Why a controller?

[Scooter90254]

Almost all good power head and light ships with its own controller.

That’s were I’m at to a point. My lights have a timer and I dos Kalk through a tunze osmolator and my all of my pumps have controllers as well. I feel like my tank is already basically automatic with the exception of feeding and filling the top off resivoir.

That being said I think I’m going to get one.

1. The temperature control is hard to argue with.
2. It looks like it will be a great way to run my dosing pumps.
3. I do travel a fair amount for work. The wife and kids are not nearly as consistent with watching the tank as I am.

I’m going to smart small and then work my way up if I feel it necessary.

 

[Ahbaloch]

Hey op not to steal your thread lol

But i am in the same boat,

But my question is

There are sooooo many part , sensors and things for apex

How do i know which ones are must have and i have to have it at all cost,?

Or which are optional?

The apex i see which is grey and orange only has 8 outlets? That cant be nearly enough? I need over 20 outlets

 

[Flexin]

Hey op not to steal your thread lol

But i am in the same boat,

But my question is

There are sooooo many part , sensors and things for apex

How do i know which ones are must have and i have to have it at all cost,?

Or which are optional?

The apex i see which is grey and orange only has 8 outlets? That cant be nearly enough? I need over 20 outlets

Before buying one I would plan out your tank, not just today but a few years down the road. What would you like, what equipment you want etc. If you know you want a controller up front, this can affect the equipment you buy. You may not need the MP40’s and can go with something else to leverage the controller, etc.

Also, you can opt to keep things simple in your tank. If you can maintain stability with just bi-weekly water changes, cleaning the glass, stirring up the sand... That’s ok. The more you add, the more complex the system gets.

I don’t think it’s a must have, but it allows me to travel with piece of mind. Also, as mentioned, one tank crash would pay for a controller easily, and I can easily see what’s on or off if I missed something or something fails. But don’t spend more time watching the controller, continue to watch the tank so you know visually what is going on and use the data as another tool.

 

[Rick Mathew]

For me the answer to this question was not complicated...It was not as much about control as it was about being able to see the the status of key perimeters at a glance...Temperature...Salinity...pH...ORP...etc....It is "Visual Quality Control". It has also been helpful in giving me a heads up if any equipment might be failing...One place to look to see it all

 

[CindyKz]

I had two tanks without a controller. My husband bought me an Apex for Christmas last year because I was so worried about my tanks on vacation the previous year that I drove him nuts . I also would leave for work after feeding the fish, then stress all day that I forgot to turn something back on. A couple of times I was late for work because I ran back home to check (blame the traffic...)

I wouldn't call it a required piece of equipment. As previously pointed out, much of our equipment has it's own controller. I kept my standalone dosing pump and ATO (although it's plugged into the Apex so it turns off and on for feeding etc). And really, if you have a decent ATO salinity isn't a parameter that needs to be monitored constantly - keep a stable water level and it takes care of itself. The necessity of monitoring pH is probably worthy of a separate thread - I didn't watch it for a year but starting to pay more attention when I started dosing kalk. I don't use the ORP. The temperature control is very valuable but as previously pointed out, this can be controlled much less expensively if that's all you want.

Positives:

• Provides great back up. I programmed my ATO to turn off if my salinity drops (in the event my ATO freaks out and starts pumping in RODI) or if my pH climbs too high (kalk in the ATO).
• It saved one tank while I was away on vacation (this was in January and I set up the Apex in late November). An outlet that we didn't know was controlled by a light switch got turned off. I was on the beach in Jamaica when I got an alarm that the temp in the tank dropped, which prompted me to call my daughter/live in tank sitter and troubleshoot. This could easily have been a complete crash but there were no casualties.
• It will send me messages for things like low water level in the ATO, in the event that I screw up and forget to add water to the reservoir (happens all the time).
• I can look back at the multitude of graphs and data and correlate events to changes (ie, started feeding X on this day, alk consumption went up or down, etc). This can be done in an exel spreadsheet or something, but Apex makes it very easy.
• I can set reminders to do "stuff" - again, I could do this a multitude of other ways.
• Feed mode. I can click a button and equipment turns off for a specified period, then turns back on automatically. No need to worry about forgetting or falling asleep on the couch.

Negatives:

• COST. It costs a LOT, even if you find a used system. Then when you think you're done spending you aren't, because many of the functions require extra modules, breakout boxes, whatever. Apex compatible equipment (like the dosing pumps and auto feeder) is pricey.
• Steep learning curve with potentially fatal results if you make a mistake. If you're like me and you don't have a lot of experience programming or writing code, be prepared to put some time and effort in.
• The probes are VERY finicky. Especially salinity. I don't even bother with it on one of my tanks.
• Most of the system requires a hard wire - probes, boxes etc aren't wireless. Only the "brain" is. If you have multiple tanks in separate rooms you'll need to run at least one wire (we ended up drilling holes in the floor and running it through the basement).

HTH,

Cindy

 

[ACF930]

Once Neptune releases Trident, there’s greater value to get an Apex. Then you can monitor all your major parameters. However, too bad it still cannot monitor Nitrates and Phosphates, maybe one day.

 

[WVNed]

I got a controller for my dog so I don't have to feed, pet or walk him.

 

[RCS82]

I wouldn't even put a controller in my top 10 best equipment purchases. I ran reef tanks for almost 25 years before getting one. It's a nice-to-have, I'll grant that, but hardly a must-have. I'm a big proponent of redundancy, and a controller inherently adds a MAJOR single point of failure. Sure, one could carry on for years without an problem, but if the thing goes ..... well, problem. I also mostly use mine as a monitoring and alerting device, rather than an actual controller. Even basics like heat and top off I don't consign exclusively to my apex.

Although I increasingly try to avoid giving advice, preferring to just share my experience, when pressed I will always tell folks to invest in the important stuff like a reliable pump, good lights and flow before getting a controller. I also wonder whether being too reliant on 'data' somehow erodes the ability to 'see' when something is wrong.

Couldn't have been said any better.

 

[CindyKz]

It's a nice-to-have, I'll grant that, but hardly a must-have. I'm a big proponent of redundancy, and a controller inherently adds a MAJOR single point of failure.

invest in the important stuff like a reliable pump, good lights and flow before getting a controller. I also wonder whether being too reliant on 'data' somehow erodes the ability to 'see' when something is wrong.

Absolutely agree with the above, I wouldn't make a controller an immediate priority. Even with it, I have other redundancies built in (like using a heater with a thermostat, and setting the thermostat to my desired range. This step saved me once when my Apex tried to keep heating the tank because the temp probe was inadvertently exposed to air instead of water. The thermostat in the heater prevented a potentially lethal overheat situation). Use your brain first, controller second.

I use the data retrospectively - always look at your tank when something seems wrong.

 

[Scooter90254]

What’s trident?

 

[Montiman]

What’s trident?

It is a new apex module that offers automatic calcium alkalinity and magnesium testing.

 

[Scooter90254]

Now that would be a game changer.

 

[clsanchez77]

I got a controller for my dog so I don't have to feed, pet or walk him.

I have a 10 year old controller for my dog - even picks up the crap for me!

 

[clsanchez77]

Now that would be a game changer.

Not at its current price point