Is Apex Gold worth it?

[cprice]

I want an Apex but can't decide if the extras that come with the Gold Package are worth it

[slief]

I want an Apex but can't decide if the extras that come with the Gold Package are worth it

If your going to have an ATO and or do auto water changes, the PM2 and salinity monitoring is well worth it for the fail safes it can provide. This assuming you build salinity monitoring into your alarms and failsafes. I was an early adopter of the PM2/CondX monitoring with the Apex and it has been worth every penny. That said, don't get it because you want to know your salinity. That's what a refractometer is for. Get the Gold package because you want to know if your salinity has dropped too much or is too high so you can shut off suspect devices and notify you of an issue. If my salinity is low, my ATO shuts off and I'm notified. If my salinity is high, my autowater changer is shut off and I'm notified. It's just one part of my failsafe programming but it's a very important part for me.

[Johnseye]

If your going to have an ATO and or do auto water changes, the PM2 and salinity monitoring is well worth it for the fail safes it can provide. This assuming you build salinity monitoring into your alarms and failsafes. I was an early adopter of the PM2/CondX monitoring with the Apex and it has been worth every penny. That said, don't get it because you want to know your salinity. That's what a refractometer is for. Get the Gold package because you want to know if your salinity has dropped too much or is too high so you can shut off suspect devices and notify you of an issue. If my salinity is low, my ATO shuts off and I'm notified. If my salinity is high, my autowater changer is shut off and I'm notified. It's just one part of my failsafe programming but it's a very important part for me.

Agreed with Scott's assessment. ORP is a nice to have. PM2 only if you're setting up alarms for salinity. Otherwise don't bother.

Scott, how much variance do you see in your salinity readings from the PM2 and do you run your temp probe through it? I've found that my water temp causes my readings to bounce quite a bit.

[slief]

Agreed with Scott's assessment. ORP is a nice to have. PM2 only if you're setting up alarms for salinity. Otherwise don't bother.

Scott, how much variance do you see in your salinity readings from the PM2 and do you run your temp probe through it? I've found that my water temp causes my readings to bounce quite a bit.

I have always had a 2nd probe in my PM2 and conductivity/salinity does vary with temp. That said, the numbers do bounce but if you do the math or cross reference them using a chart which is what I have done in the past, it's only a fraction of the specific gravity and as such, wouldn't even be enough to read on a refractometer. I'm talking about the difference between 1.0255 and 1.0251 specific gravity.

The resolution of the PM2 is much greater than a refractometer so those variances in readings can be somewhat misleading.. It's those variences that cause people to jump to conclusions about the accuracy of the PM2 but in reality, once you review and cross reference the actual numbers from salinity to specific gravity, one realizes that they are splitting hairs..

[BlackTip]

I have the gold package + extra stuff. I've been using it for 2 months. I like the functionalities it provides, and I don't regret buying it.

[Johnseye]

I have always had a 2nd probe in my PM2 and conductivity/salinity does vary with temp. That said, the numbers do bounce but if you do the math or cross reference them using a chart which is what I have done in the past, it's only a fraction of the specific gravity and as such, wouldn't even be enough to read on a refractometer. I'm talking about the difference between 1.0255 and 1.0251 specific gravity.

The resolution of the PM2 is much greater than a refractometer so those variances in readings can be somewhat misleading.. It's those variences that cause people to jump to conclusions about the accuracy of the PM2 but in reality, once you review and cross reference the actual numbers from salinity to specific gravity, one realizes that they are splitting hairs..

Agreed, I've cross referenced many many times with a refractometer and I never have swings outside of .025 - .026. When I see +/- 2 from my PM2 I get a little spooked but I always attributed it to temp swings and higher accuracy.

[gcarroll]

You can't go wrong with an Apex. I have the gold for my new build. Neptune is really the gold standard in reef controllers at the moment!

[nuxx]

I'd say no on a big tank...

Not really going to have salinity swings and ORP problems with that much water and big skimmers, pumps, plumbing etc...

