BIG AND LOUD CONTROLLER COMPARISON THREAD

[Robthorn]

I have not read the whole thread yet but I have been with a brand I will not bash here too much but I have 3 controllers running and everyone has been sent back for a $75 to $150 repair charge in 2016. A total of 5 times in 16 between the 3 and one of them needs to be sent back again. I was also told on more than one occassion that my program was corrupt because it wouldn't reload on my replacement controllers using their directions. Turns out if you just use a better way of loading the program it works perfectly. Other times support has been great. Even though I really shouldn't have to call them. Oh wait, you can't just call them. Grrrrr
I ordered the Profilux 4 and after at least 15 years with one brand I am done. I need reliability. I need to not wake up at 3 in the morning with no pumps running except my over flowing skimmer and lights on full blast. I have way too much money invested to risk on a cheaply made controller. Possibly poorly sourced cheap components?
Ghl has the reputation of a reliable product. I am not as happy about the programming style change but it will do all the crazy stuff I can make my current controllers do.

 

[brogers]

@mdbannister - what might be helpful here might be to list off things the people see as critical features in an aquarium controller of today. Things that actually exist - not promised. Here are some things I know that people love about the Apex and see as critical: cloud based access of your aquarium on any device, easy to set up alerts by email, text, or iOS alert, smart accessories and products, the slew of pre-certified 3rd party Apex Ready devices, individual outlet power monitoring (watts) with alerts and function control based on it, tens of thousands of fellow Apex users to share information with, and Heartbeat (now in beta, set to release this week) - a way for you to know, when you are away from home, that your Apex has gone offline for any reason. Put some of these key features side by side with screenshots. It would be very helpful.

When will we hear about this new "heartbeat"?!

 

[PmRg]

Great discussion, at the moment I'm looking into an aquarium controller.

Been keeping my eye on the new Profilux 4... And that will be my choice. The built in ports and expansion possibility in the same compact device looks very good to me.

Also never seen any complains about anything regarding a profilux or a doser.

Pedro

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Is this even a question? Hands down, Neptune Apex is by far the best option when it comes to Aquarium Controllers.

Why? Please look at the rule in the first post. What makes Apex better than the rest in your opinion?

 

[Robthorn]

I have learned that anytime someone says hands down they are pretty much wrong. Lol
There is no hands down controller. Many situations different controllers are better for different people.

 

[d2mini]

Ghl has the reputation of a reliable product. I am not as happy about the programming style change but it will do all the crazy stuff I can make my current controllers do.

You will not be disappointed. And the programming style may be different but you will quickly get used to it. No more "if this, then that" craziness. lol
I'm going through a similar thing right now that i put a GHL Mitras led over my nano tank. The programming is a bit different than what Im used to with Radions, but the more I work with it, the more I like it, and the more I realize how powerful and full featured it is. Amazing.

Visually, I think you'll enjoy your clean stand.
Here's my setup. See the Profilx sitting on the shelf ? That's all there is! :D
Temp, pH, Redox, Salinty, Level Sensors for ATO and AWC, inputs for Tunze pumps, all on board. And still several open slots available for expansion cards if I ever need more.
The two big black power strips are the power bars, and the only extra module I have is that little thing above the Ecotech backup battery. It's for the Touch remote display/controls i have mounted around the corner from the display.

 

[ReefRocker]

@d2mini Wow, that is such a clean setup. I like!

Your photo just goes to show how clean and tidy you can make everything look with a ProfiLux controller. No mess of wires and no need for a dedicated controller board when you've got something so compact into one controller housing.

 

[johnlicht46]

This topic couldn't have come a a better time! I planing to get a controller with my tax return. But I still haven't decided on one. Although I keep coming back to the apex classic. I like all the "bells and whistles" it offers but I'm scared of the programming. I feel like everyone that posts about it says "it was a breeze to set up. Ps I moonlite as a computer programmer." Or "I have background in IT". I'm just a welder with a 9month old mixed reef tank... it's a simple setup but I have a vision for an elaborate, hi tech system... not really but I do have plans to upgrade. Idk if I keep coming back to apex because it's a huge name or what. But I hope this will help guide me.

