Reef nutrition

Asking for a friend...

Jeff Rehling

Jeff Rehling

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So let's say this friend came into some ill-gotten gains (student loan refund) and had, say, around $800 to spend on equipment. This friend has a 75gallon reef tank with new sump, reactors, doser, and pumps.

What would you advise this friend to buy? He's considered an Apex, but can't quite justify it would be really beneficial to the tank.

Standing by (for my friend)...
 
What are you your friend doing for lighting?

Apex is a nice buy but... you really should ask your friend to detail everything he would like monitored, controlled, etc. I know way back when I got my AquaController 3 (same company, technically but way different company) at the end of the day it really turned into a really expensive lighting controller and temperature monitor/controller where in the odd chance it got really hot it would turn off my metal halide lights.

You could always stash it in the rainy day fund for when you really do need/want something.
 
The issue I have with the Apex is to make it most effective is to buy all their gear, and I don't really want to replace things I already own. Powerheads....I have three hydro's and only use two. One Apex pump is $174. Sure, I save one outlet on an energy bar, but I didn't pay $174 for all three of my pumps. I'd like a wavemaker, but for no great reason
 
Don't fall into that trap/misconception. The whole "brand loyalty" nonsense, I've heard it from my cousins at time "they use Macs at school, so we should buy a Mac for home" or "We have iPhones so we should buy a Mac computer" (just as an example). Hydors work, there is no need to get the WAV pumps just because they can be controlled by an Apex, sure you can do some complex wave motion but you don't need it, and if these are AC pumps then there's no reason to plug them into the energy bar (granted you can monitor power to each and tell if they get gunked up or stop working, but that's not an absolute deal breaker IMO) And your lights? Well once you have your settings setup you do not should not need to ever touch it again, so again no need to use an Apex lighting controller.
 
I'd say to your friend, Maybe a DC return pump?
The good thing added to the deal is you can let your "friend" re-purpose the return pump for mixing saltwater.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Don't fall into that trap/misconception. The whole "brand loyalty" nonsense, I've heard it from my cousins at time "they use Macs at school, so we should buy a Mac for home" or "We have iPhones so we should buy a Mac computer" (just as an example). Hydors work, there is no need to get the WAV pumps just because they can be controlled by an Apex, sure you can do some complex wave motion but you don't need it, and if these are AC pumps then there's no reason to plug them into the energy bar (granted you can monitor power to each and tell if they get gunked up or stop working, but that's not an absolute deal breaker IMO) And your lights? Well once you have your settings setup you do not should not need to ever touch it again, so again no need to use an Apex lighting controller.
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Oh, no, not brand loyalty, just don't feel that for $500 I get a whole lot out the Apex EL, unless I had their branded equipment that's designed to all be used together.
 
Jeff Rehling said:
Oh, no, not brand loyalty, just don't feel that for $500 I get a whole lot out the Apex EL, unless I had their branded equipment that's designed to all be used together.
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That's why I said make a list of what you'll do with it, or want to do with it, you might find out you're paying a lot for a very little. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of power there for it to do all sorts of neat things, but you need to know what those neat things are (and it will probably cost you a lot more money since those modules aren't free :D).
 
Simplicity skimmer probably isn't the best one out there, it's really aimed at the budget market. Vertex Omega... good skimmer to be sure, but I'd wait on those, BRS has them 25% off all the time (not Black Friday type wait either), and with that it makes me wonder why they always get discounted.

But if you're tank is looking good now, I wouldn't upgrade the skimmer just to upgrade.
 
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