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View Full Version : Should I control Radions through Apex or Ecosmart?


boobookitty
07/18/2016, 11:55 AM
Looking for opinions from folks who have done either. I'm currently controlling the radions through the Apex using a WMX, and it works fine, but it seems like I'd get a decent amount more of control (including lighting types, etc.) if I went through the Ecosmart system. Thoughts? Looks like I'd lose the push-button control I currently have to set the lighting a certain way, but that seems about it...

ktownhero
07/18/2016, 01:09 PM
Seems like you have all of the info you need to make a decision. Do you want the modes offered by Ecosmart, or do you prefer finer control via the Apex? I don't think anyone but you can answer that question! Plus, you have both at your disposal, so why not just switch and see if you like it better?

boobookitty
07/18/2016, 05:56 PM
Heh. I guess my question is whether I'm missing something: from the Apex I can control profiles, but mostly I either use the button to go to all 10KK (which I could do, albeit a little more clumsily, from the EcoSmartLive web site) or I turn off the lights if temp is high (which I can still do through the power outlet controls). On the flip side, is the EcoSmartLive environment THAT much better for controlling Radions with more granularity?

Sapelo
07/19/2016, 04:01 AM
So. We had our Radions on Ecosmart and then added Apex so we got rid of Ecosmart and switched everything over to Apex. Six months later, I added the Ecosmart back and now run both. Part of that problem, I have no doubt, is my own inability or lack of patience to program Apex to run the lights the way I want them to run. On the other hand, I really (REALLY) like the format and control I can have from Ecosmart.
Sure, Apex doesn't cut lights if temp spikes but 1. they are LEDs so they are not contributing as much to temp as some other types and 2. I can still cut them remotely if I need to do so.
Jeez I really wish Apex and Ecotech would play more nicely together!
On the other hand, we also run MP40s and I left them on Apex for ease of feeding the tank.
It's a personal choice, I've done both and for me I just like the options from Apex. We have a mostly SPS tank and the new "Coral Lab" lighting program from Ecosmart is really nice!

ktownhero
07/19/2016, 05:12 AM
So. We had our Radions on Ecosmart and then added Apex so we got rid of Ecosmart and switched everything over to Apex. Six months later, I added the Ecosmart back and now run both. Part of that problem, I have no doubt, is my own inability or lack of patience to program Apex to run the lights the way I want them to run. On the other hand, I really (REALLY) like the format and control I can have from Ecosmart.
Sure, Apex doesn't cut lights if temp spikes but 1. they are LEDs so they are not contributing as much to temp as some other types and 2. I can still cut them remotely if I need to do so.
Jeez I really wish Apex and Ecotech would play more nicely together!
On the other hand, we also run MP40s and I left them on Apex for ease of feeding the tank.
It's a personal choice, I've done both and for me I just like the options from Apex. We have a mostly SPS tank and the new "Coral Lab" lighting program from Ecosmart is really nice!
I don't have experience with Apex but conceptually it seems like using Ecosmart for programming your Radions could coexist with putting them on a controllable Apex outlet that cuts them off in a temp spike. Best of both worlds 😁

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Shivsreef
07/19/2016, 05:34 AM
I prefer apex for all the time but I like using ecosmart live from my phone when I have guests coming round so I can show off my tech :)

Sapelo
07/19/2016, 07:19 AM
I don't have experience with Apex but conceptually it seems like using Ecosmart for programming your Radions could coexist with putting them on a controllable Apex outlet that cuts them off in a temp spike. Best of both worlds
Yep, this would work too if you had space on your Apex power strip. You'd just tell Apex to cut those outlets if the tank got too hot...

boobookitty
07/19/2016, 08:57 AM
^^^That's my plan, actually. But you said you run both? Not both doing something to the Radions, though, no?

Sapelo
07/19/2016, 02:27 PM
True, not both doing something to the Radions. I run the Radions with Ecosmart only. It's hot here, 91 with a heat index of 104 as I type this, but even without a chiller my tank almost never goes above 78.8. If I were to be away and Apex notified me that the tank was too hot, I'd just log in to Ecosmart and turn the lights off. Saves me from needing another energy bar from Apex....I guess I'm just being cheap but by the time Apex runs skimmer, dosers, reactors, heaters and UV, I would need another energy bar and...well, I'll just do it the manual way.

boobookitty
07/19/2016, 02:30 PM
Nice. I have the Radions on EB outlets so I could automate. And the extra stuff you get out of Ecosmart is worth it?

