Jestersix

Apex System decisions

SLGBlue

SLGBlue

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Hi there,

Newby speaking, so please bear with me ;) I am just starting out on my first reef system (125G tank/40G sump) and I am not sure what Apex system to get started with. My idea is to select a good system that one get started with a smaller kit, and add on as we go, who has been around for a while (so is not experimental, I am a newly and doubt I could handle dealing with a new system just yet), and offers a mobile or at least web interface.

Right now I am still in the system set up phase (no animals yet), but am ultimately going towards a mixed reef, one fish/coral at a time ;)

Any tips & opinions are welcome :)
 
If it were me I'd start looking for a good used Apex. The new line is just rolling out and a lot of folks will be selling off their old ones -- which pretty much are just as useful as the new ones -- especially for a newer hobbyist (like you and me.) You should find some bargains -- I did.
 
This is my generic controller advice, doesn't necessarily apply to JUST the Apex.

First figure out what you want controlled and/or monitored, lights, pumps, feeders, top off, pH, salinity, etc. sky's the limit too with reason, you might not want to have a salinity probe right now, but maybe down the road it is not out of the question, where as some people might say "nah, never going to need a salinity probe".

Once you make that list, make another list of equipment that you would want that overlaps that, i.e. you might not go with AC powered pumps in your tank instead of DC pumps in which case any sort of controlling isn't going to happen so you wouldn't list this, however you would put down your return pump if it's AC powered because you might want the ability to press a button and shut it off or put it on a feed timer or something. Now try to be somewhat brand specific or at least get it very close to what you want, then figure which have built in controllers that you'd be more than happy with. So Ecotech's Radion and Vortech pumps have controllers tied into the products and do not need the Apex however they CAN interface with the Apex so you can have an All-in-one control over everything, again you want a feed timer on your pumps or something it is sometimes more useful to press one button than pressing multiple.

Once you figure out how many objects you'll want to control, look at the various packages, sometimes people really only care about something simple like turning lights on and off (not even controlling intensity) at which point I'd say no need for an Apex, and then there are others who want to control the Universe, then getting the super sized package is a bit more useful. Not everyone doses, or feeds, or tops off automatically, and there's nothing wrong with that, however IIRC the smallest Apex package is very limited in how much it can expand (I haven't really looked at the newest one in a great amount of detail so may be wrong on this) so if you want to do a lot of things you don't want to be stuck buying two controllers because the first one doesn't have enough options for you down the road.
 
Good advise, thank you! I will have some thinking to do about what I want to do and then decide on a brand. Any specific brand that might stand out (all other things being equal) or anything I should avoid for some reason?
 
eh... the axiom of "you get what you pay for" sometimes applies but not always sometimes the cheap brands are fine because even if they break after X years replacement costs still make it cheaper than brand Y.

To be honest though there are lots of brands with all sorts of different equipment, you need to be a bit more specific about what you're looking for.

In general though, basics of any tank, water flow, lighting, life support (filtration, heaters, etc)
 
sfsuphysics said:
eh... the axiom of "you get what you pay for" sometimes applies but not always sometimes the cheap brands are fine because even if they break after X years replacement costs still make it cheaper than brand Y.

To be honest though there are lots of brands with all sorts of different equipment, you need to be a bit more specific about what you're looking for.

In general though, basics of any tank, water flow, lighting, life support (filtration, heaters, etc)
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I guess so ;) As for what I am looking for, I wish I knew! No clue (yet). The question came up when selecting a Neptune wave pump that I had to return because I found out that I needed up to 800USD additional equipment to run that 200USD pump :O Now I want to find out what is out there, works best and decide what I need. I guess it will take me some time get that sorted.

I have the basics including water test kit and a refractometer. Lightning also TBD. I ordered some lower cost lights to have some time to find out which brand and system I want to invest in. Also, lost of costly options to chose from, for which I do not yet understand the differences, pros and cons.
 
I've only ever used the Neptune Apex so I'm not a great source, but I can say this -- the two times I had questions I called and they immediately picked up and were excellent.
 
SLGBlue said:
I guess so ;) As for what I am looking for, I wish I knew! No clue (yet). The question came up when selecting a Neptune wave pump that I had to return because I found out that I needed up to 800USD additional equipment to run that 200USD pump :O Now I want to find out what is out there, works best and decide what I need. I guess it will take me some time get that sorted.