 

[reef fish]

ok where do we start...................
i was long time user of apex with tons of issues and complaint and there customer service is horrific
once i herd the new apex was announced a rapidly went to bulk reef supply and did my per-order after waiting over 12 weeks of of no controller i cancel my per-order one of the biggest reasons why i canceled my pre-order was me thinking back how many issues a had with my apex just because i need model was going to be released it wasn't going to fix things maybe more issues were to come considering that any new product usually come with bugs so started to shop for a new controller looking at all the options from point a to z i received i call from a friend that he got the new apex even though i was looking for a new controller that not an apex i got in my car to see this controller and being open minded when i saw the controller it looked very nice but in this hobby we don't always look for something nice we want it be as tough as possible i felt i was grabbing some of my sons toys incredible a product that made here in the usa made with same quality material as kids toy ................

which then i got a ghl controller wow wow wow where to do start.........

so a lot of people say apex has a larger community absolutely right i give an example some people drive Nissan some people drive Mercedes-Benz
not going to lie its not cheap but they don't sacrifice price for quality just like any German product
this controller billet proof
support is almost 24/7 it can do anything you like anything apex does ghl been long ago
and before i go don't need a bunch of module for basic commands come right out of the box with the ability to expand and grow with you
in conclusion when you see everything that come with the ghl system on the long run its cheaper then the apex a lot better build quality can't stress that enough with the ability to expand

ps; is GHL HAS ITS UL certification NOT LIKE OTHER ......


UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories, an organization that has been around for more than 100 years. If you visit the UL Web site at www.ul.com, you can find the following description:

"UL is a world leader in product safety testing and certification. For more than 100 years, manufacturers have had their merchandise evaluated and tested for safety risks by our independent, third-party safety certification organization. Last year alone, approximately 14 billion products with the UL Mark entered the global marketplace."

GHL GHL GHL GHL GHL GHL GHL GHL GHL ​

 

[Robthorn]

I hope the manufacturers in this thread are seeing how important a reliable , quality product is.

 

[Big B]

I hope the manufacturers in this thread are seeing how important a reliable , quality product is.

This is exactly why I jumped on the GHL bandwagon. We will see if I made the right decision a year from now lol.

 

[reef fish]

@Big B yes you did a good move

 

[ReefRocker]

@Big B I had my original P3 going for 4 years before I changed it to the P3.1T. If I didn't do the upgrade, I could have still gotten another 3 or 4 years out of it, no problem. At worst, I would have gotten a bad display, but even then I'll take that any day over hardware crashes.

 

[Terence]

The two big black power strips are the power bars, and the only extra module I have is that little thing above the Ecotech backup battery. It's for the Touch remote display/controls i have mounted around the corner from the display.

Great looking set up - all of it!

Since this is a comparison thread, and I have not yet worked with those powerbars, how many controllable outlets are there on each? I thought I read somewhere that it recently went from six outlets to now just five plus one that is on all the time. What I read wasn't too clear to me so can you confirm?

 

[johnlicht46]

umm... sorry to tell you this.... but your friend isn't that wise..... it would take him time to make more money wouldn't it?
Unless of course you can tell me how I can make more money without it costing me time or money... in which case, i'll order my Apex now :)

U missed the point. It means u can replace the money u spent ( on the controller) but u can't replace the time u spent sitting in ur basement with ur cats programming your controller... sorry. Just thought that was a rude comment u made about his friend.

 

[tjnorthdakota]

I cant attest to the build quality of the ghl, looks like an interesting controller but I think its unfair to call the apex toy grade, build quality I'd say is pretty good where its needed, especially on there old style eb8's and eb4's, I've seen those still work perfectly even though the plugs plugged in them are comepletely rusted over and salt creep covered. the biggest thing that I cant get past on buying something other than a apex is the power bars on pretty much every other controller. To call them huge is a understatement on some, cerebra especially, and you cant tell me a ghl or cerebra takes up less space than the apex, even with the modules, because of those power bars. Then if you consider on apex you get 8 controllable outlets for $70 less(old style) or three more controllable outlets (new style) for roughly the same price as ghl, their power bars only have 5 controlled outlets.

 

[Water Dog]

I currently run an Apex Classic, which for the most part I'm fairly happy with (except when my Vortech's go rogue on my WXM and read "missing" on Fusion). I find it a pain to clear everything out on the classic dashboard and reprogram everything. For some reason, this happens to me quite frequently as of late. My Vortech's aren't integrated with my Apex presently.

For my next upgrade, I'm very interested in the Profilux 4, not only for it's build quality and reliability, but the fact that they have widely considered the best doser on the market, the 4 head Doser 2.1 as well as the new LX7 Mitras, IMO one of the most innovative commercial LED fixtures in the aquarium hobby next to the Philips CoralCare.

 

[jhoop]

I have been using the Reef Angel. Using PH, Temp Monitors, and ATO functions. I have the added Wifi module so I can check my laptop or phone for current updated info. I think it does a good job and does not cost an arm or leg to purchase. Hoping to connect my LED light soon.

Over all pretty happy with it.

