Apex EL Aquarium Monitor - BRS Special Edition.

[ca1ore]

BRS has pulled it from the website, instead of listing it as out of stock....

You can still get to it from the link in the first post in this thread.

 

[southerntnreefer]

You can still get to it from the link in the first post in this thread.

Interesting! I for one hope they get good feedback, and we see it back in larger amounts this summer.

 

[smiley28]

There are people who just like monitoring pH, temp which you usually can’t do through one system let alone at 250$ The deal almost reminds me of the hydros.. lets you clean up a little.
Anyway you could also add a trident and have a monitor only system.

 

[TheHarold]

There are people who just like monitoring pH, temp which you usually can’t do through one system let alone at 250$ The deal almost reminds me of the hydros.. lets you clean up a little.
Anyway you could also add a trident and have a monitor only system.

The float system is surprisingly useful too. It can let you know if the return pump is off (sump high), the ATO is empty (sump low), or the ATO is overfilling (sump high).

 

[southerntnreefer]

i for one missed the boat, and was going to buy one. Been folllowing hydros, but theres a few things i wanted clarity on, and may need to let it get into the market for a while, but i wanted this, as i could of started with the monitoring, which is huge for me, and then added a Eb32 and or an EB8 as well for all the outlets i needed at christmas or black friday time. Sure id pay more, but it would make a smoother experience overall. I was going to do a used apex jr, which with a new EB8 expansion, im talking 250, and no access to trident. Will be watching for the next batch so i can pounce.

 

[Feet4Fish]

Agreed. Simple should should be seen as a good entry point.

Not clear how the BRS exclusive (for now) 'devalues' the EL? OK, you end up with a couple of float switches and the bracket for 'free', but the $250 difference is really just no EB832 …. which you can buy later on for $250 to get you to the full EL. I think it was pretty smart, particularly if it sold out of 150 in such a short period of time.

 

[robbyg]

The float system is surprisingly useful too. It can let you know if the return pump is off (sump high), the ATO is empty (sump low), or the ATO is overfilling (sump high).

Yeah but you cant do anything about it. Your much better off spending the $500 and just get the package with the EB832. I know some people are going to say they cannot afford it. I also heard the BRS video thing about people being within a one hour drive of the Tank 80% of the time. I have another Statistic for them. 50% of the time when your tank has a major issue you will be far away from the Tank. My tank has run for 6 months at a time with Zero issues and then like clockwork I go on a trip and a day later I am getting an alert. That 80% number that BRS talks about seems to have forgotten Murphy, he is always waiting to mess up your vacation

Anyway I can assure you that just about everybody who gets the $250 package is going to get bored with what they have, and very soon and they will be looking for a powerbar so that they actually can automate stuff and remotely react to emergencies.

 

[Quietman]

So mine just arrived and setting it up now.

I never really wanted an "all in one" controller, alarm, notification and protection system. On my build thread I went into detail on my thinking about controllers when asked on Jan 25, 2020. Happy coincidence this product came out at exactly the price I was expecting (bottom end of that price, too - although no included ORP, I'll have to address that later with a purchase which is still good). So now instead of spending money on additions I didn't need (power bar) and making do, this product lets me buy only what is of value to me.

From build thread:

I have actually have been thinking about getting a controller lately but only as a protection and alarm system, not as a primary controller for my devices. I've said before I'd happily pay $250-$300 for a device that just monitors pH, Temp (2x), ORP, Salinity (optional) and sends me emails/texts if exceeding limits I set. I mean I do want to go on vacation at some point in the future. I was putting Seneye at top of that list, but never pulled trigger. Milwaukee Black-box had something perfect, but it was discontinued.

I do not like the idea of one device that functions as a primary controller for everything in my tank as well as the device that tells me when something is wrong as well as being the device that's providing backup operations. It violates a few engineering principles of control, monitoring and alarm and backup systems....

