Talk me into a Apex!!!

[FishyFishy!]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

LOL!? who's loughting?

A) I'm laughing at you.....
B) What the hell is loughting? Is that like shop lifting from a loft?
C) You're comparing what you would want in a controller.... not what I want
D) So therefore my calculations on what I WANT are accurate
E) Reef Angel still sucks
F) That is all.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

A) I'm laughing at you.....
B) What the hell is loughting? Is that like shop lifting from a loft?
C) You're comparing what you would want in a controller.... not what I want
D) So therefore my calculations on what I WANT are accurate
E) Reef Angel still sucks
F) That is all.

So I just had a look at the reef angel web site. I reckon if I were to spend the $$s on a controller, I might just lean that way. Main reason for me would be that it's open source. Could conceivably talk to the home automation system I might consider. See my earlier rant.

[BMW Rider]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

Main issue with the Reef Angel is that you need to add an expensive "expansion module" for every little thing you want to add.

That was the thing that I always disliked with my Aquatronica and was the reason I went with the Apex to replace it.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

[daniella3d]

so basically you would want your reef controller to start your coffee in the morning? or start the sprinkler for watering your garden?

The most important part of the controller is its programmation and if you know about programming you could make your Reef Angel control your home as well.

What is reef oriented like you said are the PH probe, salinity and ORP probe. It would probably be easier to work on your controller to become a home automation system than to make a home automation system control all these reef oriented features and probes.

The problem with any system, and almost all controllers, is that they are not user programmable. YOu have to live with what ever has been encoded into it. Not so with the Reef Angel.

I know pretty darn well why an aquarium controller is an essential piece of equipeemnt for me, but I don't see how a home automation system is necessary? To do what exactly? control the lights when you're away? there are already little gadgets to do that. What else? water your garden? again there are automated system for that. Record your favorite programs? it is already taken care of with a recorder.

The only thing I would want when away from the house would be a set of webcams to watch over the house. I have one on my reef so I can see my aquarium when I leave the house.

Originally Posted by mike31154

My tank's been running fine without a controller for 6+ years now. I've never been able to justify the price for something that's so specific to our hobby. In the end, they're all simply processors with some coding & a display. IMO, with today's technology, there should be generic components available that can be configured to run on any smart phone, notebook, pc, mac, tablet, what have you without having to be a 'reef' thing. I've been looking at home automation systems lately & it looks like things are finally getting to the point where it may be worthwhile. After all, the components used for a reef controller are really only sensors, timers, relays, a display, a low power processor & the appropriate coding/software. It's beyond me why you can't simply buy generic components & hook them up to your smart phone, notebook, tablet.... Sure there are some unique sensors for pH, salinity, etc. but as far as timers, controlled power outlets etc., these items are available for other systems as well, aka home automation. I don't know of too many folks these days that don't have the required processing power in components they already own. It would be nice if a manufacturer would step up & simply provide the sensing components with some cables or wifi that will talk to the components you already have at home.

As far as the $$$ war between apex, reef angel, profilux etc., what the hey, if you can afford a controller & want one, what difference does a couple hundred $$s make? Any electronic/electric/software component is subject to failure, like most things in life. That's why I think 'generic' & noname stuff is preferable since you're not tied to the 'brand' name goodies that are only repairable by the OEM.

end rant...

[jorjef]

Tomorrows sunrise is 6:08 am and the high will be -2. Or at least that's what some controller told someone that reported it free of charge. Oh tank temp is 78 with my finger dip probe ... salinity of who cares , PH of not really sure, the corals say alk and calcium are close and my five gallon pail top off system if flawless

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

so basically you would want your reef controller to start your coffee in the morning? or start the sprinkler for watering your garden?

The most important part of the controller is its programmation and if you know about programming you could make your Reef Angel control your home as well.

What is reef oriented like you said are the PH probe, salinity and ORP probe. It would probably be easier to work on your controller to become a home automation system than to make a home automation system control all these reef oriented features and probes.

The problem with any system, and almost all controllers, is that they are not user programmable. YOu have to live with what ever has been encoded into it. Not so with the Reef Angel.

