CONSTANTNE Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 I have done some searching but there hasn't really been a new comparison for these two units. Tell me things you like about the unit and things you may not. Definately want: Control lights PC hook-up Control heater Control koralia PH probe Link to comment
CONSTANTNE Posted August 12, 2008 Author Share Posted August 12, 2008 Nobody has these? Link to comment
Break Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 A ton of folks have them. They're just too busy playing with them to tell you how great they are. Link to comment
121a Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 i was actually playing with mine today. i have an ac.jr. very cool and easy to use. for the money well worth it. had two power outages and many power dips this summer and the controller just starts right back up and controlling everything. though i tried to us my korlias on it today and it did not go so well, you have to put airline on the shaft so they don't make noise when they start up. Link to comment
Phixion Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I have an ACjr, and love it! I can't imagine reefing without a controller. for the price, the ACjr. is hard to beat. The ReefKeeper Elite is supposed to be the ultimate though... Link to comment
CONSTANTNE Posted August 13, 2008 Author Share Posted August 13, 2008 Cant wait to buy one! Are all ph probes created equal? Link to comment
Phixion Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Cant wait to buy one! Are all ph probes created equal? Definitely not. Generics might not be as durable and won't be as accurate. Lab grade are more $$$ but will last longer and be a bit more accurate than a standard grade. I'd personally stick with either w Hanna brand or American Marine PinPoint brand probe. I had a generic $20 one for a couple months, but it didn't seem to be as accurate as the PinPoint one I got recently. Link to comment
d0ughb0y Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 http://www.aquariumcontrollers.com/ it has a side by side comparison of several aquarium controllers. If you compare just rk2 and acjr, you will see acjr has more features for less. what I don't get with these (expensive) controllers is, what's up with the rs232 interface? I think that is an artifact of the 80's. Link to comment
CONSTANTNE Posted August 14, 2008 Author Share Posted August 14, 2008 Great site! Thanks I just did a side by side comparison. One thing I dont get is the random timers. AC jr. has it but I wonder what is means. Link to comment
YeahitsK Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 This is the next (and final) purchase for my new tank. I was planning to go with the RKII for a long time but have recently changed my mind. Partly due to customer service issues Digital Aqauatics seem to be having over on the vendor site on RC. It's mostly because we have short power outages where I live <1 min about once a week. I like that the RKII delays starting up your MH after a power failure when the bulb is too hot, but have recently learned that the ACjr also detects power failures and you can program a delay for lights, skimmers, whatever you want after the outage. That coupled with the lower price has me sold on it. Aquanotes seems pretty useful as well. So that's what I'm going with. Don't think you can go wrong with either choice though. Link to comment
d0ughb0y Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Great site! Thanks I just did a side by side comparison. One thing I dont get is the random timers. AC jr. has it but I wonder what is means. you can connect two powerheads (or koralia) and use random timer so they go on and off at random, creating a wave effect. You can hook up a float switch to the IO port on ACjr. and use it to turn a pump on and off to top off the tank. RK2 does not have this feature. Link to comment
Phixion Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 http://www.aquariumcontrollers.com/ it has a side by side comparison of several aquarium controllers. If you compare just rk2 and acjr, you will see acjr has more features for less. what I don't get with these (expensive) controllers is, what's up with the rs232 interface? I think that is an artifact of the 80's. Simple answer really. Serial connection has FAR greater signal distance than USB. Sure USB is ideal, but you'll only be able to use with with strictly a cable only as long as the tank is in the same room, and close by at that. A serial cable you could run to a tank into another room without signal lost. Yes it's old skool, but also the smarter option if the controller isn't in the same room as the tank, or in an LFS type setting when using one. The RK Elite has USB though. Link to comment
CodeToad Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 I'm considering one of the two as well - good thread! Link to comment
nanoty Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Ordering my ACJr. tonight. Seems like reefgeek is the cheapest place to get them. Link to comment
Break Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 I won't be able to order mine for another two weeks Link to comment
CodeToad Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Anyone chime in that actually has the RKII? I'm on the fence between the two models. Link to comment
CONSTANTNE Posted August 14, 2008 Author Share Posted August 14, 2008 I went and ordered the RK2! Isn't the software included with the reefkeeper much nicer? Oh and we definately need more input from reefkeeper owners..... Link to comment
CodeToad Posted August 15, 2008 Share Posted August 15, 2008 From what I gather: The things I like about the RKII: (~$255 w/ temp & power strip) -the interface seems more intuitive and easy to use -led's on the front showing what channel is on/off is nice -the software to download for the PC seems a bit more polished -2 year warantee The things I like about the AC Jr: (~$220 w/ temp & DC8) -programmable/script interface -optional tunze control I'm personally still leaning toward the RKII - but I'm still on the fence. Link to comment
S.I.C. Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 Love my RK2... The only issue I had 1 time was it dropped the chiller pump setting from always on to a timer setting during a heat wave. Link to comment
Phixion Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 From what I gather: The things I like about the RKII: (~$255 w/ temp & power strip) -the interface seems more intuitive and easy to use -led's on the front showing what channel is on/off is nice -the software to download for the PC seems a bit more polished -2 year warantee The things I like about the AC Jr: (~$220 w/ temp & DC8) -programmable/script interface -optional tunze control I'm personally still leaning toward the RKII - but I'm still on the fence. The LEDs on the RK2 are just convenience, the ACjr. does also tell you exactly what channel is on and doing what... It just doesn't have any fancy LEDs to see it from across the room... Reefgeek is hands down the best place and cheapest to get the ACjr from. Link to comment
CodeToad Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 The LEDs on the RK2 are just convenience, the ACjr. does also tell you exactly what channel is on and doing what... It just doesn't have any fancy LEDs to see it from across the room... Reefgeek is hands down the best place and cheapest to get the ACjr from. I agree, that's why I listed it as one of the reasons why I like the RKII, that is a convenience I'm fond of. I got the price for the ACjr from reefgeek as well FWIW. The only thing keeping me propped up on the fence is that the RKII can't be programmed from the PC, while the ACjr can. That being said I'm still leaning toward the RKII side, close to fall unless some serious wind blows the other way, haha. Link to comment
d0ughb0y Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 I went and ordered the RK2! Isn't the software included with the reefkeeper much nicer? Oh and we definately need more input from reefkeeper owners..... is the rk2 software that made you decide to buy rk2? I just read the manuals for both software, and both seems comparable, however, I think ac jr could easily gain more users by including the software at the $220 price. I think digital aquatics is wise to include the software. where did you order the rk2 and how much? Link to comment
CONSTANTNE Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 I ordered it from a sponsor on the nj forums. The website is reefexotics and I paid around 300 shipped. I love the LED's and the software seems great (havent used it yet). I am having a problem calibrating the ph probe which sucks. Link to comment
Break Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 So I just ordered my AquaController Jr. about five minutes ago. After checking out those nifty controller comparisons graphs, it seems like the better choice for my situation. Link to comment
Phixion Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Maybe my knowledge of BASIC helps, but the ACjr. was a snap to program without any software. Link to comment
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