Apex for sale -Why!

[Raven09]

I’m new to reefing and was looking to purchase Apex Neptune gear to help!

Is Apex Neptune such a bad product. Everywhere I look people are selling this type of gear. I was going to buy this gear but now I’m not sure.
Can anybody please give me some info on this gear.
Is there better equipment?
I’m So Confused!!!!

 

[metzer]

For what it is worth, I like my Apex equipment.

 

[currentking]

I love my apex and trident.... I just wish the readings on the probes matched what other test kits say my parameters are...

 

[FMF0331]

It's ok , nothing to brag about. I do enjoy that it can shut off the heater once it reaches at certain temperature ( not boiling my tank to 90 degrees ) and also it will shut off my regulator so the Alk won't shoot up sky high.
My trident is ehhh ... every so often i'll get a crazy reading of 12 on my Alk and then Test A / B or C failed.

 

[Tamberav]

I’m new to reefing and was looking to purchase Apex Neptune gear to help!

Is Apex Neptune such a bad product. Everywhere I look people are selling this type of gear. I was going to buy this gear but now I’m not sure.
Can anybody please give me some info on this gear.
Is there better equipment?
I’m So Confused!!!!

You will see gear of every type for sale. Kessils, Primes, Apex, Skimmers, Hydras, Vortechs, Gyres, and so on.

It is because so many people get in and out of the hobby or change tank plans.

 

[Morbo]

I think the two primary reasons are:

a) Lots of reefers are short-timers, jumping in and out of the hobby, so there's always a steady supply turnover (of everything, including controllers)
b) Neptune is pretty much the top player in the US market, so there's more of their equipment in the secondary market.

I've had a couple of the older-style Neptune systems on previous tanks. They worked pretty well from what I remember.

I haven't pulled the trigger on the new (orange & gray) system for a couple reasons: not sure I need/want it this time around, don't like the new look, I've seen lots of negative posts (but see above comments), and I really was turned off by the attitude from their primary spokesperson during some livestreams from the Black Friday/Holiday timeframe.

The new competition from the Coral Vue can only be a good thing for everyone.

 

[rkpetersen]

I have 2 running fairly complex Apex systems, and was a beta tester for the Trident.
I honestly wouldn't care to run my tanks without them. Apex provides great control and communication, in real time.
The Apex is a very versatile system, but you get out of it what you put it, in terms of modules and programming.
Some of the hardware could be improved, definitely. I for one would love 'Apex Pro' modules, but prices would probably keep sales low.

 

[zalick]

I have the old Apex and the new apex. Very happy with them both. Makes running and modifying and monitoring my system much easier. I love turning things on and off with my phone!

 

[Justanano]

Apex is good when it works... when stuff starts breaking after a little over a year for me kind of disappointing when the product isn't cheap..I lost a dos pump and a set of WaveMaker

 

[a4edwin]

I’m new to reefing and was looking to purchase Apex Neptune gear to help!

Is Apex Neptune such a bad product. Everywhere I look people are selling this type of gear. I was going to buy this gear but now I’m not sure.
Can anybody please give me some info on this gear.
Is there better equipment?
I’m So Confused!!!!

Not everything works for everybody. I often get confused how things come out than a few weeks later stuff is up for sale.

 

[Joe31415]

Apex is good when it works... when stuff starts breaking after a little over a year for me kind of disappointing when the product isn't cheap..I lost a dos pump and a set of WaveMaker

Just earlier today I was asking about AWC pumps and mentioned exactly that. One of the reasons I've stayed away from the Apex ecosystem is that, while I hear people love the software, the hardware leaves something to be desired. There's a lot of reviews of things breaking, particularly the power bars, after a year. I see a lot of mentions of people keeping spare power bars on hand for just this reason.
As much as I'd love an Apex and DOS, $800 is a lot of money for something that seems to have a high probability of only lasting a year.

 

[vic5hands]

best item I've purchased

 

[Sboling]

I have apex and no issues with anything for a couple of years now. I use several modules as well with no issues. I have strayed away from the pumps as reviews have been mixed. The actual controller and modules have been perfect though and the ability to monitor and control in real time is awesome.

 

[lpsouth1978]

I have considered an Apex, but have always felt that the function did not justify the cost. I now use smart wifi plugs for everything. I can set programs, turn things on and off with my voice through Alexa or Google assistant or with an app on my phone, I just don't get the monitoring and alerts of the Apex. When it is time for a water change, I just tell Google to turn off the pumps and skimmer, change my water, and tell Google to turn on the pumps and skimmer.

 

[Raven09]

Just earlier today I was asking about AWC pumps and mentioned exactly that. One of the reasons I've stayed away from the Apex ecosystem is that, while I hear people love the software, the hardware leaves something to be desired. There's a lot of reviews of things breaking, particularly the power bars, after a year. I see a lot of mentions of people keeping spare power bars on hand for just this reason.
As much as I'd love an Apex and DOS, $800 is a lot of money for something that seems to have a high probability of only lasting a year.

What power bars? Is it the item that has all those plug in receptacles? I don’t know the Apex gear so I’m not sure by what you mean by “power bars”.

 

[Joe31415]

Yes, but it looks like they're actually called Energy Bars. Click on the reviews and you'll see a lot of people saying they regularly fail (and this is just the reviews on BRS).

EB832 Energy Bar 832

Energy Bar 832 - More Than Just a Powerstrip 8 Independently Controllable Outlets Individual Outlet Power Monitoring Two 24VDC Accessory Ports Three 1Link Ports Three AquaBus Ports The Neptune Systems Energy Bar 832 (EB832) is designed as an ultimate power control hub for aquariums...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[stephj03]

Don't worry about seeing a lot of then for sale. It's counter intuitive but that typically means an item is widely used and in high demand in this hobby.

There's a lot of reefers for which the hobby is actually the gear or the build or the flip.

Those hobbyists tend to go through gear more often than hobbyists that are focused on fish/coral.

Apex gear resale value is strong and the items are mostly small enough to ship cheaply.

All of the above is a recipe for high resale volume.

 

[stephj03]

IMO, don't be concerned about hardware that is resold a lot.

But be cautious of hardware that doesn't sell fast when ppl try to re-sell. That's a much better indicator of an item's reputation or of an item being overpriced.

 

[Raven09]

Thank you for the reviews and the inside scoop. It’s like the difference between Microsoft and Apple. The more I read on Apex gear the more I like because it helps remove the mundane chores of husbandry.

 

[lefkonj]

I have a love hate relationship with my APEX gear. I love it because it automates all sorts of things in my tank (chiller, heater, ATO, AWC, etc etc). I hate it because there have been some really poor quality with regards to the product.

The real question is what would you do with it if you bought it. Control your lights? Who makes your lights? Is there a better less expensive option? Measure parameters and control dosing, it is pretty good at that.