I picked this tip up on Gary Parr and Christine Williams’ ReefThreads #90 podcast. Their tip for managing multiple pieces of equipment on a reef tank is to use a DJ rack mount power switcher.

Christine pointed me to a very nice backlit 8-rocker switch unit on Amazon: an American Dj Pc-100A Rack Mount Power Switcher.

This unit has the following features:

• 8 lighted switches on front panel
• 15A resetable circuit breaker on front panel
• Eight 120V, 3-prong plug sockets on rear of the unit
• Ideal for switching lights and sound equipment
• 6 ft. power cord
• Maximum load: 15 amps or 1800 watts
• Dimensions: 19″ x 2″ x 5″ – single space rm
• Weight: 4 lbs.
• 120V operation

Plug this power switcher into a GFCI outlet with the mandatory drip loop and then plug in your equipment into the back of the unit. Label each switch with a short name for the piece of equipment that is plugged into it and you are set.

Now you can easily switch ON/OFF equipment for feeding, maintenance, etc and the back-lit switch will tell you at a glance if you have forgotten to turn equipment back on after maintenance.

This unit sells for $31 on Amazon.com and is definitely worth considering for your tank.