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So no doubt you’ve heard of the Apex Aqua Controller and the Reef Keeper Elite. The Apex aqua controller has been finally released to the market and the pre orders are slowly being filled. But what is a aquarist to do? Which system is better? Neptune Systems of course says their system is better but so does Digital Aquatics. Which next generation controller do you think is better? Which do you own?
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Regardless of how much better they claim over the RKE, I know one feature quite a few people were a bit cheesed about that was advertised around pre-release was monitoring of current on each channel.
Yeah, What happened with that? That was the star feature…
I have the RKE and it works fairly well. My biggest complaint is the ability to control it from your computer. I don’t know about the rest of you but pushing little buttons through a series of menus is a pain. Every time I need to make an adjustment I have to try to remember the sequence. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s also apparent that Neptune somewhat coppied the RKE and Neptunes seems to be a better value. I believe DA will have to reduce the price of their products to be able to compete. I will however say that DA IS releasing modules and software sometime in the future to be able to do a number of things. If you simply compare the two units with there value as of there release dates the Apex is ahead of the game. Fortunately for DA it’s been out almost a year and they’ve worked out most of the bugs.
I owe RKE and Neptunes older unit. I never experienced any problems with the Neptune system. Since day one I have had problems with the RKE system and look forward to dumping it for the Apex system mainly because it has an iPhone app and I can run everything from my computer.
I just got my Apex in the mail the other day. One thing I did notice and I don’t know if its a network issue here, but some of the pages don’t load on the web interface. There are drop down menus for configuration, but when I mouse over them, sometimes I get a menu, most of the time I didn’t. It seems like the problem has gotten worse since it has been on for longer.
I’ll post again when I have an update or figure out what is causing it.
Just finished setting everything up. I called Neptune about that weird error on the controller's website. The person I spoke to said that it should work fine in IE, but in Firefox and Safari there's a problem where the browser opens too many connections to the controller. He helped me fix it in firefox easily enough, you have to change your network.http_max_connections_to_server from 15 to 2 and it works fine after that. He also said there's going to be a firmware patch up in the next day or so on reef central that fixes this issue.
Other than that, once I figured out how to address the plugs, it was a piece of cake to get working. I programmed all my stuff in based on timers, but I want to mess around with the seasonal stuff later. Pretty sure everything is ready to go and I expect my tank to still be there tomorrow morning.
I had a Profilux Plus II and absolutely hated it… so glad that P.O.S is gone! I've been waiting for feedback on the Apex before I pull the trigger on it or the RKE. I like the price on the Apex better, along with the fact that it can be monitored AND controlled via internet, which the RKE can currently only be viewed, apparently D.A. was supposed to have this capability months ago but keep on pushing it back… sounds too similar to claims from the GHL bunch if ya ask me!
I should add that I have had a chance to play with a couple RKE's before and they're light years ahead of the GHL Profilux in terms of user-friendliness… and not having the screen occasionally black-out or randomly start displaying in German only to have GHL customer support tell me to bend over…
Neptune Systems wins hands down, if for nothing but their customer service…..something that Digital Aquatics doesnt know how to do.
I have been extreemly happy with my RKE.
It is solid as a rock! I got caught up with
summer and one day realized I had not had to
touch the RKE controller in over 3 months
I had a Profilux but dumped it for the RKE
I think that was the best thing I ever did
….. Well second togetting the RKE
What sold me onthe RKE was when I called them they
answered all my questions. When I called Neptune
it was if I was getting rushed oof the phone.
I’m switching from RKE to the Apex. The RKE has done pretty well. My main complaints about the RKE are 1. No control over PC/internet, the Apex can for no extra cost. 2. Tunze control, RKE has FINALLY announced it, but who knows how long the wait will be. 3. No ability to name outlets, the Apex can. Im sorry, but its the stupidest thing ever that you cannot name power strips, let alone sockets, with the RKE.
Ons thing the RKE holds over the Apex is the 2- four plug strips as opposed to 8 on the Apex. Neptune does sell the 4 outlets though.