Are controllers worth it for smaller tanks?

[Krzydmnd]

With an ink bird temperature controller and a good ATO you can mitigate two of the biggest daily factors related to control outside of something catastrophic.

Also, you mentioned salinity swings with evaporation... Unless you're physically losing water somewhere you shouldn't really see swings that much as salt doesn't evaporate out (salt creep can be an issue though) . If anything your salinity would go up with less water I'd guess, but your comment seems to indicate the other direction?

That said, it's your money and if it brings you peace of mind then it's entirely worth it!

 

[Krzydmnd]

Thanks. Everyone had provided excellent information and ideas. I think I will get an ATO pretty quick and save some money for the new Apex. I do like tech gadgets also.

Right now the skimmer is always on. I've never thought of unplugging during and after feedings. This will be something to look forward to with the controller.

Forgot to mention, I have 2 small led strips in the cabinet for accent with blue lights.

Nice looking tank!

 

[Terence]

Monitoring is more important than any kind of automation. Especially temp and power monitoring.

 

[mr9iron]

I have an Apex on a larger reef and just purchased an Apexel for my Nuvo 20. I don't think I would run a tank without one. I love being able to control my equipment, log measurements, set reminders, etc.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have one on each tank and appreciate the automation each one provides such as lights on/off, UV sterilizer on/off, heater control and ph/temperature display.

 

[Nolan Shinn]

I’m on my third or fourth tank build, and to save money I get an inkbird to control my heaters and a JBJ ATO. Both perform outstanding for me, and cost less than $100 total...

If you have a vortech, jebao, or other wavemake in the mix, then you’ve basically got an apex in three separate modules. Takes a bit more effort in setup and wire management but the likelihood of a catastrophic failure in all three is extremely unlikely. Whereas if an apex malfunctions everything is messed up.

Food for thought or debunking...

 

[gcrawford]

Yes, smaller, more important as small changes can mean massive swings and detriment.

 

[dangros]

The more OCD you are, the better luck you'll have without a controller. For me, however, a normal human being who makes mistakes - the controller is a game changing device I will no longer live without.
My first 15 years of keeping fish were w/o a controller. I never had long term success w/corals but most of my fish did well and we lived happily. I had a 30, 75, and a 90g tank over those years. I had great success and luck dodging power outages and floods and believed controllers to be an unnecessary expense for either those keeping SPS corals or for the rich with money to burn. THEN in about 3 months, I had a full tank crash and 3 floods. The last one broke my spirit and I tore down my tank. I swore to my wife that it would be back but better and more modern than ever.

Now I successfully grow SPS and have prevented many issues due to the controller. Here are some examples of what it's done for me and why I think it's worth every penny:
1) temp stability. My tank hovers within .4 degrees of my temp target. If it is .5 degrees out of range, I get a text and email alerts. It usually means a window is open on a hot day or someone cranked the heat up too high. If my heater dies, I'll know within plenty of time and be able to throw in my spare.
2) LEAK SENSORS!!! If there's a leak around my tank or in the basement where my water is made, I get a (you guessed it) text and an email alert. This has saved my butt a few times already. I consider these 2 features worth it already. Depending on which sensor goes off, my controller automatically turns off the pumps at that location that could be causing the leak.
3) I can go on vacation!!! Combined with a cheap nanny cam, an automatic feeder, and an ATO, I can make sure my tank is doing well when I'm not home for over a week. The controller allows me to remotely pump water to the ATO container if it gets low. THIS ROCKS and prevent the tank sitter horror stories.
4) If something does happen when I'm not home (at work or vaca), it can allow me to reset, change settings, turn off any of my pumps, lights, ato, etc.
5) If temps are out of range and high, controller shuts down the lights which helps things cool off faster and possibly give me more time to problem solve
6) ph stability and auto control of my calcium reactor. If you want to keep corals and/or dose stuff like alkalinity or calcium, this really helps you do it w/o killing things.

New reefer here. I have a Nuvo 40 Fusion running for about 6 months. I am going to add an ATO, but have been also considering a controller.

Are controllers necessary to keep this tank running for years?

I have a...
Mighty jet return pump
Wavepuck 2
Neo therm heater
Ghost protein skimmer

Thanks

 

[Waynerock]

Thanks. Everyone had provided excellent information and ideas. I think I will get an ATO pretty quick and save some money for the new Apex. I do like tech gadgets also.

Right now the skimmer is always on. I've never thought of unplugging during and after feedings. This will be something to look forward to with the controller.

Forgot to mention, I have 2 small led strips in the cabinet for accent with blue lights.

The ATO will change your life! Went a year without, never again

 

[clark griswold]

I have an ApexEL on my Nuvo 20. Love it. Makes life much easier.

 

[cjd]

Needed ...No . Its one of those things when you finally bite the bullet and get one , you probably will always have one on any tank you set up. Just like an ATO. This one is on my Mr. Aqua 25 cube.

 

[Mjl714]

I agree with those that say “not needed,” but a controller does make things easier and add really nice safety and redundancy features.

 

[PhreeByrd]

I've pointed this out in other threads, but it's getting difficult to find products of any quality that don't already have a good to excellent control built-in or included. I still use a Reefkeeper 2, but the only thing I use it for anymore is temperature control and pH monitoring. Everything else has its own separate controls... so it's definitely not a necessity to have one, and it's not even a real big advantage or convenience anymore. I'd suggest thinking long and hard about what you want from a controller, and what advantages it can really provide to you.

