Looking for Controller

[CapeReefer]

Anyone have some honest feedback about top controllers out there to help me decide which way to go? It seems every single controller I look into has it’s Pro’s and Con’s. I wanted the APEX but not sure if I’ll regret spending the money. Some people swear by APEX, while others say it’s garbage. The main issues I’ve read that happen is that the energy bars stop working (from what I can tell mainly the older models) , the reagent can get expensive and are wasteful since you have to throw away anything that remains in the reagent containers , and that the DOS don’t last long and are very noisy. I personally wouldn’t mind dishing out a bit more money for more convenience and less work on my end as I just don’t have the time to hover over my tank and test every hour or notice every little thing as some people can. I work A LOT. Also has anyone tried or had any luck running a different brand more trusty doser with the APEX while still being able to enjoy all the features neptunes doser offers? I was hoping to see if the new Red Sea doser was any good and if the reviews kept coming back positive to try to run that with the APEX. Any feedback helps. Thanks!

 

[ChrisV]

Well, let's start with a discussion of what you want to control. There are a LOT of options when you also consider used previous models.

 

[CapeReefer]

The basics. I pretty much would like to be able to monitor Ph, Alk, Calcium & Mag. Would like to be able to dose Alk and calcium.

 

[ChrisV]

The basics. I pretty much would like to be able to monitor Ph, Alk, Calcium & Mag. Would like to be able to dose Alk and calcium.

This is helpful to know. I wouldn't consider these the basics.

Alk, Calcium & Mag monitoring is a relatively recent innovation, so you won't be able to use older models of controllers. There was a thread last week discussing the merits of various alk monitoring gear. I'd start there.

I've had great luck with older Apex controllers, but I don't use them for Alk, Calcium & Mag.