Apex or not apex.

S

seanmcknew

Registered SDR User
So I have had saltwater reef tanks for about 10 years now. I have never had a controller for my tank. I hate doing my water tests for manual dosing (no I do not use a dosing pump either).
I am considering getting the trident and the Apexel with DOS dosing heads. The reason being is even though my tanks have always been ok but I want to actually grow coral rather then keep it.

My question for all of you apex users what should I get and what shouldn't I get and why? Thanks for all of your input in advance.

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I ran an apex for about a year. It was cool as hell. I also don't think I'll bother again. All the best equipment have good stand-alone controllers, and integration is a little overrated. Some of the things I did really appreciate: Keep skimmer off for n minutes after power failure, or after I turned off the return for any reason (I was planning to switch this to trigger off float switches instead, but never did), Disable (kalk) ATO if pH went too high, Turn off lights at a temperature threshold, etc.

But I feel like I spent half my time tweaking various settings - the software can be really finicky - and those features were never entirely stable.

I used a standalone doser at the time so can't speak to that aspect.

Anyway, this was an Apex classic a few years ago. The new ones probably have better software. And the Trident thing is wow. But so is the cost.

I'm going to be making heavy use of the new wifi "smart" power strips on my next build. :)
 
Hypsophrys said:
I ran an apex for about a year. It was cool as hell. I also don't think I'll bother again. All the best equipment have good stand-alone controllers, and integration is a little overrated. Some of the things I did really appreciate: Keep skimmer off for n minutes after power failure, or after I turned off the return for any reason (I was planning to switch this to trigger off float switches instead, but never did), Disable (kalk) ATO if pH went too high, Turn off lights at a temperature threshold, etc.

But I feel like I spent half my time tweaking various settings - the software can be really finicky - and those features were never entirely stable.

I used a standalone doser at the time so can't speak to that aspect.

Anyway, this was an Apex classic a few years ago. The new ones probably have better software. And the Trident thing is wow. But so is the cost.

I'm going to be making heavy use of the new wifi "smart" power strips on my next build. :)
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Thank you for the input

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Actually, sorry for going off. I was literally in the process of talking myself out of an Apex when you posted, so I was full of opinions lol. Take with a grain of salt.

For real, auto testing + dosing is the holy grail, but, I'd like to see Trident mature.
 
Get a dosing pump and forget the apex. It’ll be a heck of a lot easier to keep your parameters stable and once you get things dialed in, you’ll be able to test a lot less.


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I would recommend getting an Apex if you are trying to make your life easier. I ran the apex with trident combo on my last build and was able to keep my cal alk and Mag stable for 6 months while on deployment using my iPad from Iraq. It made me so much more comfortable with keeping a tank while gone for work. If you have the money by all mean spend it and save yourself the headache. I swear by the apex with the new Wifi version it is just easy to use and has way more benefits than not running one.
 
Controller for sure. GHL would be my choice. All GHL products are stand alone, they are a standard, stackable (rack mount) size and they are built well. Apex has a larger community and better smart home integration (Alexa) but both have apps and remote connectivity. Apex mostly relies on vertical integration and is not built as well. I have both and can show you the difference~
 
Apex for sure and I personally would go for the full version one not the EL, but that's just my opinion. I was told a couple of years ago from another reefer that I NEEDED a Neptune Apex. I asked why and he couldn't really give me a good answer as to why I needed it. I ripped the band-aid off and purchased one anyways. Now I own 2. So I think that sums that up. So I will just say you NEED one and leave it at that. Hope that answers your question. Don't know much about GHL so I can't speak on that product.
 
dizzyjay said:
Controller for sure. GHL would be my choice. All GHL products are stand alone, they are a standard, stackable (rack mount) size and they are built well. Apex has a larger community and better smart home integration (Alexa) but both have apps and remote connectivity. Apex mostly relies on vertical integration and is not built as well. I have both and can show you the difference~
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Awesome. I have done a little research but almost feel over my head with whole process of figuring out what does what and what I truly need. I will be implementing this into a custom built 110g AIO. (Cant have a sump currently)

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GET IT while you can. The trident on marine depot was out of stock for months and months and recently they just got some in about a week or two ago and they are almost or fully gone already. A guy just posted a brand new Trident on here for sale.

