Apex Jr. 4-outlets enough for me??

Hey folks,

So, I'm finally going to get a controller and because of my drained finances, (love my 1yr old but the wallet has been so much lighter) I have decided on the cost efficient Apex Jr.

I currently have everything from my tank plugged into 2 Coralife digital timers, I'm only utilizing the timer function for my MH pendant cycle. Everything else is on 24/7 & all the shutting down is done manually.

Here is a list of what I'm running:

- MH pendant with 250w bulb
- Tunze Osmolator ATO
- Fluval 300w heater
- Octopus skimmer
- Vortech MP10es
- Mag 9.5 return

So, I know the Jr. only has 4 outlets so I'm trying to decide which 4 of my plugs are the most suited for the Apex. I'm thinking I will use them for the heater, MH pendant, return, & skimmer. I wish there were 5 outlets so I could program a shut down of my heater, return, skimmer, & ATO for when I do a water change, but still keep my MH plugged in. I know I can buy the EB4 to add 4 more outlets but as I mentioned funds are low right now.

Thoughts anyone? Sorry I'm making myself a little nutty trying to figure out the best way to utlize the controller.

Thanks!

 

Sounds right on but isn't the higher version just 100 bucks more and you get a ton more? Just like with everything else reef, you will pay for it now or later

 

The Elite is around $370 vs $150 for the Jr, so it's a fairly big difference. I could go with the Jr. + the xtra 4 outlets for an extra $100, still $100 cheaper than the Lite.

Hmmmmmm

 

What i would put on the apex jr.:

- MH pendant with 250w bulb
- Fluval 300w heater
- Octopus skimmer
- Mag 9.5 return

Buy the WXN (or whatever random letters it is) for the vortech when you can. The ATO has its own controller so that doesn't need the apex.

 

I would run the Heater, ATO, Lighting, and a power strip for the return and skimmer. If all you want to do is shut the stuff off while you water change, they can both be controlled from the same outlet so long as the total draw is less than 8 amps. The heater is self explanatory, the ATO can have timers set to be dual redundant to prevent floods, as well as having it shut down during water changes, so shifting water levels causes no problems. Lights are obvious. And you can do both of the things you want with the split outlet as mentioned. Should have no problem keeping that under 8 amps. Worst case scenario, just shift the lighting to one of your timers, as it will have the most draw. You added that you would like them to stay on during your maintenance anyways, and this would certainly ensure you could do that.

 

Thanks for the great advice XM and Atticus, def has helped me feel more confident about my purchase. I guess I better go order one now!

 

keep in mind your going to want the option to control each item running in your tank. have the apex act as a fail safe for almost all. I'm not really sure what you get with the jr. most places offer a free ph probe with the apex lite. and it comes with a temp probe and display head unit. so its not just 8 outlets instead of 4.
when controlling the apex it is handy to have the display unit to hit the feed and read the stats fast while at the tank, instead of going on your phone or computer . i would not want to be without the display unit. it adds to the simplicity

 

the issue with running the Tunze osmolator on a controller is every time the controller turns on it will pump water in to the tank. Also, how will the Apex know when to turn the ATO? Really a waste of an outlet.

 

How does the Tunze know to control the water line? Is it not just a float set up? Because my thought is if you add a 25 dollar float to your Apex, set a max run timer and let it be on all the time then, If it nicks the float, it shuts off. Just adding in a bit of safety for really not a lot of money.

But; I agree with you after researching how the Tunze works. I would just stick something else in its place.

 

No, it is not a simple float set up. It uses an electronic level sensor to sense when the water is low and when the pump needs to turn off. italso comes with a float switch for if the pump doe snot shut off for some reason that cuts power to the pump. it also sets off a water level high alarm.

You also need the I/O box to use the floats. The Tunze has a built in controller, why waste an outlet and money? if he is worried about the extra cost of the apex lite, then another $70ish for the I/O and float switches isn't exactly a good option. Not to mention, the roughly $200 he spent on the Tunze Osmolator. That is a lot of wasted money.

If he was just using the a float switch based ATO, Iwould say go ahead and get the I/O box and set the protocol for the ATO yourself.