Is a controller necessary?

President Evil

President Evil

New member
Ok, I'm running a CA reactor so a PH probe needed to have the reactor working at the best output, but other than that how necessary is it?
I live in SoCal, it doesn't really get cold enough to control a heater (don't have one) I have a chiller, but I only use it during a few months a year. Never had a salinity issue (rarely check) always at 1.26 when I do.
So what I'm really asking is, do in need a controller with all the bells and whistles?
A basic controller seems the best idea to me, since the most important part for me is the PH probe.
Besides lights, temp, salinity, PH, and wave makers, what are the other duties of a controller..
Sorry, too many questions, just wondering where I should go.
120 gal
8 bulb ATI T5
Reefbrite Actinic
Skimz SM Monster Skimmer
 
Well Apex is releasing the Trident this summer supposedly. Will automatically test you cal/alk/mag twice a day and with that can control your dosing.

That's the reason I'm finally caving in and getting a controller.
 
To answer your question, no it is not necessary. I have a temp controller and my lights and pumps are ran through my reef link for ecotech products. When I didn't have ecotech, a timer sufficed just fine. Ph monitoring is overrated and you can check everything else manually. However the Neptune Trident has seriously intrigued me....
 
No it isnt needed bit it does make easier. Try not to do what I did. I went from the Dasia reef keeper to the elite and then to apex. I am now itching to get the newest apex but the price point is to high. Once used ones get to be available and reasonable I am going to pull the trigger.
 
Reefpuck said:
Well Apex is releasing the Trident this summer supposedly. Will automatically test you cal/alk/mag twice a day and with that can control your dosing.

That's the reason I'm finally caving in and getting a controller.
Click to expand...

Now that would be worth having.
 
Is a controller necessary?

I was told before I bought apex "œafter you have it you won't believe you went without it!". Absolutely true in my case. I not only use it to control CO2 regulation/CArx via Ph probe, but I incorporated leak detectors which, when triggered, signal outlets controlling pumps to shut off. Its' programmability allows you to customize 8 outlets and the app allows for remote viewing/control of your entire system. It will allow you to see issues that otherwise might go unnoticed for a longer period, such as pump issues, heater failure, CArx tube clogging, etc. I'm just a novice more experienced reefers can control automatic water changes using the apex to open valves and turn on/off pumps while monitoring water temp in mixing station to verify it matches tank, etc.


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it completely depends on how you plan to use it.
for a person not concerned with the data that their already ignoring I don't see a reason to have it collected by a controller just to be overlooked in another format.
I do have heaters that need controlling and am fairly diligent about stability and consistency in my efforts so to me it is a great utility.
 
Breadman03 said:
Apex2016+Trident=prob a bit under $1,500.

I'd suggest taking a look at the Tunze Smartcontroller 7000. It's got pH, temp and ports for their pump control.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/smar...UwczIMMwHkRuvnuDWGnSseU_gxa9D3IcaAiq-EALw_wcB
Click to expand...

Neptune is only one of the companies that are moving into alkalinity testing and as much as I like their products the trident "prospectively" isn't the best one out there.
ghl unveiled their own alkalinity test that I got the chance to check out at macna 2017 but it also includes the benefit of intervention. what this means is that instead of just a notification that the alk is off, ghl's unit measures and CORRECTS its findings. if it works as designed this means that your stability would be rock solid continuously. if I remember correctly the requirement is owning either a ghl controller or a programmable ghl doser.
regardless of which unit suits the consumer it pays to understand that these tests aren't without maintenance. they all require reagents for the titration tests which I'm sure aren't cheap.
pretty cool to see where the hobby is going regardless.
 
I haven't come across any posts from apex owners that say "œI wish I had never bought this". It's not perfect, I had issues with WiFi connectivity for example, and it's not cheap, but I fully recommend it. Just my 2 cents.


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Nope. Not necessary at all.

Neither are dosing pumps
Neither are ATOs
Neither are RO/DI units
Neither is a sump
Neither is a refugium and Cheato

They do make this whole thing much easier though.

It’s all about ease, convenience and peace of mind. The less of this stuff you have the more volatile your setup will be and the more time you will have to actually enjoy your tank rather than being a slave to it.

My apex has saved my *** numerous times.
 
I just run my Ca reactor 24/7. I tested the pH at the beginning and settled on 1 or 2 drops per bubble. I haven't measure or adjusted it in years, just CO2 and aragonite refills. I stopped measuring a lot of things - Ca, alk, Mg - because they were always good once I got the reactor.
 
Never needed a controller, and I have my tank set up for the least possible amount of maintenance.

Cal and kalk reactor, ATO, are much more important.
 
Nope.. Shedding the controller has been great for me. I had an apex gold with 3 EB8 and finally realized I never used it for 4 years.. All the false alarms from probes and calibrating them was a real pain. Think reef tanks are pretty fool proof. All you have to do is have 2 heaters neither of which is powerful enough to overheat the tank but together sufficient to heat it up. So if one fails it doesnt have any effect because the other heater turns off. Lighting I use a simple woods outdoor 10$ timer and it has worked like charm for the last 3 years. Otherwise im not really sure what the value of a controller is? Have I given up any peace of mind or convenience? NO not at all. Safe to say that the occasional false alarm, probe recalibrate, device failure and so on far exceeds the benefit in my case. Now I would never give up a dosing pump. dont have an ATO(never saw the value in that either) have no problem dumping a gallon of water in my tank ever 4 days.
 
I've had an Apex. It helped me with solving some hard to find otherwise PH problems via graphing. I was able to narrow down that my basement sump room was becoming oxygen deprived by my furnace. Last thing I expected though I was able to see that at 3:30pm every week day my PH plummeted until 10:30-11:00pm when the household and furnace all became a bit more dormant. Also helped me explain my stupid high power bill after looking at a graph to see how much my heaters ran during the night. Learned a lot with that big setup I had. Hoping not to make some of the same mistakes the second time around.
Other than cost, there is no reason not to have one in my opinion and plan to employ one again at some point. What they can do and achieve is really up to your imagination and time you wish to invest in programming/setup.
One word of caution. Like an idiot I didn't have mine plugged into a surge protector. We had a large lighting storm roll through our area and the power surges that accompanied it took out my controller and finished off the slow tank crash that was already in progress.
BUY A SURGE PROTECTOR!
 
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