Why should I buy an Apex Controller.

[Bouldereefer]

Why should I buy an Apex controller. The big players Ecotech, AI, Neptune (I know apex) have their own web based controllers. What does an Apex controller add?

 

[spsick]

The biggest thing they offer is redundancy.

You tell it:
If this happens then do this…

If temp is too high shut off heater and notify me. If temp is too low turn on backup heater and notify me.

If pH spikes crazy high from a kalk overdose, shut off kalk.

Etc, etc, etc

 

[Tangdora]

If you setup your tank and equipment right, any controller is going to give you a self sustainability aspect via automation. The goal I’m personally working toward is getting my tank able to sustain itself for for two weeks without any human intervention ie feeding , top off , dosing…. While most people are around 99.9% of the time to do some of the items manually. It’s will be nice having that peace of mind at any point I can just tank a vacation or go on unexpected work trips at any moment and not have to rely on outside people to maintain. I running apex.

 

[rtparty]

Ecotech and AI do not have WiFi control. They have Bluetooth control and you have to be near them to control them in any way.

I personally think this is a positive though. You shouldn’t be making big changes remotely.

My last tank had a ton of Apex on it and it all worked great for me. Trident controlled dosing for over a year, LLS sensors on multiple things, dual pH probes, many others accessories. However, it was a full time hobby just to maintain all that equipment. Refilling reagents, calibrating probes, double checking trident accuracy, etc etc

My brand new system will not have a controller to start or likely ever. I went with a monitoring only setup and chose the Hydros XS. That way I can monitor temperature remotely, monitor for leaks, monitor sump level and monitor ATO reservoir level. I don’t need any of that being controlled by a controller. My heater is on an Aqua Logic heater controller. One of the best in the hobby.

So do you NEED a controller? Likely not.

 

[bkwonnn]

apex is nice. I mainly use it for automatic water changes, trident controlled dosing, auto feeding.
Problem is that the accessoires are poor quality. A lot of the stuff breaks. It’s way too flimsy to be really reliable. I really like the concept and the way it works, but you can definitely go without. Especially with larger systems. If you have everything dialed in after a year, you feed the same amount every day etc, not much changes.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I use Apex to monitor my systems. It does turn on the chiller or fans depending on the temp and runs the ATO.
But what it really does, is to save your tank(s) and your mental health when your on vacation. I was able to alert my caretaker of a situation once from Chicago and once from Belize and also make adjustments from there to compensate.

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

I don’t have an apex but I do have a hydros controller. I mainly use it to monitor ph, and temp. For my system these are important to constantly control as spring and fall we like to keep the doors open and the system can reach dangerous temps. Also I dose kalkwasser and all for reef so depending on what my ph is will decide which one I am dosing to replace alk and cal.

 

[backbayreef]

Yes - you will definitely want (need) it, esp dealing with various probes, reactors, refugium lights, etc. I have 2 EB832 full of gear so the ability to turn things on/off remotely is a must-have. However, they are purely used for monitoring and redundancy checks.

 

[braaap]

A controller is NOT necessary. But it sure is nice. I run a Apex(trident and MXM) and Hydros for everything else. I don't have to touch my tank for weeks at a time. Unless I want to clean the glass. My dosing is a ReefDose4 and a single Hydros doser. My ATO is 55 gallons run through a peristaltic pump so it is virtually risk free from overfilling. My dosing supplements have enough for 30-40 days. My trident waste is big enough for 4 weeks and the reagents last that long as well. So I have to do maintenance for about 3 hours once a month. All because of my controller. My tank is actually at our new home 3 miles away right now. We are just doing finishing touches and won't live there for another 4 weeks. I don't even worry about it because the controller has it handled.

 

[Pistondog]

Have not tried others, but apex is easy to program and has a lot of support here.
I can view some tank stats fom anywhere.
Got a call at the gym from my son, "tank is making a funny noise". I selectively shut things off remotely until the noise (mp10 powerhead) went away.

 

[reely989]

i have a hydros, but I've often contemplated this as well. I do think their power strips are really handy for "if,then" type of control, but most of what I use that for can be handled with inkbirds or simple timers.