Best aquarium controller in the UK

[Fisherman Joe]

Apex or GHL? Boy they don't make this stuff easy!

I want to design a ultra low maintenance (ULM) aquarium.

Given that I want an Alkalinity controller plus aquarium controller and Triton method, what would you recommend?

Excited!

 

[Big G]

Bump

 

[Fisherman Joe]

Any answers here folks?

 

[vangvace]

Either controller would really work for you and might come down to how you like the UI.

Have you lined out the other equipment in your build? I would do that first and then cycle back, ticking boxes for what meets your needs better from each company.

For the UK and going brand new then I would lean towards GHL. Used? I would normally recommend an Apex classic, but that is incompatible with Trident if you want to stay within a product family.

 

[Kyl]

If not having access to the newer EB832 power bar is a turn off for you, there isn't really much choice. I know there was a survey put out where they wanted to know what products people wanted after trident, but I think that was at least a year ago at this point, and I don't see an EU / UK new power bar being done inside of a year if the last three major releases are any indication.

I think the usability delta between the two is shrinking with every software update, and the product lines are, aside from some ancillary gear that doesn't need to be 'house brand' (return / wavemakers), functionally about the same overall. Both can monitor dKH, natively or via a third party.

Price, support (should you require it), and do a lot of reading, send people some PM's if you see they're running involved systems. That's what I've been doing the last month or so, and almost everyone has replied to inquiries and taken a lot of time to go back and forth with questions and opinions.

Good luck on the decision.

 

[Fisherman Joe]

I think working backwards, the fact that the trident can measure dKH, Ca and Mg is a big plus.

I was thinking about ordering some Dos pumps and containers from the USA then getting the standard UK power bar for the rest of the stuff. Try and save money on the components.

The current monitoring would be nice but you can add a flow valve on the return pump to monitor the flow that way.

 

[vangvace]

Double check the reviews here for the Neptune flow monitors. It is my understanding the require maintenance, but I cannot speak to the frequency. Not to help things, but GHL's ION Director is slated to come out in November and will test Ca, Mg, Nitrate, and maybe more. Official product reveal to take place at Macna in August.

 

[CNDReef]

I’m not in Europe anymore but someone brought up a good point with the trident reagents. It cost them £45 for shipping and they only ship one set at a time. So they paid almost £100 for a reagent set. Unless it starts getting sold there that’s a heavy commitment

 

[SPR1968]

Im also in the UK and although I have no experience with GHL I do have an Apex 2016 Fusion and wouldn't be without it now. This combined with a HD camera is vital to me for monitoring my system. My camera is not integrated into Apex but just separate.

I personally find Apex simple to use and program, and although it doesn't come with the power monitoring bar, its no big deal. I waited for this to come out but it never has.

And now of course there is Trident which should be with us this year at some point, and that's a whole new benefit potentially with Apex and I ill get it certainly.

Its quiet refreshing to be able to see and control systems on your tank, or check the sump with a light from anywhere in the world.

 

[Fisherman Joe]

My only frustration is this:

UK - Charterhouse A.
DOS Pump - £369
Reservoir - £279
Total - £648

USA - BRS
DOS Pump & Reservoir package - $449 (£353 GBP)

Thats a 45% markup!!

I'm tempted to order some components from the USA. The power supply for the DOS pump states;

• Power Requirement: 110/120V or 220/24oV

Could I just switch the power supply?

 

[Mortie31]

Ditto over on r2r has a huge thread on this, including functionality comparisons, personal experiences and there are inputs from Terence from apex and Matthias from GHL. It’s probably the most in-depth comparison out there...
Posters in this thread will likely support the brand they bought...and I’m one of them lol...
I use GHL, at the time I bought and did my research 3 things were deal clinchers for me, no apex eb8 in the UK, GHL had just launched there new controller the P4 so it was the latest spec and with all of the accessories ready for the yak market, but probably the main one was reliability, for me the apex appears to have far more serious “bricking” issues than GHL, now was this because the have a higher market share? Possibly, but I wasn’t going to take the risk. GHL have sorted out there cloud based interfaces and are now up there with APEX, you will have to learn either systems programming methods and each have plus and minuses, functionality is about even, dosing is more flexible with GHL with there precision dower 2.1 and larger volume Maxi doser. Both will control major brand Powerheads, (you will have to buy accessories to do this) they both control 1-10v devices. GHL have the KH director, apex the trident (when it arrives, and sort out the maintenance package you will need, in the states you can either return to manufacturer or choose to do the maintenance yourself, be interesting how European warranties view that) GHL will soon be launching the ION, which will measure and control Ca, Mg and measure NO3, they are trying to measure PO4, but are not ready yet and that will probably follow in 2020, this unit has the potential to be expanded to Fe, Cu and others. Both are similarly priced... I’ve tried to be objective but I did go GHL...

