Apex worth it?

[ChrisfromBrick]

I am toying with the idea of getting the apex pro bundle. Is this worth it? I want it primarily (right now) to control my quanta bars dimming and have a backup for my heaters on the inkbird. I also like having alerts or checking thing’s whilst at work.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/apex...=14816&indexName=brs_prod_m2_default_products
Is this a good starting point base in case i decide to expand apex stuff like sowers and such?

 

[lapin]

It’s a great starting point for monitoring and automation. Maybe a total solution depending on your needs.

 

[rtparty]

I’ve had great success with all my Apex stuff over the last 10+ years

 

[tsharpe291]

nows the time to buy, good deals

 

[Utubereefer]

I love my apex. I don’t have the pro. I do have the trident and the Ecotech module.
It is really easy to use once you get it set up and the automatic water testing is a game changer for me.

 

[HARDY CORALS]

I am toying with the idea of getting the apex pro bundle. Is this worth it? I want it primarily (right now) to control my quanta bars dimming and have a backup for my heaters on the inkbird. I also like having alerts or checking thing’s whilst at work.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/apex...=14816&indexName=brs_prod_m2_default_products
Is this a good starting point base in case i decide to expand apex stuff like sowers and such?

I have been thinking about this exact subject lately. I think it is your answer to help monitor from work! 20% off seems like a deal too. Maybe enough of a deal to push us in the right direction? haha Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Reefer Matt]

When it works, it’s worth every penny, imo. So far I’m not impressed with the longevity and reliability of it though. My A2 Apex EL only lasted three years before it got bricked, and my 1 1/2 year old A3 is starting to completely lose control over everything until I reboot it and disconnect/reconnect everything. I wish it had the redundancy of Hydros where every module has a controller in it. You truly have all your eggs in one basket if you run everything off of it like I do. (Four tanks).

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

When it works, it’s worth every penny, imo. So far I’m not impressed with the longevity and reliability of it though. My A2 Apex EL only lasted three years before it got bricked, and my 1 1/2 year old A3 is starting to completely lose control over everything until I reboot it and disconnect/reconnect everything. I wish it had the redundancy of Hydros where every module has a controller in it. You truly have all your eggs in one basket if you run everything off of it like I do. (Four tanks).

so would it be better to get a hydros? It is only for 1 100g tank.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I have been thinking about this exact subject lately. I think it is your answer to help monitor from work! 20% off seems like a deal too. Maybe enough of a deal to push us in the right direction? haha Happy Thanksgiving!

You too! I agree, if I do this, it has to be quick.
I

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I love my apex. I don’t have the pro. I do have the trident and the Ecotech module.
It is really easy to use once you get it set up and the automatic water testing is a game changer for me.

Is it relatively easy to set up? Mount the plugs, download the app, and plug your lights heaters etc in?

 

[Reefer Matt]

so would it be better to get a hydros? It is only for 1 100g tank.

Idk, never owned one.

 

[Utubereefer]

Set up isn’t bad. Just follow the instructions online. There’s no paper manuals. Everything is online. You can go on Neptune systems .com now and check it out. If you have a pc set up on your network it’s super easy.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

thank you everyone

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

is it easy for example to plug in my 3 quanta plugs into the energy bar and simply program my bars for on/off, and dim schedule?

 

[SpyC]

so would it be better to get a hydros? It is only for 1 100g tank.

I switched from apex to hydros about 7 months ago. In 2 years I had the apex brain die on me twice (once form an update) and the sd card corrupted once. I got the brain replaced each time after some general support. Nothing too crazy, but the sd card took weeks. Two months later the wifi card failed. I also had to replace two optical sensors and the pmup for the ATO. My EB832 also started having issues with heat. All within 2 years. This was too many failures for me to trust the apex.

With these failures, I wanted redundancy of the system I intrust to keep the creatures I care for alive. Hydros has its own issues. Everything is hosted on the cloud which means if hydros/coralvue goes under or decides to shut down the servers the hydros is bricked. Unlike apex, you are somewhat stuck in buying modules that may have features you don’t need. The redundancy also increases the cost of each module. The hydros is more of an iOS experience where you have a large number of programming options, but you are locked into how things work. With apex you are not if you use the advance mode to ‘program’ actions. I believe hydros modules are also water resistant which is a nice bonus.

Hydros is also slow with releasing some products, which really irks myself and others. If your phone or other mobile device auto-updates your apps, you may be forced to update your hydros when not home if you want to be able to see what is going on and act on anything. That said, you should never install an update on the hydros when not in from of the unit in case there is an issue.

Honestly, they both have their pros and cons and it depends on what you value most.

 

[SpyC]

is it easy for example to plug in my 3 quanta plugs into the energy bar and simply program my bars for on/off, and dim schedule?

Yes, you can do simple things like that or use advanced mode as you become more familiar with the system.

 

[Sam7]

NO not worth it

 

[fandaga]

I love the two (regular and pro) that I have fwiw. My biggest problem was connection would drop every couple weeks and need to be reset manually. But I think I fixed that by having backup WiFi for both. I have quite a lot of apex modules too (4 DOS, 2 Tridents, 1 APK, 3 LLS, 2 MXM controlling echotech products) and so far have only had one LLS die. Neptune did replace the pro when I first purchased it because I had issues with LLS connections that they couldn’t fix. I finally pulled the trigger on the Trident NP over Black Friday and am hopeful that it’s robust now.

I probably would have tried Hydros for my 2nd tank if the Maven was out and worked well, but I like the trident monitoring too much to give that up.