ReefKeeper's Departure Hurts The Industry

[Bigzman]

Just saw the interview with Terence. Someone said that Neptune didn't care about DA going under but obviously he does he mentioned it several times as a reason to buy an Apex. Basically do not support these new companies because they could be gone tomorrow.. Well there was a time when Digital Aquatics was dominant like what Apex is. The market is fickle and can turn on a dime especially if there ends up being a problem. He also mentioned the demise of the classic and JR is in the near future.. One thing I didn't like it turned into a bash GHL session.. I just thought it was tacky and I only use a GHL doser.

Where can I find this video? I have used both and yes I get that the ghl might not be intuitive at start but it's very reliable and offer many features and a great app for Android

 

[David S]

Bought my Reef Keeper about 7 years ago on special - can't recall from whom maybe Marine Depot- for $200.
Included the power bar SL1 module, temp and PH probe.
Happy to say it's still with me.
Has controlled my heater and dosing flawlessly.
Then about a year ago I added an ALC module to control and ramp my T5 retrofit. Again flawless.
So I'm sorry to see them go - but their product lives on.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Does anyone use reef angel?
At $399
Not terrible considering what is included.
http://www.reefangel.com/Product_RAStar.html

 

[CanadianReefer]

I hear you. All my systems are run with a reefkeeper elite. I will eventually be forced to switch my system over, and that sucks. I'm surprised that they weren't able to evolve into something that could compete... not everyone likes Apex... or the price tag!

 

[FlamingGrapes]

I liked my Reefkeeper lite for the price point and as said earlier the basic functions that come with it.
I had mine about a year plus when it just stopped connecting to my computer. I tried resetting with complete reboot but couldn’t get it to be connected. Of course no support from the company. It continued to become less and less programmable. I really like the features it had if it just worked somewhat consistently. (Had other minor issues) I was thinking of getting a replacement Reef keeper, and then ended up with a Apex.
Thanks for the tip that Reepkeeper is done. I didn’t know that.

 

[Bmezz]

I really like the reefkeeper i have-- only thing i dont like is that i cant access from outside the house- i know there are ways and they have been explained but i cant figure it out. I am hoping someone smart at Apex puts out a great offer for one time conversion! hope they read these!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Reef Keeper products are in no way dead and will last years yet for many. Acquires extra unit and/or components as prices will likely be driven down due to this.
RK units live on and are die-hards in their own respect

 

[BigJohnny]

NEW NEW FROM APEX!!!!

Brand new entry-level controller from Neptune.

Thoughts anyone?

I just immediately bought one from BRS. Always been a reefkeeper guy, but with the reduced price (I couldn't care less about not having salinity, orp, and 0-10v) and the fact that my rkl email notifications stopped working/DA went out of business it was a no brainer. I was going to go with ghl but this is so cheap.

I'm just going to run it next to my reefkeeper and use it for alarms/notifications until my reefkeeper craps out. I do plan on purchasing the fmm/leak detection kit cuz I've always wanted that. Then I'll switch over if I'm pleased with how it works. I'll probably test out some random programming on nonessential equipment in the meantime.

 

[MnFish1]

With the availability of cheap sensors and other components, I personally feel like DIY solutions like Reef-Pi and my own version (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/automated-reef-controller.412996/) are going to become more and more popular. There’s a lot to be said for not tying yourself into a proprietary platform and being dependent on a company for long-term support.

Curious - when you factor in the hours you spend building such a system - and the hours worring that it actually works - it seems like a non-starter. I mean I could try to bake bread outside my house in a brick oven - and it would probably work - but its not worth it (unless you get off on DIY) - there doesnt seem to be any advantage (IMHO)

 

[BigJohnny]

Right that was the worst thing they could have left off. Dimming is one of the most important things with most running leds. This will be discontinued just like the lite was.

There is a big market for the lower priced controller. The DA lite did well...
Light and temp control is need for allot of people like me.

When my build is done their will be around 20 tanks. 4 separate systems total 3 in my aquaculture and one display. I cant have all these on one controller.

Most leds dim themselves.....

You could actually run all of those tanks on one apex, I'm pretty sure at least.

 

[MnFish1]

I am also disappointed. This was a affordable but more importantly simple option that did what most people needed and without a long manual.

I personally reached out and tried to put them in touch with multiple potential buyers to keep it going but they didn’t seem interested in exploring that. Really odd.

Hopefully someone will fill this affordable and simple space.

Perhaps there were no potential buyers - for a reason?

 

[shred5]

Most leds dim themselves.....

You could actually run all of those tanks on one apex, I'm pretty sure at least.

I know I could put them on one controller. I meant why would I want three aquaculture system on one controller. It fails I loose allot of systems.

 

[shred5]

Where can I find this video? I have used both and yes I get that the ghl might not be intuitive at start but it's very reliable and offer many features and a great app for Android

 

[Cherub]

Does anyone use reef angel?
At $399
Not terrible considering what is included.
http://www.reefangel.com/Product_RAStar.html

I bought a RA Star a while back and the craftsmanship was terrible. The power supply plugs in via micro USB. The Micro USB port broke on second insertion of the cable. I was still just programming it and moving it to my tank. I would not recommend it until they get the quality up. I had a RA before, the old model and loved it. It was sad to see how poorly the new one was constructed.

 

[BigJohnny]

I know I could put them on one controller. I meant why would I want three aquaculture system on one controller. It fails I loose allot of systems.

Ah gotcha. Yea I definitely agree.

 

[shred5]

Ah gotcha. Yea I definitely agree.

ack I meant all systems. Too many eggs in one backet but you got it. With 3 systems cost gets two high and the Da lite would have been perfect. I will most likely get a temp controller and timers for lights. If they kill the JR I wont buy that system either unless really cheap.

 

[mcarroll]

multiple potential buyers

Perhaps there were no potential buyers[...]?

???

 

[MnFish1]

???

Ryan said he put them in touch with multiple potential buyers - I meant to say 'perhaps there were no 'buyers' for a reason. (I didn't mean to say there were no potential buyers).

 

[BZOFIQ]

All RK stuff is OUT OF STOCK at BRS, people are stocking up.

 

[machmachmach]

Curious - when you factor in the hours you spend building such a system - and the hours worring that it actually works - it seems like a non-starter. I mean I could try to bake bread outside my house in a brick oven - and it would probably work - but its not worth it (unless you get off on DIY) - there doesnt seem to be any advantage (IMHO)

Oh, I’m coming out WAY behind if my time is worth anything. However, I really enjoy programming and tinkering with electronics...

My point was more that I think open source solutions will be able to easily replicate proprietary ones given the tech community is much more larger than the reefing community. I’ve utilized a lot of free open-source libraries for charting, data storage, web interfaces, etc., which were incredibly easy to work with.

I think in a couple years you’re likely to see a bunch of APEX-like systems that you can just download and pair with off-the-shelf components and sensors. I actually think my system suits me better than an APEX as it’s finely tuned to keep alkalinity stable.