I have a standard Apex and have added another VDM and Breakout Box.

Might add another power bar soon.

Really just care about temp right now. PH is just for fun.

[ca1ore]

Depends on you (aka know thyself)! I bought the Apex Lite (now discontinued) because 'I didn't need all those other things', yet over the course of the last 2 years have ended up buying all of them as subsequent add ons ..... at a premium, of course :(

[Harry_Y]

I had to make the same choice and I chose the non-gold but with the Lab Grade pH probe (extra $25).

I'm replacing a ReefKeeper Elete that the salinity probe never worked right so I figure I would not miss it.

[Giovanni]

I have to agree with NUXX. I have a 180 with remote sump. You will be happy with your choice. I have the PM2 but find it is not needed.

[ca1ore]

Just out of curiosity, how often do folks test the salinity of their tank? I do it about every two weeks, typically when I do a water change. What could possibly go wrong ....... ? Well, last year a bulkhead on my sump decided to start dripping. I have a floor drain underneath the sump, so I just didn't notice. OK, eventually I would have noticed the salt buildup, but I didn't have to because my apex told me. Salinity dropped from 35.0 to 34.5 over the course of a week. Took me a bit to locate the problem ..... before it became a problem. Buddy of mine had something similar happen and it killed his tank.

OK, not saying something like this is common. But seems to me that heater and ATO malfunctions are the most common sources of disaster. I would never run a big tank again without salinity monitoring.

[FishNFun]

Wouldn't it make even more sense to be monitoring salinity on a small tank since the swings could happen much faster?

[slief]

Just out of curiosity, how often do folks test the salinity of their tank? I do it about every two weeks, typically when I do a water change. What could possibly go wrong ....... ? Well, last year a bulkhead on my sump decided to start dripping. I have a floor drain underneath the sump, so I just didn't notice. OK, eventually I would have noticed the salt buildup, but I didn't have to because my apex told me. Salinity dropped from 35.0 to 34.5 over the course of a week. Took me a bit to locate the problem ..... before it became a problem. Buddy of mine had something similar happen and it killed his tank.

OK, not saying something like this is common. But seems to me that heater and ATO malfunctions are the most common sources of disaster. I would never run a big tank again without salinity monitoring.

Next to never. If my salinity gets out of whack, my Apex notifies me and that pretty much never happens as my salinity is always stable and never really drifts at all. As such, I end up checking my salinity with a refractometer ever 4 to 6 months. As I mentioned, my salinity doesn't drift at all and my Apex is pretty much always spot on. I do however check my mixing tank salinity every so often when I make water so I know what goes in with my auto water changes and my ATO takes care of the evaporation and I have a host of other failsafes to insure that things are in check.

[Giovanni]

Just out of curiosity, how often do folks test the salinity of their tank? I do it about every two weeks, typically when I do a water change. What could possibly go wrong ....... ? Well, last year a bulkhead on my sump decided to start dripping. I have a floor drain underneath the sump, so I just didn't notice. OK, eventually I would have noticed the salt buildup, but I didn't have to because my apex told me. Salinity dropped from 35.0 to 34.5 over the course of a week. Took me a bit to locate the problem ..... before it became a problem. Buddy of mine had something similar happen and it killed his tank.

OK, not saying something like this is common. But seems to me that heater and ATO malfunctions are the most common sources of disaster. I would never run a big tank again without salinity monitoring.


In my large system, evaporation on my tank is very constant and generally only fluctuates with time of year. I top off in ML/day and do not rely on floats to do the topping off. I use floats and conductivity only to tell me that something is wrong. I am looking at my sump a couple times a day. I adjust my tipoff rate down in the winter and up in the summer.

[ca1ore]

Wouldn't it make even more sense to be monitoring salinity on a small tank since the swings could happen much faster?

Probably, I just don't plan to ever do a small tank (that's what I meant).

[nuxx]

I honestly just check the Salinity on the automatic water change water.

Tank will fluctuate between 1.025 - 1.026.

If it's at 1.025 I just make the change water 1.030 or so.