And I have to point out again that an Apex, Reefkeeper (now discontinued) or any other controller will not prevent many heater issues. With remote-controlled heaters, the most common failure item is the temperature sensor. When that fails, it almost always underreports the actual water temperature, which leads to the controller leaving the heater powered on, which then leads to cooking the tank, even though it's reporting a low temperature on the monitor. So yeah, even with a great controller system, heater systems can and do fail, sometimes catastrophically.

I never turn off my skimmer at feeding time. I shut off the return from the sump, which keeps all the food in the display tank until feeding time is over.

 

[Aquavaj]

It's not going to prevent every failure but I'm sure you can agree that having a heater on a controller can help add another layer of protection. If the thermostat fails on a heater not on a controller and somehow is stuck always on you've got a cooked tank. Atleast with a controller, it's own temp sensor will detect the temp rising and shutoff the outlet to the heater. Yes, the controller's temp sensor or outlet can fail to turn off but the heater and controller failing at the same time is going to be a whole lot less.

Yes, many components now have their own controllers but that can be a problem in itself if they're not from the same manufacturer. For people like me who do like to turn off the return, skimmer, and some of the powerheads (all from different companies) a controller does make it more convenient. I don't have to manually turn of 4 or 5 things. Also helps prevent me from forgetting to turn them back on. Several times now I've forgotten to turn the return back on after feeding on a tank that I took the controller from to be used on my new tank. One time I seriously thought the fish in there was dead when I remembered the next morning but somehow it survived.

 

[Mjl714]

I've pointed this out in other threads, but it's getting difficult to find products of any quality that don't already have a good to excellent control built-in or included. I still use a Reefkeeper 2, but the only thing I use it for anymore is temperature control and pH monitoring. Everything else has its own separate controls... so it's definitely not a necessity to have one, and it's not even a real big advantage or convenience anymore. I'd suggest thinking long and hard about what you want from a controller, and what advantages it can really provide to you.

And I have to point out again that an Apex, Reefkeeper (now discontinued) or any other controller will not prevent many heater issues. With remote-controlled heaters, the most common failure item is the temperature sensor. When that fails, it almost always underreports the actual water temperature, which leads to the controller leaving the heater powered on, which then leads to cooking the tank, even though it's reporting a low temperature on the monitor. So yeah, even with a great controller system, heater systems can and do fail, sometimes catastrophically.

I never turn off my skimmer at feeding time. I shut off the return from the sump, which keeps all the food in the display tank until feeding time is over.

I’m not following heater example. My Apex is a separate temp control from both display system heaters, so if heater fails and attempts to crank the the temp, the Apex will cut power to the failing heater, great controller redundancy.

 

[Fish4udog]

So if AC brakes what is the monitoring going to do tell you your tank temperature is rising if your at work or on vacation nothing you can do. Just like losing electricity for a day or more the monitor will do nothing to save your tank. Spend $900 for a apex or spend $800for a generator. I went with the generator I lose electricity I can power my whole house. Investing in a generator is better protection monitoring system would be 2nd on my list without electricity a monitoring system is useless

You can be successful driving for years without a seatbelt, anti-lock brakes, airbags, etc. (or riding a motorcycle without a helmet). Especially so if you are a great driver. But even then there's always that one guy that pulls in front of you. . . That's what it's like when you come home from a day at the beach, open the door, and realize first, "what's that smell", and second, "why is the house so hot" (AC failed). This or any number of other things outside your control where if you knew in time, you might have been able to do something about it.

Things happen faster the smaller the tank.

It really comes down to how much risk you are willing to take for what you've put in the tank, your pets, and the time and attention you have given them.

 

[SwiftStorm]

I have used our generator twice in the last year to power tanks and heat lamps for a bearded dragon. The second time was for 20 hours. Don't think a battery backup would've help much then.

 

[Terence]

A properly designed DIY battery backup solution is far more useful for most of the country than a generator. 99.9% of power failures will be 48 hours or less and it’s not difficult to make a ($400) system to keep the tank alive for that time period, even while away from home. If you are away from home, in all but the most expensive solutions, you cannot start a generator. Unless you rely on someone else.


The need for Power failure protection and proper monitoring of your tank are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Stigigemla]

The first thing is to ask yourself: Why do You think of a controller?

1. Is it because You love tecnical stuff?
2. Is it because You want a more precise controlling of whats happening in the tank?
3. Is it because You want to monitor the tank when You are on travel - distant jobs?
4. Is it because someone told You a controller is great to have.

1: You will have a great time adjusting parameters and discussing here with other controller freaks.
2: A larger tank will give You the more stable parameters. Maybe it is better to put the money there. Or an alkalinity monitor / controller will do a better job.
3: I would recommend to just use the controller to monitor the values and give an SMS alarm if they are way off. In that way you will have all the stuff going by itself and it will function even if the controller or one sensor misfunctions. You will just get a false alarm.
4: You will never take the time to adjust all the levels of controlling or alarming of all the different parameters. Maybe it will just function as a 400$ thermostate.

 

[ingchr1]

A properly designed DIY battery backup solution is far more useful for most of the country than a generator....

If the only thing you're concerned about is your tank. I like to have heat, water, hot water, refrigerator, sump pump and lights when the power goes out. TV and internet is nice as well.