- This $5 wifi outlet is an aquarium controller.
This $60 Inkbird, also an aquarium controller.
And this $500 Neptune Systems Apex EL, spoiler alert,
controller.
On the surface of things, a controller controls things.
A television remote control controls the television.
A drone controller controls a drone.
So an aquarium controller must control the aquarium
or at least certain elements of the aquarium.
A TV remote doesn't control everything about a television
but it controls certain elements,
such as the volume, the channels, and accessing the menu.
Similarly, an aquarium controller
doesn't control everything about the aquarium,
but depending on what you choose,
it can control a lot of different elements
inside and around the aquarium.
Think about it like this, you could probably use
a separate controller to control the volume,
a separate controller for the channels,
a separate controller to control the brightness,
a separate controller to do
all sorts of things with the TV.
Or you could place all of those functions
into one controller and make your life easy.
That's exactly what an aquarium controller
can do for your tank.
It can take all of those individual controllers and elements
and put them under one element, one controller,
making your life much easier.
One really confusing thing in this hobby
is the difference between a controller and a monitor.
We often muddle these two things together in this hobby
which can be super confusing for beginners.
Most controllers monitor something,
but monitors don't control a thing.
Let's take a quick peek at our website.
Controllers and monitors share the same webpage,
which can make it difficult for a beginner
to distinguish between the two.
For example, this kilowatt power strip
merely monitors power assumption.
While this Neptune EBA bar also monitors electricity,
it can also turn the individual outlets on and off
based on all sorts of different factors,
such as temperature pH, ORP and a ton more.
So while they look quite similar,
this one's a controller, this one's a monitor.
Controller, monitor.
I think you get it.
So controllers take monitoring a step further.
They can automate the functions of your tank
and they can build in redundancies
to protect your livestock.
You can break controllers down into two broad categories,
single element and multi element controllers.
Single element controllers control
one thing and one thing only.
For example, a wifi outlet controls the electricity
by turning it on and off.
A temperature controller monitors the temperature
and can turn either a heater or a fan on and off.
Something like the Alkatronic Alkalinity Controller
can both test for and add DKH to your tank.
There are many more options for single element controllers
out there in the market, but you get the general idea.
Many controllers actually come with the product
they're controlling such as light controllers,
heater controllers, dosing pump controllers,
return pump controllers, you get the idea.
And while these things definitely do control something,
we don't generally put them in the category of controllers
because we reserve that language for standalone products.
I'm getting a little bit off track here,
but I hope this is starting to make some more sense.
But even though there are a lot of single element
controllers out there, I would assume
that when most of us in this hobby
are actually referring to controllers,
we're referencing multi-element controllers.
There are quite a few different multi-element controllers
on the market, such as the Hydros,
the GHL controllers, the Mastertronic controller
and the entire suite of Neptune Apex controllers.
I'm not gonna list every single reason I can think of,
but there are a lot of good reasons
why a beginner would want a controller.
Phone alerts.
If you're away from home and something goes wrong
a controller can send you a text message and an email
alerting you of the problem immediately.
Power outages, leaks,
overflowing skimmer cups, high temperatures.
Any problem you can program,
you can receive an alert for.
Temperature control.
Since heaters are the most common piece of equipment
to fail in this hobby, use your controller
to monitor and control the tank's temperature.
Number three, feed modes.
I have to turn off my wave maker,
my return pump and my skimmer
every single time I feed my seahorses.
But you can program your controller
to turn off all three and turn them all back on
in 20 minutes with the press of a single button.
Automatic water changes.
Pair your controller with dosing pumps
to perform precision water changes
throughout the entire day,
so you don't have to do water changes again.
And one more reason for a beginner
to purchase a controller, redundancy and peace of mind.
Build backups for your backups.
Never worry again about power outages,
leaks, pumps running dry, or a ton of other
common issues that happen in this hobby.
You can use a controller to build in
a ton of redundancies automatically.
There are a few good options on the market,
such as the Hydros from Coral View,
the ProfiLux from GHL, but none can stand up
to the breath and the depth of the Neptune Systems Apex.
The Neptune Systems Apex has tens of additional modules,
how to videos galore and their own line of pumps,
wavemakers, lights, dosing pumps,
and even a machine called the Trident,
which will test the water and dose for you.
The only decision is to go with
the full-blown original Apex system
or the slightly pared down Neptune Apex EL.
Go with the EL version.
It can do everything the full blown Neptune Apex can do,
except it doesn't come with a salinity probe,
an ORP probe or an integrated zero to 10 volt port.
And honestly, I've never needed to monitor
my salinity and ORP on a daily basis anyways.
But even if you decide to purchase
the less expensive EL version,
but you wanna add those things later on,
well, you can always purchase the modules
individually and connect them to the EL.
Setting up your Neptune Apex controller takes 15 minutes,
but I'm not gonna show you how.
Because I'm a cruel man who delights
in your confusion and confuddlement?
No.
Because Thomas already made that video right over here.
And as always everyone, thanks for watching.
Happy reefing, be well.
We'll see you next time.