So im wanting to get a tank with some beginner soft corals like mushroom, xenia, and frogspawn. This is my first sw tank. I'm looking at the apex controller because it seems to be the king of the market. It's a 40 gallon aquarium and I may eventually want to add some more difficult corals, depending on how i progress. I'll need to get an ato since I leave home often for 2 days or so a week to go skiing. My problem is I don't wanna come home to see that my ato was stock in the "on" position and i have 20g of water on the floor. This is why I want an aquarium controller mainly. I ofc would also use it to check whatever probes it comes with eg salinity, temp, ph. Whatever it comes with by default. I would also use it to control lights and such. Maybe auto dosing if I ended up getting some corals or such that required dosing, although I plan to use reef crystals. So anyway I'm wondering what package I should get, what some cheaper alternatives are in case i can't fit an apex in my budget, how the apex would prevent the ato from topping off my floor, and if an apex jr or such may work
Aquarium controllers
- Thread starter Shrimplets
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Hitman
Reefing One Day @ A Time!!!
I love my Apex, but it’s not a 100% fail safe. It’s a electronic device that could and they have fail just like everything else can. The benefit of a Apex is it can notify you of a issue and you may be able to fix it right off your phone in the app. Well if you travel and you have no cell service or you don’t check your phone for hours guess what the issue still happened just like it would without it. The only issue with buying say the Apex Jr is some of the newer modules coming out I think will not work on the older version. Personally I would recommend you look at the Apex EL it’s a great starter set up and generally during Black Friday they have a great price!
Jay Z
Valuable Member
As with any controller, never hurts to add a wye camera over looking the system. That way if something does say its acting up, you can visually see it when away. If its the ato, you could shut it off and turn it back on once a day manually to refill for example. Or set it to have power 5 minutes 3-4 times a day. So you can manipulate some automation to feel safer.
Take a look at GHL profilux too. For ATO - there is a i inbuild safety process - if the ato have been active for x seconds - it turns off the socket and send an alarm. The x -> your own chose. Their system (from P3) is normally backwards compatible.
Sincerely Lasse
Sincerely Lasse
Shrimplets
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Thanks!
Shrimplets
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Thanks!
Shrimplets
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Ok i'll check the apex EL out. $500 is quite a bit of money, although I may still get the apex, are there any cheaper alternatives that still have wifi connection or no
Silver14SS
Valuable Member
ProfiLux Controller Sets – GHL USA
www.aquariumcomputer.com
Would a Mini WiFi fit your needs?
Shrimplets
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Preferably just something that will be capable of alerting me when im not home. I need it to be able to stop the ato if it gets stuck and shut it down if it doesProfiLux Controller Sets – GHL USA
Would a Mini WiFi fit your needs?
I have no experiences with the mini wifi but i have used profilux computers for many years. However - it looks like - for the moment - is no level control possibilities with the mini but they are developing an adapter for that. Mini has not the PAB bus and can´t use more than 4 sockets. The P4E is fully expandable - and would be my choice.
Sincerely Lasse
Sincerely Lasse
The Mini Wi-Fi also does not have alerts. Hopefully it's something they can add in the future to make it a real solid choice. I have one and like it, but that's a feature the controller really needs to have.
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