Neptunes new controller at MAX

I saw this at MAX and was quite impressed. I currently have a Reefkeeper2 and Have been considering the switch. For those of you who don't currently use controllers but would easily drop $500 on some other piece of equipment, you should check this thing out...controllers will dramatically change the way you do things and make vacations much more stress free (especially with the addition of a cam).

If only we could easily, accurately, and cheaply check Alk and Ca levels with a probe. Then, you could easily manage so much from a remote location. Granted, you should be able to dial things in, but wouldn't it be nice to adjust your Ca or Kalk reactor based on more than just the Ph of the effluent?

I have searched quite a bit and I can't find anything else for the hobbyist that is this comprehensive. The Reefkeeper people are going to get killed by Neptune...buh bye.

Apex did not steal anything from DA. I have a background in CS and EE and I can tell you after talking to Kurt that they are completely different in their design. The biggest factor for me is that the DA people are not big on the whole PC or web thing. They see it as a very small niche of their market and not that big of a deal that they don't have the software out quickly.

The Apex is much more modular, allows for much more customization with its digital inputs (think ability to interface any DIY project <leak detector> to it to tell status) and easy to use Aquabus. Also, the communication protocol is Ethernet rather than USB which allows for much more versatility. The Apex has a built in web server IN the hardware so you do not need to even connect it to a PC to access all your features online. From the DA, the RKE may not have 2-way communication from the web interface right away. This means that on the Apex or even the AC3 the controller can have its settings changed remotely whereas on the RK units it is for viewing only. There is no true data logging on the RK. The Apex stores all of the past information from your system in non-volatile RAM on the unit itself. The power-unit on the Apex has a failsafe mode so if it ever stops communicatiing with the "brain" it will follow a protocol that you set to be least problematic (low lights, pump only, no CO2, etc.).

The first major biggie is that there is NO new software out for the elite...the "maybe" promise date from DA at Max was late 3Q but maybe not until 4Q this year.

The Neptune people are very open in their design and are very receptive to people making their own applications and changing around things like even the look and feel of the web interface (LFS and service guys out there think private branding). This has lead to an iphone app already for the AC3 and I expect more stuff like this for the Apex.

One up for the RFE is that it has 30A capacity and the Apex only has 15A but you can link together up to 140 power strip modules so that should not be a big deal. Also the Apex can monitor the current on any outlet. Now think of this...you can program your system to change over to a failsafe pump or change the wavemakers to constant if you have a pump failure which can be detected by the current change out of bounds. Also, you should be able email on any power/current anomalies - this may even tell you when a ballast or bulb is out of spec and near its EOL.

Another thing is the Apex has the ability to directly control Tunzes and I think even the Vortechs (but i could be wrong there)

I too am open to hear more info, but the software side and open ended configurability is clearly far superior to the Apex from what i have seen...and, like I said, I have a RK2 and its pretty good...but ts bye bye when this comes out and makes it past v1.0.

Just to agree with thefu....  I really don't care if my controller has a screen or buttons (okay a small screen and a couple of buttons would be nice).  I would like to access my controller via a browser 100% of time.  I don't want to hook up my controller via USB or serial port, Ethernet (or 802.x wireless) is the only way to go.  This way I can access, change, view logs, etc. from anywhere I have an Internet connection.

I thought pre-orders started in May, but I can't find any info about it...

So you can pre-order this now. Scott was able to find a place with some online coupon or something, so we are getting this. Yay, I am excited!

http://www.aquacave.com has them for $479 (with free shipping) which is about $20 cheaper than anywhere else. If you use the code RC5 during checkout you can save an additional %5 or about $25.