Taking the plung into a controller Apex or GHL?

[[Cameron]]

GHL is a better designed core system but US distribution isn't great and most things cost a bit more. Apex is far more available and with far more users in the US but it doesn't have the best reputation in reliability. Course these are both consumer grade systems running in a humid/salt environment. Between the two, the GHL system looks the best to me.

one word...Trident

THAT is why i just fitted my dream tank with an apex..

cheap monitoring of alk,cal, and mag... no extra dosing pumps to buy.. yes please.

Unless you have an older Neptune system. KH Monitor is backwards compatible. Course both are taking the hard road to Alk measurement.

 

[NefTunzReef]

one word...Trident

THAT is why i just fitted my dream tank with an apex..

cheap monitoring of alk,cal, and mag... no extra dosing pumps to buy.. yes please.

Yes agreed. The upcoming Trident alone is enough to swing the vote to Apex imo unless GHL comes up with it's own Trident system.

 

[SPR1968]

I’ve just purchased the new Apex here in the UK and the reason I did it was because of the amount of users (so it must be good in theory), the system itself, and what it can easily be programmed to do without being a computer programmer.

And then there is Trident. Which I simply must have lol!!

I suppose at the end of the day it’s whichever you prefer but I don’t know how I managed before I installed Apex. With the monitoring and equipment failure procedures which are simple to program in pretty much without reading the instructions. I find the programming like the original ‘basic’ computer language I learned at school in the late 80’s.

 

[ryboy707]

Has anyone switched to GHL and regretted it?

 

[[Cameron]]

As for Trident and KH Directory, IMO automating dosing based on the readings of a hobby grade setup around a relatively harsh environment looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Dosing a small consistent amount and adjusting that amount at intervals seems far safer and more reliable. Course I think pretty much anything critical hooked to a controller without a serious backup is a good way to melt a tank down.

Yes agreed. The upcoming Trident alone is enough to swing the vote to Apex imo unless GHL comes up with it's own Trident system.

They are shipping the KH Director now but it doesn't do Cal or Mag. Mag is mostly pointless IMO but Cal for some tanks would be nice.

 

[Dumaurier7]

Yes agreed. The upcoming Trident alone is enough to swing the vote to Apex imo unless GHL comes up with it's own Trident system.

They are always full of ideas and innovations but execution and reliability always lacks!

PS: Do some research, you will find multiple issues with the recently released FMMC after waiting years for its release.

 

[Dumaurier7]

one word...Trident

THAT is why i just fitted my dream tank with an apex..

cheap monitoring of alk,cal, and mag... no extra dosing pumps to buy.. yes please.

Always remember! There’s never a free lunch , u always get what u pay for!.........well except in the case of Apex, u actually get less than you pay for!

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Always remember! There’s never a free lunch , u always get what u pay for!.........well except in the case of Apex, u actually get less than you pay for!

Maybe i want to support an american based company? Maybe I like the Broder user base that apex has? Or perhaps what i really like is the super user friendly web interface that the apex has.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but i believe, as many others do, that you get MORE for less with apex. A lot more actually.

 

[Dumaurier7]

Haha! Good luck !

 

[Flexin]

I've had an Apex for two months and have had no problems. I'm running two tanks off of one unit with modules. Good luck with whatever you get, but I'm sure you will enjoy it!!

 

[Buddah001]

Well my Profilux 4 will be here on Thursday. I do understand wanting to support a US company. But my entire life I have worked for Germans and with a few companies. Let the other company rush to market with something and then the Germans will perfect it. While I’m not nocking the other company I have decided to go with what in my opinion is the best.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Well my Profilux 4 will be here on Thursday. I do understand wanting to support a US company. But my entire life I have worked for Germans and with a few companies. Let the other company rush to market with something and then the Germans will perfect it. While I’m not nocking the other company I have decided to go with what in my opinion is the best.

oh yeah, i have a 2012 VW jetta with electrical problems if you are in the market for a car.

lol.

good luck with the profilux. I am sure it will do everything you want.

 

[Buddah001]

oh yeah, i have a 2012 VW jetta with electrical problems if you are in the market for a car.

lol.

good luck with the profilux. I am sure it will do everything you want.

Touché

 

[LoneStarReef]

Both are really good controllers as you can see by the comments. I have a 2016 Apex and love it. Really like all the “plug and play” accessories that can go with it....ATK, Auto Feeder, WAV and eventually the Neptune.