 

[Whipples]

I use a Neptune Apex Classic as the main hub and use a GHL Profilux Doser 2.1 so I could try both worlds before committing to one in the future on a bigger tank. From my perspective:
Apex Pros:
Setting up Fusion was exceptionally easy, and programming it took a little bit of thought but is fairly intuitive with the "if-then" programming style. I actually appreciate this more than just preset options (which they have, something as simple as "on -8am off 10pm". The email alerts were pretty quick to get set up, and overall the app experience is smooth and loads quickly. I can set maintenance mode functions based on what I am doing and access it all via the screen and touchpad or my phone/computer/anything. Another Pro of Apex is market support: they have several users and tons of troubleshooting out there, as well as tons of products that can integrate very easily into the system, and some are relatively inexpensive and can be found used easily on forums allowing more people to get into their system. That and their standard powerbars come with 8 plugs, getting you more plug per dollar. I also like how easy it is to integrate the break-out box and control many things based on simple open/closed switching making it endless for those who have the ingenuity and the time. Otherwise there are modules to do just about everything. Tons of youtube videos and other tutorials to help you troubleshoot, diagnose, and better understand and use your Apex.

Apex Cons: once you get beyond just the controller, powerbar, and regular probes it can become a bit of a wire noodle mess if you aren't careful and spend some time. Now this may not seem like much to others, but when you run several modules and equipment requiring plug control/programming, it can get out of hand quickly. To add more temperature probes, you need additional modules, etc. Now most of us likely don't run several PM2s and all of that, but some folks need an entire cabinet next to their tanks to house PM2, WXM, wifi adapter (for us classics/Juniors) which can be cumbersome and look like a fire hazard. Further, Apex I believe uses 24v USB for the aquabus which when running long distances can be hard to find the correct cable.

GHL Pros: complete integration of the controller into one unit, and add-on units are not function-specific meaning you don't necessarily need a specific module to expand assuming you have a free port. Once programmed, they perform as instructed and have some great features regarding alerts, alarms level indicators, stirring capabilities, and all of that (just within a doser!). I prefer the GHL Control Center interface, but I also appreciate that a simple web browser is achieving the same goal for the Apex, and the simplified approach the Apex takes to achieve similar goals. My doser pumps came out of the box within 1ml of the pre-programmed calibration rate and calibration was very easy to achieve. Having manual toggles for each of the pumps right on the face of the unit is also nice, and I appreciate the logo being used both as an alert and a status indicator since it is large and bright.

GHL Cons: documentation is ok to get started but not nearly as much existing support out there compared to Apex. They just launched a Youtube series and their email responses are always fantastic, but a google search for an issue might not always yield you the information you need like an Apex search would. I had a harder time getting the GHL onto the internet and then enabling myGHL, and the manuals in the box and their website were less than helpful until I came across a forum post where a user posted a much more in-depth manual so maybe this one is on me at first, but again stating my experience. The myGHL app is a bit slower than Apex and I find when using the GHL Control Center program on my computer over wireless that if I am part-way through tweaking a setting and the connection is lost, I lose any progress up until the last point I "saved" settings to the doser. I mention the GHL Control Center as it is the foundation for all of their products on the PC platform, and functions the same regardless of device (arguably a pro, but I imagine I would have the same challenges with it until I got familiar with it). Programming through the Control Center makes more sense the longer you do it, but at first I had a hard time with the translation from German to English and I back to my first point there isn't as much out there compared to Apex to help troubleshoot, so the less-than-savvy computer folks may struggle with GHL more than Apex to accomplish the same goals.

After all of this, I think both of them are great systems and I am currently satisfied with both. In the future I will likely try the P4, but I will sorely miss the 8-plug powerbars and second-hand price points of Apex! They can achieve nearly the same goals for all of us hobbyists and having both in this space will only make our lives better through competition :)

 

[d2mini]

Great looking set up - all of it!

Since this is a comparison thread, and I have not yet worked with those powerbars, how many controllable outlets are there on each? I thought I read somewhere that it recently went from six outlets to now just five plus one that is on all the time. What I read wasn't too clear to me so can you confirm?

Yep, 6 outlets and one of those is always on.
The always on outlet is the single thing I have an issue with as far as their hardware goes.
But since I control my Vectra through ESL, not that big of a deal. I would rather have it controllable though just in case. And technically it's only on if the Profilux is booted, since the Profilux controls the powerbar.
You can also plug the Profilux itself into this socket and benefit from the surge protection. You can also monitor this socket just like the others.
One of the switchable sockets is also dimmable.
They all benefit from surge protection, power monitoring and the industrial 15a relays, so no worry about where you plug in your heater, chiller, lights or any other high load devices.