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Today on BRStv we have our third episode in the Neptune series, mounting the apex and
wire management.
Hi, I'm Ryan host of BRStv where each week we cover a topic related to reefing. This
week we are going to show proper mounting of your Neptune apex aquarium controller and
ideas for wire management.
The first thing to consider is orientation. All of the apex modules are designed to be
mounted horizontally to your cabinet or wall, if you mount it in any other orientation there
is a super high likelihood that the controller or module will be dead within the year. It's
all about drips, wet hands, moisture build up, leaks; splashes can all send water running
down a cord. Upside down, or turned to either side is very
easy for water to run directly into the connector. If you mount it on the horizontal plane it
makes it very difficult for water to travel down the cord and then back up into the connections.
In fact, the dryer the location for mounting the better.
Make sure you also mount everything in an area where it is easy to access everything,
especially the probe connections as you will have to change the probes out occasionally.
Make sure to give a few inches between them so you can easily get the cords in and out.
Resist all temptation to mount the energy bar on a flat surface. Don't do this for even
a single day thinking you will get to it later. The Cords are more or less water freeways
going directly into your expensive gear. The energy bar has dour holes but the one behind
the cable is hard to get at, there really isn't any need to use if if you mount the
other three screws properly.
It's also a bad idea to mount modules or energy bars to doors, because the moving cables can
get caught on things and get pulled out or shorted.
With the cords try and avoid taught cords which also send water directly to outlets.
Proper use of drip loops is also critical. a Drip loop can be a variety of things but
at minimum it means there is a permanent bend in the cord before it reaches an outlet . It
is best to use zip ties or adhesive plastic clips to make sure true drip loop stays in
place. The goal here is to have this tank up for many years, trust me when I say proper
use of drip loops is one of the most important components of maintaining your equipment keeping
the tank and home safe.
The modules, energy bar and display are all connected with the aquabus usb cables they
can all be run daisy chained together or you can use the energybar's six connections as
a hub. Neither really presents a major advantage I would do whichever allows you to route the
cables better in your situation.
It's also wise to not wrap single cables like this around power cables, especially ballast
cables which are known for producing a lot of noise. Lastly neatness counts. Something
that looks neat typically is safer as well. Use of mounting boards can make routing cords
and installing permanent drip loops much easier not to mention look slick.
These flat plastic adhesive tiles use zip ties to attach cables and can be found at
basically any lows or home depot. For the probe cables or anything that may need to
be moved at some point these adhesive ratchet clamps work well. If you have any questions
or advice for your fellow reefers about apex mounting options checkout the comments area
down below. If this is your first time with is subscribe because we do this every week.
See you all next week with another episode of BRStv.