Considering a Red Sea Peninsula 650

[gcl456]

I am considering a red sea Peninsula 650. What is everyones opinion on purchasing a Apex controller on the initial purchase? Is it absolutely needed when first cycling or is this a future investment.

Thanks in advance!

 

[scott11106]

I am considering a red sea Peninsula 650. What is everyones opinion on purchasing a Apex controller on the initial purchase? Is it absolutely needed when first cycling or is this a future investment.

Thanks in advance!

I am a fan of building the system correctly while setting up and i have become an Apex fan but having said that you do not need to have it on the setup as you can alter as you go. A couple things to think about is if you are going to have any flow or leak monitoring you will need to know that before setup. Also equipment and placement going forward not to mention you will want float valves and ATO and that works great through the apex but does not have to.

My opinion after just setting up a new tank would definitely set up the apex at the start so you can get all the kinks out and everything working the way you want, then you can add modules ect later but equipment placement will be an issue and some sensors and probes have constraints due to the wires so that is one more reason to do it asap. on the other side if it is a funding thing you most defiantly can add it later.

 

[PatW]

The apex is really good at controlling temperature with a combination of fans and heaters. Heater malfunctions are a major cause of aquarium crashes. That is good from the outset. It is also good at controlling pumps, skimmer and powerheads. That is not essential but really handy. Later on, it is good at dosing stuff like calcium and ALK. Another advantage is it tracks temp and salinity through time. My lights are controlled through my computer.

If you have the $$$$, it is good to start with it.

 

[PDR]

Welcome to R2R! Definitely not necessary, but useful. IMO don't rely on it too much, I have seen almost as many tank catastrophes caused by controllers (and the improper implementation of them) than ones caused by the lack of one.