Red Sea Announces New ReefControl & ReefSense
Over the last few years, Red Sea has been consistently adding to their impressive lineup of smart aquarium gear. From high-end aquariums themselves to lighting, filtration, and flow, if there's a piece of equipment you need for your tank, Red Sea likely has a solution. One thing Red Sea has been lacking though is a centralized controller capable of monitoring your aquarium. All of that will change in 2026 as they've announced the ReefControl lineup of aquarium controllers along with all-new ReefSense probes and sensors.
The Controllers
ReefControl will be offered in two models: ReefControl Lite and ReefControl Pro, with the Pro version also being available in a Pro Deluxe Kit. Both versions will offer compatibility with ReefSense probes/sensors, 12V support (for ATO pump, cooling fan, etc), and be able to connect to a ReefControl Power device (more on that later). They mention using the 12V port for a cooling fan in several of their announcement videos, which makes me wonder if a plug-and-play "ReefFan" is going to make an appearance in the near future.
ReefControl Lite
ReefControl Pro
ReefControl Pro – Deluxe KitReefControl Lite
As the name suggests, this will be Red Sea's entry-level control system. It'll be compatible with up to 2 ReefSense probes or sensors and come with a pH probe with built-in temperature monitoring as well as a probe holder. The main control unit also has two additional ports, one for 12V devices, and another for connection to their new ReefControl Power smart power center.
ReefControl Pro
ReefControl Pro will serve as Red Sea's flagship controller offering support for 4 ReefSense probes or sensors (with the ability to expand to 7), two 12V ports, and a connection for ReefControl Power. Like the Lite version, the Pro will also come with a pH probe with built-in temperature monitoring and a probe holder for it.
ReefControl Pro - Deluxe Kit
The Pro Deluxe Kit is where many of us have our eyes right now. This system utilizes the Pro controller and comes with three ReefSense probes and one sensor. The probes include: pH/Temperature, salinity/Temperature, and ORP. The sensor is a leak detector, which will look familiar to those running a ReefATO+ auto top off system.
ReefBeat App
ReefControl will use the familiar ReefBeat App interface for monitoring and logging information from ReefControl devices. No matter how good the hardware, a bad App can be the downfall of any smart product. The good news is that Red Sea has been tuning and developing their ReefBeat App for several years now with their other smart devices, so I don't expect any issues for the ReefControl family of devices.
In the App, you'll have access to all of your connected Red Sea devices like ReefLED, ReefMat, ReefRun, and of course ReefControl and ReefControl Power.
Inside the ReefControl tile, you'll have access to several different pages where you can view your probes' current readings, calibrate probes, connect to probes remotely via Bluetooth, view parameter logs, set up notifications and automations, and more.
ReefSense Probes, Sensors, and Modules
One of the first things I noticed when digging through the announcement info was how Red Sea handled probe connectivity for their new controller. Their ReefSense probes and sensors can be connected to any available port. This is different from the controllers on the market currently that have dedicated ports for specific probes. It wouldn't be shocking to see Red Sea release additional sensors in the future, so this is a smart move to future-proof the system for users.
At launch, we expect 4 probes, 1 sensor, and 1 module to be available.
Probes
- pH & Temperature: As the name suggests, this probe gives you live pH and temp readings with alerts and logs. With ReefControl Power you can set up automation based on the results.
- Salinity & Temperature: Salinity is temperature-compensated and can be shown in PSU (ppt), mS, or SG, with a claimed accuracy of +/- 1%. Temperature readings are said to be accurate within 0.05 degrees Celsius (~0.1 degrees F).
- ORP: ORP readings are said to be accurate to 30 mV with precision of 1 mV.
- Temperature: ReefSense Temperature Probe is listed to be accurate to 0.1 degrees Celsius (roughly 0.2 degrees F).
Using Probes Remotely
This is an interesting quality-of-life feature that we haven't seen from aquarium controllers in the past. All of the ReefControl probes mentioned previously can be used without being plugged into the ReefControl system, but rather, connected wirelessly to the ReefBeat App via Bluetooth.
I can see this being very useful for calibrating your probes without having to crouch under your stand and navigate a crowded sump. Red Sea suggests using this feature to measure the salinity, pH, and temperature of freshly mixed saltwater, but I'm not convinced this will be overly practical or convenient. But for those who do want to use that feature, the ReefBeat app will NOT log any of those readings, which means it won't affect the trend data from your actual aquarium.
One thing to note: the probes will need to be powered via a USB-C cable, so while the connectivity is completely wireless, the probe itself isn't.
ReefControl Power
ReefControl Power is a smart power bar system where you can plug in both Red Sea and non-Red Sea devices and integrate them into your automation routine and redundancy plan. Non-Red Sea devices would only have on/off control in the App, which is to be expected.
It will be available in two versions: ReefControl Power and ReefControl Power Deluxe. The deluxe version comes with a dedicated control panel with backlit on/off buttons for each outlet as well as a single button to toggle power to all outlets at once. The US version will feature 8 individually controllable outlets.
ReefControl Power has built-in power monitoring that lets you see exactly how much electricity each of your devices is using. With my current aquarium controller, I find power monitoring useful for not only quickly checking if a device is working as expected, but also for troubleshooting issues by looking at the past power monitoring logs.
What Makes ReefControl Power Unique?
Unlike some of the other options out there, ReefControl Power is a stand-alone power system that doesn't necessarily require the main ReefControl controller -- but I think most reefers will find the most value when running them together.
It has the ability to plug directly into a temperature probe, giving you the ability to control a heater and provide a reliable backup plan if your heater were to malfunction and get stuck on.
A second port is available for an optional grounding probe. I don't expect many reef keepers to utilize it, but it's nice to have the option nonetheless.
Reading through some of Red Sea's responses to comments on their YouTube channel, it seems that you'll be able to connect up to 2 ReefControl Power devices to your ReefBeat system, while the ReefControl controllers themselves can have one power strip physically connected. They note that control of outlets via sensors is only allowed if the sensor and power strip are physically connected. This makes sense, as it provides protection if there were to be an internet outage or other network issues.
Expected Release Date
As of the writing of this post, Red Sea is expecting to launch ReefControl, ReefControl Power, and all of the related accessories in early 2026.
In the meantime, check out some of Red Sea's other ReefBeat compatible smart devices!
Adam has been reef keeping since 2010 and got his start on the Bulk Reef Supply Customer Service team. He believes the best tanks are built around what you enjoy, not what’s trending. Adam is especially interested in simplifying the hobby, exploring the latest gear, and helping others focus on long-term success over chasing perfection.
Login and Registration Form