Apex - Out with the old?

[Jud]

Hey all!

I’ve never jumped aboard the Apex train. Previously had a reef keeper and, while it was great, don’t think I ever unlocked its full potential. My Hydra 26’s were programmable from the app, Jebao pumps did their thing, etc.

Starting a new tank, I’m thinking about the Apex. Living in an apartment, the leak detection kit and redundancies for tank safety are most appealing. However, at $500 for the El at a minimum, they’re not cheap.

Being new to Apex, is it worth picking up a used classic for half the price? Or will everything be obsolete in the next year?

 

[TheHarold]

Used classic is the best value. Does everything that the new one has besides integrated WiFi and individual outlet power monitering- neither particularly needed or important.

It won’t be compatible with the apex trident, but that may not be released for a couple more years anyway....

 

[Muttley000]

I love my apex 2016. I have 4 eb832's, WXM, wavs, dos units, Vdm, ATK, a spare salinity module for my mixing station, solenoids, and break out boards for inputs, so I am heavily invested. If I were doing it over again I think I would buy a GHL if I wanted a company's full function controller. I certainly could do everything I am doing now with a used classic and would have saved a ton of money. As said above the only reason to go with the 2016 is for a module that at this point may be further from release than the length of time the average person stays in the hobby!

 

[wesman42]

Honestly, if you're handy...then check out Reef-Pi. It's a controller created by people here at R2R. It's DIY and you can probably put something together for way less than a starter Apex. My main issue is that $500 you will initially spend will almost certainly turn into thousands along the way because you'll want every modular gadget they've ever created....and since you spent $500 on the unit, you're stuck solely using Neptune products. Even their new stuff isn't actually "modular" with older devices.

So if you do decide to go with an apex classic....good luck getting any of the newer goodies to work with it.

 

[TheHarold]

I love my apex 2016. I have 4 eb832's, WXM, wavs, dos units, Vdm, ATK, a spare salinity module for my mixing station, solenoids, and break out boards for inputs, so I am heavily invested. If I were doing it over again I think I would buy a GHL if I wanted a company's full function controller. I certainly could do everything I am doing now with a used classic and would have saved a ton of money. As said above the only reason to go with the 2016 is for a module that at this point may be further from release than the length of time the average person stays in the hobby!

Hopefully you have more $ in livestock than your controller system....

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

my 2 cents. I would NOT buy a used classic. Mostly because if they trident ever does come out (i will use my flying car to go to the store to pick it up) then the resale value of your classic will plummet.

The 2016 is also very nice, you dont need the extra probes, they are hardly worth it anyways. And you dont need to throw tons of cash on Apex stuff. The fan boys go absolutely nuts thinking its some kind of contest. I have over $15k in my tank (easy) and i have one break out box and one leak detector. Why would you spend $150 on an apex ATO when you can do the EXACT same thing with a couple of $7 float switches and a break out box?
ooooh.. the apex DDR 2 part holder!! wait, its $200 for two acrylic tubes and 2 optic float switches?? ummm, i have two milk jugs and set a reminder on my apex to fill them every 6 weeks. $200 buys some pretty sweet frags where I live. anyways.. to each his own, my sump is for go, not for show.

The other nice thing about the 2016 is that it monitors the amperage of your plugs. You can easily set up alarms...return pump amperage jumping up...probably a snail in there, same thing for the skimmer, voltage dropping on another pump? might be time to order a replacement.

They really are fantastic but you have to dig a little deep to really set up the proper alerts and delays, etc etc but once you do, its a beautiful thing!

 

[Jud]

Great advice! Very much in-line with what I was thinking. The amperage monitoring seems to be one of the most attractive features here. With two neighbors down below me, preventing any potential floods or issues is a huge bonus!

my 2 cents. I would NOT buy a used classic. Mostly because if they trident ever does come out (i will use my flying car to go to the store to pick it up) then the resale value of your classic will plummet.

The 2016 is also very nice, you dont need the extra probes, they are hardly worth it anyways. And you dont need to throw tons of cash on Apex stuff. The fan boys go absolutely nuts thinking its some kind of contest. I have over $15k in my tank (easy) and i have one break out box and one leak detector. Why would you spend $150 on an apex ATO when you can do the EXACT same thing with a couple of $7 float switches and a break out box?
ooooh.. the apex DDR 2 part holder!! wait, its $200 for two acrylic tubes and 2 optic float switches?? ummm, i have two milk jugs and set a reminder on my apex to fill them every 6 weeks. $200 buys some pretty sweet frags where I live. anyways.. to each his own, my sump is for go, not for show.

The other nice thing about the 2016 is that it monitors the amperage of your plugs. You can easily set up alarms...return pump amperage jumping up...probably a snail in there, same thing for the skimmer, voltage dropping on another pump? might be time to order a replacement.

They really are fantastic but you have to dig a little deep to really set up the proper alerts and delays, etc etc but once you do, its a beautiful thing!

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

The amperage thing is really nice as you can set up back up alerts for important things like your return pump. Example... your water spill detection device (two bare wires tapped to the floor 1/2" apart and hooked to your break out box) shuts your return pump off. you get notified, figure out that is a simple spill or something and turn the pump on. With the old apex the outlet would be on so you ASSUME its on.. but what if the pump didn't start?

What if your cat unplugged your return pump? Or you blew a circuit that your EB is plugged into? The apex would THINK the pump is running but without being able to see the amperage, you wouldn't KNOW if it actually was.

I actually had the circuit blow thing happen. MY EB is plugged into a separate circuit.

 

[ca1ore]

Classic won’t be truly obsolete until Neptune stops supporting it - and that’s not happening anytime soon. There are some things already that are not backwards compatible, and presumably there will be more in the future. If could get a classic for pennies on the dollar, I think it’s still a worthwhile buy; otherwise go lite.