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 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 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"
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 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 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"