Ok I want to get the Apex Neptune. I have Two MP 10, M1, and a gen 4 xr15. I know mobius is coming soon. Will this be worth getting to control and monitor the tank? Also will I need to buy extra hardware to run the ecotech gear I have on the Apex?
Apex
- Thread starter Hoparna
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ndrwater
2500 Club Member
This is the question many will be asking themselves.
Mobius currently controls only Ecotech gear of a certain era. The new stuff applies. Eventually, there will probably be power bars etc to be able to control other devices.
Neptune's Apex has been doing this for a long time. They have many of the kinks worked out in a relatively simple user interface.
The most important question you need to ask yourself is..
"What do I want either to do?"
If it's turning lights on and off, a simple timer will do that for a LOT less money
Mobius currently controls only Ecotech gear of a certain era. The new stuff applies. Eventually, there will probably be power bars etc to be able to control other devices.
Neptune's Apex has been doing this for a long time. They have many of the kinks worked out in a relatively simple user interface.
The most important question you need to ask yourself is..
"What do I want either to do?"
If it's turning lights on and off, a simple timer will do that for a LOT less money
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ndrwater
2500 Club Member
Again, monitoring WHAT exactly?
If the pH in a calcium reactor, or say, the temperature, those can be handled for less money. Now if you want all the bells and whistles and be able to look at most of it at a glance from your phone or other devices, Apex may be the way to go.
Keep in mind, that besides basic on/off functions, a basic Apex might need additional modules and therefore more money invested to do all the fancy things an Apex can do.
There ARE "if this then that" commands that an Apex can and will do, but they are generally geared at on or off
Adding something like a Trident will monitor Calcium Alkalinity and Magnesium, but know that you just bought an additional $600 piece of equipment to do that.. PLUS... you have the bi-monthly reagents to purchase. AND... what does that info from Trident do for you? Nothing unless you also have a compatible doser like the DOS to add 2 part.. DOS is another $300. Get all fancy and get Neptune containers for the 2 part.. another $100.. it all adds up quick.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Apex, but want to give you the real down low on what it is they do..
If the pH in a calcium reactor, or say, the temperature, those can be handled for less money. Now if you want all the bells and whistles and be able to look at most of it at a glance from your phone or other devices, Apex may be the way to go.
Keep in mind, that besides basic on/off functions, a basic Apex might need additional modules and therefore more money invested to do all the fancy things an Apex can do.
There ARE "if this then that" commands that an Apex can and will do, but they are generally geared at on or off
Adding something like a Trident will monitor Calcium Alkalinity and Magnesium, but know that you just bought an additional $600 piece of equipment to do that.. PLUS... you have the bi-monthly reagents to purchase. AND... what does that info from Trident do for you? Nothing unless you also have a compatible doser like the DOS to add 2 part.. DOS is another $300. Get all fancy and get Neptune containers for the 2 part.. another $100.. it all adds up quick.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Apex, but want to give you the real down low on what it is they do..
leepink23
2500 Club Member
You will need a wxm module to control the Ecotech gear, unfortunately it won’t control the M1.
Albertan22
Well-Known Member
The perspective above is maybe just a tad on the negative side. Anyone who is dosing or trying to manage their water chemistry will appreciate the data and graphs that a trident gives you. For me, the newness of my Apex hasn’t worn off, I reefed for over a decade without one and only about 4 months with one, that said, I’m in no rush to go back. Can you find cheaper gear to do everything an Apex can do? Yes of course you can. Can you find apps or create spreadsheets to compile and graph everything that an Apex can? Yes for sure. Would I spend the time pulling data from a dozen different wifi power bars, monitors, test its, lighting controllers, etc. and compile it into one place, graph it, and identify all the trends? Nope, I’m too lazy for that. The power is having it all in one place, all done automatically. Even if you don’t have a trident and DOS, which I don’t yet, you can enter your test results directly (I know, data entry I just said I wouldn’t do) and have them tracked nicely. It will remind you when to change your water, change your T5 bulbs, tell you when your pumps are getting dirty (change in power draw), and a slew of other things.
I think you have to be the right kind of reefer to benefit from an Apex. If you are looking for something to turn things off and on and nothing more, save your money, there are cheaper ways. Certainly if you are going to “do nothing” with the data it spits out then an Apex isn’t for you. If you want to build a dataset on your tank parameters, power draw, maintenance events, etc. Then an Apex might be in your wheelhouse and worth the expense. Seriously consider what you want to accomplish with it before you dive in though, an Apex and all the modules you might want couldn’t very well double the hardware cost of your build.
I think you have to be the right kind of reefer to benefit from an Apex. If you are looking for something to turn things off and on and nothing more, save your money, there are cheaper ways. Certainly if you are going to “do nothing” with the data it spits out then an Apex isn’t for you. If you want to build a dataset on your tank parameters, power draw, maintenance events, etc. Then an Apex might be in your wheelhouse and worth the expense. Seriously consider what you want to accomplish with it before you dive in though, an Apex and all the modules you might want couldn’t very well double the hardware cost of your build.
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
I will say generally I agree with @Albertan22 . You need to be the right kind of reefer to appreciate all the data that can be gleaned from even the most basic Apex setup.
I... Am not that guy.. I like things simple. But.. I do appreciate all the things that an Apex can do for you. I have one. Been running it for years..
My point is just know that you are buying and most importantly WHY you are buying it.
I... Am not that guy.. I like things simple. But.. I do appreciate all the things that an Apex can do for you. I have one. Been running it for years..
My point is just know that you are buying and most importantly WHY you are buying it.
You say that, but process control is cool, makes your life easier!
I said the same thing, now single button maintenance, feeding and without the worry of forgetting to turn a pump back on.
But as a PCS Engineer, test, test, test your code!
You can pretty much ignore it, but I will elaborate, if you write software in a Process Control Environment, like a Power Station for example, well if you write code, test it. My boss would drum this into us, test test test your code.
An apex is a mini plc/controller, mainly on/off control so more towards the Programmable Logic world than the DCS/PCS world. But my old boss's advice still rings true, if you write software or control code, test it so you do not cook your fish, over chill your fish or something equally as dangerous.
An apex is a mini plc/controller, mainly on/off control so more towards the Programmable Logic world than the DCS/PCS world. But my old boss's advice still rings true, if you write software or control code, test it so you do not cook your fish, over chill your fish or something equally as dangerous.
Nope, IMO absolutely not worth it.
Neptune has been increasingly pricing themselves out of a market where electronics, especially wifi and bluetooth enabled devices continue to become ever more inexpensive. Monitoring can be done much more cheaply. Wifi smart outlets controlled by phone apps are less than 25 bucks. pH monitors can be had for less than 100 and heater controllers for less than 40. Nearly all LED lights have their own controllers built in as do nearly all flow devices nowadays. These Neptune devices increasingly have features that are more and more readily available in much more inexpensive and reliable devices. Considering this, and their ever climbing pricetag, I will never own another Neptune device.
Neptune has been increasingly pricing themselves out of a market where electronics, especially wifi and bluetooth enabled devices continue to become ever more inexpensive. Monitoring can be done much more cheaply. Wifi smart outlets controlled by phone apps are less than 25 bucks. pH monitors can be had for less than 100 and heater controllers for less than 40. Nearly all LED lights have their own controllers built in as do nearly all flow devices nowadays. These Neptune devices increasingly have features that are more and more readily available in much more inexpensive and reliable devices. Considering this, and their ever climbing pricetag, I will never own another Neptune device.
