ReefKeeper's Departure Hurts The Industry

[vetteguy53081]

I have a bunch of like new RKL stuff that I am willing to part with. I have a couple of temp probes, a hub, cords, ect ect. PM me if any of you are interested and I’ll get back to you tonight or at least by Friday.

Best is start a thread on the for sale Forum. I too have a spare Lite and Elite system and may sell also.

 

[shred5]

I had a reef keeper lite and it was great when you needed to control temps. It was almost the same price as a good temp controller wired and still had timers, It lasted forever too. I will miss it because it had a place. Honestly I could use a few for my breeder system but I do not want one with a company defunct.

That said I see less and less need for a controller. Most products now have their own controller that has far more functionality than the controllers on the market.

Apex entered the market with pumps and power heads etc and made themselves a competitor to the companies they used to need on their controller. With allot of companies out there the Apex only works with their basic functions or they have not decided to support Apex at all. My Apex is basically used to control t-5 lights and heater and that is allot of money just for that. All other products on my tank use their own controllers because they add more function.

In away it is not good to put the whole tank on one controller anyway, electronics fail.

 

[shred5]

There are two end to that stick. Not everyone wants a Wi-FI capable controller. I really wanted to look at GHL controller because I dont like which way the APEX is heading and the fact that it has a monopoly but as soon as I saw the box at reefapalooze and realized there is no proper LAN port on the back, I literally told the nice guys at the booth that dropping physical Ethernet port was a GREAT MISTAKE!!!

GHL does not have a wired Ethernet port?

Yea I would not like that, wireless is too flaky for me. My Apex right now when ever the power goes out does not come back online unless power cycled. Booting faster than the router and does not check again, to me a major flaw.

 

[1810]

There are two end to that stick. Not everyone wants a Wi-FI capable controller. I really wanted to look at GHL controller because I dont like which way the APEX is heading and the fact that it has a monopoly but as soon as I saw the box at reefapalooze and realized there is no proper LAN port on the back, I literally told the nice guys at the booth that dropping physical Ethernet port was a GREAT MISTAKE!!!

Interesting you mention this. Now I have to rethink not selling my classic now.

 

[Pedal Dangit]

Yup. And, as I said, the reason I bought one was the price justification that BRS made. Buy a heater controller, a couple of decent light timers, and a power strip, you're in for the same money.

At the bottom level, as a replacement for a heater controller and a few timers, well, even the $239 Apex Jr seems a bit steep. Sure, you're getting the benefits of the Fusion web portal, and some expansion capabilities, but if all you're wanting is a safety for your heater and to turn your lights on and off, well, it's a bit much... and the old RKL (if it were dependable!) is much more in that ballpark.

I'd like to see Apex, or someone, come out with a more modern but similarly priced replacement for the RKL. I wouldn't be in that market any more, since I _like_ the higher end capabilities, but there are many reefers who would be.

My thoughts exactly! The industry needs to think about us little people who are new to the hobby who are shopping at the Petco "Dollar a gallon" sale. I'm just looking for the essentials. I need a heater controller, light timers, and would be nice to include safe ATO system that isn't an extra $200. (Why does ATO cost that much anyhow?) That is all I really need to get started.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Their warranty seems about the same as Neptune’s. 1 year.

As to refund policy I would not consider most purchases refundable, other than a mattress that has a trial period, by the way what do they do with a mattress thats returned?

But that policy actually seems more than standard in. even amazon only has a 30 day refund policy and they have probably half a million employees, undoubtedly quite a few in the return department.

Why do you think there are so many unopened items for sale here from nearly every vendor.

Not sure I get your reply. Their return period is only 7 days and returns are to be shipped back to China!

When was the last time you shipped a product back to China. I've bought staff from Amazon, Bulk Reef Supply, Marine Depot, DR F+S and countless others and I was never asked to ship stuff back to China.
If I take the risk and buy something cheap off of AliExpress, I accept the risk and dont ship stuff back if not as expected; I simply discard it; not an option with such expensive item.

You're saying that 7 days seems standard but in the next sentence you mention Amazon with 30 day policy. I guess it's same but different.

Bulk Reef Supply gives you 60 days and will take stuff back in original packaging up to a year. Now that's a business I support wholeheartedly.

Personally, I dont shop at stores with such short return policies, nor would I buy something at this point that would require me to ship something back to China (or other international locations) for either a refund or warranty purposes. From my experience with international shipping, it's a nightmare; your mileage may vary.

In Daymond's words...."I'm out"

 

[mcarroll]

My thoughts exactly! The industry needs to think about us little people who are new to the hobby who are shopping at the Petco "Dollar a gallon" sale. I'm just looking for the essentials. I need a heater controller, light timers, and would be nice to include safe ATO system that isn't an extra $200. (Why does ATO cost that much anyhow?) That is all I really need to get started.

http://www.aquahub.com/store/autotopoffcomp.html

DIY kits starting at $40.

 

[BZOFIQ]

GHL does not have a wired Ethernet port?

As crazy as it sounds.

Nope they do NOT have an Ethernet Port; perhaps something they can easily remedy in the future with their extension cards but nothing at the moment.

 

[Dr. Reef]

As an experiment I ran both on my tank for 10 years before Reef keeper crapped out on me. Over the last few years reefkeeper never really added anything decent or upgraded anyting. while apex kept upgrading their software and their modules. This is an evolving industry nothing remains constant forever and Apex seem to understand that. Just my two cents

 

[BZOFIQ]

Interesting you mention this. Now I have to rethink not selling my classic now.

