apex or hydros

[jose hernandez]

which will be better apex controller or hydros as far as the hydros which would be best xp4 pro or launch dont need the wave engine as i have mp40s and can control via mobius as i do with my radions

 

[BrokenReefer]

Personal choice - you’ll get a wide range of opinions.

I went with Apex ecosystem, I like their products; for me it was more a function of what I was able to get at my local LFS. Nearly all of them support Apex/Neptune brand equipment so it was easy to get the parts and pieces I needed. I’m sure Hydros would have been a contender if I was able to touch/feel their stuff.

 

[jose hernandez]

I like the fact that hydros you don’t need a certain controller for most of the products as opposed to apex I want a trident and the new np bit new the controller to have either as the hydros maven is a stand alone

 

[Connor At CoralVue]

As my username suggests, I'm 100% biased with my answer that HYDROS is the way to go!

We are working hard to create a collective of controllers to automate any and all portions of your aquarium by creating a modular system, that is always expanding at the rate of the user. You can start with any of the HYDROS Controls and add on later with more, to get more ports, to add more sensors, to do more jobs!

EVERYTHING is color coded, you know what you are about to setup. Everything is labeled appropriately to make the installation experience as smooth as possible. The HYDROS user interface is similar to setting up a smartphone, with all dropdown menus and families of presets to do things like kalkwasser, ozone, heaters, lights, and so much more WITHOUT ANY CODING!

Expand your HYDROS Collective at your rate, as there are no frets in getting locked into a system by starting with a smaller HYDROS Control; you can always use another HYDROS to expand your "Collective"...what we call multiple HDYROS Controls working together in a neural net of safety. Multiple brains provide loads of redundancy. Also, because all HYDROS Controls have Command Bus Ports to transfer data between devices, NO HYDROS CONTROL WILL GO OBSOLETE, it will always have that connection to be part of the collective.

We build these ourselves, design, engineer, and do the software fully in house at our HQ in Slidell, Louisiana. We build them to last in a rough environment, with an IP65 splash-proof rating on most of our Controls (Not the Launch/XP8, because of the 120v outlets). We've seen other controllers go bad and take down a system; we didn't want that and we are doing everything in our power to make a dominant controller.

You can ask anyone at HYDROS and we will tell you that Customer Service and R&D are the #1 priorities. We've starting to reveal our cards recently with the announcement of the MAVEN, SOLE, XHO Light and the recent app update that polished it up even more! Always innovating, always available, please always feel free to reach out to our phone line, or support portal, or email, or facebook, or instagram for any questions you may have!

 

[AquaLogic]

Hydros is much better build quality. The APEX stuff is build with low grade plastic, and build like a toy. I'm not going to comment on `functionality, but if you handle both you can see how much better Hydros build quality is, if that matters to you.

 

[USMA36]

Im curious as to the build quality of the XP8. Has anyone done a tear down of one? What are the internal components like? It looks great from the outside, much better than the WiFi power strip or single outlets. Those seem to be the same as the cheap ones sold on Amazon and Ali express. I would never trust one of those with any life support functions, but could be very useful for ancillary things like cabinet lights and fans. I’m currently a long term Apex user considering jumping ship. For the most part apex has served me well but I’m over the garbage internals. I’ve had 2 eb832s die due to the cheap 12v psu crapping out after a power failure. Instead of spending pennies on that pretty important component they could have spent 5.00 for the meanwell and likely avoided 1000s of failures and most of their users losing faith in apex. I wish these companies would understand that saving money on production using garbage parts will only hurt them in the long run.

 

[Connor At CoralVue]

Im curious as to the build quality of the XP8. Has anyone done a tear down of one?

We don't have anything to hide, when we released the XP8, of course an accompanying CVtv video came with on YouTube.

At the 21 minute mark we actually take a board off the production line and show exactly what the internals are.

 

[USMA36]

We don't have anything to hide, when we released the XP8, of course an accompanying CVtv video came with on YouTube.

At the 21 minute mark we actually take a board off the production line and show exactly what the internals are.

Excellent. Thank you for posting that.

 

[BryanM]

which will be better apex controller or hydros as far as the hydros which would be best xp4 pro or launch dont need the wave engine as i have mp40s and can control via mobius as i do with my radions

So, I'm an apex user. It works just fine for me, and so far no failures.

That said, due to other threads and the fact that I also have a hyrdros wave engine, if I were to start today, I'd go down the hydros road. If for no other reason than this: Their customer support is excellent.

 

[reeflife3]

I'm a current apex user. Im planning a new tank build this year and going to move over to Hydro's, i only thing i wish HYdro's had is a DOSE like device that could be added to the collective for AUTO water changes

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

For the most part apex has served me well but I’m over the garbage internals. I’ve had 2 eb832s die due to the cheap 12v psu crapping out after a power failure. Instead of spending pennies on that pretty important component they could have spent 5.00 for the meanwell and likely avoided 1000s of failures and most of their users losing faith in apex. I wish these companies would understand that saving money on production using garbage parts will only hurt them in the long run

I definitely can't argue with anything you've said. I've repaired at least 20 12v psu's in the eb832 and upgraded them to the meanwell.

I'd probably be right there with you, jumping ship if I felt there was a competitive alternative. I've given hydros brand products a fair shake and can't get past the idea that everything about it has a high school class project feel to it. Although marketing and shills have done a good job convincing people this is a competitor to apex. I simply don't see see it.

Personally, if I were to abandoned my apex I would probably create my own with the hardware/software I feel would be more robust all the while making sure I avoid the cloud like the plague. But if my choice were to be commercial products, GHLs Profilux is a better alternative hands down.

As for neptune using antiquated pcb layouts and bargain barrel components, something worth considering is linking at the electronics found in their newer equipment (post PE buyout/merger) they're designing their circuits with the ecotech team. I would expect them to rework the eb832 design to fit with this eras processes. Even if they didn't, hydros had a lot of growing up to do before it can play with the big kids.

 

[dsh92056]

Just purchased the Hydros Launch, XP8, and Wave Engine V2. Slowly making the merge from my Apex into Hydros so far so good. Can't say if one is better than the other as of yet, but I can say hands down I have had way better customer support with Hydros then Neptune. Neptune forums is more helpful than Neptune support. After 1 dead EB8 and 2 dead Tridents I was over Neptune products. I do like their Cor-20 Return Pump and their Apex interface. Fingers crossed Hydros won't fail me.