A must have when owning an Apex...

[ChronicReefH2o]

So I'm fairly new to the Apex community and wanted to see what peoples thoughts were when it comes to add-ons with the Apex.

What are the must have and why do you think it is necessary?

There is no right or wrong answer as everyones system are different, but I would (I'm sure other new hobbies also) like to hear what everyone has to say about their usage to the units.

 

[homer1475]

#1 best thing I ever bought as an addon to my apex, the break out box. You can do so many different things with one, from turning on cabinet lights when you open the doors, to shutting off your skimmer if your collection cup overflows(requires float valves), to sending me an alert when my ATO jug needs to be filled.

 

[Hipertec]

How do you program the Apex to alert you when the ATO is low?

 

[homer1475]

I have a float switch in my ATO jug that is hooked up to a break out box(sw6).

I then have a virtual outlet named ATO_alarm. Programming that outlet is as follows:
Fallback off
Set off
if sw6 open then on

Then in my email alarm I refrence the virtual outlet:
if ATO_alarm = on then on

so I get an actual email with a name so I know what the email is for. So instead of getting:
if sw6 open then on

In my email alarm i get instead:
if ATO_ALARM on then on

I do this for all my alarms. Setup virtual outlets to control the device, then in the alarm code reference the virtual outlet.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I'll second the breakout box. So many switches and things you can do with it

 

[ChronicReefH2o]

I have seen the breakout box and might get my hands on one. Is there anything else people would recommend?

 

[Crabs McJones]

I have seen the breakout box and might get my hands on one. Is there anything else people would recommend?

Are you doing any dosing or anything? The DOS is also a great addition for dosing or automatic water changes. Can be fully controlled by the apex

 

[Mjl714]

I like the wmx module for wireless vortech control. It ain’t pretty, but I also like the leak detection module.

 

[ChronicReefH2o]

Are you doing any dosing or anything? The DOS is also a great addition for dosing or automatic water changes. Can be fully controlled by the apex

I do plan on dosing so a DOS is in the horizon.

Between the WXM and Reeflink, Many people have said the Reeflink is a better choice to go with?

 

[Waters]

I second the leak detection module.....almost a necessity.

 

[Billldg]

The Trident when it comes out, LOL!!!

 

[scriptmonkey]

Do you guys use neptunes breakout box or Avast?

 

[ChronicReefH2o]

The Trident is a must have for sure. Last time I hear it was supposed to be release in 2018 which never ended up coming to market.

 

[homer1475]

Do you guys use neptunes breakout box or Avast?

I use the one from Neptune. I never knew Avast made one until after I bought it. I've read about DIYing one, and it looked fairly simple. Will try the DIY one when I need more switches.

 

[lbacha]

I second the leak detection module.....almost a necessity.

I’ll 3rd that

The FMM with leak detectors gives a lot of peace of mind. The flow sensors and optical sensors are ok but knowing if the floor is dry really is nice.

I can vouch The definitely work as I have set the alarm off a couple times while doing tank maint where I spilled some water.

I turn things like my ato, return pump, etc off when it trips just to be safe

 

[vetteguy53081]

Auto feeder and WAV pumps

 

[oneadam]

I do plan on dosing so a DOS is in the horizon.

Between the WXM and Reeflink, Many people have said the Reeflink is a better choice to go with?

I did the WXM for vortech control because I can use virtual outles for different modes on specific days. I'm using reeflink for my radions, one reason is so I can turn the lights on from my phone and the other because I couldn't program a smooth transition on the radions without it looking like a light switch when changing colors.

 

[Rich Klein]

So I'm fairly new to the Apex community and wanted to see what peoples thoughts were when it comes to add-ons with the Apex.

What are the must have and why do you think it is necessary?

There is no right or wrong answer as everyones system are different, but I would (I'm sure other new hobbies also) like to hear what everyone has to say about their usage to the units.

It's more about "How much can you afford" than "necessary" lol, but true.

 

[Skep18]

+1 on WAV pumps. Given you don't need the extra box if you have an Apex and can 1link, at the $350 mark for two units (IIRC) they're an amazing value considering it's a quality brand.

 

[WetPets]

I like their ato and you can add on the leak detector and an optical eye to tell you when you need more top off for 70.