This is why I still have one but I am eager to change. Not eager, DESPERATE!

I have been looking at ReefPi which seems like a great DIY alternative. I'm a techie so I get it but recently havent had the time to dive into it fully.

GHL does not have a wired Ethernet port?

Yea I would not like that, wireless is too flaky for me. My Apex right now when ever the power goes out does not come back online unless power cycled. Booting faster than the router and does not check again, to me a major flaw.

I avoided that by setting the IP as static.

I also have APC UPS on both the network equipment in the media closet as well APC UPS unit next to the tank that powers the AUX PowerSupply for apex along with my many powerheads. Small UPSs are cheap or go for a larger unit used off of ebay and you'll be set.

I force restart my APEX periodically to avoid any hangups.

 

[Pedal Dangit]

http://www.aquahub.com/store/autotopoffcomp.html

DIY kits starting at $40.

Hey, thanks for that link! but just how fail-safe are these in comparison to a Tunze Osmolator? If there is one piece of equipment I don't want to fail other than a heater it is the ATO

 

[mcarroll]

I avoided that by setting the IP as static.

I also have APC UPS on both the network equipment in the media closet as well APC UPS unit next to the tank that powers the AUX PowerSupply for apex along with my many powerheads. Small UPSs are cheap or go for a larger unit used off of ebay and you'll be set.

I force restart my APEX periodically to avoid any hangups.

Some of the many costs of progress, eh? Good tips!

(All I do to keep my Reefkeeper running is pay the electricity bill. )

Hey, thanks for that link! but just how fail-safe are these in comparison to a Tunze Osmolator? If there is one piece of equipment I don't want to fail other than a heater it is the ATO

Even the cheapest model is dual-sensor and these sensors are brutally dependable.

That said, this is true for any ATO system: Keep your reservoir modestly sized so the whole contents can fit in your tank. That's the only way you can have 100% ultimate no-trouble insurance.

Even if it dumps, you have no cause for worry. A weeks worth can usually fit and won't cause a problem for corals or anything if dumped. Make sure the sump can handle the volume too though.

FWIW I use a truly ancient single-sensor ATO that's been through heck (major precipitation event, among other things) and it's only dumped on my 2-3 times in a decade. Never a worry, even if the cause was a mystery. And it would never happen if I'd just take the thing out and clean it. (But I remain lazy about cleaning it cuz it's not even a real worry!! )

 

[mcarroll]

(@Pedal Dangit If it started sticking all the time I'd take it out and clean it in vinegar or something, BTW.....then it'd be clean and never stick at all. But that hasn't come to pass even in ten years of abuse. One stick every 4 years or so is barely even memorable to me since the system is planned to be failsafe where possible. The worst side-effect is that my skimmer overflows, which I also don't care about.....no effect on the tank, except maybe an extra meal for my corals. The skimmer catches up in less than an hour once re-tuned.)

 

[shred5]

Yea this whole thread has me thinking. I have known about DA for months leaving the aquarium hobby but when I started planing my build I wanted the DA lite. My aquaculture/breeding system is 3 separate system and the lite would have worked well and priced right and now what do I do?
I do not want them all on one controller because I could loose all systems at once then. Apex JR is not cheap like the DA lite and I have not been impressed with my Apex.

 

[Forsaken77]

Spoke physically with Vertex Friday on the Cerebra. They are on Target for new unit and Their issues were due to their vendor to assemble/manufacture replacements who bailed out with NO notice to them. They had to assemble an engineering team and start from scratch to make these units, test them and assure the aquarists would be able to use these trouble free. Naturally, they had to test the systems for several months to get true and good results before selling to the public. Their testing ends Labor Day week and they will be able to manufacture quantity for ship slated for late fall.
As For ReefKeeper, even without support, they were reliable and continue to be. The best advice I can give is, rather than wait for any equipment failure, gather parts or a backup unit for future use. I believe their forum remains live, and if not, this is why we have forums such as R2R for help and advice. They are cheap enough to acquire and the easiest to use in my opinion.

That's good news! I look forward to how everything works out.

Is the final build geared towards an Apex equivalent in price point, or is it more Reef Keeper accessible? I know the beta unit was cheaper but don't know what additional features they added, ect...

 

[vetteguy53081]

That's good news! I look forward to how everything works out.

Is the final build geared towards an Apex equivalent in price point, or is it more Reef Keeper accessible? I know the beta unit was cheaper but don't know what additional features they added, ect...

Not sure. They indicated touch screen, thin display unit and easier to use and set up.

 

[MartinWaite]

Talking about relying on your Apex automation too much....when is the Neptune Trident coming out? I think I need it in my life.

Last I heard was its been delayed again to the last quarter but they aren't going to say which year but they did say this decade they hope. You don't need it in your life take a look at the Alkatronic and you can link it to your Apex if you wish. At least its out and working great and they have a great customer service.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Not sure. They indicated touch screen, thin display unit and easier to use and set up.

I reached out to Vertex today as well but so far no reply.

 

[n2585722]

We do have a more economical option coming out soon - eKoral Lite. This may be a solution for people who don't need all the parameters that the eKoral PRO gives. Some may have seen it when they attended RAP NY.

You don't have a lot of information on the website yet. Is there an owners manual you can download. There is nothing on how the programming is done on this.

 

[cycled123]

I didn't know they closed! I have a reef keeper on one tank and a apex classic on another. I actually like the reef keeper better!!!!