 

[vangvace]

I believe the power supply is autovoltage so a US to UK power plug adapter should be all you need.

There is a markup, but US sites also don't have taxes included in the price like Europe does with VAT. It isn't 45% worth though for sure. Would there be import tariffs/duties if you bought directly from BRS or another US vendor?

Edit: I am glad this thread is getting traction to help with your decision!

 

[Fisherman Joe]

GHL will soon be launching the ION, which will measure and control Ca, Mg and measure NO3, they are trying to measure PO4, but are not ready yet and that will probably follow in 2020, this unit has the potential to be expanded to Fe, Cu and others. Both are similarly priced... I’ve tried to be objective but I did go GHL...

STOP TEMPTING ME DEVIL!

I was happy with my lean towards APEX!

I could go the GHL route and manually test and dose triton reagents for 6 months. Hmmmm.

There is a markup, but US sites also don't have taxes included in the price like Europe does with VAT. It isn't 45% worth though for sure. Would there be import tariffs/duties if you bought directly from BRS or another US vendor?

Yes import duty is a factor but overall it will still offer a saving. My fundamental question is that is it worth it to save £100 in the end?

The more answers I get, the more questions I have....

 

[Ditto]

@Morte31 - Thanks for the mention.

The powerbar for GHL supports the voltage requirements of where you are but the Apex EB832 does not therefore you will need to buy EB8’or EB4.

The trident will require you also to buy a power brick because it comes with a 1link cable which requires a eb832 to receive it power from an additional cost

GHL warranty is two years Neptune Systems 1 year. GHL makes dosers in 2 head 3 head and 4 Head, along with the Maxi, Neptune only has the DOS.

Morte31 did a great job on some of the other comparisons.

Both have an app, both have a cloud service, both units have a web interface built in.

There are differences between both of the units, but the thread I have done has some great charts on what features are on each.

VAT would apply as soon as you put in your address unless someone in the US bought it and shipped it. You could maybe buy a used one off eBay to save money on the large VAT costs?

No where in Europe is the 2016 unit? I would think the base unit would be at least since that supports the power requirements but not like the sets.

 

[Fisherman Joe]

@Ditto - Great summary, thank you.

If you were building a new 4 x 2 x 2 foot tank in UK tomorrow, what controller would you go with?

I want the best ultra low maintenance tank possible, whether that's now or in the next 6 months, I'm happy to wait. I am moving house in 6 weeks and need to spec my tank design and such accordingly.

 

[Fisherman Joe]

This is a big influencer for me:

GHL Power bar "Also the power consumption of individual loads per socket can be measured separately".

I wouldn't need anything else to keep track of all my pumps and power heads. This is something APEX can't do in the UK.

 

[CNDReef]

This is a big influencer for me:

GHL Power bar "Also the power consumption of individual loads per socket can be measured separately".

I wouldn't need anything else to keep track of all my pumps and power heads. This is something APEX can't do in the UK.

The ghl power bar also has a 15amp rating per socket in the USA not sure in the UK. You could potentially put a few things on each outlet without worrying about overloading the outlet.

 

[road_runner]

Apex or GHL? Boy they don't make this stuff easy!

I want to design a ultra low maintenance (ULM) aquarium.

Given that I want an Alkalinity controller plus aquarium controller and Triton method, what would you recommend?

Excited!

GHL hands down. I am from US and jave switched to GHL. Mighty controller.
Pair it with khd or kh guardian and you are set.

 

[Fisherman Joe]

GHL it is I think.

What dosing reservoirs do people use with GHL pumps for Triton?

 

[road_runner]

GHL it is I think.

What dosing reservoirs do people use with GHL pumps for Triton?

Up to you. Any container would do.