"Controllable Koralias" on a dimmer?

[Pneumatic]

I have two Koralia 3s. When I feed I would like to turn them down but not necessarily off because the food goes straight to the skimmer.

These are the new "Controllable"model so could I use a dimmer (such as an X-10) to reduce the power while I feed and at night? I know the Aqua Controller units do this but I don't really need all of the other stuff that they do at the moment. I would just like a cheap(ish) dimmer to do the job.

Any thoughts?

 

[Guest]

aquacontrollers can only turn up and down the flow of tunzes using a neptune systems aquasurf module. you can turn koralias off and on but not controll the flow

 

[Pneumatic]

The Koralia Controller says that it has:

"Adjustable flow rate fine-tunes water movement to satisfy the needs of your aquarium and its inhabitants. "

It also has:

"Night Mode - In this mode the pumps can be slowed down during the night. Resumes set speed during the day."

As I mentioned... These are the "Controllable" pumps so I would assume that means they are controllable. Does the Koralia Controller "turn koralias off and on but not controll the flow" somehow? Did I miss something?

I am just wondering if the Koralia Controller can do it, can anything else?

 

[Guest]

koralia controller unit and aquacontroller are like comparing apples to oranges. aquacontroller is used to control majority of your aquariums equipment ie calcium reactor, lights, ozone and auto topo off just to name a few. A koralia controler just controls wavemaking.

if you are looking to just control the koralias then an aquacontroller is too much for your needs

fyi the new aquatrica controller will have a module for the new koralias


copied this from rc about building a controller for the new koralias

"you can control these pumps buy designing a controller that can adjust the frequency of the 12V AC as well as the amplitude of this signal. If for example, you only control the frequency without controlling the amplitude, you'll change the designed motor-torque characteristics of the pump, ie, the change of the speed of the motor isn't linear to the change in frequency. Probably make the motor fail prematurely"

So i do not think a dimmer switch will work would be my guess but i am not an electrian....i just play one on tv

 

[Pneumatic]

@kuyatwo wrote:

I realize that. That's why I said in my first post, "I know the Aqua Controller units do this but I don't really need all of the other stuff that they do at the moment. ".

Surely someone has experimented with the NEW Koralia pumps. I have seen a dozen threads talking about it but they are all discussing the older models (as is the one quoted above). The NEW Koralia pumps are controllable so something is different.

Anyone?

 

[Guest]

unless you want to build a controller with radio shack parts you need to buy the koralia controller. as dimmer switches will not work on a motor as that is what you need to control..if you want me go into more detail why a light dimmer wont work i can.

 

[Pneumatic]

I would like to know. I am not necessarily talking about a light dimmer but a control like you would have for a ceiling fan. Really all I would need is a low setting for feeding time. Right now I unplug them or turn off the switch to all of the pumps. I am not opposed to buying the Koralia controller if it's all that will work I just don't want to spend $300 if I don't need to.

I have scoured the web looking for discussion on the topic but the threads I have found are all before the new version of the pump came out. This new version is marked "controllable" so I assumed that something changed. The new motors obviously don't have the same issues with controllers that the old ones had but I can't find what changed and/or how it could be utilized with other controller products.

They know me at Radio Shack so I could build one if needed.

 

[Guest]

when i get home i will post a thread from reefcentral maybe you can get some ideas on a diy controller

 

[Pneumatic]

Cool thanks! I tried to search there but I haven't registered yet. I guess I should go ahead and create an account.

Thanks again for the info. I appreciate it.

 

[DaveJ]

@Pneumatic wrote:

I think you'd also be running the risk of voiding your warranty... Koralias have a history of going out/bad and if you hook it up to anything other than their controller I would think they would be very unlikely to help you should you experience any problems.