E) Miscellaneous Stuff - Part I: Heaters and ControllersA heater is a necessary part of any nice Reef tank. The animals we keep all come from tropical waters, where water temperatures are around 72 - 78 degrees and tend to stay there all year long. It makes sense that we should keep our reef tanks around the same temperature. So, unless you live in a sauna, you are going to need a heater (at least in the wintertime)...
Heaters are relatively simple devices with one giant potential flaw - under the wrong circumstances, they can cook your tank. Problem is, the thermostat on the heater can fail; and when it does, Murphy's Law dictates it will most often fail stuck "on"... that means a heater that won't shut off when the temperature reaches the normal preset limit; it won't shut off when the temperature reaches dangerous levels; it just plain
won't shut off...
And it doesn't take much to cook your goose, so to speak. 83 degrees will stress the more delicate corals; 85 will kill them - and a temp of 90 degrees sustained for more than an hour will most likely wipe out the entire tank, including fish. So, how do you prevent this from happening?
The most foolproof method is to use a controller to turn the heater on / off, instead of the heater relay. Use of a controller will pretty much guarantee you don't fry your tank. But controllers are expensive, and can be a little complicated to set up. Any other options?
Well, there are 2 schools of thought on how to minimize chances of overheating in lieu of using a controller. One line of advice is to use a lower wattage heater than required, or even a pair of them, to heat your tank. The concept being, if it goes bonkers it won't be strong enough to get the temp too high.
The other advice - the one I recommend and follow - is to use a slightly higher wattage heater - or even 2 - to heat the tank.
Why would this be a better way to go? Won't a big heater just cook the tank that much quicker?
Yes and no. When heaters fail with in the 'on' position, what has happened is that the contact relays have melted / fused together, creating a permanent electrical circuit which then prevents the heater from shutting off. IMO the reason this happens is precisely because the heater has been running too long / too often, the heat transfers down the glass tube into the area where the electronics reside... and the contacts fuse together. Ever touch a working heater, even underwater? The outside of that sucker gets
hot. With a bigger heater (or 2) they heat the water so quickly that they don't stay 'on' nearly as long. The heat doesn't have as good a chance to transfer down the tube into the electronics. Plus, higher wattage heaters are generally larger (longer), meaning a greater physical distance from the heating element (in the bottom third of the heater tube)and the electronics (up near the top end of the heater). IMO that helps the electronics stay cooler even when the heater is running.
I can tell you that I either have a good idea, or just really good luck... because I have never had a heater get stuck 'on' in one of my setups - ever.
As for those controllers..? I often get asked, or see as a topic of discussion on the Forum, "Do I Need a Controller?"
The direct answer is NO - you do not 'need' a controller.
But they sure are a nice thing to have.
I'll expand my thoughts on controllers tomorrow...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, it's tomorrow
As I said last night, controllers really are a nice thing to have for that 'nice '
Reef tank.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves, here:
- What is a controller and what does it do?
An aquarium controller is basically a small computer processor hooked together with a group of electrical outlets, electric switches, and electronic sensors to help monitor certain tank conditions and automatically perform certain tasks (such as turning lights on / off, heater on / off, topping off tank water, alerting you to a problem condition) based on the information the user inputs into the device; and depending on the switches / sensors / probes that have been linked to the device. Some of the more advanced controller systems have the abilty for remote programming / monitoring via a computer wireless network or even your smart phone.
- Which controller is the best choice for me?
A lot of people go with the Apex Reef Controller by Neptune Systems. They are kind of the 'gold standard' right now as far as capability and programmabilty goes. They are one of the controllers that you can link to your laptop or smartphone, which is kind of cool and comes in handy if you are not home alot. You can even link a webcam to actually see your tank displayed, on your phone, in real time. But they aren't cheap - figure on spending around $500 to purchase new. And then possibly hundreds more for some of the 'extras' in terms of probes, sensors, etc.
Other companies, such as Digital Aquatics, Reef Angel and Tunze make controllers that are also pretty neat. And you can get the "Jr" or "lite" versions of most major controller models for around $200. They won't have all the 'bells & whistles' of the big boys, and they won't do everything the $500+ units can do... but they still can provide some peace of mind and handle most major tasks.
- What do you recommend?
Here's what I think. If you can afford to get a controller, buy it. And remember, you can look for a used one without too much risk of it being a lemon.
As far as which one / how advanced (expensive) to go..? Well...
First, if you are looking to set up a large 'nice' Reef Tank (150g or above) you are - quite frankly - already going to spend a boatload of money. Adding $700 - $800 for a cutting edge controller system is really not a huge purchase compared to the thousands you will be spending altogether. And you can look at this controller purchase as a type of 'insurance' against a disaster happening unnoticed that will wipe out that multi - thousand dollar investment. If I were shelling out $5K to put together a totally sweet 180g Reef I wouldn't hesitate to go with a filled-out Apex or similar. I'd think it was money well spent.
If you are looking at a small 'nice' Reef tank (say, under 50g) I think that a controller is more of a nice 'option' than a neccessity... and I wouldn't go the high-end model route, unless I was a tech geek / junkie who just wanted to have the coolest gadgets he could hook up to his nano tank.
What about all of us in the middle? With that model 75 - 120g Reef tank we have been talking about for this thread?
I'd lean towards getting at least an entry-level unit to handle those basic chores like turing off the lighting, controlling the heater(s) so you don't fry the tank, maybe running an ATO...
Now, if you are wanting to go all high-end... well, that's fine, too. It's just not mandatory, IMO.
Myself, I run a DA Reefkeeper Lite 'Plus' setup on my 90g Reef. With it I can monitor & control temp, pH, and ORP levels. I can run an ATO off of it, it turns my lighting and heater on / off, and it has a total of 8 linked outlets for all my equipment. Not too bad for under $300 new (I got mine used). Now, it doesn't have wireless capability - and I can't link it to my phone; but, for me, I was OK with not needing those features.
In summary, a controller is a nice option to have - that becomes more of a neccessity depending on the value of your overall Reef tank investment.
Edited by BobC63 - October 01 2013 at 12:00pm