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Neptune Apex System - Base Unit
Last updated on November 17th, 2023
Neptune Apex System - Base Unit Ultimate Guide
This article is an introduction to the Neptune Apex System and the 2 base unit packages to choose from. I am going to give you just enough information to know some of the power of what the Neptune Apex System can provide out of the box. I will also clue you in to some of the additional capabilities available once you make the choice to use a Neptune Apex Reef Controller. In addition to this, however, I plan to put together more in depth guides to help you set up one of the coolest, most integrated reef aquariums possible! And it all starts with the Neptune Apex Reef Controller!
Neptune Apex System - Apex vs ApexEL Base Unit
There are currently two types of base units available to get started with the Neptune Apex System. These two units are the Apex and the Neptune Apex (Standard). Both of these units have the same abilities as far as tracking, controlling, and connectivity; the difference between them is which ports are built in verses what you would have to buy later.
Both the Apex and ApexEl base units have a temperature input, pH probe input, Ethernet port, 2 AquaBus ports, and an I/O port (6 switch inputs). For most people, this is enough to get started with reef tank control. With pH, temperature, and outlet control, there are many capabilities at your finger tips. That being said, the Apex Base Unit has even more. The full Neptune Apex System also has 4 channels of 0-10v output used for variable speed and dimming, as well as Salinity and ORP measurement ports.
At first glance, many of these "extra" inputs don't seem to be needed. And if you would have asked me a month before I bought the Neptune Apex (Standard), I would have agreed with you. Now that I have the ApexEl, I am looking at upgrading it with modules to add salinity and possibly ORP as well, making it more like the full Apex. If you choose to save money at first, remember you can always purchase the additional modules later to add functionality, like I plan to do. If you plan to upgrade to the full Apex functionality however, it is cheaper in the long run to buy the full Neptune Apex System from the start.
Neptune Apex System - Energy Bar 832
The Energy Bar 832 comes in most Neptune Apex System packages. If you decide to choose parts separately however, you will find that there are a couple other Apex Energy Bar solutions. The main differences are the additional ports and individual outlet energy monitoring.
I'll talk about individual outlet energy monitoring in a moment. First, I want to emphasize that the Energy Bar 832 includes 3 AquaBus ports and 3 1Link ports to let you expand your Neptune Apex System even further. This is rather important as the base unit only has 2 AquaBus ports. So if you don't have an Energy Bar 832, you will need additional modules to expand the Neptune Apex System control.
Individual Outlet Energy Monitoring
The Neptune Apex System has a surprisingly useful feature built in to the Energy Bar 832, energy monitoring on each outlet. By monitoring the power usage, you can determine if equipment needs maintenance. This is most common with pumps and/or powerheads. Over time you will see the power usage decrease. This usually means the pumps need to be cleaned. You can then set up alarms to let you know when that time has come.
Outlet Control
Outlet control on the Neptune Apex System is almost as easy as can be. For most devices, you simply choose what you have plugged in to the outlet, and the Apex will ask you for the information needed. For example, lights have an on time and off time. Where heaters will ask for a temperature at which to turn on or off. If you are tech savvy, the advance mode will let you write a little code to get extra fancy. This is rarely necessary however.
Neptune Apex System - pH Monitoring
Monitoring pH let's you keep your aquarium acidity stable, allowing coral to grow healthier and faster, with less coral death.
Both the Neptune Apex System and the Neptune Apex (Standard) include pH Monitoring built in to the base units. pH, or potential of Hydrogen, is used to determine the acidity of the water. The lower the pH, the more acidic the water. Low pH makes it difficult for coral to grow, and can stress or even kill coral. Best case scenario, low pH will slow your corals' growth. For pH monitoring, it's important to focus on both stability and value, however stability is more important of the two. Targeting 8.3 pH is ideal, but neve sacrifice pH stability to do so.
Since the pH in your reef tank changes throughout the day, there is no way to perfectly maintain this value of 8.3. It doesn't mater what you do, it won't be perfect. So what should you do? This is where the Neptune Apex System comes in to play. Using the pH Monitoring in the Neptune Apex System, you can see how much the pH in your reef tank changes over a day. At the time of writing this article, I am seeing my reef tank pH changes by about 0.1 throughout the day. As I write this, I am challenging myself to fix this pH swing to make the pH as constant as possible.
Maintain Consistant pH with Neptune Apex Systems
How do you maintain consistant pH with Neptune Apex Systems? Glad you asked! Start by monitorig the pH using the Neptune Apex System. Try to get about 3-7 days worth of pH monitoring to see the high and low pH values of your reef tank. Most importantly, determine when these pH swings happen. This will help you identify how to adjust the pH.
Low pH at Night
The most common case for pH swings is to increase as the light is on, and decrease when the lights turn off. This is often due to photosyntesis of the coral and algae helping increase the pH during the day by removing CO2, and without this, simply producing CO2 at night. Thereby decreasing the pH.
How do we fix this? The simple way is to run the lights for your refugium at night. Turning on the refugium light a few hours before your reef tank lights turn off, and keep them on for a couple hours past your reef tank lights turn on. This activates the photosyntesis of the macroalgae in the refugium to offset the lack of photosyntesis in the reef tank.
What if this isn't enought? If your refugium is not offsetting the pH swing of your reef tank at night, then you may need to have more macro algae. If it doesn't fit in the refugium, consider running macro algae reactors at night.
