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Heat options?


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  1. #1
    greenstarfish03 - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Grand Blanc
    Posts
    228
    First Name
    Joe

    Default Heat options?

    I need a good option for heating my tank that isn't too expensive. I have a 120g cube w/ a 100 gallon sump that probably holds 60-80 g of water at any given time. I have three standard heaters in there now the biggest being a 400w heater. During the summer all was good, but now that it is getting colder I have noticed my temp isn't staying consistent. If I leave the thermos set to 79 the tank slips to 74, but if I turn them up to 80-83 to compensate the take gets a little too hot. Just seems like there struggling now.

    I don't know much about controllers and probes so any info would be appreciated.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    XSiVE - Reefkeeper
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Waterford
    Posts
    576
    First Name
    Ryan
    Awards Monthly Giveaway Winner

    Default

    a reefkeeper lite is a very cheap($100) easy way to control multiple heaters like this.. you might be able to hook them all up to one plug, or you can put them in multiple plugs and have some staged heating.

    You will also get some timer functionality with it if you want to use it for that (for lights, pumps, whatever)

  3. #3
    jolson10450 - Reefkeeper
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Flat Rock
    Posts
    2,032
    First Name
    Justin
    Awards Grow Out King Monthly Giveaway Winner Monthly Giveaway Winner

    Default

    yes get a RKL! i got a reefkeeper 2 and my temp stays at 76.0 all day long in the winter. the summer my lights will heat it up along with room temp to around 80 during the day and itll go back to 76 at night.

    you can also put a fan on and itll turn it on automatically at say 78 and turn off if the temp gets lower than that.

  4. #4
    greenstarfish03 - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Grand Blanc
    Posts
    228
    First Name
    Joe

    Default

    Thanks. I will look into that.

  5. #5
    greenstarfish03 - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Grand Blanc
    Posts
    228
    First Name
    Joe

    Default

    The RKL really seems like the way to go for me. Good price and it seems like it is upgradable which is nice, If I want to add more probes and things I can as I have the cash. That is a good setup for me. So if I understand this right the base RKL will control all of my current heaters out of the box w/o needing anything else. Sounds like it will allow me to do more then that too.

    Cool.

    Thanks

  6. #6
    fawkes - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    SW Mi
    Posts
    63
    First Name
    Greg

    Default

    +++ it is a great device. It has many benefits. Not the least of which is that it will shut down a failed heater if it fails "on". You won't regret it.

  7. #7
    greenstarfish03 - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Grand Blanc
    Posts
    228
    First Name
    Joe

    Default

    Ordered it today. Thanks for the advice. Sounds like the perfect solution for me.

  8. #8
    jolson10450 - Reefkeeper
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Flat Rock
    Posts
    2,032
    First Name
    Justin
    Awards Grow Out King Monthly Giveaway Winner Monthly Giveaway Winner

    Default

    yep should work fine, itll take you a few to figure out how to program it but what i do now is leave my heater cranked up to like 86 and plug it into the RK2 and mine is set to come on when the temp gets lower than 76, so at 75.9 itll turn on until it gets the temp back up to 76 and turn it back off so it varies .1 degree during the day now which is super nice, no having to adjust the dial anymore on the heaters, just set them up high and the controller will do the rest with its temp probe. you need to calibrate the temp probe with a current thermometer you use on your tank now but other than that it should be cake.

    like said before if the heater ever malfunctions and stays in the "on" position meaning its cranking out fill power and not cutting off when its supposed to, the RKL will cut the power to that outlet once ur tank reaches your desired temp so it will not cook your tank. ive read dozens of horror stories of people who came home and their tank was over 90 and everything was dead because it was to hott when a $99 piece of equipment could of prevented over $1000's worth of livestock loss.

    yes you can expand it and add another pc4 to it and have a total of 8 plugs, then add a sl1 if you want and get a PH probe or whatever as well.

    another main feature i like is the timer option. on my main my actinics are on one ballast and daylights on another. i got them programmed so that my actinics come on at 11am, daylights on a 12 noon, then daylights off at 9pm, then actinics off at 10pm so it simulates a sunrise/sunset effect. i can see my fish really like it coral as well. at night right when it turns to just actinics my wrasse heads to the back because he knows its about to be sleeping time and the clowns head to their anemones for sleep. same as in the morning right when the actinics come on it gives them a nice easy wake up instead of going from dark to being pounded with light.

  9. #9
    greenstarfish03 - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Grand Blanc
    Posts
    228
    First Name
    Joe

    Default ...

    running my lights off the rkl would be a bonus too, but that may be tricky for me b/c the sump is in the basement w/ the heaters and the lights are obviously upstairs. Not very close to each other. Same thing w/ my power heads.

  10. #10
    cg5071 - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    petoskey mi.
    Posts
    710
    First Name
    chris

    Default

    I would love one of these units as well. I will probably get one but I was hoping to get the tricked out one all at once. Cheaper in the long run and it has a function of making your halides stay off for the required 15 min after an outage if it is just a short surge or whatever. If I went to all t5's though this wouldnt be a consideration I agree, it seems you cant beat the price for a rkl.


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