Poll: Which controller do you use?

[laverda]

In addition to the apex I have several older Aquacontrollers. An AC3 pro, AC3 & AC2. I suspect there are more people using older Aquacontrollers then a lot of the other controllers listed.

 

[RickG]

Neptune Apex!

 

[Amps Reef Life]

Awesome setup

Thank you !

 

[PaulS]

Built my own using an Arduino.

 

[Gareth elliott]

No full controller per say, use the current loop bluetooth controller for pumps, ai app for lights, inkbird for temperature, inovative marine ato. Was using reefpi, but scrapped after some issues dealing with my ineptitude of electronics lol. Might eventually invest in a controller but not yet.

 

[madweazl]

Reef Angel for me; cant think of a reason to change.

 

[ca1ore]

Apex for the last 5 years; nothing for the 25 before that. I travel a lot for my job, so I need a controller mostly for monitoring purposes. If I were always home, I probably wouldn't bother with one. Single point of failure has always bothered me.

 

[tiggs]

I've been undecided on which controller to get since bowing out of the Vertex Cerebra beta group last year (crazy delays after purchase), but have finally decided on the new Apex. At first, my thoughts were to pickup a Classic or JR preowned and just add-on modules/probes, but the cost savings honestly didn't seem worth it. To get things the way I'd like them, it would most likely cost me somewhere in the ~$600 range and I'd rather just pay the extra $200 and have a new setup. Another big selling point for me is not having to hook up a bunch of modules, since the 4 primary monitoring aspects are built-in, not to mention not needing a WIFI bridge. Lastly, I see the upcoming Trident as an absolute game-changer and this won't work on the Classic model, so that pushed me across the decision finish line.

I've been in the hobby since 2001 mostly with 120+ gallon systems, but have switched over to the nano side of things in recent years to coincide with lack of time for maintaining a large reef. I realize not many people run a full-blown controller setup on a 14 gallon tank, but that's where I'd like to leverage technology and automation to keep my parameters as stable as possible and really push the smaller footprint to it's absolute limits. As important as that stuff is in a large system, the swings can be much quicker and costlier (tank health wise) in the nano realm, so I really want to invest in a top shelf system and for my specific situation, I feel like the new Apex combined with the Dos and eventually the Trident will bring me to the control I want.

 

[NinnJinn]

I would love to have an Apex controller. However I am not going to pay over $700 for one only to have to spend thousands more just for compatible items to work on it

 

[Genomecop]

I was kind of shocked to see the amount of people not using one.

 

[Txdragonslayer]

I do wish we had more choices, i like the form factor of the GHL, but the many modules of APex, i am just not an APex fan boy, but i do appreciate all the modules they do have.

 

[Ditto]

GHL all the way. The ability to stack your doser without the use of a shelf. Having two different type of doser configurations the maxi and the doser, including 2. 3 and 4 head units. Having the ability to plug cards into the device without spewing cables to another module. The ability to purchase a expansion box that gives you all the ports that availablen on the main unit with its own internal expansion slots including PH, ORP and Salinity that neat and clean. Alkalinity monitoring with the ability to adjust triton dosing based on the results.

As a user of both a Apex system and now a GHL system both have pro and cons but I am thoroughly impressed with the GHL product line and glad my new tank build is all GHL.

 

[karo25]

Apex now for a few months. Really like being able to track my PH since I have to use a scrubber. Just got a couple of the Dos. Looking forward to not having to manually dose several times a day.

 

[bigdan3489]

I’m using a Reef Keeper Lite and have been for 2 plus years. I will go to an Apex when this thing fails. It has worked flawlessly.

 

[Mark Gray]

Neptune Apex for me I have 2

 

[reeferfoxx]

No disrespect in regards to the thread but the Seneye is a monitor not a controller

*Backs away slowly*

 

[Larry L]

I would love to have an Apex controller. However I am not going to pay over $700 for one only to have to spend thousands more just for compatible items to work on it

Not sure what you mean about needing to spend thousands more. I have an Apex classic and it does a ton of stuff for me: controls my heaters, lights, skimmer, and return pump, monitors temp and pH, and sends me alerts. I bought a WXM module (about $150) to run my Radions, but only because I wanted to be able to manage them in Fusion along with everything else. I also bought a breakout box (about $40) that I connected a bunch of leak detectors and float switches to.

 

[Mr. Bill]

I was kind of shocked to see the amount of people not using one.

Why? The 'old school' methods certainly work, or reef-keeping would not have survived long enough to see the development of the controller. Many of us who don't *need* an automated system prefer to maintain our tanks manually, and personally, if all I wanted was a computer controlled reef, I'd just download a marine aquarium screensaver for my pc and watch that a few hours each day.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Will always love ReefKeeper for the ease of programming and features for the cost. I have two Lite units on my two other tanks. On My main tank- running the Apex 2016 with No regrets.

 

[rob G]

I have a Reefkeeper Elite, Lite and an Archon. The Elite had an issue with a soldering point that I can send back whenever to get fixed for $25 (this is well beyond warranty, years old) or I could do it myself I suppose. I have the Lite for a back up in case anything happens to the Archon. I have been running the Archon for about 2 years now and I do like it a lot. Additional modules are only about $80 each and can do pretty much anything the Neptune can do with some exceptions, but there is a cost difference to consider here. I know the Neptune is great, somewhat reliable and has tons of modules you can purchase, but jeez they are pricey. I can run multiple temp probes, and ph probes, control the speeds and patterns of my Tunze 6105s, ramp my leds, set up safety shut offs and alerts, timed float switches....... pretty much anything I could think of I need to do. They do have a dosing pump you can use but I have been using the BRS dosing pumps with no issue and don't see a reason to make a change there. I am surprised this isn't/wasn't a bigger competitor for Neptune honestly.