newbie needs sopme advice on apex controllers.

[Gregs138]

So I am setting up a new 125 Gal. I am up to the point where I am starting to look at controllers, lighting, chillers, and heaters. I am not drilling the glass tank but I will be doing all of my own PVC plumbing. I am getting a little confused as to how to wire/route my chilling and also confused on how to control my lighting to simulate a 24 hr sunrise/sunset cycle.

With an Apex controller, would I be able to effectively simulate a the sunrise/sunset cycle, assuming I will have duel band LED's (white vs. blue channel)? Even if the lights themself have no computer that will dim/change the channels? I don't understand how a controller like the apex can do this. Does it just turn one channel on and the other off-is this why I want the proper blend of lights in each channel? Is there a good reference as to which frequency/colors should be on at each time of day?


In regards to chillers and heaters and returns. I am doing my own PVC plumbing but I need to know where in the circuit a chiller goes. Should I just split and reduce my return flow and run a line through the chiller? Or should the chiller have its own pump and water flow circuit?

Also when using a controller to turn on a chiller, I am assuming that the controller merely turns the power on, and that the temp that is set in the chiller is what actually starts the chiller to chilling. Am I wrong? Can the apex actually send commands to the chiller to just "start chilling" :P?


Any info appreciated.

[moondoggy4]

Have you been to the fish store in San Juan Capistrano they have a lot of different equipment there and could probably show what you want to do, sorry the name escapes me, but I could find it if you need it.

[kurt_n]

As far as LEDs and the Apex... yes and no. I don't run LEDs (but have an Apex), and from what I understand the only LEDs you can ramp up/down with the Apex using the VDM module is either the AI (Aqua Illumination) or DIY lighting using the appropriate drivers. So yes... you can ramp them using the Apex, but only if you buy the correct lighting. (Now that I type that, I think I remember reading about some other noname offshore fixtures that can use the same interface as the AI.)

The Apex controls the LEDs by sending a 0-10V control signal to the LED fixture. The voltage of the control signal controls the intensity of the lights. If the light fixture is not designed for this supplemental control signal, the Apex will just turn it on/off like a timer.

Regarding the chiller, there are different ways to do that. You can do it the way you mention, but that's not really using the power of the controller. I have my chiller set up with the thermostat on the chiller set for about 77. I keep my tank around 79+. When the tank hits 79.7, my Apex turns on my chiller and chiller pump. The chiller immediately starts chilling because it's trying to achieve that 77 that its programmed for. When the tank hits 79.2, Apex turns the chiller and pump off. Programming it this way gives me a failsafe - if the Apex doesn't turn off the chiller for whatever reason, the chiller itself will stop chilling at 77. That cooler than I'd want, but not a disaster.

If you're interested specifically in the Apex, you might browse through the threads in the Neptune Systems forum, under the "sponsers" section of the site. Lots of good info there to check out prior to buying a unit.