Apex vs GLH

[Freddy0144]

Hey all, I guess I am looking for a little debate here. I am considering an Apex, I had one of the originals and it worked awesome, I loved it. I see lots of positive things posted about GLH too but really know nothing about them.

So far the things I like about Apex are

1. They have been around (too many controllers are here today and gone tomorrow)
2. The one I had previously just worked.
3. They are fairly universal and interface with a lot of devices (this is where I need some help)
4. They seem very simple to program even at the advances level with simple coding language.

One of the things that I dont understand is what else I need to purchase to control my lights:

3 Kessil 360 Tuna Blues,
4 5' T-5's on two different ballasts.
2 100W heaters
2 M2 vectra return pumps
4 vortech MP40's
Seneye for monitoring PH, Temp, Ammonia
57 Watt UV
1 Reactor for Carbon
Bubble Magus for dosing 2 part Cal Alk and Mag. (looking at the DOS)
Tunze ATO
Skimz skimmer

Future plans
Kalk reactor plumbed with ATO (either Icecap or Avast)
Considering 2 AI Nero 3's for increased flow across back of tank.

Some other questions I have,

Is there a monthly cost for the cloud service they are hosting the platform on?
How long do the probes last? Previously they were not great and needed frequent calibration and I had to replace the PH probe after a year or so.

As for the GLH stuff please inform me of your experience modules that are needed, advantages over the apex if you know of them and any other general information

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

You will want to buy or make a kessil cable so you can ramp intensity and spectrum.

Keep an eye on the used market for a WXM module. That is needed to have the apex control the Vortechs but that module was discontinued. Without that, you need to run mobius and can't interface them directly (yet. Considering the acquisition, I would hope they start playing nice with Mobius in the near future).

You are gonna want a total of two energy bars either basic EB8 or EB832 depending on your preference and budget.

It seems like Neptune is hinting like there is the potential for Neros to become IOTA compatible in the near future. Right now not controllable by apex other than on/off control.

The DOS is great for 2 part. I have 2 units that are from 2014 that still work great and another from 2016 that also works great. Almost no maintenance (head change once on AWC unit running 1 gallon a day), zero failures.

pH probes are good for about 6 month to a year if you get a single junction probe. 2-3 years if you get a double junction. I won the glass lottery on one that has lasted since 2017 that came with my apex 2016. This is not the norm.

cond probes darn near last forever. I have never had one fail and I have one from 2014, and another from 2017.

temp probes typically last about 5 years for me.

Fusion is free. No monthly charge.

 

[DJF]

tons of info out there about ghl & apex…they both work & serve their purpose- this will likely turn into a fanboy thread if you pin them against each other. I’ve owned both- been excited about both- frustrated with both- checked in constantly at the beginning with both- ultimately now I rarely reference the one I’m still using nor do I solely rely on it- they are the same and I recommend just doing some keyword searches to id the differences.

 

[Freddy0144]

tons of info out there about ghl & apex…they both work & serve their purpose- this will likely turn into a fanboy thread if you pin them against each other. I’ve owned both- been excited about both- frustrated with both- checked in constantly at the beginning with both- ultimately now I rarely reference the one I’m still using nor do I solely rely on it- they are the same and I recommend just doing some keyword searches to id the differences.

Thanks, I actually found a Youtube series that is covering many of the things I am looking for. It seems this guys is very thorough in going through the costs and setup of both units. GHL VS Neptune Apex is the series name. In case anybody is interested.