 

[WWIII]

one word...Trident

THAT is why i just fitted my dream tank with an apex..

cheap monitoring of alk,cal, and mag... no extra dosing pumps to buy.. yes please.

How does the trident correct alk, calc, and mag, without seperate dosing pumps? Is there that many dosing heads inside the Trident itself? That would be 5 or 6 heads, interested to see how they keep within their target price if that's the case.

 

[WWIII]

Yes agreed. The upcoming Trident alone is enough to swing the vote to Apex imo unless GHL comes up with it's own Trident system.

I doubt GHL will come out with automatic calcium and magnesium testing/correction. Imo it's just not needed, especially when using a balanced dosing system. I rarely test calcium, and magnesium even less. I know what they are generally before I test for them.


As for the OP question, I looked and researched long and hard both systems. I went back and forth, but eventually the design and lack of failures of the GHL helped sway me that way. Very happy so far, it's amazing the amount of features within the system.

 

[EmdeReef]

I've been using Profilux since November and so far happy. I had another controller that crashed my tank after about 18mos of continuous use. I will likely never put 100% trust in a controller but I switched to GHL.

Pros (so far):
- Easy to set up, all in one box
- No need for programming skills, although there's an option, simple to use
- Appears very well built
- Instruction videos are very helpful
- Excellent customer service, I recently got a reply so fast that it got lost with my other email
- Dosers
- KH Director (once I get it - hopefully soon )

Improvements:
- User interface - needs work, very 90s looking
- myghl can be painfully slow (although it has been improving)
- The app should feature trend charts
- Some options need more intuitive translation, pretty easy to figure out though

I guess the only "Con" I would have is that technically more equipment is "Apex ready" and it may be a bit easier to find instructions how to set it up - Although pretty much everything would work with P4...

Fair warning - this is based on short use.

 

[HolisticBear]

Has anyone switched to GHL and regretted it?

I went with GHL first and strongly regret it. Another reefer on R2R went from Apex -> GHL -> Apex and is much happier (unfair to tag him unwillingly)

The quality of the software is awful, and I don't mean user friendly, I mean flat out bug ridden. Tell the doser to use 0.5ml dosing amount, it will save 10ml 50% of the time. As someone who's built software for the last twenty years, I find it offensively bad and this is from someone who's written software to control hardware devices for half his career.

There are clearly people happy with GHL and people who've had their Apex flame out and are thrilled their GHL is working better for them.

For me. I regret buying the Mitras + Profilux + Doser and wish I would have gone Apex + Radion instead. The sheer number of hours I've spent fighting the lights / doser / controller / ghl web site to make it all work has really alot of the joy out of the hobby for me. Simply adjusting the lights slightly yesterday had me shaking my head while it took 10x longer than my old AI Prime.

EDIT: Some typos

 

[aumoenoav]

Nothing is perfect. I am a GHL user and it has improved a lot during 2017 on the software part. The one thing that put me off Apex is the doser price pr head. Over all much cheaper with the GHL doser. The software could need a facelift and a bit rethink of naming convensions. The apex fusion is no doubt more streamlined and pretty, but myghl is improving a lot. Sometimes I say as a programmer myslf "Im a programmer - I cant draw a straight line if so my life depends on it". GHL seems to be made by developers, having a solid core. Regardless of the software problems I never experienced an issue that would affect my system, and GHL got a lot of rescue options if anything goes wrong including hard reset of firmware if something get bricked, direct firmware writing through the com port etc.

I would reccommend GHL of those reasons - does not win in interface, but win in the most important, function and stability.

I have Profilux4, 3x Doser 2.1, 4x Mitras LX7, Expansion box and I got the KH Director a week ago.

 

[EmdeReef]

Nothing is perfect. I am a GHL user and it has improved a lot during 2017 on the software part. The one thing that put me off Apex is the doser price pr head. Over all much cheaper with the GHL doser. The software could need a facelift and a bit rethink of naming convensions. The apex fusion is no doubt more streamlined and pretty, but myghl is improving a lot. Sometimes I say as a programmer myslf "Im a programmer - I cant draw a straight line if so my life depends on it". GHL seems to be made by developers, having a solid core. Regardless of the software problems I never experienced an issue that would affect my system, and GHL got a lot of rescue options if anything goes wrong including hard reset of firmware if something get bricked, direct firmware writing through the com port etc.

I would reccommend GHL of those reasons - does not win in interface, but win in the most important, function and stability.

I have Profilux4, 3x Doser 2.1, 4x Mitras LX7, Expansion box and I got the KH Director a week ago.

How do you like the Director???