TriedAndProven
07/19/2016, 03:32 PM
I'm in the market for a Radion fixture, but haven't bitten the bullet yet.

Can someone give me a quick pros/cons of running the fixture through Apex vs Ecosmart?

I get that running it through Apex you can have the lights work with feed programs and the like. Can you still change colors/ramp through Fusion?

What does Ecosmart do that Apex can't? Aren't the Coral Lab profiles usable in Fusion too?

Mr. Brooks
07/19/2016, 04:59 PM
I liked using Ecosmart to figure out the schedule and color. Ecosmart has a better preview function. The Apex preview function previews the entire apex programming, not just the lights by themselves. Which means if you have a big system with several tanks, things get a little wacky. Once I knew what I wanted, I transferred my programming over to Apex manually. The setup is much easier on Apex, especially if you already know what you want. Much more stable. Ecosmart crashed on me pretty often.

Yes, you can change colors/ramp through Fusion.

Radions do not need to be plugged into an EB8. They are controlled wirelessly through the WXM module.

tklb
07/19/2016, 11:20 PM
I have my Radions (G3 Pros) controlled through the WXM module through my APEX and have had zero issues with them. I also have them plugged into EB832 outlets so the fans don't run all night. I turn the outlets off about 5 min after the lights go out, and turn them on a min before the lights come on. I also created virtual outlets (Storm & Show) that put the lights into other profiles. I can turn those "Show Modes" on through APEX Fusion or APEX Local either through my tablet (Display) or my phone or PC when we have company, in order to show off the lightening/storm feature, or show off the corals in their best light.

Ecosmart seemed cumbersome to me.

Sapelo
07/20/2016, 04:02 AM
If you wanted Apex to control Radions being run by Ecosmart (like turning them off if the tank became too hot) they would need an EB8. If Apex is running them, you would not.
Yes, you can manually program Apex to use schedules but for me it was much harder and less user friendly. I started using my Radions before I had an Apex, ran a light schedule from a designer at Ecosmart who uploaded his program, and discovered when I changed over to Apex that I could not simply carry the program over with me.
I know I'm also not alone when I say I had "Ghosts" in my Radions with Apex. Six lights and they were never on exactly the same timing, a few seconds to a minute off on each light. At the end of the day, ecotech and Apex just are not playing nicely with each other.
For me, Ecosmart's layout and lighting choices (I'll mention again the Coral Lab schedule which was designed for SPS growth) are really awesome.
I will absolutely agree that Ecosmart can be...a pain! when it comes to connectedness, I have had trouble getting it online, but honestly once the lighting schedule is running I never turn it on. I don't need to change or control my lights on a daily or even regular basis, it's kind of set it and forget it.
One more Ecosmart feature that I really like is the easy acclimation button. Adding new coral? Simply select what percentage you want to start your lights (50% in my case usually) and how long you want to take to ramp them back up (2 weeks?) and Ecosmart handles it.
Honestly it's a personal preference thing. I probably would not be so high on Ecosmart if I had not used it prior to adding Apex. Both programs can and will run your radions (which are awesome lights btw), it's just how the programing makes sense to you.

boobookitty
07/20/2016, 11:57 AM
Thanks all, this helps a lot. I think I'm going to transfer to EcoSmart shortly; my Radions are on EB8 ports so I can kill them if it gets hot, and I want the Coral Lab profile, which would be difficult to duplicate on an Apex.

Mr. Brooks
07/20/2016, 02:19 PM
It's not difficult to duplicate. Pretty easy actually.

d2mini
07/20/2016, 08:45 PM
I have the Radions programmed via ESL and plugged into my GHL PowerBar for emergency shut off.

boobookitty
07/29/2016, 04:51 PM
I've programmed the Coral Lab profile into the Apex, but it seems like it's less flexible than the ESL. In particular, halfway through the ramp up period we want the Red/White/Green to kick in and ramp from 0% to 24%, but while the ESL seems to start them at zero and ramp them to 24% without resetting the UV/B/RB back to ramp up again, I don't think it's possible with the Apex. I can set a new Apex profile halfway through the ramp up period, but to match the end of the first ramp up it needs to start at 50% intensity, meaning the R/W/G would kick in at 12% (whereas they're 0% in the first ramp up) and ramp up to 24%.

Is that accurate? Is there a way around that in the Apex?