...For clarity as I review this...separate means that anything I currently have running as primary will NOT be plugged into the Apex power bar, nor will anything primary be 'controlled' from Apex.

I have no plans to purchase a power bar as I see no value in it for me since I do not want to control anything from the Apex. I will likely be purchasing an ORP probe and module (that'll also add another temp and junction box) and some form of leak detection (FMM or actual Leak module).

 

[Nevil]

Yeah but you cant do anything about it.

I have the BRS edition already have a kasa smart plug so I could easily shut off my return or ATO from my phone when I get the notification from my Apex. Kasa strip was only $60. I got the apex for monitoring and trident. May buy the other stuff later but right now I can deal with using another app to shut off my equipment if needed.

 

[trmiv]

So mine just arrived and setting it up now.

I never really wanted an "all in one" controller, alarm, notification and protection system. On my build thread I went into detail on my thinking about controllers when asked on Jan 25, 2020. Happy coincidence this product came out at exactly the price I was expecting (bottom end of that price, too - although no included ORP, I'll have to address that later with a purchase which is still good). So now instead of spending money on additions I didn't need (power bar) and making do, this product lets me buy only what is of value to me.

From build thread:

I have actually have been thinking about getting a controller lately but only as a protection and alarm system, not as a primary controller for my devices. I've said before I'd happily pay $250-$300 for a device that just monitors pH, Temp (2x), ORP, Salinity (optional) and sends me emails/texts if exceeding limits I set. I mean I do want to go on vacation at some point in the future. I was putting Seneye at top of that list, but never pulled trigger. Milwaukee Black-box had something perfect, but it was discontinued.

I do not like the idea of one device that functions as a primary controller for everything in my tank as well as the device that tells me when something is wrong as well as being the device that's providing backup operations. It violates a few engineering principles of control, monitoring and alarm and backup systems....

...For clarity as I review this...separate means that anything I currently have running as primary will NOT be plugged into the Apex power bar, nor will anything primary be 'controlled' from Apex.

I have no plans to purchase a power bar as I see no value in it for me since I do not want to control anything from the Apex. I will likely be purchasing an ORP probe and module (that'll also add another temp and junction box) and some form of leak detection (FMM or actual Leak module).

this is my thinking as well. I had a reefkeeper at one point controlling everything but removed it because I didn’t like the idea of one point of failure for my tank. I bought the EL special edition because I’m only interested in monitoring. I will add on a Trident, maybe some leak detectors, flow sensors and maybe the par module, but I likely won’t buy a powerbar. Really the ph, temp and Trident is all I want, but I could add more monitoring. I can control most of my critical stuff via their own controllers and apps already anyway.

 

[ca1ore]

50% of the time when your tank has a major issue you will be far away from the Tank. My tank has run for 6 months at a time with Zero issues and the like clockwork I go on a trip and one day later I am getting an alert.

Man, ain't THAT the truth ….. made me laugh too! It's the unwritten rule of reefing: any major problem with your tank will invariably happen when you are on vacation. Clockwork!!!

 

[Feet4Fish]

IMO the real value of a device such as this is the ability to monitor and alert. That is exactly what you get right outbid the box. If you want to add and energy bar that is perfectly fine or maybe a couple smart plugs and the comfort of monitoring is all you need. I believe this is a great option that gives you immediate comfort and expand ability as your needs or mood changes.

 

[Quietman]

this is my thinking as well. I had a reefkeeper at one point controlling everything but removed it because I didn’t like the idea of one point of failure for my tank. I bought the EL special edition because I’m only interested in monitoring. I will add on a Trident, maybe some leak detectors, flow sensors and maybe the par module, but I likely won’t buy a powerbar. Really the ph, temp and Trident is all I want, but I could add more monitoring. I can control most of my critical stuff via their own controllers and apps already anyway.

