Reliable temperature control is one of the most difficult things to accomplish in an aquarium. Not because heating or chilling your aquarium is exceptionally hard, in fact, that is quite easy. It's because the equipment we rely upon to maintain the temperatures are under heavy use and prone to fail, specifically aquarium heaters and temperature controllers.

No matter what kind of heater or controller you choose to use, it will eventually fail and there really is no way to predict when that may be. If water temperatures are out of line for even just a few hours, the corals and fish will stress and if the problem gets too bad, the tank will crash.  Heaters are the #1 cause of equipment-related aquarium crashes.

Quality Construction

Needless to say, temperature control equipment is no place to skimp on quality, and having redundant monitoring solutions is a must. Enter the Aqua Logic Digital Temperature Controllers which are no-frills, industrial-grade temperature controllers that are compatible with both heaters and chillers. They are not the sleekest looking pieces of automation equipment but make up for that with quality and performance.

  • Titanium temperature probe
  • Robust 40" long power cables
  • Weatherproof, water-tight housing
  • Industrial-grade electronics
  • Built-in memory
  • Easy setup via digital LCD display and a push-button control
  • Keypad lock function to avoid accidental changes to control settings

There are two different models to choose from, a single-stage and dual-stage which refers to the capability of the controller in terms of heating, chilling, or both.  Both units share the same specifications with the only difference being the addition of a second female power plug on the dual-stage unit so it can accept both your heater and chiller. 

Specifications:

  • Maximum wattage: 1000 watts / 9.8 Amps
  • Safe to control chillers up to 1/2 HP and/or 600-800 watt heaters
  • Temperature Range: -30° to 220°F
  • Differential Range: -1° to 30°F 
  • Can be set to measure Celsius or Fahrenheit

Reliable Performance

There is some major benefit to having a separate temperature controller, especially something of exceptional quality. You can use this controller as your primary temperature control device so it will physically switch your heating elements and/or chiller on and off as necessary each and every day. It should be noted that this constant on/off cycle of a temperature controller is what actually creates the most common failures, the relay or switches are under heavy use and eventually go bad. Exactly why a preventative replacement and keeping a backup is recommended, especially if you're using inexpensive aquarium heaters.  

Alternatively, you can set this up as redundant protection to cut power if temperatures rise to dangerous levels. For example, set your heater to 78°F using the native thermostat and plug it into the Aqua Logic Controller. Set the Aqua Logic Temp Controller a little higher at 80° F so in the event your heater sticks ON and overheats the water to 80° F, it will step in and cut the power. You will then get a much longer lifespan out of the Aqua Logic Temp. Controller because it's not constantly switching and you can just replace the heaters on a regular schedule before their native thermostats fail on you.