Apex A3 Jr plus EB4?

btmedic04 · Nov 12, 2022

Can I pair an Apex A3 Jr with an EB4 energy bar? I only have a 40B, and I just want some basic monitoring and to add some redundancy to things like my heater and ATO. I'm also thinking of adding some quality-of-life features like turning on and off my return pump and sump lights would be nice too. Is this a decent plan? The A3 and A3 pro just seem excessive for my needs. Thanks all!

Fishyfish22 · Nov 12, 2022

You should be able to

btmedic04 said:
Can I pair an Apex A3 Jr with an EB4 energy bar? I only have a 40B, and I just want some basic monitoring and to add some redundancy to things like my heater and ATO. I'm also thinking of adding some quality-of-life features like turning on and off my return pump and sump lights would be nice too. Is this a decent plan? The A3 and A3 pro just seem excessive for my needs. Thanks all!

As long as they can connect through aquabus they're fully compatible

you just won't be able to monitor power readings to individual outlets.

Sean Clark · Nov 12, 2022

Should be good to go, great value to get started.

btmedic04 · Nov 12, 2022

Fishyfish22 said:
You should be able to

As long as they can connect through aquabus they're fully compatible you just won't be able to monitor power readings to individual outlets.

awesome, thanks! Would the power monitoring be worth it in my use case? I basically just want to use the optical sensor for a high-level warning in my sump which then shuts off the outlet for my ATO, with the temperature probe doing the same kind of thing for my heater (brs 200w titanium on an inkbird) and sends me an alert. Regarding turning off my return pump and turning on the sump lights, that's just for when I do water changes. It's getting a bit harder to get under the sump with banged up knees and back

btmedic04 · Nov 12, 2022

Sean Clark said:
Should be good to go, great value to get started.

Awesome, thank you for your input!

rtparty · Nov 13, 2022

Yes, this will work. But how much more is the regular Apex? Might just be worth the extra money to get a few more extras. 8 outlets sure is nice compared to 4 lol

btmedic04 · Nov 13, 2022

rtparty said:
Yes, this will work. But how much more is the regular Apex? Might just be worth the extra money to get a few more extras. 8 outlets sure is nice compared to 4 lol

It's $420 for the Jr with the eb4 compared to $600 for the apex with the eb832. I've just been using triplite power strips for the past few years lol

Fishyfish22 · Nov 13, 2022

btmedic04 said:
It's $420 for the Jr with the eb4 compared to $600 for the apex with the eb832. I've just been using triplite power strips for the past few years lol

You can probably get a used a2 with an Eb832 for less than the JR

Yates273 · Nov 13, 2022

Save a little more and go with the larger Apex with the eb832. You are eventually going to want more and 4 outlets, while good are not enough to cover everything in a reef tank. If you hold off now to save your going to eventually spend more in the future upgrading. You can also look for used to stay at your price point and get an EL which would be perfect for you.