I know pretty darn well why an aquarium controller is an essential piece of equipeemnt for me, but I don't see how a home automation system is necessary? To do what exactly? control the lights when you're away? there are already little gadgets to do that. What else? water your garden? again there are automated system for that. Record your favorite programs? it is already taken care of with a recorder.

The only thing I would want when away from the house would be a set of webcams to watch over the house. I have one on my reef so I can see my aquarium when I leave the house.

Well, like I said, I don't currently have an aquarium controller & probably won't get one. I certainly don't need one to start my coffee in the morning. I do have an irrigation system & controller though!

As far as my tank goes, I don't test water paramaters that often & when I do, I don't consider it a chore. With my current set up, I don't feel I need to have something constantly monitoring pH, salinity, orp, alk, calc. Digital timers run my lights. I'm with jorjef on that stuff. I see my tank every day & have been at it long enough that I can tell pretty quick if something is off sufficiently to cause concern. When I'm away for more than a few days, my lovely daughter & future son in law check in on the tank.

I guess the point I'm trying to make with the controllers & home automation is that the technology is available that there should be a relatively low cost, easily programable interface that one can use with any computing device. You should be able to also acquire the hardware for whatever you'd like to control without it having to be a niche item. Kind of like a DIN standard or something. The sensors, relays, timers are out there, we just need them to have the flexibility to be hooked up to & controlled by the computing devices we already own instead of having to by another proprietary device. We're getting there & I don't think it will be too long before this happens. There are already smart light bulbs & electrical receptacles available which have wireless capabilty & can be controlled by your computer via the proper interface.

http://www.homelinkdesign.net/automation.html

http://robothouse.net/wordpress/overview/

... and to the OP, looks like you've made your choice on the Apex & it will undoubtedly do the job for you. Don't think you needed all that much convincing from us!

[Coralgurl]

I have an Apex and honestly all that's plugged in are the heaters. I sat for 3 days trying to figure out the programming and just said f&$@ it. I don't need my lights plugged into it, they are programmed separately, as are my phs. Skimmer, return pump, fan, ato and gfo reactor are easy enough to unplug for water changes.

If it can do all the things posted here, I'm impressed but I suck at figuring it out and for me, the controller was a waste of money.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Coralgurl

I have an Apex and honestly all that's plugged in are the heaters. I sat for 3 days trying to figure out the programming and just said f&$@ it. I don't need my lights plugged into it, they are programmed separately, as are my phs. Skimmer, return pump, fan, ato and gfo reactor are easy enough to unplug for water changes.

If it can do all the things posted here, I'm impressed but I suck at figuring it out and for me, the controller was a waste of money.

Yes, if you are not tech dweeb (like many canreefers seem to be), it can seem daunting. But it is not unlike a lot of other SW challenges, like cycles, ich, getting rid of cyano, algae,... growing SPS, etc, etc. The trick is to go one step at a time, like you did with your heaters. But don't stop there.

The good news is that Apex has a couple great manuals, one written by a user, that really helps break down the complexity. And I know, reading manuals is boring. But like said, if you take one thing at a time, it gets a lot easier. And those wizard option settings can be used for most things.

I have had my Apex for about a year now, and still adding function to it. Several weeks ago, we had a power outage in Langley, and was very pleased how my Apex, not only alerted me, but brought everything back up in an orderly fashion. That included turning on my skimmer 5 min after the return pump, so that it didn't overflow. And I really love how easy it is to adjust my dosing, and do things remotely, too (like in Maui).

So, don't be too quick to give up on your Apex. It really can help make things easier with reefing. And can be fun, too, as you get more confident with it. As I said, the trick is to go one step at a time.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Coralgurl

If it can do all the things posted here, I'm impressed but I suck at figuring it out and for me, the controller was a waste of money.

I'd try and find someone locally that was willing to drop by and give you a brief tutorial. It really is simple to set up most things once you have a handle on the basics.

[jorjef]

To be honest the fact that I would likely toss it in then closet after a short attempt to set things up is the reason I won't buy one. That and I would think too much automation would lead to less time doing a visual inspection of corals fish etc. I enjoy checking to see all the corals are happy and warfare hasn't broken out. A controller for me would give me too much of a sense of security. My tank is pretty much wall to wall for corals and I am checking several times a day that one neighbour isn't trying to nuke the other.