Very nice looking and feature rich unit for a tad more than $300. Obviously its for herps and not fish but im surprised
that its so much cheaper than comparable marine units. The networking and remote access features really set this
unit apart. It also mentions SMS capabilities(text messaging) but i didnt see much about it in the literature(which i only
scanned through). It also has had built in light dimming control for realistic photo periods. I know that Icecap ballasts have
a potentiometer and connection on their 660 ballast but would not know where to begin maknig the two devices talk to one
another but im willing to bet its possible. Perhaps the greatest part about this unit is the temperature probes using a Cat3 interface.
We use the same probes at work and you can literally make these things for only a dollar or two at any length you might need.
Granted that these probes wont be sitting in saltwalter anytime soon! Ive got the poison dart frog closet more than half way
done and might look into this unit a little bit more if i feel it can make my life easy enough to warrant spending that much money.
Interesting. I saw that Digital Aquatics who make the ReefKeepers had one of these as well.
Has anyone seen more information on dimming T5HO bulbs with a 660 ballast? Reason I ask is I know I’ve heard many people say it shortens the life of the bulb. If we’re talking by a month then I think it may be worth it. If the PAR ratings drop 4 months early that would be a bit much. I’m sure it depends on how much and how often you dim them. I’ve never heard of anyone playing with any cloud cover effects or dimming a single actinic bulb down to make it a moon light, but if you could do all that and only lose a couple weeks in high PAR, I’m sure it would be the new wave and everyone would be doing it.