ReefMn Mini Review

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I recently purchased a ReefMn Aquarium Controller from Boomslang.

Firstly I have no idea what imported or mass produced controllers cost, but Darius (Boomslang) was very in-depth in explaining his unit, that I had to support a fellow reefer.

When originally seeing the unit, I thought here we go, this is going to be a nightmare to get working and maintain.

First big :thumbup1: is the user manual that has been written in layman's terms and explains every process needed to connect and program the unit, loads of photos, well done.

Next big :thumbup1: is everything is supplied, cables connectors etc.

Functions:

the unit has a mains supply input and 6 AC outputs. 1 and 2 are dedicated for heating and cooling the rest are for lights, powerhead and/or top up.

The unit is supplied with a temperature probe and can be calibrated via the OSD.

The OSD is a 2 line 16 character LED. In normal mode it displays temp, whether the unit is heating or cooling. It also shows which AC outlets are on/off.

In my setup I run the following:
Heater which is now set to zero (on the heater) as the controller decides when it is on/off.
2 x PC fans are my cooling units, and they are on for 10 minutes max now, where previously I would switch them on in the morning and leave them on all day.

MH has it's own output, T-5's on their output and my sump light is on it's own.

You are able to set on/off time for all the outputs separately.

The unit is supplied with a pair of moonlights, this is a bit of a challenge to mount as they are fitted in a rectangular plastic box. These moonlights are also controlled and the moonphase can be set with no. of days etc.

The unit is also supplied with a top-up input cable. I am not running this as I have my Reef Octopus doing this job for me beautifully. The top-up set-up menu has all sorts of functions to make sure you don't have floods, like max. time allowed to fill up and time intervals between fills.

There are also a no. of audible alarms that can be set for low and high temperatures.

There is a RS-232 connector for downloading info directly to your computer. I haven't tried this yet, but the on-screen history is great. You can check the high/low temp of the day, you can even check how long your heater/cooler/top-up has been active.

All in all, a well thought out product and if anyone is in the market for this sort of gear I would highly recommend the ReefMn.

I now have lots of plugs spare on my multiplug as I don't need to use the BIG timer units anymore. Oh yes, that is another thing I liked, especially with the load shedding. The unit has a 9v battery so it doesn't loose it's time.


Anyway, my engine room is almost entirely automated, just need a auto feeder and a "auto skimmer emptier" :whistling:
 
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May I ask how much this unit put you back? Looks neat and tidy
 
WOW! That IS nice Warr! Once I have an extra R1800 I can spend I will surely think of this - unless the sponsors can supply me one at the same price (or cheaper ;-) - BUT, I don't think so.... :)
 
Looks pretty cool. Not a bad set of features for that price... Surely it could be made a little bit smaller than that though?
 
Looks pretty cool. Not a bad set of features for that price... Surely it could be made a little bit smaller than that though?


Yep... If you move the power inputs/outputs away from the unit. I think they take up most of the space.
 
Nice laptop...

I'm glad someone in SA finally got around to coming up with a decent "aquarium computer"...
 
Looks pretty cool. Not a bad set of features for that price... Surely it could be made a little bit smaller than that though?

It has quite a bit of electronics in it and Boomslang is using a standard electrical enclosure. If he went into mass production I am sure you could design an enclosure exactly for what is needed. The height and width of the unit is determined by the AC inputs/outputs
 
Bloody hell. I have been looking for something like this for a long time!!!!!!!

Awesome and a great price! I can't believe there isn't a bigger hoohaa about this. It's fantastic!

Awesome!!
 
Bloody hell. I have been looking for something like this for a long time!!!!!!!

Awesome and a great price! I can't believe there isn't a bigger hoohaa about this. It's fantastic!

Awesome!!

You won't go wrong with this unit. The other nice thing is because it is made locally you can get the program modified to a certain degree.
 
Now I can't wait to start a new setup. My crow's nest have always been my bane. Now I can get it nice and neat!

No more need for ACDC transformers as the moonlight runs off AC and the built in timers are a great idea.

R1,800 is very cheap considering what the controllers cost that don't have AC output. Other commercial controllers don't solve the messyness problems when it comes to the electrics.
 
Now I can't wait to start a new setup. My crow's nest have always been my bane. Now I can get it nice and neat!

No more need for ACDC transformers as the moonlight runs off AC and the built in timers are a great idea.

R1,800 is very cheap considering what the controllers cost that don't have AC output. Other commercial controllers don't solve the messyness problems when it comes to the electrics.

Funny you say that, I have two monster multiplugs - empty now, as I also have the AM wave.
 
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