Aquarium controller questions? Old Apex Or New Apex? What’s the differences?

[Bobby105]

Hi everyone,

I have a tank to setup at some point. I’m uk based so some options might not be available here.

I have an alkatronic to run it and would like to have a controller.

I don’t want to spend loads of money initially though on this tank as I’m going to set it up from scratch again with dry rock etc so it won’t have any sps in for a while.

I like the look of hydros controllers but can’t see them coming to the uk for a while and not sure if their as programmable as the apex?

The next best option that could be picked up easily used to start me off would be an apex but I’m not sure which type would be best for me.

All I initially want It to do is turn a skimmer of and on in respect to ph level, alert of some issues like temperature and give me a ph reading and take alk readings from the alkatronic.

Is there an older apex that I can use for this and then upgrade to a newer version after a couple of years. What are the last 3 - 4 models of apex that have been released and if I went for an older model how long could I exspect it to be supported for and also what’s some common issues with the older/newer models as I heard of an issue with the power bars but can’t remember if it was an older power bar or newer model?

Future possibilities would be automatic water changes, using it to run a calcium reactor in respect to ph and adding other alert features to alert for leaks and flow etc.

The main features I’m after is the ph monitoring and turning skimmer on and off in respect to ph and then taking my all readings from the alkatronic.

I know it’s quite a debatable subject but I will be dosing kalkwasser and balancing my ph which is why I want to have a controller to make this easier.

I don’t like the look of Ghl because it seems to be about the same cost used as a used apex. I like the look of apex for being able to write my own code similar to an arduino as I will likely find this easier to be honest and just feel like their is more control.

But do I need the newest apex or even any of the higher end controllers to do what I want?

I’m not sure which apex is which and what is the difference with the older style energy bars compared to new?

Would I have issues just turning a skimmer on and off with the older energy bar? Could it be trusted to turn a manual dosing pump on and off for a calcium reactor?

If I go for apex what apex would be best/cheapest that I could use for a few years and then swap it all out for a newer model without having support issues?

I do use smart sockets on my current tank and like to use Alexa to turn my pumps off when I feed the tank so will keep doing that out of convinience unless I can somehow connect Alexa to apex or another controller.

I dont think I want the hassle of building my own controller with a raspberry pie or even using reef pi and wouldn’t like to wire any relays etc due to the fire/insurance risk so if I did use a diy raspberry pi option would prefer to use off the shelf smart plugs/sockets.

What’s everyone’s opinions on what would be the best fit and if their are other options I might not have looked into?

Thanks in advance

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

So short comparison here:
The Apex 2016 will meet all of your needs (think of this as the previous gen)

The current Apex A3 split out into 3 models of which you would not want the Apex Jr as it can only monitor, so you would either want the Apex or the Apex Pro. They have different inputs but the same control abilities and yes you can upgrade from the base to the pro later if you want.

I use my Apex to control my Calcium Reactor so yes it is trustworthy for that.

The newer head units can work both the EB832 and EB8 energy bars so no difference there (mine has one of each on it right now).

 

[Bobby105]

So short comparison here:
The Apex 2016 will meet all of your needs (think of this as the previous gen)

The current Apex A3 split out into 3 models of which you would not want the Apex Jr as it can only monitor, so you would either want the Apex or the Apex Pro. They have different inputs but the same control abilities and yes you can upgrade from the base to the pro later if you want.

I use my Apex to control my Calcium Reactor so yes it is trustworthy for that.

The newer head units can work both the EB832 and EB8 energy bars so no difference there (mine has one of each on it right now).

Brilliant thanks for the reply on this. I think what I’ll do is get the 2016 one for now unless a newer model comes up for sale for cheap. Does the 2016 energy bar have 2 controllable sockets and then the others are just always on?

Also are the apex dosing pumps compatible with the new a3 brains and 2016 brains and can things like the newer flow meters and level sensors be used with both?

What year would the apex a2 el be is that the last one before the newest a3 models?

I think my best bet is to just get the 2016 model used to start me off and if I end up adding a calcium reactor get a brand new newest model at that point in time so I know the probes can be trusted for more important/riskier tasks like dosing to a calcium reactor based on ph level etc.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

Brilliant thanks for the reply on this. I think what I’ll do is get the 2016 one for now unless a newer model comes up for sale for cheap. Does the 2016 energy bar have 2 controllable sockets and then the others are just always on?

Also are the apex dosing pumps compatible with the new a3 brains and 2016 brains and can things like the newer flow meters and level sensors be used with both?

What year would the apex a2 el be is that the last one before the newest a3 models?

I think my best bet is to just get the 2016 model used to start me off and if I end up adding a calcium reactor get a brand new newest model at that point in time so I know the probes can be trusted for more important/riskier tasks like dosing to a calcium reactor based on ph level etc.

The EL is the last one before the A3 models came out.

The EB832 has:
8 controllable outlets
3 Aquabus ports
2 1-Link ports

Hence 832, all the modules work with the 2016 and the newer A3.

 

[Bobby105]

The EL is the last one before the A3 models came out.

The EB832 has:
8 controllable outlets
3 Aquabus ports
2 1-Link ports

Hence 832, all the modules work with the 2016 and the newer A3.

Thanks for all the help on this and apology for the delay not been on here for a while.

Still shopping round for an apex as their a bit more difficult to get used over here in the uk.

There are a few options available to me at the moment. I think ultimately the cheapest easiest option to start me off would be the apex 2016 as that gets me nearer to the current style of base unit rather than the classic type and then as I need more features could always swap it out for a brand new a3 model and energy bar or whatever is out at that time.


So there are 3 2016 base models available currently with some extras for some of them which is a bonus. 1 doesn’t seem best looked after and another seems like the probes might be quite old but the other seems good at least as a starter.

But then there is another with vague info for sale used. They got it with a tank breakdown. All the newer models come with the 632 energy bars over here no matter if you go for the a3 pro or normal a3 so this one comes with the 632 energy bar and apparently it’s only a few months old and probes still wet so not really any risk of probes needing to be replaced. But they don’t know the model of the base unit so I have asked what the label says and they have said the label says “apexnd” so would that mean it’s the 2016 apex base unit with a newer 632 energy bar? Just not sure as wouldn’t the a3 model say “apexa3” on the label?

And also as a side note is the 632 energy bar the same as the 2016 energy bar 6 just in a different casing essentially or does it get 6 controllable outlets and the aqua bus ports etc like a smaller 832?