Reef Keeper L3 (RKL L3)

Kizmar

#derpface
I was digging around in old posts and noticed a few threads about the RKL's. I'm thinking about getting a ReefKeeper Lite L3 PLUS so I'm not blindly hoping my pH/kH is ok (or testing every day).

So for those of you who have used one or are still using one... what do you think? Has anyone purchased one recently?

What do you use it for? Are the pH and temp readings accurate? Does anyone have the module to get info from your smart phone?
 
I used the lite on my reef. Made it simple and easy to check my PH ( actually used it to know when to dose for alkalinity ). And the temp was always dead on.
Using it to control the temp,I kept my tank at 78 degrees using just 2 300 watt heaters and a cheap fan.At 77 degrees my heater kicked on,then fan at 79.
I wouldn't run a reef without one to be honest,but that's just me. Matter of fact,I'm thinking I may hook one up on my planted tank.:dunno:
 
I used the lite on my reef. Made it simple and easy to check my PH ( actually used it to know when to dose for alkalinity ). And the temp was always dead on.
Using it to control the temp,I kept my tank at 78 degrees using just 2 300 watt heaters and a cheap fan.At 77 degrees my heater kicked on,then fan at 79.
I wouldn't run a reef without one to be honest,but that's just me. Matter of fact,I'm thinking I may hook one up on my planted tank.:dunno:

I'm definitely going to get one, just gotta figure out which one will best fit my needs... which is mostly pH (kH) & temp. I like the idea of using it to dose for pH/kH with a peristaltic pump. I also like the fan idea for temp control. Good stuff.

How does one decide if the ReefKeeper Lite is enough, or if you should get the Elite?

"Planted tank", what is that?
 
RKL is usually enough for most people. The limitation is mostly in how many modules you can add. I ran my 130 cube with the RKL running lights, heaters, dosing pumps, skimmer, main pump. I do not have the net module yet. There's 4 outlets per PC4 and i think you are limited to four PC4's. I ran two PC4's which was enough for me. Other stuff that needed power didn't need to be controlled.

And like Fast says, Apex is another option.

Dang though... their power bars are twice the price! Why is that?
 
Becauze they are twics the size. I am running 2 EB 8's which is 16 controlled devices while being able to run more by adding either another EB 4 or EB 8. The Apex is also net ready and the app is available for Droids and IPhones.
 
Look at the Apex Jr.

Can the Apex Jr. do the following:
  • Monitor temp and use to turn on fan if temp rises above a specific temp?
  • Monitor pH and disable a dose pump if it's at/above a certain level?
I'm looking at the Neptune Systems site and it doesn't really say if you can do things like that. It's also a little hard to tell what you actually need to buy..

Their commerce site is a bit confusing. They list AquaController Apex Jr on the site, but it's not in the Order section.

Should I be looking at a retailer's web site instead of Neptune's?
 
Side note.... don't get too hung up on PH.
I've had ph range anywhere from mid 7's to mid 8's, and things besides alk can make it change, even the climate of your house.
The How To Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners Part 3: pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Concentrate on Alk, Calc, and Mag and the ph should level itself out in the safe range.

Ohh shit that's a lot of reading. :D I haven't read all that yet but I fully intend to in a few minutes... I thought I had a pretty good grip on things... turns out I don't know what the hell I'm doing. It's frustrating.

Well, I know my Calc is good, and I know the Mag was high from my stupidity. The Mag will go down with water changes, so all I have to focus on now is kH and keeping the temp stable.

Question: should I be using eight.four right now to keep kH up? I've been testing daily and it's low every day. Is this stuff focusing on the right buffer to level things out, or is it trying to do too much?

Edit: This isn't the thread I thought it was, this is spilling over from this thread.
 
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Question: should I be using eight.four right now to keep kH up? I've been testing daily and it's low every day. Is this stuff focusing on the right buffer to level things out, or is it trying to do too much?

Are you noticing any change at all? In most cases, those additives are only meant to raise a little bit, or help maintain a certain level. Also, what is your Calcium level? Your high Mag won't really hurt anything assuming it is somewhere in the 1500 range. I keep mine up between 1450-1500 constantly.
 
Just tested again...

That stuff is keeping kH up, if I dose every day. It tested at 17 drops or 170 mg/L (150-190 range).

My Cal test sucks, I can't tell where I can stop counting drops. The color barely changes. Either it's SUPER high, or I'm not catching the color change. I don't have a Mag tester... Apparently I need to pick up a couple kits.

I do know that when I had my LFS test my water a week ago, Cal was in the middle of the suggested range.
 
I am also planning to Robo-Tank my aquarium (soon I hope).
But I am still undecided on whether to go with the RKL L3 or the Apex Jr.

If I do go with Apex Jr. I might need to get an extra EB4 or EB8.

I am mostly interested in the following features:
Temperature control redundancy
Wavemaker
Light timers

For now I am just working with frankentimers.
 
I'm starting to lean toward the Apex Jr, now I'm trying to figure out what I actually need to buy with it in order to do what I wanna do.
 
So, I just picked up a ReefKeeper Elite V2 from my LFS used for $220. It came with the display unit, an SL1 module, 2 PC4's, and a pH probe, and a few "bus cables", which look like phone cables to me.

My question for those that have one of these... is how do I change settings for this thing on my laptop?? Do I have to purchase the NET module to do it? I'm wondering if it's missing the USB cable (if it comes with the controller or if it's seperate).
 
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My question for those that have one of these... is how do I change settings for this thing on my laptop?? Do I have to purchase the NET module to do it? I'm wondering if it's missing the USB cable (if it comes with the controller or if it's seperate).

I was missing the SID USB cable. Just ordered a replacement. Looking forward to getting this thing configured and hooked up.

For those of you using probes for monitoring systems, are you using a probe holder or make a custom one? I'm not sure which route I want to take there.
 
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