Choosing Controller

[CapeReef]

Anyone have some honest feedback about top controllers out there to help me decide which way to go? It seems every single controller I look into has it’s Pro’s and Con’s. I wanted the APEX but not sure if I’ll regret spending the money. Some people swear by APEX, while others say it’s garbage. The main issues I’ve read that happen is that the energy bars stop working (from what I can tell mainly the older models) , the reagent can get expensive and are wasteful since you have to throw away anything that remains in the reagent containers , and that the DOS don’t last long and are very noisy. I personally wouldn’t mind dishing out a bit more money for more convenience and less work on my end as I just don’t have the time to hover over my tank and test every hour or notice every little thing as some people can. I work A LOT. Also has anyone tried or had any luck running a different brand more trusty doser with the APEX while still being able to enjoy all the features neptunes doser offers? I was hoping to see if the new Red Sea doser was any good and if the reviews kept coming back positive to try to run that with the APEX. Any feedback helps. Thanks!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I love apex but if you can get your hand in CA a reef keeper, they’re highly reliable and super easy to program

 

[FishyFishFish]

Look in the controller forum. There is loads of information to help on this. Here is one example:

Deciding on controller: What do you hate most about Apex, GHL, and HYDROS?

So, after reading a ton and watching videos, i am more on fence about what controller to buy than ever before... I have a 200 gallon display, a 20 gallon display, a 10 gallon frag, a qt system, a water change system. I think i understand the difference between Apez, GHL, and Hydros and that...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[CapeReef]

I love apex but if you can get your hand in CA a reef keeper, they’re highly reliable and super easy to program

Thanks for the feed back. Any input in using a different doser with APEX while still keeping all the features?

 

[ColoredRock]

what is your end all be all goal? Set it and forget it?. Automatic dosing of alk.. etc... The apex and GHL solutions look awesome. But setting up a box of water requires a lot more.. That being said I think the ability to monitor what is going on with APEX, GHL, HYDROS, reefpi gives us a leg up.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for the feed back. Any input in using a different doser with APEX while still keeping all the features?

I’ve used bubble magnus and GHL with my apex but they have their own programming

 

[rtparty]

The biggest downsides to Apex are their lack of water proofing/resistance and the EB832.

However, you can get the EB8 and have a bulletproof power bar. The metal EB8's do not have a high failure rate like the 832 does.

The DOS is a little loud but nothing crazy. It runs for such a short period, it doesn't bother me. You can not use any other doser and get the same benefits. I was looking at the Red Sea until I realized I need a bunch of connections to use RO tubing instead of their soft silicone tubing. I don't care for the silicone tubing dosers use. Too many air leaks.

BRS will likely have the Apex ELMO soon. This allows you to get into the Apex world at a lower cost. ELMO stands for Monitoring Only. You get temp, pH, and water level sensors. Add an EB8 for $160 and you're set. Can add Trident later if you want.

 

[CapeReef]

The biggest downsides to Apex are their lack of water proofing/resistance and the EB832.

However, you can get the EB8 and have a bulletproof power bar. The metal EB8's do not have a high failure rate like the 832 does.

The DOS is a little loud but nothing crazy. It runs for such a short period, it doesn't bother me. You can not use any other doser and get the same benefits. I was looking at the Red Sea until I realized I need a bunch of connections to use RO tubing instead of their soft silicone tubing. I don't care for the silicone tubing dosers use. Too many air leaks.

BRS will likely have the Apex ELMO soon. This allows you to get into the Apex world at a lower cost. ELMO stands for Monitoring Only. You get temp, pH, and water level sensors. Add an EB8 for $160 and you're set. Can add Trident later if you want.

Thank you. This answered a lot of questions I had.

 

[Sean Clark]

This is kind of like asking a stranger what type/brand of vehicle to purchase. Be prepared for every brands biggest fans to give you their biased advice without considering what your needs/wants are. Oh, and they are all "right" while everyone else is "wrong". This should be fun to watch.

 

[Schraufabagel]

I have good success with the Hydros controllers on my tank

 

[CapeReef]

This is kind of like asking a stranger what type/brand of vehicle to purchase. Be prepared for every brands biggest fans to give you their biased advice without considering what your needs/wants are. Oh, and they are all "right" while everyone else is "wrong". This should be fun to watch.

This was kind of the point. If you knew nothing about cars wouldn’t you want to know a little about each brand before deciding to purchase one? I have never owned any brand controller… here we are.

 

[Trickman2]

Capereef it is kinda mixed bag at the moment. Hydros is really a good thing coming onto the scene. I will say I am running a Apex and have been running one since they came out. My original controller unit finally died a few years back had a serial number in the 800's...lol. I have seen a lot of good and bad with neptune over the years. I think them putting out that NERFED Garbage was a little ridiculous. When DA died it gave Neptune free reign to do what it wanted the little tanks and the little guy didn't matter anymore in my opinion. Lot's going on in this now.

• Hydros is Coralvue
• Neptune Systems is now Bulkreefsupply owned

What does that all mean? At the moment it means a lot is in BulkreefSupplys court. It is their move in my opinion. In any event Coralvue is coming in strong and has capital to play with (And a Market to get its foot in the door because Neptune ignored/told the little guy they didn't matter.)
The questions you should ask yourself CapeReef are...

