How To Pick Aquarium Controller When I Dont Know What I Dont Know

[ryanpierce2]

Hey all - just bought my first tank ever last week after about ~5 years of researching and going back and forth on if I wanted to dive into this hobby or not. SUPER pumped - but now very overwhelmed with controller selection.

I ended up with a RedSea Reefer G2 170 (34g display +10g sump =44g) and the below core parts. But now my question is how to pick the 'right' controller when I still dont know what I dont know?

A few considerations that can help me when Im researching. But this is exactly where I get hung up. I THINK these are my considerations. But am I not considering something I should be? SHOULD I be more or less concerned with these items? It's hard when researching controllers because Im comparing features and capabilities that I dont even know if I need.

• I want to be able to scale with the new controller - but I dont think it needs all capabilities from the jump. Price is consideration for sure, but happy to spend the $ if it's justified.
• Im MOST concerned about water levels and heaters. Basically - I want to put the $ in now to ensure I dont flood my brand new house with 40g of saltwater. Or burn my house down with heater problems. Etc.
• At the moment, Im very much LESS concerned about automation and dosing. I want to learn what Im doing manually and then automate later.
• I do not have a super tech background. I am happy

Return Pump - Varios2
Light: AI Prime 16HD
Skimmer: Bubble Magus Curve Elite 5
Wavemaker: Vortech MP10
Heater: 2x 100w BRS heaters with Helio controller


Any help is GREATLY appreciated!!!

 

[shanepike]

I run a Hydros on one tank and an Apex on the other. I really wanted to prefer the Hydros (and I fully expected to), but it has completely let me down. Here are a few reasons why:

• The Hydros interface is exclusively app-based. There is a website, but it's just the app interface on a web page. The Apex actually has a different web interface that takes full advantage of the much larger screen real estate. I just find that vastly easier to work with when doing anything beyond the basics.
• The Hydros doesn't offer any parameter logging/graph functionality. You have to use a completely unrelated app to log and view your parameter trends.
• The Hydros setup instructions are just awful. Thankfully I'm a tech-savvy guy and was able to figure it out on my own, but geez was it frustrating. The Apex has step-by-step videos that make it easy. (Not as easy as they could, but good.)
• At least a couple times a week, I get a notification that the Hydros has lost connection to the power strip. It always comes right back, and it's never caused a problem, but it's annoying. (Everything keeps running; you just can't control the outlets remotely.)

I'm sure there are people who prefer the Hydros over the Apex, though, and I'd love to hear why. I definitely don't think I have a full enough experience to definitively say that one is better than the other.

I am about to set up a third tank, and I bought a GHL controller to try out on that one. Anxious to see how I like it, because I never hear anyone talk about them.

 

[ryanpierce2]

I run a Hydros on one tank and an Apex on the other. I really wanted to prefer the Hydros (and I fully expected to), but it has completely let me down. Here are a few reasons why:

• The Hydros interface is exclusively app-based. There is a website, but it's just the app interface on a web page. The Apex actually has a different web interface that takes full advantage of the much larger screen real estate. I just find that vastly easier to work with when doing anything beyond the basics.
• The Hydros doesn't offer any parameter logging/graph functionality. You have to use a completely unrelated app to log and view your parameter trends.
• The Hydros setup instructions are just awful. Thankfully I'm a tech-savvy guy and was able to figure it out on my own, but geez was it frustrating. The Apex has step-by-step videos that make it easy. (Not as easy as they could, but good.)
• At least a couple times a week, I get a notification that the Hydros has lost connection to the power strip. It always comes right back, and it's never caused a problem, but it's annoying. (Everything keeps running; you just can't control the outlets remotely.)

I'm sure there are people who prefer the Hydros over the Apex, though, and I'd love to hear why. I definitely don't think I have a full enough experience to definitively say that one is better than the other.

I am about to set up a third tank, and I bought a GHL controller to try out on that one. Anxious to see how I like it, because I never hear anyone talk about them.

So would this be a recco for Apex? And if so, would you suggest A3 or A3 Pro? Does the incremental $300 or so get you $300 of value?

 

[shanepike]

So would this be a recco for Apex? And if so, would you suggest A3 or A3 Pro? Does the incremental $300 or so get you $300 of value?

I'm hesitant to say it's a recommendation. It's just my personal preference. Other people have a different preference.

I don't have a strong opinion on the A3 vs the A3 Pro. I will say, though, that I don't see anything in the Pro that I would want to pay extra for (or at least that much extra). For example, I don't find ORP information useful at all, the water level sensor has horrible reviews, and I don't even use all the ports on my regular Apex.

I do feel strongly that I would buy used vs new. You'll save hundreds of dollars, and you'll get a unit that you know works vs getting a new one with issues that you have to go round and round with Apex about (which I hear about a lot). You will probably have to buy new probes, but do you really need to monitor salinity 24/7? And lab-grade pH probes are just $45 (and I've bought them cheaper before).

Don't take any of this as gospel, though. I'd definitely like to hear others' thoughts.

 

[project1004]

I only used Apex and never the hydro or the ghl. So my opinion is bias.

That being said, I am using “Apex Jr” on my system. I never used newer ones that allows to see wattage and amps. (I think it’s cool feature but not something I find it needed). And my system is pretty equipment heavy.

Apex is easier to navigate thru. Just to be in the safer side. I do have additional apex jr as well as older apex model that requires Hardwiring. I doubt I will change out the controller. I suggest you to find the one used! I recently bought used Alkatronic and Dosetronic and had to put some work into it (getting spare parts etc). But it’s working now.

And welcome to the hobby. <><

 

[chaples55]

To me it sounds like you don't really need a controller right now. Auto top off and heaters are usually independent devices anyway and I don't see much advantage to having them hooked into a controller, at least starting out.

Like you said, get a feel for things manually first. If you notice there are tasks that are getting repetitive/boring (such as testing/dosing) you can find a device that automates those tasks for you later on. If you don't know what you want the controller to do, then you don't need it right now.

If you just want a convenient way to turn things on and off or put things on a schedule you can get a smart power strip in the meantime. The outlets are individually controllable and they make ones that have energy monitoring if you're interested in that. Wayyyyyy cheaper than an aquarium controller, and still very useful if you do get a controller later on.

 

[shanepike]

@chaples55 makes a great point: A controller is great for automating tasks. I need that on my larger tank.

I have a controller on my smaller tank, too, though because I want to monitor it. I don't have anything that needs controlling (although it does serve as a backup to the heater controller), but I want to be alerted if the temp gets too high and I want to occasionally see what the pH is doing. I would probably use the feed timer on it, but that is a huge gripe about the Hydros that I forgot about: I can't just pop open the app and hit a feed button. I have to open the app, log in (every. single. time. even if I've just had it open), and wait for everything to load before I can hit the feed button. With the Apex, I click the app and the feed button is right there to be clicked.

I have a controller on my small tank just to alert me if something basic goes wrong. It can even do leak sensing, though I don't use it.

On my larger tank, I use a controller for monitoring and controlling.