Not only does it save the time and hassle of testing and monitoring. But it has multiple key features and alerts for things that might do wrong, as well as the ability for controllable add-one such as power heads, dosers, controllable return pumps, etc.

I bought it since I am out of town and work so much. I had a very good doser setup that worked perfectly for a year when all of a sudden something locked up and dosed way too much and next thing you know I lost have of my SPS. So I’m my opinion, it’s worth it just as a safety thing as well.
 
I don’t think you truly “need” anything aside from the basics. Many people will tell you to get the apex and trident setup in order to prevent catastrophe, but what happens when the apex or trident units fail? It’s an added layer of complexity that personally, I would never fully trust. The expenditure certainly doesn’t guarantee a lower chance of failure. What I would go for though are systems and methods that are simple and redundant. An example would be using a dosing pump and keeping the additive bottles below water level to prevent siphoning in case of dosing head failure. Maybe go with a lower dose through that system and back it up with lightly saturated kalk in your ato, so if one dosing method kicks the bucket, the tank is still getting dosed through the other method at a lower, but coral-saving level. Maybe for nutrient export, run chaeto with two bulbs in case one burns out, or a combination of chaeto and a skimmer. Go with two small return pumps instead of one, etc. IMO a tank with a bunch of Radion xr30 g5’s, four ecotech mp40’s, a full apex system with doser and a triton auto tester isn’t inherently going to be a better or easier to keep system than a basic tank with a six bulb t5ho fixture, lots of hydor koralias, a trash can full of kalk solution on a timer + aqualifter and occasional manual testing. I honestly would rather have the cheaper setup and spend the money saved on fish and frags. The aesthetic inside of the tank is always going to be my priority over the aesthetic outside of the tank or showing off pricey toys to my fiancée and her friends who couldn’t care less about my weird hobby but does like the looks of my pretty “tree-looking rocks”. SMH.


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crustaceon said:
I don’t think you truly “need” anything aside from the basics. Many people will tell you to get the apex and trident setup in order to prevent catastrophe, but what happens when the apex or trident units fail? It’s an added layer of complexity that personally, I would never fully trust. The expenditure certainly doesn’t guarantee a lower chance of failure. What I would go for though are systems and methods that are simple and redundant. An example would be using a dosing pump and keeping the additive bottles below water level to prevent siphoning in case of dosing head failure. Maybe go with a lower dose through that system and back it up with lightly saturated kalk in your ato, so if one dosing method kicks the bucket, the tank is still getting dosed through the other method at a lower, but coral-saving level. Maybe for nutrient export, run chaeto with two bulbs in case one burns out, or a combination of chaeto and a skimmer. Go with two small return pumps instead of one, etc. IMO a tank with a bunch of Radion xr30 g5’s, four ecotech mp40’s, a full apex system with doser and a triton auto tester isn’t inherently going to be a better or easier to keep system than a basic tank with a six bulb t5ho fixture, lots of hydor koralias, a trash can full of kalk solution on a timer + aqualifter and occasional manual testing. I honestly would rather have the cheaper setup and spend the money saved on fish and frags. The aesthetic inside of the tank is always going to be my priority over the aesthetic outside of the tank or showing off pricey toys to my fiancée and her friends who couldn’t care less about my weird hobby but does like the looks of my pretty “tree-looking rocks”. SMH.


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Well said. Completely agree it’s not “needed”. It’s all situational based. Success is based on hard work and experience and knowledge. In my case, the apex helps me keep things on track and monitored since I can’t be home often. So it’s completely up to you!
 
Thank you all for the input. I get very busy with work sometimes and dont do anything with the tank for weeks except for top offs. So I'm hoping that I can automate a lot of the things I know I should be doing regularly especially before I get too busy again.

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Yes on the apex. Being able to adjust dosing from where ever you are, being able to detect changes in parameters early and adjust accordingly. It’s just a little piece of mind to know you can take care of issues from Timbuktu
 
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