I am a new reefer. I just picked up a new Apex Jr. I am trying to decide on which are the most important modules for me. So far I plan on an eb 8, wxm for when I buy a radion xr30, and the new fmm. I want the fmm for leak detection and the optical sensors. I'm also torn between a pm1 and a pm2. Which would serve me better for a mixed reef and fish build? Any other recommendations would be appreciated. How important is ph at this early stage.
Apex jr what's important
- Thread starter Fdnavy
- Start date
jml1149
New member
Welcome to reefing. And welcome to the Apex. I'm a pretty hard core Apex user, so if you have any questions feel free 
Congrats on the Jr., it was my first Apex system too. But it becomes an addiction... Also don't forget, they recently upped the number of modules to 7 instead of 4, so you have more options.
The EB8 is basically mandatory, and I really feel the WXM / Radion interface is great. Nice to have everything in one location when you need it.
I have the FMM for flow monitoring, and I just bought another FMM with a couple optical sensors and leak detectors. The optical sensors are far superior to mechanical float switches. I've had two fail in the last couple of months, and both times, water on the floor. So I figured, heck, if I want leak detection, why not throw down the additional 25 bucks and get the FMM. So I agree with you there too
Now, if I had to choose between the PM1 and the PM2, I would, without question, go with the PM2. People here might disagree, but you can measure salinity with a 30 dollar refractometer. Getting an accurate pH measurement is much harder. People might say, pH isn't important. Sure, pH isn't important until you know exactly how your pH behaves over the course of time, and there isn't a chemical test kit or pen probe that will give you the same data as a constant monitor of pH for the entire day. Also, when acclimating new fish, I drip acclimate until the salinity is the same, and until the pH is the same. So I use the pH probe to monitor the fish bucket during the process. Again, this can't be done easily without the pH probe.
If you plan on dosing, which you will eventually, using pH as a safety feature has saved me on a couple of occasions. Salinity has two, but an overdose of Alk is probably way worse than a salinity drop, which would happen if your ATO went bananas.
Just my opinions, but I'm fairly confident in them. Any questions, let me know
Congrats on the Jr., it was my first Apex system too. But it becomes an addiction... Also don't forget, they recently upped the number of modules to 7 instead of 4, so you have more options.
The EB8 is basically mandatory, and I really feel the WXM / Radion interface is great. Nice to have everything in one location when you need it.
I have the FMM for flow monitoring, and I just bought another FMM with a couple optical sensors and leak detectors. The optical sensors are far superior to mechanical float switches. I've had two fail in the last couple of months, and both times, water on the floor. So I figured, heck, if I want leak detection, why not throw down the additional 25 bucks and get the FMM. So I agree with you there too
Now, if I had to choose between the PM1 and the PM2, I would, without question, go with the PM2. People here might disagree, but you can measure salinity with a 30 dollar refractometer. Getting an accurate pH measurement is much harder. People might say, pH isn't important. Sure, pH isn't important until you know exactly how your pH behaves over the course of time, and there isn't a chemical test kit or pen probe that will give you the same data as a constant monitor of pH for the entire day. Also, when acclimating new fish, I drip acclimate until the salinity is the same, and until the pH is the same. So I use the pH probe to monitor the fish bucket during the process. Again, this can't be done easily without the pH probe.
If you plan on dosing, which you will eventually, using pH as a safety feature has saved me on a couple of occasions. Salinity has two, but an overdose of Alk is probably way worse than a salinity drop, which would happen if your ATO went bananas.
Just my opinions, but I'm fairly confident in them. Any questions, let me know
Thanks for the info. I'll go with an eb8, PH, wxm, and ffm. Eventually I'll add on the salinity probe. I have been reading that the salinity probe isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seems a lot of reviews question its life span and accuracy. Now I just need to get my post count up so I can access the buy sell threads!