I haven't decided on whether the Trident is of value to me. $600 is lot when I only spend what...1.5 hours a month (20 min/week) testing on those parameters. At $20/hour (value I usually put on my house/hobby time) that'll take me 3 years+ to save in labor once you figure in higher reagent costs. Plus those consumption rates just don't change that often. Love the idea, though.

 

[trmiv]

I haven't decided on whether the Trident is of value to me. $600 is lot when I only spend what...1.5 hours a month (20 min/week) testing on those parameters. At $20/hour (value I usually put on my house/hobby time) that'll take me 3 years+ to save in labor once you figure in higher reagent costs. Plus those consumption rates just don't change that often. Love the idea, though.

Definitely a decision given the cost. For me I’ve been reefing for 16 years and I’m so over testing at this point. I don’t do it as much as I’d like because I just can’t stand doing it anymore.

 

[TheHarold]

I haven't decided on whether the Trident is of value to me. $600 is lot when I only spend what...1.5 hours a month (20 min/week) testing on those parameters. At $20/hour (value I usually put on my house/hobby time) that'll take me 3 years+ to save in labor once you figure in higher reagent costs. Plus those consumption rates just don't change that often. Love the idea, though.

But what you are not calculating is the potential benefits of more stable parameters. That’s a big aspect to why I went the trident route. Of course I haven’t seen any formal studies, but I value that trident has allowed me to go from ..8dkh variation to .1dkh variation by compensating for day/night usage and small interruptions in chemistry like water changes etc.

 

[Quietman]

But what you are not calculating is the potential benefits of more stable parameters. That’s a big aspect to why I went the trident route. Of course I haven’t seen any formal studies, but I value that trident has allowed me to go from ..8dkh variation to .1dkh variation by compensating for day/night usage and small interruptions in chemistry like water changes etc.

True, it also depends on load and rate of change of demand. I'm running mixed, LPS dominant so it's really easy for me to figure out stability on what I need to add daily. But value to me, isn't value to everyone, nor is it value to me permanent. If I'm running high demand SPS tank, I can more easily see value. I never let a previous decision get in the way of future solutions.

 

[southerntnreefer]

i was considering the wifi powerstrips to begin with, as id like to be able to turn things off, and not spend 500 bucks doing it, and that whole 1 point of failure thing. At least with this, you could have monitoring, and coupled with say a WiFi powerstip that you could then turn things off, if the apex craps, your stuff still runs till you get home etc.

believe me things always happen when your away. I went on a quick turn and burn trip bnack home, and my ato malfunctioned even though i cleaned it before i left.

I also had a case while i was at work where my inkbird failed, turned my fans on and my tank, and it got down to 60 degrees when i got home. had i at least had this, i could of called my daughter which was home, told her to go downstairs and plug my emergency heater with built in regulator in, to get me by until i got home, and likely not been as big of issue as it was.

I for one hope theres more, and i can get me one. As i see value in it. I travel once a year. with dogs ( 4) there is always someone at the house making sure they are good, so they are also highly trained to handle my tank fleet ( 75 FW 9 FW 220 SW and soon to be 72 SW) so its a matter of calling someone, but at least if you had the wifi powerstrips separate, its 2 points of failure over 1.

 

[smiley28]

See now a couple of guys are starting to chime in a little more with the same perspective I’ve had for years. I’ll probably never purchase a full on controller again(I had an rke years ago). There is value in just having a monitoring system and brs or neptune knows that and tapping into that potential market is imo a good move. I don’t know if some other company has that sort of monitoring system without extras in the package regardless why miss out on that money?

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Interesting! I hadn't seen this until now.

 

[southerntnreefer]

See now a couple of guys are starting to chime in a little more with the same perspective I’ve had for years. I’ll probably never purchase a full on controller again(I had an rke years ago). There is value in just having a monitoring system and brs or neptune knows that and tapping into that potential market is imo a good move. I don’t know if some other company has that sort of monitoring system without extras in the package regardless why miss out on that money?

ill be waiting for more so i can nab one.