Apex vs Milwaukee ph control

[Bill Nye]

I am getting back into keeping aquariums after an extended break and am looking to buy something that can control ph. I have a reef keeper lite but no sl module so I can’t use it. When I was taking a break it turns out digital aquatics went out of business and I can’t find anyone who has a sl unit to sell me.

This leads me to my question…my rkl is good enough for everything I’m looking to do other than control ph. This is for a planted tank so it’s not too complicated other than trying to set optimal co2 levels. I would like to diffuse co2 via ph drop instead of a drop checker which is inaccurate.

I was looking into the Milwaukee ph controller and I know many people use them to control their calcium reactors but when I look at the accuracy it says it’s only accurate to .2 ph units which when dealing with co2 could be the difference between being at 19 ppm vs 40 ppm. The apex unit seems to be more accurate with a stated .05 ph unit accuracy but this comes with a hefty price.

I was hoping anyone with experience using these ph controls could lend some insight into how good the Milwaukee control is vs apex before I spend hundreds of dollars! Is it worth just ponying up and buying an apex? I could see myself sometime in the future getting back into reefing which would lend itself to an apex but that would be years down the line.

Thank you

 

[ifarmer]

I think of all the parameters in the tank, PH would be the least that people should worry about.

 

[Reefried]

I disagree. PH is probably the most important parameter in a reef tank, leaving out the obvious salinity and temp. Especially an sps tank. PH is driving the car that calcium and alkalinity are passengers in.

To the OP, I have no experience with either ph controllers.

 

[Bill Nye]

Sorry if I didn't make this clear in the wall of text...this is for a planted tank. Generally you are looking for a 1 to 1.5 ph drop from degassed water to lights on with co2 running. You want about 30 ppm of co2 for optimal plant growth and to avoid algae. A .2 difference in ph could be the difference between killing your fish or not having enough co2 and getting algae.

 

[DylanCameron]

I have an Apex but have not used the Milwaukee controller. That being said, most of the reviews online seem positive. I personally would not buy the whole Apex just for pH control, but there’s certainly a lot you can do with it on a freshwater tank as well (and you could probably find a good deal on a used unit on the forums). Regarding the +/- .2 accuracy, my advice would be to go slow and see how the tank inhabitants react as you approach your goal pH.