Jeff Rehling
Guest
What's the view of these esteemed reefers? I have two 360 Tuna LED's and need a controller. Looks nice and inexpensive. Need a controller as i'm introducing corals
Kessil Controller
- Thread starter Jeff Rehling
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It's a great controller.
Jeff Rehling
Guest
Thanks. what would your lighting schedule be for corals? What settings? I leave my house around 7am and don't get back till 430, so i can't be there to adjust
I'll get it for you later this evening -- an the purpose (in my mind) of a controller isn't to adjust. It's to set up the program and then not have to adjust.
grizfyrfyter
Guest
I used one to run a pair of A360we before I got my apex. My only complain is that you only get 6 points of adjustment. It works well.
Ranjib Dey
Guest
It's primitive but effective. How big is your tank ? The actual intensity values will depend upon your live stock and coral types. Specturm is all about your personal aesthetics it does not impact the corals, from what I know. You can adjust the time as per your convenience when you look at the tank. It is common to run it at night time, since during days we are at office
Vhuang168
Guest
If you have an Apex, you can hook it up to the Apex and control it at your fingertips.
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Jeff Rehling
Guest
sure but they're really expensive, right?
Vhuang168
Guest
grizfyrfyter
Guest
The apex Jr doesn't have variable voltage ports so you need to get the Jr and a module for that, which is about $300 new. I don. T know what you can get a Jr for used but the module to expand it is about $100. I'd avoid the Jr.
The apex classic has 4 variable voltage ports built in (you need 2 ports to control kessils) as well as ph probe and an EB8 (the Jr only comes with 4). I think it's about $500 new but you can get them used for around $300.
The kessil controller is about your cheapest option and it works well.
grizfyrfyter
Guest
The controls for kessil aren't just an on/off switch. If they were, I would agree with you but the Kessil Spectral Controller and Apex control gives you intensity and spectrum control, allowing you to ramp up and down for sunrise and sunset affects, something that I enjoy enough that it is a requirement for my lighting setup.
The kessil controller has a nice acclimation mode feature. With a few touches, you can have your lights lowered to a set intensity and ramp back up over the course of a week or two if you are introducing a sensitive or stressed coral to your tank.
The apex gives you control to turn your lights off to reduce heat input if the tank is overheating and if you use the variable voltage ports, you can di this without having the lights take up space on your energy bar.
My daughter's tank has this weird led on it. It's a CTLite G3, something that was given to me because it can only use a proprietary controller. It's plugged into a simple timer.
Ranjib Dey
Guest
You can build one for 50$
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
If you want a controller on top of your lights being controlled an Apex is a good way to go, if all you care about is controlling the lights there are some off brand ones (Storm comes to mind), but those typically are PWM controllers and you can get an adapter, but at that point you might as well just stick with the Kesill brand controller for $90
grizfyrfyter
Guest
I used to have the typhon led controller on my office biocube. It is basically a much simpler version of the kessil controller but I don't think they are around anymore.
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
I used the Typhon one as well, really good controller for fairly cheap, although I didn't think it could control Kessils (PWM only I thought). But yeah it was basically a freeware project, if you could get the chip writer you could make your own on the fly. Then some started just selling them, and then a number of other controllers came out that were similar to it with different programming. Also used the Storm controller but not a big fan of that one.
grizfyrfyter
Guest
The kessil and typhon are both pwn right? Just different connectors....
Jeff Rehling
Guest
based on what I'm seeing, and please correct me if i'm wrong, the Apex Neptune with 8 receptacles will control the lights and also serve as a wave maker or pump controller? I need both, so it makes sense to go big, correct? also, where do you place the probes? In the DT or the sump?
Thanks
Thanks
Vhuang168
Guest
The Apex will be able to turn on or off anything powered.
Heaters, chillers, fans, lights, pumps etc.
Depending on the power head you are using, there maybe other ways the Apex can control it without using the power to turn on or off.
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grizfyrfyter
Guest
True. The benefit of the apex with variable voltage ports is being able to control the intensity and spectrum. The variable voltage ports also control the speed of my reef octopus VarioS Skimmer and return pump. Well, it would if it wasnt having a hardware failure. Using all four channels of the ports causes the kessils to flicker and reboot.
