New Apex..........Old Reefer

[Carz]

So I got a new Apex about 3 weeks ago..........was so excited, but I really have not checked the App for weeks. It sends me notifications, but I can really care less. I have not even used the energy bar yet. My tank is on the second floor and the sump is in the basement. I really do not know or want to know how to use the energy bar. Did I waste my money on this or not. maybe I am just older and just not as tech savy as I thought I was. What do I do . lets be real. who really cares about the ORP and i still check my salinity with my milwalkee every morning. Since I do that , why not peek at the temp on the monitor. I am not going to spend another $500+ on the Neptune for things I already do. So do i sell this or become more of a tech reefer??????

 

[PaulieReef]

So I got a new Apex about 3 weeks ago..........was so excited, but I really have not checked the App for weeks. It sends me notifications, but I can really care less. I have not even used the energy bar yet. My tank is on the second floor and the sump is in the basement. I really do not know or want to know how to use the energy bar. Did I waste my money on this or not. maybe I am just older and just not as tech savy as I thought I was. What do I do . lets be real. who really cares about the ORP and i still check my salinity with my milwalkee every morning. Since I do that , why not peek at the temp on the monitor. I am not going to spend another $500+ on the Neptune for things I already do. So do i sell this or become more of a tech reefer??????

Hey man! As someone obsessed with tech, I would say learn it. It’s been a life saver a few times in the short time I have had my tank setup.

That being said it is an expensive piece of tech, but I feel it’s worth it in the long run. Even if you casually get parts one at a time.

It’s also a factor of what you like about the hobby. If you like the day to day tasks with owning a reef tank. Then it’s not worth it for you. Me personally, I want to automate everything. I am also a programmer.

I use my apex for both automation and protection. I have a leak detection kits that allow me to know if something is dripping, I have a valve on my skimmer that fills a container and when that container is full it shuts off my protein skimmer and alerts me.

I have additional triggers that monitor electricity use so if something is clogged or broken I get a notification.

So if it’s just simply for the aspect of prevention, you could use why you currently have. I would put your heaters on your energy bar and after a week or two there is a task you can run to setup a profile for usage.

If you need some help, I personally love programming apex. All of my equipment is under advanced and I program each plug. Let me know!

 

[FishDaddy]

I kind of thought the same. Ive been in the hobby for 20+ years. The sanality prob has not been working for me. The rest of the probes are things 90% of reefers dont care about. I use it to control heaters. I wanted to put on a chiller, but would need to pay more $$ for an energy bar. Where it comes of value is using it as a controller. It can also be set to alarms. Things like power outage, leak detectors, etc. Most LED lights can also be controlled. Unfortunetly the WAV pumps aren't as great as MP 40s. Ecotechs can be added if you buy $150 wxm connection. The addition of a Trident to monitor ca/alk is very valuable but another $600. The DOS can do auto water changes, auto top off, dosing with each $300 DOS with only two pumps. So basically the more you want to combine to a single interface the more you pay. Internally you have lots of control with the apex. Another attractive option is ecotech coming out with mobius. Trying to get my hands on some versas!

 

[Snuggs]

I don’t understand the usefulness of the apex. But then again I dont chase orp or pH. Control my t5 hybrid and skimmer with a 30 dollar WiFi linked extension cord. Check my temp with my Milwaukee every few days when I check my salinity. Takes less time than checking an app. I like to keep it simple

 

[ca1ore]

Seems odd that you would buy an apex if you had no interest in using it. Perhaps I misunderstand your post. What was it that so excited you in the first place? Maybe that’s a good place to start. I’m an older reefer, been in the hobby longer than most, and I find Apex to be a useful tool.

 

[Caseyoidae]

I finally bought one in 17’ after 25 years without it. I ignore it 99% of the time but it has saved my tank. Was able to correct an over heating issue while out of the country. It’s kind of like insurance to me.
It’s a pain to learn but worth it. I’d keep it and mess around with the outlets for redundancy’s sake.