I have the basics including water test kit and a refractometer. Lightning also TBD. I ordered some lower cost lights to have some time to find out which brand and system I want to invest in. Also, lost of costly options to chose from, for which I do not yet understand the differences, pros and cons.
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There's a ton of gimicky equipment to waste your money on in this hobby. It makes it hard to make good choices at times.

You've mentioned prices in USD several times. Are you not from around here?
 
Flagg37 said:
There's a ton of gimicky equipment to waste your money on in this hobby. It makes it hard to make good choices at times.

You've mentioned prices in USD several times. Are you not from around here?
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I am but I am used to add measurements and units because I have to at work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
SLGBlue said:
I guess so ;) As for what I am looking for, I wish I knew! No clue (yet). The question came up when selecting a Neptune wave pump that I had to return because I found out that I needed up to 800USD additional equipment to run that 200USD pump :O Now I want to find out what is out there, works best and decide what I need. I guess it will take me some time get that sorted.
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Yeah that is a pain, that said, I would suggest sticking with some wideflow type of pump. You could go with a Ecotech's Vortech line if you want to empty your wallet really quickly, Tunze's line of Stream pumps will empty your wall almost equally fast, you could go the el cheapo route and use Jebao's RW series which looks like a Vortech but it's all internal and can point in different directions or their WP series which looks pretty similar to the Tunze Stream pumps, you could go with a gyre setup with the Maxspect pump (although I have no experience with this pump or what it will do with that sand bed of yours), and of course there are things a little more pricier than the cheapo ones and not anywhere close to as expensive as Tunze/Ecotech pumps Sicce & Hydor come to mind. There are lots of options out there. Think about where you'd want pumps in the tank, how many pumps, then let your wallet do the talking.

I have the basics including water test kit and a refractometer. Lightning also TBD. I ordered some lower cost lights to have some time to find out which brand and system I want to invest in. Also, lost of costly options to chose from, for which I do not yet understand the differences, pros and cons.
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The costlier lights are going to be high end LEDs that have integrated controllers in them, and the honest answer is that there very often is very minor differences between reputable vendors. With a setup like that I might try to hunt around to find someone trying to sell a used T5 setup since those tend to be fairly straight forward and no need tinker with colors other than bulb choice. Or perhaps a couple Kessil's, you can space one on each half of the tank, you'll make some areas brighter than others, but you don't have any corals so that isn't an issue, and when you do get corals you will have a wide range of light intensities to deal with, hell you could dial them way down initially too (recommended) simply to reduce the growing of unnecessary algae and save on your electric bill (again since you don't have any corals yet.

One bit of advise with lighting though, there is no rule that says you need to try an uniformly light your tank. Too many people go for the overall even light with spot lights (LEDs), and it can become very expensive to do so. And if you do want uniform light, I'd go the T5 route since the light is spread out over the length of the bulb.
 
Enderturtle said:
What is your budget? Thats the real question. :)
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Well that depends on whether something is worth it or not. if I have to invest in a more expensive system that will give me excellent conditions compared to a cheaper and less effective one, I chose the former. If all things being equal and both systems give me the same performance and condition, I chose the latter :) I heard a lot about Kessil LEDs, some ppl seem to swear by them, while others seems to think they are overrated. I like the idea of LED as I think temperature control will be easier without factoring in the additional heat source of lights.

What do you use and would you recommend it for a mixed reef?
 
I use kessil 360we over my 40 gallon breeder tank. I like them but am slowly switching over to ecotech radions.

My Tank Journal

My kessils are treat. All my corals doing good. I keep mostly ricordeas, high end mushrooms, zoas, general large polyp stony (LPS) corals, montiporas, and even some Acropora corals.

If youre not on a budget, get the new Apex. If you would rather save the money, get the previous Apex model. I have it and its awesome.

At the end of the day, remember you only need a fish tank, flow, heater, and light to have a reef tank.

The controller and fancy equipment are just optional luxeries.
 
Enderturtle said:
I use kessil 360we over my 40 gallon breeder tank. I like them but am slowly switching over to ecotech radions.

My Tank Journal

My kessils are treat. All my corals doing good. I keep mostly ricordeas, high end mushrooms, zoas, general large polyp stony (LPS) corals, montiporas, and even some Acropora corals.

If youre not on a budget, get the new Apex. If you would rather save the money, get the previous Apex model. I have it and its awesome.

At the end of the day, remember you only need a fish tank, flow, heater, and light to have a reef tank.

The controller and fancy equipment are just optional luxeries.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing your tank journal, looks awesome!
 
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