What probes to get?

Frosty Latte · Oct 5, 2016

So I'm new to controllers and bought the cerebra day 1 but haven't hooked it up yet. I'm wondering what probes or extras do you recommend and why?

Currently there is just one temp sensor. Thanks!

MTWiley · Oct 5, 2016

I don't have a cerebra, but I like having my PH(to shut off dosing), salinity(to shut off ATO) and temp(to shut off runaway heaters)

Frosty Latte · Oct 6, 2016

MTWiley said:
I don't have a cerebra, but I like having my PH(to shut off dosing), salinity(to shut off ATO) and temp(to shut off runaway heaters)

Thanks. Are there any others that are available and what are their uses?

MTWiley · Oct 6, 2016

Most of my experience is with the Neptune Apex, but at a glance, it looks like they both have basically the same probes/input devices:

Temp Probes (Previously mentioned)
pH Probes (Previously mentioned)
Salinity/Conductivity Probes (Previously mentioned)
ORP or REDOX probes also exist and are usually used to control/shutoff ozone generators.
Dissolved Oxygen or DO probes are also around, but I've never really heard of a specific use case for them aside from having more info about your reef tank(and they're extremely expensive).
Float Switches used to gather information about water levels. In most cases they are either on or off and don't tell you whether the water is high or lower than the sensor, they just tell you whether the sensor detects water/liquids at the level you set the float valve so generally you need to setup at least 2(a high and low water mark). After a quick search for Cerebra parts, it looks like they have a dual point level sensor which is a little different from most float switches(it will tell you whether the float is at the low point or the high point rather than just whether the float is at the set point). Generally, people run at least 2 float switches(I prefer 3 so that I have the desired set point, a high alarm, and a low alarm) for redundancy since they tend to control things like ATO which if it malfunctions can cause major problems or detecting rising water levels in your overflow so that if you have a clog in the drain line you don't overflow the tank.
Optical Level Sensors similar to a float switch, but generally regarded as more reliable since there are no moving pieces.
PAR Sensor is used to measure light output levels. It can be useful for knowing when your T5s/Halides have deteriorated and aren't putting off as much light and might need to be replaced. It could also be used to help adjust lighting intensity/schedules and positioning.
Leak Sensor(I didn't see this one available for the Cerebra, but maybe it's in the works or I just missed it?) can be used to take action
Dry Contact Switches or Momentary contact switches (I also haven't seen this available on the Cerebra) but these can be used to add things like door switches, physical buttons, etc. These can be really useful for stuff like adding an arcade button that puts the tank into feed mode(turning down/shutting off your return, shutting off your skimmer, cranking up or turning down your powerheads, etc), a button you press to shut down your equipment for a water change, an Emergency Power Off Button so that your SO that may not know much about the tank can shut it off in case of a leak, fire, etc.), a door sensor on your sump door that turns on the lights in the sump whenever you open the sump door and/or notifies you so that you know if your kids were getting into something that they shouldn't be, the possibilities are pretty endless.

If you have any specific questions or use cases that you're trying to setup feel free to ask and I'll be happy to help out however I can.