Thinking about an Apex System

[UtahReefer]

Thinking about taking the plunge and purchasing an Apex System for my reef. However, with all of the posts I have seen about the Energy bar failing it makes me hesitate. Have the issues been sorted out with the Apex Energy Bars or are they still having problems. Thanks to anyone who can provide some help.6

 

[DSEKULA]

I've had my 2 eb since 2019 without issues so im honestlynot sure what your referring to. Ime if there are issues apex support has been great. Just keep in mind there are limits if the item is out of warranty etc you will have to pay.

The one item would never buy again is that stupid display, I could never get it to work for me and I had 2 thinking I got a bad one. Both went back to apex and i was told they were basically beyond repair etc right out of the box but I did get a replacement and then refund after the 2nd one.
That being said the equipment is an investment and you can absolutely have a beautiful reef without the apex control.

I personally love the apex line and run my 3 part dosing off the Trident (my favorite item) keeping my tank super stable. For a bunch of cheap hobby gear it has done what was promised.

 

[tsharpe291]

Thinking about taking the plunge and purchasing an Apex System for my reef. However, with all of the posts I have seen about the Energy bar failing it makes me hesitate. Have the issues been sorted out with the Apex Energy Bars or are they still having problems. Thanks to anyone who can provide some help.6

I myself have not had any issues with any Neptune power bars over the years.
im still using the eb8 black box and eb8 32. I have had issues with other Neptune gear but customer service IMO has been very responsive and thorough with diagnostics. That being said nothing is perfect and things do fail.
love my apex but I am starting to get my feet wet with some hydros gear.

 

[UtahReefer]

I've had my 2 eb since 2019 without issues so im honestlynot sure what your referring to. Ime if there are issues apex support has been great. Just keep in mind there are limits if the item is out of warranty etc you will have to pay.

The one item would never buy again is that stupid display, I could never get it to work for me and I had 2 thinking I got a bad one. Both went back to apex and i was told they were basically beyond repair etc right out of the box but I did get a replacement and then refund after the 2nd one.
That being said the equipment is an investment and you can absolutely have a beautiful reef without the apex control.

I personally love the apex line and run my 3 part dosing off the Trident (my favorite item) keeping my tank super stable. For a bunch of cheap hobby gear it has done what was promised.

Thanks so much for the info.

 

[UtahReefer]

I myself have not had any issues with any Neptune power bars over the years.
im still using the eb8 black box and eb8 32. I have had issues with other Neptune gear but customer service IMO has been very responsive and thorough with diagnostics. That being said nothing is perfect and things do fail.
love my apex but I am starting to get my feet wet with some hydros gear.

Thanks... IF you have Apex why the interest in Hydros?

 

[Chee-tomorpha]

I wouldn't recommend a Hydros system if you have a mesh network - from personal experience.

 

[n2585722]

Thanks... IF you have Apex why the interest in Hydros?

It is a different concept where instead of one main brain and several modules. The Hydros all modules can be used alone as a small controller or connected together to form a collective which acts like one larger controller where inputs and outputs are shared with all. The big difference is if you loose the main brain on controllers such as the Apex you are stuck until you can get it fixed or replaced. With the Hydros you would loose any inputs and outputs on that particular controller but the others will continue as long as a input or output from the one that is down is not needed. So you don't loose complete control of everything in the whole collective. This also allows you to start out small if you want and gradually add to it over time. I have 10 Hydros controllers now. Nine of them are in a collective. The tenth one I just got Friday. So I have not added it to the collective yet. I have 36 inputs setup and I have 94 outputs setup. Some of the outputs are virtual outputs used for logic and do not directly control an actual output port.

 

[n2585722]

I wouldn't recommend a Hydros system if you have a mesh network - from personal experience.

You can use a dedicated access point with it's own name and password for the Hydros instead of trying to use it directly with a mesh network. The access point has to be a wired connection to your router to work correctly.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thinking about taking the plunge and purchasing an Apex System for my reef. However, with all of the posts I have seen about the Energy bar failing it makes me hesitate. Have the issues been sorted out with the Apex Energy Bars or are they still having problems. Thanks to anyone who can provide some help.6

My energy bar finally failed after 5 years and was a mere capacitor . Ive found it very useful and dependable after using reefkeeper units over 20 years.

 

[areefer01]

Thinking about taking the plunge and purchasing an Apex System for my reef. However, with all of the posts I have seen about the Energy bar failing it makes me hesitate. Have the issues been sorted out with the Apex Energy Bars or are they still having problems. Thanks to anyone who can provide some help.6

Depends on what you are reading and what problems specifically. As I posted a few minutes ago in another thread two different hobbyist using the same product will often yield two different experiences.

Since you specifically noted the energy bar the EB832 has had an internal power supply change recently using a MeanWell product. I have both and haven't noticed any differences. My Apex dates back to 2018. I have had one EB832 go out but I believe it was due to a power surge and not an internal failure. I also run a pair of EB832's for redundancy and cold spare.

In fact I keep spares of a few different things for this reason be it redundancy, hot or cold spare, etc. Light, plumbing, control, etc. Peace of mind. My only suggestion for you is to make a requirements as to what you need today, what the future may bring, and what is nice but critical. Factor in growth of the display and you, the hobbyist. Then look at the controller in question, and others, then go from there. Include things like modules, auto water changes, dosing, data logging, and what not. Budget - don't forget that.

That is about as unbiased as I can get as a long time Neptune user (1999 to present). Some coexistence can happen such as my control of Kessil lights, Sicce power head, and feed mode with the Hydros wave engine. Requirement and planning is everything.

Hope your day is amazing!

 

[tsharpe291]

Thanks... IF you have Apex why the interest in Hydros?

I’m a gear junkie, lol

 

[Pistondog]

Apex most reliable in general. I had a power bar fail recently, after 5+ years due to power flicker. Have 3 running.

 

[Pistondog]

Also peace of mind with remote monitoring via apex.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

This was my opinion when I first got my Apex.

Apex... Really, This is what I get for my money?

Oh, where do I start... I originally was going to go with Hydros, but with the winds of corporate change in the air, I decided to go with Apex. I initially bought the ATO/ATK, then got a good deal on the V2 complete system because I wanted to salinity probe. Set everything up/ got every plugged...

www.reef2reef.com

Today, I am better with it, probably because I lowered my expectations.
I am eliminating two Nano temperate tanks and combining both into a RS170. I will be using a Hydros for that tank. Why? Curious to do a side by side. I have heard good things, I like the UIUX, I like the fact that engineering behind it. Plus my temperate tanks are not high demand, I need to know temp and salinity mostly.