If macro algae just isn't doing the trick, you could look in to running your protein skimmer opposite the reef lights. This will provide more air exchange at night, and less air exchange durring the day. Essentially, increasing the pH at night and lowering it during the day to try and stabilize the pH. Just make sure there is enough water flow to ensure you don't suffocate the fish.
Neptune Apex System - Temperature Monitoring
The Neptune Apex System let you constantly monitor your reef tanks' temperature. One of the most common reasons for coral death can be tracked back to temperature swings. As such, stability is extraordinarally important. The Neptune Apex System provides far more than simply monitoring, it can even save you and your reef tank in case of emergency.
You can plug your temperature controller in to the Energy Bar 832, using the Neptune Apex as a backup shutoff. The Neptune Apex, can be set up so that it turns off the temperature controller if the temperature of the tank gets too high. This usually happens when the temperature controller fails in the on mode. It will then turn the controller back on if the temperature falls below a certain temperature. This acts as a failsafe in case the main temperature controller fails.
I will note, there are people that plug the heaters directly in to the Energy Bar 832 and use the Neptune Apex System as a temperature controller. Though this can be done, turning an outlet on and off too many times can wear the relay out over time. Since most temperature controllers are relativly inexpensive, its best to just use the Energy Bar 832 as a backup. This double controller setup then helps reduce the number of cycles on the Energy Bar 832. Making it last longer, saving you money and it doubles the safety of your reef tank.
* The following Salinity and ORP Monitoring features are included with the Neptune Apex System, but NOT in the ApexEL package. If you have the Neptune Systems ApexEL, you will need to purchase an additional module to use this functionality.
Neptune Apex System - Salinity Monitoring
One of the biggest components that is not included in the ApexEl unit is Salinity Monitoring. Salinity is one of the most important parameters to keep stable. Because of this, salinity monitoring is actually very important. Most of us have a rough idea of the salt in the tank and the salt mixed for water changes, but don't measure the salt frequently. This leads to small salinity creeps over time.
If salinity is dropping, there may be a leak and your ATO is topping off and lowering the salinity. If salinity is raising, it may be from dosing 2-part or other additives to the reef tank. In the short term, this doesn't mean much. But over time, if you don't measure salinity at least once per week, (maybe even more) then you could be putting your reef tank at risk.
Again, the Neptune Apex System can step in and save your tank in a variety of ways. It could stop the ATO and warn you of a leak with something as simple as salinity raising too fast, or even in combination with an Apex Leak Detection module. It could even lower salinity with automatic water changes mixing salt and fresh water, utilizing a Neptune DOS and possibly some other modules.
Neptune Apex System - ORP Monitoring
ORP, or Oxidation Reduction Potential, is a measurement of the current from electrons passing from one molecule to another. Sounds like a college chemistry lesson, right? So why is this important? Essentially, it can be used to indicate a problem. For example, if a fish dies in the tank, you will notice a sudden drop in ORP. Indicating that something is wrong.
Additionally, ORP is used when dosing oxidizers such as Hydrogen Peroxide or Ozone. So should you monitor ORP? I wouldn't focus on it. If you purchase the full Neptune Apex System, I recommend using it since it comes with. Unless you are dosing something that directly affects ORP however, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Neptune Apex System - Futuristic Control!
As promised, here are a few of the exciting things you can do with the Neptune Apex System. These will generally require additional modules or components, and I am hoping to write articles on each of these. But for now, here are some of the cool things the Neptune Apex System can do!
- Automatic Water Changes
- This can be done with a Feed Mode or Even a small amount every day!
- At a minimum, this will require a Neptune DOS but can be advanced with water level monitoring.
- Leak Detection - Let you know when you have water on the floor!
- Salinity Stabilization using an ATO and Automatic Water Changes
- Reef Chemistry Stabilization
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- This will require a Neptune DOS as well as a Neptune Trident.
- Maintenance Detection with Power Monitoring
- Automatic Feeding
- So Much More!...
Imagine putting all of this in place and never needing to do difficult maintenance again! Just sitting back and enjoying your reef tank. Water changes are handled for you, chemistry is automatically balanced, even automatic feeding! All you'll need to do is top off chemicals, replace filter socks, and handle occasional tasks such as mixing salt water and emptying your protein skimmer. Taking all of the difficulty out of owning a reef tank.
Conclusion
Now that we've gone through the list of just some of the capabilities available with just the base Neptune Apex System Units, it begs the question, is it work the price? In short, yes. The Neptune Apex System offers the capabilities needed to maintain your reef tank in a stable way, as well as notify you when something goes wrong. The Neptune Apex System can dramatically increase your reef tank success while decreasing problems. Saving you thousands of dollars in fish, coral and additives if used properly. At this point, the real question is why haven't you already bought one?!
About the Author
John Krenzer
John is a Software Engineer with a passion for saltwater aquariums, as well as the founder and president of Reef Stable. He started in the aquarium hobby as a child with a 20 gallon freshwater aquarium. His interest in aquarium life grew and in 2008, John set up his first saltwater aquarium.
Today, John maintains an over 300 gallon reef tank system, consisting of a 120g reef and a 210g reef. These large tanks are contained within the same system, sharing a sump as a means to reduce total maintenance and increase total water volume.
John writes articles for the blog as a means to learn about more reef aquarium topics. These articles act as a reference for the readers as well as himself. John updates these articles frequently to provide additional information or make corrections as new information becomes available.
If you would like to request an article, tank tour article, or to collaborate, let me know via the Contact Me Page!
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