APEXEL VS APEX

reefin_with_the_fam · Mar 4, 2020

Hey all. I want to invest in the apex for some piece of mind, and I am wondering if the full blown apex is really worth the extra money vs the EL?

I see the main difference is no salinity probe which I do not see to be an issue for my tank with my ATO and limited reservoir. I also see a lot of mixed reviews on the accuracy of the salinity probe?

I do not need an ORP probe either.

Nor do I need the 0-10v currently.

Besides that is it a really wise investment as well?

Jeff Jarry reef · Mar 4, 2020

brians_reefing_world said:
Hey all. I want to invest in the apex for some piece of mind, and I am wondering if the full blown apex is really worth the extra money vs the EL?

I see the main difference is no salinity probe which I do not see to be an issue for my tank with my ATO and limited reservoir. I also see a lot of mixed reviews on the accuracy of the salinity probe?

I do not need an ORP probe either.

Nor do I need the 0-10v currently.

Besides that is it a really wise investment as well?

XL is all you need that what I'm using. For me it's perfect.

vetteguy53081 · Mar 4, 2020

Unless you are expanding majorly in fashion, EL is adequate

reefin_with_the_fam · Mar 4, 2020

Does the EL support the DOS and Trident?

Jeff Jarry reef · Mar 4, 2020

brians_reefing_world said:
Does the EL support the DOS and Trident?

Yes sir it does.

Jeff Jarry reef · Mar 4, 2020

brians_reefing_world said:
Hey all. I want to invest in the apex for some piece of mind, and I am wondering if the full blown apex is really worth the extra money vs the EL?

I see the main difference is no salinity probe which I do not see to be an issue for my tank with my ATO and limited reservoir. I also see a lot of mixed reviews on the accuracy of the salinity probe?

I do not need an ORP probe either.

Nor do I need the 0-10v currently.

Besides that is it a really wise investment as well?

Yes salinity probes have my issue. but I check mine with my Milwaukee no big deal for me.

Jeff Jarry reef · Mar 4, 2020

My XL has saved my tank twice when I was out of town. I believe is a great investment for a reef tank

Nburg's Reef · Mar 4, 2020

The three things you mentioned are the only difference, so all other platforms are supporting and you can even upgrade the EL to support salinity, ORP and 0-10v via breakout boxes. It will end up costing more the standard version if you wanted those things, but it sounds like you don't need them.

I bought the EL and am very happy.

reefin_with_the_fam · Mar 4, 2020

Jeff Jarry reef said:
My XL has saved my tank twice when I was out of town. I believe is a great investment for a reef tank

Would you mind expanding on HOW it saved your tank exactly? I see people saying that but I've never heard exactly how.

Miller535 · Mar 4, 2020

brians_reefing_world said:
Hey all. I want to invest in the apex for some piece of mind, and I am wondering if the full blown apex is really worth the extra money vs the EL?

I see the main difference is no salinity probe which I do not see to be an issue for my tank with my ATO and limited reservoir. I also see a lot of mixed reviews on the accuracy of the salinity probe?

I do not need an ORP probe either.

Nor do I need the 0-10v currently.

Besides that is it a really wise investment as well?

I personally like the Salinity probe. Most of the people who have issues with it have it placed in the wrong area of their sump or didn't follow the calibration procedure correctly. Mine is super close. I measure 1.025 (33.3) with my refractometer and apex measures between 33.3-33.4.

Jeff Jarry reef · Mar 4, 2020

brians_reefing_world said:
Would you mind expanding on HOW it saved your tank exactly? I see people saying that but I've never heard exactly how.

Some how one of heaters got turned off. And i was alerted and i cut it back on i was 6 hours away. And pump wasnt working properly and it alerted me. Its great

Jeff Jarry reef · Mar 4, 2020

Miller535 said:
I personally like the Salinity probe. Most of the people who have issues with it have it placed in the wrong area of their sump or didn't follow the calibration procedure correctly. Mine is super close. I measure 1.025 (33.3) with my refractometer and apex measures between 33.3-33.4.

I agree but mine was doing fine for awhile and went down will. It wouldn't even start cal. When it was dry they do go bad. And yes some people aren't cal. Right.

Nburg's Reef · Mar 4, 2020

It can 'save' a tank with alarms. It monitors power consumption on each plug and it can be setup to alert you if a device has higher or lower than normal power consumption. I have had it alert when my skimmer pump usage spiked, then later went to zero, which alerted me that something was wrong with it. it can also do the obvious alerts like temp, pH, etc.

TheRedBeardedReefer · Mar 4, 2020

I picked up the brs edition of the El and within three weeks added a trident, 2 powerBar, salinity and orp modules and 3 Dos pumps. Entry level only describes the starting point, it is fully expandable. I can't believe I didn't buy one of these years ago....

Marc88 · Mar 4, 2020

I wouldn't let anyone upsell you on the more expensive APEX. I have the full apex and do find the ORP and salinity probe useless. I then to disregard the ORP reading completely. That keeps me for chasing numbers. On my last tank, I could not get the salinity reading to read correctly.

I just upgraded to the Red Sea and no longer have the same issue with salinity. I would defiantly agree. Most people who have problems with a salinity probe have it placed in the wrong spot, just like I did. Even so, I never had significant fluctuations in the actual salinity of the tank, despite what the probe read. That's where the useless aspect for me comes in.

The Apex overall is outstanding. And if you want to expand later, you can. You won't regret getting either version. You know what you want/need. I would go with that.

link81 · Mar 4, 2020

everything that the full apex has, can be added to the EL (or BRS) with a module.
If you buy the EL and all the modules to make it a full apex, you're spending more money up front, but if you buy the EL, and decide in a year that you want to add salinity, or ORP, it allows you to either save money, or spread the cost out a bit.

Personally i have the classic with a bunch of modules. it does everything i would be doing the the wifi apex. (If i ever add a trident, i will need to upgrade the brain)

DesertReefT4r · Mar 6, 2020

Hoping to upgrade from my Reef Keeper Lite soon to an Apex. The EL is what I will be going with since I wont need the extra functions of the full Apex. I may add the 0-10v module later on to control powerheads. My Reef Keeper does all I need it to except for 1 main thing, send me a message or email if something goes wrong. 80% of the time Im not home when an alarm goes off so there is nothing I can do and am also totally unaware if there is an issue unless my wife calls me. Another factor for wanting to upgrade is Digital Aquatics is no longer in existence.