I'm so excited (new gadget)

Here are some threads about the same thing, read up. Luna

http://www.3reef.com/forums/say-hello/new-prospective-reef-keeper-53120.html?highlight=reef keeper

http://www.3reef.com/forums/say-hello/new-lil-reef-keeper-50766.html?highlight=reef keeper

http://www.3reef.com/forums/fish-tank/reefkeeper-2-a-53573.html

 

None of them helped =( but thanks I was just hoping som1 had one I done all the reading

 

Go to www.marinedepot.com and look up the controller of your choice and read the reviews, they are very helpfull....usually. Luna

 

Thanks Luna I can always count on you and Mission666 dude for the info

PS thanks for the tip on lowering ph with lemon juice

 

Any time, thats why we're here. Luna

BTW, his name is Mission

 

Thats the one =)

 

I was looking at the Reef Keeper Elite, but it doesn't currently have web access/control. According to the manufacturer, that is coming soon.

-Clayton

 

awwe jeeze i better get out of this thread before i start looking into buying one of these

 

UPDATE (I don't suggest buying this.)

Ok, I'm trying to get an RMA number for this Biomatix. So far mine has been defective and annoying. I placed an order for an Aquacontroller 3 Pro in the meantime.
I did have some fun with the Biomatix eAquatix this weekend (depsite all it's flaws). I wrote some fancy scripts on my linux box to parse the web server page every minute to download temperature, pH, and powerhead states, light states, etc. The script creates a data file and generates plots (and my forum signature) based on that data. The real-time plots can be seen here: Workman Reef : Reef Tank Trend Charts. Remember though, this functionality is not there unless you have the know how to write these scripts and set them up properly on a linux system. (If anyone decides to buy this unit despite what I have to say below, I can share these scripts if interested.)
Ok here is the rundown of my complaints and suggestions with this system:


Suggestions for Biomatix eAquatix

• Need more flexibility
• Needs a scripting language similar to aquacontroller
• Ability to have a timer on any outlet
  • There are 4 available outlets to be defined as lights. Each one of these has an off time and an on time. That’s it.
  • There are 4 available outlets to be defined as powerheads, these can also be timed with on/off events.
  • No other outlets can be turned on/off by time.
• Ability to have multiple conditions trigger certain events
• Need data viewing/export from web server in box.
• Ability to telnet or ftp into box for further customization. (I noticed that there is an ftp server on the unit, but can’t get into it without a login/password.)
• Ability to turn on and off devices on front page of web interface (unless the outlet is LOCKED on the outlet screen – currently, I’m not sure what lock/unlock does.) The buttons on the web server’s front page do not do anything.
• Password protection on both the web server and the unit front screen of the unit for goodness sake (especially the web server!!)

Bugs

• I did a power out test with everything setup. Before the test, the auto-topoff was working correctly. (When the float went to the low position, top off water was pumped from a resoirver into the sump.) After the power out test, I turned the power back on and the auto top-off pump turned on and remained on despite the fact that the float valve was in the high position. I could only replicate it once, but it makes me nervous to use this feature unless I can determine the exact cause.
• The web server has locked up on me today (the day after setting it up 10/24. I am at work so I do not know if the unit is operating normally or if the whole thing has locked up. (I hope for the sake of my tank that it is working normally.) UPDATE – the unit was working, but needed a reboot to ge the web server back up.
• This could be considered a suggestion, but is more a bug because of how serious it is. If I port forward http requests to the controller through my router, then anyone can get into the box and turn stuff on/off over the internet. This needs to be password protected!!!
• Gauges on web server screen are incorrect (do not show the right temperature/pH – the number are correct, though.)
• Today (10/27), I woke to see that my Actinics never shutoff last night (I went to bed early.) The unit was showing that the outlet should be off, so the controller was working OK. However, the blue LED on the outlet was off as well indicating that it should have been off. However, the actinic were ON. I moved them to another outlet so that they would work correctly. (The relay on that outlet must have gone bad.)

Other Complaints

• The web server is SLOOOW.
• The construction has a hand-made in the garage feel to it. There were fingerprints on one of the power units and dust all over the DC power adaptor.
• The package was supposed to include a conductivity meter, but didn’t. It contained a second temperature probe anyway. Richard at saltysupply.com (through whom I bought this unit) contacted Biomatix and was told that they were out of the conductivity probes so they threw in the second temperature probe. POOOR business if you ask me. You can’t just make substitutions like that. Richard was told that the conductivity probe would be sent to me in about 2-3 weeks. (Not if I can RMA this thing first!)
• There was no manual included in the box – only a sheet showing where connections should be made. A pdf manual is online, but doesn’t contain all of the information necessary.
• No information at all about the advertised eReports and eMonitoring (supposed to be free for 3 months.) I have no idea how to get this.
• Several inquiries about some of these items were communicated directly to Biomatix last week both by email and by phone. Emails haven’t been answered. The phone call led to answering machine which also hasn’t been answered.

That's all. If anyone has any further questions, please ask away. Now I just can't wait to get the AquaController 3 Pro in my hands. It's not as pretty as the Biomatix, but the nerd in me is gonna love that scripting and flexibility the unit provides!

 

Just in, Chris Reichard of Biomatix just contacted me by email when he found out I was planning to RMA the unit to find out if there was anything he could do.

I just wanted to update to reflect that I was contacted by Biomatix. (Too little, too late, though.)