I have always been the type of person who thinks more means more potential problems. I prefer to keep it simple. However, having these gadgets is really pretty kool. :)
 
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