Apex Jr vs Apex A3

[ReefCanvas]

I'm planning out a 90Gallon setup and was looking at the Apex Jr as a controller, the main reason being the cost factor at the startup. Is the Apex Jr upgradable later-on up to the level of an A3 or will there be anything missing permanently (Other than the ethernet). In future I will probably run a couple of DOS, possibly 2 E8 power bars and when the growth hits a specific level, a Trident. Lights and pumps will be AI so there will be a need for an MXM module as well. Other than that I don't think I will need Flow monitoring, Ozone etc.

Will the Apex Jr be sufficient of should I wait and get the A3 right away.

 

[CasperOe]

You can upgrade your junior to do whatever the big boys are doing down the line, however as with everything it will be cheaper for you to start out with an A3 if you know you want some of those features.

But no harm in starting with a junior, getting an EB832 separately and run with it from there.

Here's a good article what you get with each Apex- and which one to chose.

 

[Reefer Matt]

The major caveat with the Apex jr. is that it is wifi only. There is no ethernet port, and no add on feature for that. It is also cheaper to buy it all up front if you want to have all of the probes of the A3 Pro. But if you are planning on using the wifi connection, and don’t want the salinity and ORP probes, then getting the jr. and adding on later is a good option. The jr. was made mostly for those who want to monitor some parameters, but not control them.

 

[CasperOe]

The major caveat with the Apex jr. is that it is wifi only. There is no ethernet port, and no add on feature for that. It is also cheaper to buy it all up front if you want to have all of the probes of the A3 Pro. But if you are planning on using the wifi connection, and don’t want the salinity and ORP probes, then getting the jr. and adding on later is a good option. The jr. was made mostly for those who want to monitor some parameters, but not control them.

I didn't realise that the Junior comes with no WiFi! That's why we have dudes like you around, thanks for clarifying this so I don't confuse OP!

I run the A3 Pro using a LAN cable. WiFi doesn't work anyway...

 

[Reefer Matt]

I didn't realise that the Junior comes with no WiFi! That's why we have dudes like you around, thanks for clarifying this so I don't confuse OP!

I run the A3 Pro using a LAN cable. WiFi doesn't work anyway...

Sorry! I meant that it is wifi only. Meaning that an ethernet cable port isn’t on it. You are correct as well.
It just depends on how much someone wants to add onto it if it is worth it at first. But, I just looked at the pro version, and it has the salinity probe port, but NO probe included! That is unacceptable for the $900 price tag! I suggest that people either buy used, or wait for the sales too. I didn’t realize how ridiculous they are getting!

 

[CasperOe]

Sorry! I meant that it is wifi only. Meaning that an ethernet cable port isn’t on it. You are correct as well.
It just depends on how much someone wants to add onto it if it is worth it at first. But, I just looked at the pro version, and it has the salinity probe port, but NO probe included! That is unacceptable for the $900 price tag! I suggest that people either buy used, or wait for the sales too. I didn’t realize how ridiculous they are getting!

The argument they made was that they would remove the salinity probe and include the leak sensor and level sensor instead "as people would have more use for these"..

It's an awful lot of money for what you get, I have bought the majority of my stuff second hand and been very happy with it

 

[Reefer Matt]

The argument they made was that they would remove the salinity probe and include the leak sensor and level sensor instead "as people would have more use for these"..

It's an awful lot of money for what you get, I have bought the majority of my stuff second hand and been very happy with it

Oh! I retract my comment now!
It used to be true that adding on was more expensive, but now it seems they closed that gap with the last price increase. I have the A2 EL version and find it suits what I need for the price I paid. Of course it isn’t being made anymore. To @ReefCanvas, please disregard my previous comment, looks like Aperture changed their pricing strategy. I apologize. I gotta drink more coffee…
Your spot on, @CasperOe! My apologies to you as well!

 

[ReefCanvas]

Thanks for the info.. I will look in to the pricing with the local reseller again and check. The Pro version seems overpriced and not much different from the standard version so it's generally out of my range. It's either going to be the Jr or the standard. Thank again guys..

 

[ReefCanvas]

Just wanted to post an update for anyone who is in the same position as I am.

Contacted my local Neptune agent and here are some info he gave me.

Apex A3 Jr. is not available for the Asian market so I have to get it either from UK or Australia which will add to the overall cost. I can go with the A3 base set which is a good amount cheaper than the Pro but he offered a very good price for the Pro so I'm thinking of going with the Pro in my case.

When I add the cost of the Apex Jr. with the added shipping cost, cost of the EB8 (EB632 in my case) and the LLC the price comes up very close to the price of the Pro (It's much more expensive than the base A3). It's just a matter of spending it in one go or splitting it up to several payments and in return I get 2 additional FMM ports, Ethernet etc.