controller recommended to new reefer?

[Gladiator]

5+ years water plant, plan to jump into marine world soon
Any controller recommended to a new reefer?

study some,

1. APEX WiFi, $799, great spec, forum support but big money in day one
2. GHL, can't find it in Amazon :(
3. AquaMutant teffo, $149, seems a reasonable investment, amazon review 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Gear list in plan

• 2 ft cube tank
• Octopus Classic 100-HOB Protein Skimmer
• KEDSUN 320GPH Submersible Water Pump
• LED Lighting (TBD, study still)
• Active Aqua AACH10HP Water Chiller Cooling System, 1/10HP

 

[DarthSimon]

Hi Gladiator,
Welcome to R2R!!! This depends on your budget, obviously big difference in price. The Apex System is far superior in many ways, and has much more capabilities. Feel free to use this forum as a good resource on controllers, to make a good decision. Neptune Systems also makes many products that integrate with the Apex which you may find useful including return pumps (Cor20), Auto Top off Kit, Wav Power Heads, Trident for monitoring and much more.

 

[madweazl]

The Reef Angel is another budget friendly controller that is capable of doing just about anything you can dream up.

 

[Redleg]

You'll find GHL at aquarium computer.com.

 

[LiveWire]

Welcome to the REEF!!
There are many options out there to control your system. Apex, GHL, ECoral, Reef Pi, So finding the right controller for you to start should not be an issue. Its all in what you are looking to do and how far you would like to get into knowing whats going on with your system. If you want automatic testing and amp draw info then I would recommend an Apex or GHL system but if you are just wanting to test the waters of aquarium controllers and want to know PH and temp and basic info you can always build a Reef Pi if you have time or start out with a classic Apex Jr or maybe a 2016 system base with an EB8 to start and then you can build that around your demands. With what you have listed so far you can get away with a basic system to start and then go from there. Its all in what your plans are.

 

[Gladiator]

Hi Gladiator,
Welcome to R2R!!! This depends on your budget, obviously big difference in price. The Apex System is far superior in many ways, and has much more capabilities. Feel free to use this forum as a good resource on controllers, to make a good decision. Neptune Systems also makes many products that integrate with the Apex which you may find useful including return pumps (Cor20), Auto Top off Kit, Wav Power Heads, Trident for monitoring and much more.

thanks, very useful info to me.
ORP is new to me ;Jawdrop, seems important!

 

[Gladiator]

Welcome to the REEF!!
There are many options out there to control your system. Apex, GHL, ECoral, Reef Pi, So finding the right controller for you to start should not be an issue. Its all in what you are looking to do and how far you would like to get into knowing whats going on with your system. If you want automatic testing and amp draw info then I would recommend an Apex or GHL system but if you are just wanting to test the waters of aquarium controllers and want to know PH and temp and basic info you can always build a Reef Pi if you have time or start out with a classic Apex Jr or maybe a 2016 system base with an EB8 to start and then you can build that around your demands. With what you have listed so far you can get away with a basic system to start and then go from there. Its all in what your plans are.

great info, will study others as well.
agree with you on figure out the exact demand, bad experience on water plant, after waste lots of money, back to the most simple way to maintain the tank.
thanks.

 

[madweazl]

thanks, very useful info to me.
ORP is new to me ;Jawdrop, seems important!

Not particularly.

 

[link81]

A used apex with energy bar can be had relatively inexpensively. (2-300) and can do 90% of what the new apex wifi can do. The apex EL is also an option, loose a few features on the main brain (can be added later as modules) and save a few hundred bucks. (500)

I can't speak to GHL, but i know it's highly regarded, and seen as very reliable. But its pretty similar to apex as far as features and price.

the aqua mutant is basically a programmable power strip with temp built in. super simple. I would much rather spend a hundred bucks more and get an apex classic.

 

[vangvace]

In all honesty, at this point you do not need a controller, but I can understand wanting one and they can be beneficial. If buying new, look at the interfaces of Neptune and GHL and decide which you prefer. Both manufactures have a youtube channel that goes into their interface/programming/setup.

If you have a local community/stores/craigslist I would echo looking for a used apex classic with an energy bar to dip your toe into a controller at a substantial savings.

For lighting I would influence you too nano-box or AI for leds, but that is my preference.

Other newbie advice:
get a refractormeter instead of hydrometer
RO or distilled water helps by removing variables for what goes into the tank.
Pick your salt based on the parameters you want to maintain in your tank. It is cheaper in the long run.
In the beginning... wait, and then wait some more.
Chasing pH can cause more problems than fix.

 

[Gladiator]

In all honesty, at this point you do not need a controller, but I can understand wanting one and they can be beneficial. If buying new, look at the interfaces of Neptune and GHL and decide which you prefer. Both manufactures have a youtube channel that goes into their interface/programming/setup.

If you have a local community/stores/craigslist I would echo looking for a used apex classic with an energy bar to dip your toe into a controller at a substantial savings.

For lighting I would influence you too nano-box or AI for leds, but that is my preference.

Other newbie advice:
get a refractormeter instead of hydrometer
RO or distilled water helps by removing variables for what goes into the tank.
Pick your salt based on the parameters you want to maintain in your tank. It is cheaper in the long run.
In the beginning... wait, and then wait some more.
Chasing pH can cause more problems than fix.

thanks for your advise, r2r is really a good forum for learning, warm and kind!
will study more, especially find out my demands in future, ie, lps/sps/fish, maintain effort, parameters (Kh/Ca/Mg/others), lighting demand, filter eco-system.
honesty, salt is much more complicated than i expect, but do enjoy the learning, might just go building a simply system first without spending tons of money.

 

[Gladiator]

A used apex with energy bar can be had relatively inexpensively. (2-300) and can do 90% of what the new apex wifi can do. The apex EL is also an option, loose a few features on the main brain (can be added later as modules) and save a few hundred bucks. (500)

I can't speak to GHL, but i know it's highly regarded, and seen as very reliable. But its pretty similar to apex as far as features and price.

the aqua mutant is basically a programmable power strip with temp built in. super simple. I would much rather spend a hundred bucks more and get an apex classic.

experience in water plant, temp is critical compared with others, wrong temp kills, that's why aquamutant in the list, mobile alert does help.
apex EL looks great. thanks.

 

[reefwiser]

One can really get by with just a wifi power strip to schedule lights and turn off equipment for water changes using a smart phone.
https://www.amazon.com/Kasa-Smart-Power-Strip-TP-Link/dp/B07G95FFN3

Probes like ORP and salinity are too much trouble to keep calibrated and one can run a Reef tank without a PH probe.