Aquarium Controllers Popularity

[scubajoe]

Hey guys,
So I am just curious like in 2021 what most people are using to control their tank if anything

 

[Bepis]

I use the apex but honestly If I had to get a new one I’d go with a GHL.
The ionD is better than the trident, the GHL doser is better than the DOS and all the apex stuff is made of cheap plastic.

 

[Poochaku]

Fan of the Hydros so far, time will tell if it matures and competes w/ apex

 

[Popeye]

Using apex now but am getting ready to do a new 180gal build and am torn between apex and GHL. Like Bepis said, IonD is better than trident and GHL doser is better than DOS. GHL is also a little more expensive and I need more than 6 plugs to get me started so there's another 250$ just to get an extra power strip.
It sounds like you will need 6 dosing heads to run both KHDirector and IonD as well which starts to get even pricier.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Reef-pi on 4 tanks. All hand-made with specific features I want for each tank. Love the options and modularity of them.

 

[DxMarinefish]

No controller, but if i did I’d go with a something that can link with/control my Ecotech pumps x4 and versa x9. I am too heavily invested in these to just throw away.

 

[shred5]

3 Hydros Controls.
I do have a Apex but it is not used much anymore and is slowly being replaced with more Hydros Control stuff.

 

[Peace River]

I use a Hydros controller.

 

[Chris@CoralVue]

CoralVue Hydros Control

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Added CoralVue Hydros to the poll options. All of you Hydros users who might have voted "other" can change your vote to "CoralVue Hydros" if you want.

 

[reefiniteasy]

I use the Hydros Control 4. It has worked flawlessly so far.

 

[wishntoboutside]

I have tried, apex old and new versions. Also went thru the Cerbra experience. most recent is HYROS Wave Engine and Control 4. So far for me the HYDROS is the best of the bunch.

 

[Lucas815]

I do not have a controller yet, but i've been researching heaviliy these past few weeks, and I'm now 95% certain i'm gonna get a GHL Profilux 4 pretty soon.

- Hardware looks and feels awesome. Apex looks like a toy.
- Good reputation for reliability
- All my current and future usage scenarios have been confirmed to work.
- Tons of accessories, and some new ones coming.
- KH Director and Ion Director looks great
- While being kinda "late" on the software side, there has been significant improvements in the past 2 years, with more coming. This is telling me that they are really trying to catch up.
- Very good comments from owners of GHL stuff. Litteraly nobody told me so far that they regretted their choice.

 

[JeffB418]

Using Hydros and Apex myself. Slowly switching as much over to Hydros as budget and functionality is added. Really only thing left on my Apex as of now is Trident/DOS, planning on moving to Alkatronic and dropping Trident at some point. Hopefully Mastertronic is the end all testing solution for the big 5.

 

[X-37B]

No controller, but I have a used Apex in the closet, lol

 

[Jeremy@CoralVue]

Added CoralVue Hydros to the poll options. All of you Hydros users who might have voted "other" can change your vote to "CoralVue Hydros" if you want.

Thank you

 

[Crashnt24]

Apex here. I just got mine a couple years ago before all the others were here. I'm not going to be switching anytime soon. Have too much invested in the apex system. Plus I don't feel like doing all the research on features and accessory compatibility again... maybe in another 5 years I'll see what's out there and make a decision to stay with apex or leave it.

 

[Jeremy@CoralVue]

I am a bit biased but I am one of the earliest users of the HYDROS Control and absolutely love everything about it.
I currently run two HYDROS Control 4s on my Display and a Control 2 for my water change station.

 

[MaddyP]

Definitely need a DIY option up there...

 

[lelandmarine]

No controller, I always debate if I need one. I use a WebCam to look at my tank anytime day or night wherever I’m at. I use ink bird with Wi-Fi to monitor my temperature and send me alarms if it goes out of a tight range. I use smart plugs to turn on or off heaters, pumps, lights... from anywhere. I have an extra heater on a smart plug that I can turn on remotely if by the rare chance the two regular heaters fail. If by chance I lose power I have a audible alarm but then sends a text through the webcam to tell me I’ve lost power. It would be nice to monitor pH, but I could do that just with them Milwaukee pH monitor which I considered buying