Aqua Controller

[fishfreak1242]

Does anyone have any experience with the Aqua Controller Jr? Its the only controller that fits into my budget and it has all of the things that I will need inside of the unit. All that I need is timers, a controller for temp and possibly and wavemaker. Is there any better controller that is in the same price range? thanks

 

[fishfreak1242]

bump

 

[flricordia]

I have often wondered about it myself. I will be following this thread.

 

[natclanwy]

The reefkeeper 2 I think is the only other one that is going to fall into this price range. I am biased towards the Reefkeeper because I am not all that thrilled about X10 devices, but I have heard good reviews on both systems and they both will do what you need. I am currently using the Reefkeeper Elite and now that they have resolved the first few bugs I am very happy with it.

 

[acrylic51]

Owned both and the AquaController 3, AquaController Jr, and the ReefKeeper and honestly the AquaController Jr IMHO is the better of the 2........

 

[fishfreak1242]

If I get the aquacontroller jr, then do I need to get the direct 8 outlets, or is it not neccessary?

 

[acrylic51]

Yes....you would need to buy either the DC8 or DC4 or DC4HD......You can find package deals at several online places though instead of buying them seperate......It might seem like a bigger investment upfront over the ReefKeeper, but in the long run you have more bang for the buck....I think the systems are alittle more expandable than the ReefKeepers.

 

[natclanwy]

Acrylic51, Have you had any issues with the X10 controllers? I'm just curious because I tried some for turning on lights in my house and they were very finicky and really didn't do well if you live in area that is subject lots of power dips and brownouts. They would turn on and off at random times and sometimes the wrong light would come on. I have a client that automated his house from the ground up and tried to use some these devices also and ran into the same issues and ended up going with something else (not sure what though). Not a big deal if my light goes out but if my return pump or heater were to go out when I was out of town that would be bad. X10 was the number one factor for me to steer clear of this controller even though I have heard good reviews my experience with x10 has been less than ideal.