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Apex worth the money?


Iceoflife23

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I have come to the conclusion it is relatively cheap insurance. Yes they look expensive but the cost of an apex is substantially less then a tank crash. Its nice to have control of the tank when you are not at home. 

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I am heavily invested in Apex with several  add on modules and absolutely love it.  But others are perfectly content and have successful tanks without it, and many others use competing brands of controllers.

I think it boils down to what you hope to achieve with a controller, and whether you have the time and patience to learn how it works.

I chose the Apex over other solutions for several reasons.  It has the largest user base, a very active community support forum, a wide assortment of optional accessories, easy access from computer/tablet/phone from anywhere in the world with Internet access, and little (if any) DIY skills needed to install and use it.

I’m sort of the resident Apex nerd on these forums, so perhaps I’m a bit biased, but feel free to ask me specific questions about it.

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23 minutes ago, Iceoflife23 said:

 

I have been looking at the Apex controller for a few months now just wanted to ask the question is it worth the money? I have seen a lot of mixed reviews so, thanks for your input.

The same question came up a couple months ago in this thread where I posted a lengthy list of how I use my Apex:

 

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It just depends on what you want to do with your tank?

Does an apex make reefing easier? 100% no. Safer, possibly...but they are FAR from bulletproof.


If you’re a techie and like learning all the different apex modules, and installing them on your system, then yeah it can be really fun! If you’re not...you will likely be pulling hair out and searching thousands of online posts for the right answers;)


For me an apex was wonderful for mobile data(viewing pH and temp from anywhere in world is nice)...plus it was pretty cool showing it off;)
It was a nightmare when it decided to quit working and i had to send it back to neptune...yeah...reefs don’t do well when you put them on hold for a couple weeks waiting for a new head unit! And then I have to re-program it all over again! Hahaha i still have one in a box, i may have to toss it up on the classifieds soon.

If you just need it to control your heat/chiller...there are much cheaper ways of doing so.

Can you have a beautiful thriving reef with an apex? Duh yeah! Can you have just as beautiful of a reef without it? Yup!








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Edited by Mandinga
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9 minutes ago, Mandinga said:

It just depends on what you want to do with your tank?

Does an apex make reefing easier? 100% no. Safer, possibly...but they are FAR from bulletproof.


If you’re a techie and like learning all the different apex modules, and installing them on your system, then yeah it can be really fun! If you’re not...you will likely be pulling hair out and searching thousands of online posts for the right answers;)


For me an apex was wonderful for mobile data(viewing pH and temp from anywhere in world is nice)...plus it was pretty cool showing it off;)
It was a nightmare when it decided to quit working and i had to send it back to neptune...yeah...reefs don’t do well when you put them on hold for a couple weeks waiting for a new head unit! And then I have to re-program it all over again! Hahaha i still have one in a box, i may have to toss it up on the classifieds soon.

If you just need it to control your heat/chiller...there are much cheaper and safer ways of doing so.

Can you have a beautiful thriving reef with an apex? Duh yeah! Can you have just as beautiful of a reef without it? Yup!

I think one of the biggest problems with the Apex is the lack of easy to follow documentation.  Most people don't realize you can make a backup of your config and restore it easily if needed rather than re-programming everything from scratch if you have to replace it.  That was part of my motivation when I wrote my Week of Apex Tutorials segment.  

Whether it's an Apex, GHL, Reef-Pi, or other type of controller....These are all just toolkits.  You can build something elegant or something horrific.  All of them require an investment in learning how they work and what they are capable of doing.

By no means is automation needed to keep a successful reef.  But for people who travel frequently, for people who like gadgets, for people who obsess over data, or for people who are lazy enough to spend a little time automating to avoid manual labor over the long run, you can't beat having a controller.  Just be sure to put the required effort into learning how to use them properly and to have failsafes in place.  

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1 hour ago, SuncrestReef said:

By no means is automation needed to keep a successful reef.  But for people who travel frequently, for people who like gadgets, for people who obsess over data, or for people who are lazy enough to spend a little time automating to avoid manual labor over the long run, you can't beat having a controller.  Just be sure to put the required effort into learning how to use them properly and to have failsafes in place.

This is pretty solid advice right here.

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Part of the trouble with reviewing the apex is there are both lots of fan boys and haters.  I was both, now I am somewhat indifferent.  Don't get me wrong, I I really like my apex and I honestly don't think I would ever set up a "serious" reef tank without one.   It doesn't do everything.. maybe in the future it will, but it does allow ease of access and consistency.  I NEVER have to plug something in or unplug it anymore, I just shut it off with my apex.  Want to turn flow off to glue a frag? one button.  Want to turn the lights on in your frag tank? one button.   Adjust the temperature for the summer or winter?  Literally two minutes.   Is your calcium reactor still working?  yup..there is your PH graph.   Are you saving money by running LED lights?  huh..my heaters cycle on and off all day, even when the lights are on.  Is your tank hot?  ding ding..apex is texting me.  Did the power just go out at your house and you are going to loose EVERYTHING in your tank by the time you get home from work?  Well.. apex just texted me that the unit is disconnected. 

Some things apex makes I think are a complete ripoff.  The dos heads, apex top off (why would I buy a topoff when I can program one with $5 worth of float switches?), the leak detectors are a little too sensitive.  But in the end, the apex provides a serious and robust way to protect your investment from failure.  

Is it 100% reliable?  No, but please point me towards something that is 100% reliable.  

I will say this, my apex has paid for itself 3x over by preventing crashes.   If a crash for you means the loss of two clown fish, a birdsnest, and some shrooms, then it probably isn't worth it.  If you look at fish gear receipts and wonder how it is that you managed to spend so much money on stuff, then it is probably worth it. 

 

 

 

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great points monkey. I was a huge fanboy before all my individual components came out with their own controllers. Now I guess I'm in the middle too.  My vortechs are one button on/off/feed/adjust. ATO and backups ran by Tunze controllers...Hydra lights controlled by their own app....

 

All wired to a DJ Powerstrip($20), so I click them on and off when I want to do maintenance etc. One button on off:)

 

 

I agree though that you can do some pretty sick settings with an apex! And by far the greatest thing it has is the mobile warnings to let you know something is off....that right there is worth the money if you have huge money in livestock.  But yeah, if you are just starting out, don't waste your money early. An apex is always something you can buy and add down the road...once you figure more important things out like Nutrient export, light, flow, temp.

 

 

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That is a good point as well.  If your just starting out then buy an ink bird temp controller, a gravity driven top off, and a maxspect gyre.  

Lot of things control themselves perfectly fine without the apex.  It is super commical when people string together a shiet ton of code to try and emulate something in apex to bypass the controller that came with the unit. 

When you find a big bag of money or win the lottery and want to blow all of it on coral, then get an apex. 

 

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