Neptune System Yay or Nay?

symon_say

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Totally worth it.

There are cheaper options for people how can't or don't want to pay for Apex (reef angel comes to mind).

But once you have a controller on your tank, you'll hardly have another one without.
 

dantimdad

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I wouldn't necessarily say it's a "good" thing you are a red wings fan!

(Notice I am trying to start a different argument.)

LOL!
 

dantimdad

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Of course!

I gotta love ya man!

My son has gotten into hockey and learned to skate... in Alabama!

At least I was in STL when I learned. LOL!
 

vetteguy53081

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Apex is the best thing i did for my build!
I am a proponent for the tank to run itself and i really like to make my life as easy as possible. The apex world is not cheap and that is true but if you can swing it you will not be disappointed in my opinion.

I built my system around using the apex and so far everything works great and i cannot complain. i did have a pump crap out and a few minor issues but neptune took care of me real fast and painlessly. If anyone thinks equipment of any type is going to be perfect they will be disappointed but it is a great system and easy to set up and use.

i do agree the programming side is a bit rudimentary but it works for me and im sure they will continue to update..how else can i write this post, flip to my browser and take a live snapshot of what is going on with my tank like this....
Screen Shot 2018-11-29 at 2.30.54 PM.png

My display is different than yours. How did you get to this from the standard display with all the info shown?
 

vetteguy53081

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I used to hate Apex, but now that I understand it- Love. Considering one more for a different tank.
 

Mebeknob

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Yeah I’ve had mixed experiences. Had to send my DoS back twice, PMUP still doesn’t work quite right (tech service doesn’t know either), WiFi connection is spotty.

But over all I’m glad I have it vs not having it. It’s way better than the reef keeper but I’ve never tried the GHL... so can’t say against that one
 

ca1ore

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Wow some idiotic comments in this thread, so here’s mine .....

I have no credible opinion on whether the apex is well designed. I’m profoundly gifted as well ... mostly in my ability to sniff out BS (an increasingly important skill these days) .... oh, I can write too (pats self on back). My technical skills most certainly don’t extend to computer programs or electronics. I’ve been using a controller on my tank for 5 years, after managing without for the 25 years before that (I know!!!). It’s a nice-to-have but hardly a must-have. I’m inherently suspicious of over reliance on technology even as ironically my tank is highly instrumented. In fact, I do quite a lot of public speaking and occasionally use my tank as an example of IoT in the here-and-now. A controller makes keeping track of your tank much easier, particularly if, like me, you travel a lot. BUT, it introduces a single point of failure. I’m a big proponent of redundancy, and my apex works against that goal if I am not careful. My solution has been to use it as a monitoring/alerting device mainly. Where I do use it for control, it is not the only controller.
 

ejwan

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I have had The Neptune system on my tank for 5 years without any significant issues. I can highly recommend it. There is a learning curve, but between the excellent documentation, the very active online forum, and telephone support, it was easy to setup. Over they years I have everything automated and have taken long vacations without much worry. If its in your budget go for it, you wont regret it.

I am a retired engineer with extensive electronic hardware and computer programming experience. Yes I could build something comparable, but my hobby is the marine aquarium, not building/programming my own system.
I like the expandability of the system with their components and its compatibility and or adaptability with many third party components.
 

Tastee

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I would like to echo lots of the comments others have made - nice to have not a must, has some rough edges but overall does the job well, is definitely expensive, but in a niche market without a lot of competition that’s to be expected. And yes, I am an Apex 2016 owner.

I’m not going to comment on the software quality, because as others have said, if you are after something easy to use then you are limited to what is available. I am also a computer scientist with 30+ years in the industry so I understand and appreciate the negative comments and the Reef Pi option. For me however I’m happy to pay the money for something that works - kind of the Apple argument (although their kit is almost certainly much better quality!).

The one comment I would make is that the cloud integration is the key selling point for me. Cloud hosting of data, IOS apps and push notifications to my Apple Watch (yes, I am an Apple buyer too) is fantastic.

I’m not downplaying other controllers, as I don’t have experience with them, so are just providing my view as an Apex owner.
 

Cabinetman

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I could never own a tank without a controller again. The not knowing what’s going on while at work was so stressful. I love the alerts. I’d say if you can afford one go for it. I highly doubt you will regret it. I like apex because of the large user base. Availability of parts and support is amazing
 

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