Apex or Reef Link

CoralN00b

CoralN00b

New member
So as most of you know, i have new DIY lights that I purchased from a fellow reefer.

I can not dim them or set up the sunrise, sunset, etc....

I need the Apex with the variable speed ports. I already have a MP10 in the tank too. So the controller would control my lights mainly. I might be weird but I like testing everything on my own like PH and Salinity.

I mainly need to control the lights.

So my options are.....

1) Purchase an Apex with the VSP options and possibly the MP10 piece. Then set the lights and everything up on that.
2) Swap the DIY Led's for a Radeon fixture. Then put the Radeon and MP10 on a reeflink.

I am leaning towards option 2. What do you guys think? I only really need it for the lights and pump.
 
The salinity feature of the apex, well it's not all that. Unless you find a great deal on it and even then I'd make it low priority purchase. pH on the other hand is very useful measure to understand the stability of your tank. I'd go apex for the long term ability to grow and expand.
 
Apex is a solid choice if you think you may evolve your setup to include things like ATO, reactors, dosers, etc. It's a nice "engine" that is limited mainly by your effort.

Having PH & Salinity allows for programing "fail safes"...like "if salinity is less than 1.023 turn off ATO and send e-mail", or "if PH above 8.4 turn off alk dosers and send e-mail".

That said, Reeflink appears to be a platform that will be expanded, just not sure what/when. But if all you need/want is lighting and pump control...its a solid choice for that.
 
A dilemma. I have both. I enjoy both.

I needed the expand and grow quickly, so I went with the Apex for my pH control and mainly outlets.

The Reeflink will one day be a full controller, problem is as we all know, EcoTech takes their time releasing new products and that's not a bad thing, unless you have time to wait.

It sounds to me like you want to upgrade your lights already, if that is the case, and you do like your LED's then getting a radion might not be a bad idea, you can get some great prices on them lightly used. I'd consider getting a G2 if I were you. The price for them is amazing on the second market, and there's a few here for sale. People ask me why I say that, but most people forget or simply don't know that ETM sells the clusters from all new gens online, and at an incredible price in comparison.

That's just my 2cents.
 
Long term as Josh mention Apex Reeflink will only do so much - Control only they products they have for now
 
The main advantages of getting an apex is that you can program whatever you want.

For instance: you're getting ready to feed your fish so you hit the feed button and automatically all of your flow is stopped and the skimmer gets shut off. After a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, let's say 5-10 minutes, everything gets kicked back on again, and you can even further delay the skimmer from kicking on an additional 5 minutes to allow for the water level to adjust properly to prevent the skimmer from overflowing.

You can also do really cool things like having a dedicated button for water changes; push one button and everything you normally manually unplug turns off. Or if you don't have a chiller and are worried about the temp rising too high, you can program a small fan to kick on and blow air across your tank or sump to cool the water temp down to a reasonable temp.

That's just the tip of the iceberg of what you can do. On the neptune forum, I've seen some really amazing things people have done.

With that being said, the negatives are that the full unit itself is pretty expensive if bought new, there is a slight learning curve if you're not really tech savy (it's nothing crazy but if you can't set up a network in your house, you will get confused), and if you're planning on controlling any votech's or radions, you'll need an additional module.

I haven't yet updated either of my apex units to fusion, but from what I've seen, it's pretty incredible and has alleviated many of the tech problems associated with their past firmware versions.
 
This is all very good and helpful input and insight guys!

Personally, I feel like the Apex would benefit me if I had a larger tank. I know it has it's benefits with the smaller nanos as well but I really only need it for the lights and MP10 to be totally honest. It feels like overkill for that. Although, that is not bad.

I think the main issue causing the creation of this thread is that I always had plans of putting a radeon on. If I decide to keep the DIY Led's I have, then the clear choice is the apex.
[MENTION=636]Gary[/MENTION] you read my mind with the G2 and then getting the upgrade. That is exactly what I found in my research and what I decided to do is I go with the Radeon.

Again guys, thanks alot for the info and input.
 
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