by AquaNerd | Sep 11, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, Technology
The Radion has been one of the most popular LED fixtures on the market, just as the Apex has been one of the most popular aquarium controllers. But for the first two years of coexistence in the aquarium equipment marketplace, the two weren’t exactly a match made in heaven, despite the fact that Neptune Systems has heavily supported EcoTech Marine products. The Apex controller worked relatively well with the Radion from the onset, but the lack of wireless control was always a big issue for aquarium keepers. Fortunately, through continued development of wireless communications in the aquarium industry and the release of the new Apex Fusion dashboard, the Radion and the Apex can now work hand in hand without requiring the use of unsightly wires. Announced at MACNA 2013 just a week ago, Neptune Systems has finally broken through the previously mentioned wireless barrier for the Radion, and for users of VorTech wireless pumps, it may not cost them any extra. The WXM module, which has been around almost as long as the pumps with the wireless drivers, can now communicate with the Radion and allow users to implement all sorts of LED control with the Apex Fusion dashboard and the associated lighting wizards. by AquaNerd | Sep 11, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, MACNA
Neptune Systems was a big player at MACNA once again, and it wasn’t just new hardware that they were rolling out. Their biggest news is the release of their Fusion dashboard, which is a brand new interface that allows aquarium control freaks to access and modify the settings on their Apex controller via the cloud through all sorts of different Internet capable devices. Oooohhh, the cloooouuuud. The benefit to the Apex Fusion is that it is located entirely on the Neptune System servers, which not only gives more firepower to the software, but also streamlines the entire user experience in the process. This streamlining will be primarily accomplished through the use of wizards, such as the Lighting Wizard on display at the show, and by taking away some of the programming barriers that make wireless connection a challenge for those not well versed in programming and network design. Neptune Systems designed the Fusion dashboard with a mobile first mentality. This means that it was built specifically for mobile devices before making its way onto the computer. It’s an approach that is becoming far more common as our population continues its push towards mobility, and something we can truly appreciate as reef keepers constantly on the go. Neptune Systems promises that there are no differences in features between mobile platforms and the computer versions, meaning that the mobile dashboard isn’t some watered down version of the full platform by AquaNerd | Sep 10, 2013 | Equipment, Fish, Industry
Neptune Systems had quite the busy MACNA weekend. Besides their day one user workshop and the announcement of wireless Radion support, AI wireless support (more on that later), and Apex Fusion, they also released their new Automatic Feeding System (AFS). The AFS is the first controllable automatic fish feeder to make it to the aquarium industry, and with all of the safeguards and control functions built into the Apex controller, it will likely be the easiest and safest to use. On top of that, the feeder can be programmed to add food to the tank not only on a frequency interval, but also based on various water parameters, really eliminating the possibilities of feeding at the wrong time. The Neptune Systems AFS can handle various types of dry foods, including pellets or flakes, which can be dosed in varying amounts and frequency. You can feed as little as zero times up to as many as you’d like. Additionally, because the feeder is controlled, it can be programmed to skip a feeding if a certain water parameter is out of whack, and water pumps and skimmers can automatically be shut off during the feeding time if necessary. It truly is one of the last pieces to full aquarium automation, and a welcome site for hobbyists who vacation frequently or just want to set up a fully controlled system. The AFS connects via the Apex AquaBus-mini Cable and is compatible with the Apex, Apex Lite, and Apex Jr. by AquaNerd | Jan 24, 2013 | Equipment
At MACNA last year, part of the major announcements for Neptune Systems was the 240v version of their Apex controller line. At the time, this rollout wasn’t quite ready for distribution and it didn’t get much attention at the... by AquaNerd | Jan 16, 2013 | Equipment
At MACNA last year, Neptune Systems unveiled a new program called Apex Ready which promised to be a system that allowed users to have some serious control over various other brands of aquarium equipment through any one of the AquaController aquarium controllers and...