• How much do I want to spend?
• How big is my system?
• What do I want it to do?
• Pay more upfront now or pay a little more later (APex Vs Hydros)
• Newer Tech Hydros, not as refined or proven yet...but is coming into it's own.
• Tried and True Apex...and all it's flaws.
• Is the flexibility of the Hydros going to matter down the road to you.
• More Devices in the Apex, Trident, etc but at a cost.
• Recent Loss of vender compatibility with Neptune (IE, Ecotech and Neptune)

Other companies in the game also but these are the two big dogs in my opinion.

Hydros is coming into the market they decided to neglect with a Non-Nerfed product that has the potential to be as strong or stronger then Neptune with upgrades that is designed around flexibility to adapt to a users needs. It really is a power play and a smart one by CoralVue.
It is going to be a heck of a show for sure.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

im waiting to get a hydros once they make it 5G, i bet alot of people are in this boat. Im not buying an outdated router for my new computer. sorry

 

[Simon Reefing]

im waiting to get a hydros once they make it 5G, i bet alot of people are in this boat. Im not buying an outdated router for my new computer. sorry

I have a top tier ASUS router mesh system all you have to do is separate 2.4 ghz and the 5 ghz. Anything high end like oled tv or ps5 or Xbox or what ever will be on 5g but most likely hard wired

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

why cant they just make thier controller work out of the box with everyones 5G networks? , everyone runs a mesh network these days. Seems silly to make thier latest and greatest hi tech computer not capable of doing what a $25 wifi power strip can do.

 

[Sean Clark]

why cant thy just make thier controller work out of the box with everyones 5G networks , everyone runs a mesh network these days. seems silly to make thier latest and greatest hi tech computer not capable of doing what a $25 wifi power strip can do.

It is quite telling when a manufacturer releases a brand new product and fills it with the cheapest chips available. The lack of 5ghz compatibility is a deal breaker for me. What else did they skimp on?

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

Yep if they fixed that i would have a hydros, i like their new power strips better than the apex options. Now if a man wanted to learn the intracasies of wifi and 2.4 vs 5 ghz tech he would have got a raspberry pi lol . maybe ecotech or red sea will come out with a controller that works out of the box as far as connecting to the internet. Seems so simple in 2022

 

[rtparty]

Capereef it is kinda mixed bag at the moment. Hydros is really a good thing coming onto the scene. I will say I am running a Apex and have been running one since they came out. My original controller unit finally died a few years back had a serial number in the 800's...lol. I have seen a lot of good and bad with neptune over the years. I think them putting out that NERFED Garbage was a little ridiculous. When DA died it gave Neptune free reign to do what it wanted the little tanks and the little guy didn't matter anymore in my opinion. Lot's going on in this now.

• Hydros is Coralvue
• Neptune Systems is now Bulkreefsupply owned

What does that all mean? At the moment it means a lot is in BulkreefSupplys court. It is their move in my opinion. In any event Coralvue is coming in strong and has capital to play with (And a Market to get its foot in the door because Neptune ignored/told the little guy they didn't matter.)
The questions you should ask yourself CapeReef are...

• How much do I want to spend?
• How big is my system?
• What do I want it to do?
• Pay more upfront now or pay a little more later (APex Vs Hydros)
• Newer Tech Hydros, not as refined or proven yet...but is coming into it's own.
• Tried and True Apex...and all it's flaws.
• Is the flexibility of the Hydros going to matter down the road to you.
• More Devices in the Apex, Trident, etc but at a cost.
• Recent Loss of vender compatibility with Neptune (IE, Ecotech and Neptune)

Other companies in the game also but these are the two big dogs in my opinion.

Hydros is coming into the market they decided to neglect with a Non-Nerfed product that has the potential to be as strong or stronger then Neptune with upgrades that is designed around flexibility to adapt to a users needs. It really is a power play and a smart one by CoralVue.
It is going to be a heck of a show for sure.

Some great points here but clarification is needed because it is a pretty big deal.

Bulk Reef Supply does NOT own or control any part of Neptune. Bertram Capital bought/bought into BRS, Neptune, and Ecotech. All three companies are completely independent still. Just under the same umbrella. This is important IMO.

Could this change in the future? Yes, and I believe it will to some degree. I believe Ryan when he says Neptune has some changes coming. A shake up at the top was the first, of many moves, that needed to be made. Next big move needs to be a complete redesign of their hardware. This is where I am hoping Ryan and team will listen to users. I am a constant voice in their ear about this. Maybe it falls on deaf ears? I hope not since I have both systems and can give my experience. I bought both systems myself so I have no bias here. I will be running both on my upgrade as well.

 

[rtparty]

The 2.4 and 5G horse has been beat to death already. 5G is not needed or even wanted in this situation. 5G is for speed and short range connections. Neither is important here. 2.4 has much better range and that is what we need here.

The actual issue with Hydros is we can't hardwire ethernet to the brains. This is a major oversight for mission critical items.

 

[DopamineKata]

why cant they just make thier controller work out of the box with everyones 5G networks? , everyone runs a mesh network these days. Seems silly to make thier latest and greatest hi tech computer not capable of doing what a $25 wifi power strip can do.

Because 2.4ghz has better reception through walls and whatnot maybe? And most good 5ghz routers inlcude a 2ghz radio as well. I have multiple devices in my house that won't talk to a 5ghz wifi.