Reef Angel Forum

I have never owned a aquarium controller but I am coming around to the idea but have a few questions / doubts which I am hoping all can help with -

If for any reason the controller fails, everything would stop working e.g. no lights, pumps, temperature control etc. Is anyone else worried about having all their eggs in one basket rather than running / controlling independently.

I am in the UK so would need to pay our wonderful overpriced import tax at 3.7% and VAT at 20% (hey, they don't call us rip off Britain for nothing you know!). Obviously the plugs on all of our equipment are different so I am not sure if I will be able to use all 8 power sockets because of the size of the US to UK plug adapters. Anyone else from outside the US who owns one and has the same problem?

I would like to control 2 x Tunze 6055 Nano pumps which it looks like the Reef Angel cannot do just yet?

I would like to control 3 x TMC Aquaray Aquabeam 600 LED lights but have not seen any mention of these on the forums. Anyone know if this would be possible?

I do like the idea of a controller and as I am big Linux and open source fan, if I did buy one, it would certainly be a Reef Angel. I am just not sure it will do what I want it to do.

Any help would be much appreciated.

I can't help on all those points, but as for plug spacing you could probably get away with using those short (6in) plug extenders (something like this http://www.amazon.com/Ziotek-ZT1212542- ... 046&sr=1-2) and then put your UK friendly plug in.

If you're handy with electronics you may be able to gut the original US fixture and put together your own UK friendly one. Although this may defeat the whole 'clean' look with controllers, but you may be in the same boat with 8 plug in extensions and adapters everywhere.

If the lights you are talking about have analog/PWM control wires I don't see why they shouldn't work.

Packs of eight adapters are available from the Reef Angel store, so add them to your order.

I'm pretty sure these would work for you, wouldn't it?
http://www.reefangel.com/Products.Socket-Adapter.ashx
If the tunze 6055 has one of those DIM5 connectors, you can control them with the analog dimming signal version of RA.
About the LEDs, this is what I read on the manufacturer's website:

• All TMC Controllers operate via pulse width modulation (PWM).
This is important as PWM is effectively turning the LEDs on and off very quickly (faster than the eye can see) so there is no change to the spectral output as opposed to using current reduction used by many competing brands of LED controllers.

In this case you will need the PWM dimming signal version of RA.
So, you will most likely have to make a choice of controlling LEDs or controlling Tunzes as they use different types of signal.
The alternative is to get the PWM expansion module for your LEDs and the Analog version of RA, which would enable you to have both.

As far as all eggs in one basket you shouldn't do this.

Lights and power heads are not necessary but some type of flow is.

Do not plug your return pump into any controller unless you have another pump plugged into the wall. It doesn't matter what brand it is. Electronics fail. I run my return pumps plugged directly into the wall without GFCI on their own circuit. Everything else that touches water goes through a gfci.

I would snag one of these controllers. They are awesome!

Thanks for all the replies, I will take another look at the type of controller as I would want to run the Tunze's and lights. I will cost this up and see what I get to.