Unsure. Help me decide.....

[fernalfer]

Ok my tank is going along nicely besides the constant attention it needs from being a new tank. I feel like i'm constantly doing something with it. Cleaning, Feeding, Observing. I see these reef controllers. Apex, Reefkeeper and Cerebra.

I'm interested but wanted the opinion of people who actually own one of the three above on whether it actually made the whole reefing experience more enjoyable or do you regret making the purchase because we all know they are not cheap.

[Slats]

I started my first tank ever, the one I have now, with the standard Apex model. Think it was $525 but there is absolutely no regret in purchasing it. I think if anything it has helped me avoid mistakes made by fellow beginners.

I travel a lot for work, so being connected to my tank remotely was a huge need for me. The Apex fusion webpage application allows me to achieve this and I have the alarm setup to text my cell phone when any of the parameters are out of check. I also make good use of the note section and parameter tracking section.

I've since added a few modules over the time:

VDM Module - to control my Kessil A360 LED and Tunze Nanostream's 6040s via external control
DŌS - for my two part dosing
DDR - Dual acrylic cylinder reservoirs for Alk and Calc
AFS - Automatic feed system for when I have long trips


I'll attach some pic's of my Apex fusion page so you can get an idea of how it all works.

[Slats]

I guess I never really did fully answer your question of did it make it more enjoyable and the answer is %100. My profession is in installing and configuring software, so the chance to code profiles in apex fusion for my tank was very fun for me. It can automate most things such as control temp range, light control, feeding, track ph/orp/salinity but you will still have to clean, do ALK/Calc/Mag test kits, and water changes. One could cut out doing water changes by deploying another DŌS module for doing an auto water change (AWC).