Alkatronic

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smartwater101

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To help other Reef 2 Reef members, and BRS to decide on Focustronic / Alkatronic

Guys,
I sure love mine

The Alkatronic is sure a perfect match when pairing up with a calcium reactor.

But, Focustronic's own support forum, has gone into deep, deep hibernation... :(

https://focustronic.club/

Click on all the forums and see all the unanswered threads.

Have also tried by email too, and waiting for response back on Facebook.

I finally got an Alkatronic and absolutely love it. (Aside from the terrible bluetooth, but thankfully that's just for initial startup, I'm just using wifi now)

They responded to my questions on Facebook with a couple minutes of asking so I've had no problems there. I've done several Red Sea and Hanna tests to insure the Alkatronic is on track, and its working perfectly!

Hopefully BRS gives this thing some attention. They received theirs mid Apr, but didn't realize they had no reagents until mid May? Its now a few weeks into June... surely its set up now??
 

Bulk Reef Supply

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I finally got an Alkatronic and absolutely love it. (Aside from the terrible bluetooth, but thankfully that's just for initial startup, I'm just using wifi now)

They responded to my questions on Facebook with a couple minutes of asking so I've had no problems there. I've done several Red Sea and Hanna tests to insure the Alkatronic is on track, and its working perfectly!

Hopefully BRS gives this thing some attention. They received theirs mid Apr, but didn't realize they had no reagents until mid May? Its now a few weeks into June... surely its set up now??

I actually just received the reagents this morning. I'll be honest, it was a bit frustrating trying to get reagents, but we will be up and running here shortly. I'd be happy to report back with my initial thoughts on setup.
 

GoVols

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I finally got an Alkatronic and absolutely love it. (Aside from the terrible bluetooth, but thankfully that's just for initial startup, I'm just using wifi now)

They responded to my questions on Facebook with a couple minutes of asking so I've had no problems there. I've done several Red Sea and Hanna tests to insure the Alkatronic is on track, and its working perfectly!

Hopefully BRS gives this thing some attention. They received theirs mid Apr, but didn't realize they had no reagents until mid May? Its now a few weeks into June... surely its set up now??

I love it too and it matches Salifert to a tee.

But, I will show their customer support forum.

They need to get back in the game, with Neptune and GHL.
 
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Bulk Reef Supply

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As promised, I got everything up and running today. I'm limited on space, so had to get creative with the placement/mounting. I've run two tests so far with a result of roughly 5.5 dKH in each test. I double checked with a Hanna dKH checker (with reference solution) and got about 5.6 dKH. Not to bad given that they say to run 2-3 tests to break the unit in. Definitely need to get my dosing back on track after the tank move! I'll admit that it's quite loud compared to other equipment that I've used. I do like that they are using a concentrated reagent, which makes it affordable. The downside is having to mix up the reagent solution yourself, but that isn't too hard or time consuming. Overall, I'm happy so far :)
alkatronic2.JPG
 

smartwater101

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As promised, I got everything up and running today. I'm limited on space, so had to get creative with the placement/mounting. I've run two tests so far with a result of roughly 5.5 dKH in each test. I double checked with a Hanna dKH checker (with reference solution) and got about 5.6 dKH. Not to bad given that they say to run 2-3 tests to break the unit in. Definitely need to get my dosing back on track after the tank move! I'll admit that it's quite loud compared to other equipment that I've used. I do like that they are using a concentrated reagent, which makes it affordable. The downside is having to mix up the reagent solution yourself, but that isn't too hard or time consuming. Overall, I'm happy so far :)
alkatronic2.JPG

NICE!

Yeah, the noise isn't so bad when in the stand, but I image it being a bit much when sitting next to your workstation. Especially if you're doing a lot of tests/day. You're neighbors are going to give you crap for sure lol

I do 3 Hanna and 3 Red Sea tests every now and then just to confirm its on track, and I'm really happy with its consistency.
 

GoVols

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NICE!

Yeah, the noise isn't so bad when in the stand, but I image it being a bit much when sitting next to your workstation. Especially if you're doing a lot of tests/day. You're neighbors are going to give you crap for sure lol

I do 3 Hanna and 3 Red Sea tests every now and then just to confirm its on track, and I'm really happy with its consistency.

@Bulk Reef Supply

FYI:
I picked this up on a Alkatronic document, from Focustronic's website:

If your pumps C and A are loud, take the back panel off the unit.

Un-tighten the C and A pump's screws by 1/4 of a full turn.

Then screw back on the back panel.

Worked like a charm for me on those two pumps. As quiet or quieter than DOS.

(lol)
That small pump B is a screamer... :)
 
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vangvace

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I'm really hoping there will be a 'Alkatronic/KH director/Trident' BRS investigates. The few videos out there don't really talk about long-term consistency. I'm hoping BRS will spend a few month comparing their accuracy relative to some sort of control. eh? eh? eeehhh? :)

I like the idea. Put all three on the same tank with the same testing schedule for all 3 and see how they compare at 3, 6, and 12 months. Document device maintenance, like reagent swaps, pH probe recalibrations, etc.

You could add in the Hanna checker and maybe the super fancy lab test as a reference for how accurate each product measures over time.
 

ReeferBud

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Glad to see @Bulk Reef Supply testing the Alkatronic.

I would also be interested in a BRS video comparing the different auto testing units in the market. There was another one made but it was biased, to say the least.

After doing my own research, I’m pretty much decided on the Alkatronic. The difference of reagent cost did it for me. Spending just $30-40 on reagents per year vs $270 + 100-150$ maintenance send-in For the Trident was the deal breaker for me.
 

Breadman03

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Glad to see @Bulk Reef Supply testing the Alkatronic.

I would also be interested in a BRS video comparing the different auto testing units in the market. There was another one made but it was biased, to say the least.

After doing my own research, I’m pretty much decided on the Alkatronic. The difference of reagent cost did it for me. Spending just $30-40 on reagents per year vs $270 + 100-150$ maintenance send-in For the Trident was the deal breaker for me.

That's pretty much where I stand. I'm not in a position to buy now, but hope to be within a year or so. I also need to reboot my tank to rid it of aptasia and vermiteds.
 

GoVols

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FWIW:

Was able to make contact with Focustronic, using my wife's Facebook.

They moved on from their other forum.
 

Bulk Reef Supply

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Any chance we can get some updates on this? The Alkatronic has been out for awhile and the Mastertronic is on the horizon. Many people love their Alkatronic and Dosetronic and I'm really hoping @Bulk Reef Supply gives all three a proper go.

Long story short, this is something that we decided not to bring in. Once set up, it was fairly accurate, but we did have a few issues along the way. Unfortunately the bluetooth and wifi connectivity didn't work great and was pretty frustrating. Given that we carry other like products, the price point, and the issues that we had, we felt that there wasn't a hole in our current product lineup to justify bringing the Alkatronic in.
 

ReeferBud

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That’s unfortunate. I too, was looking forward to potentially purchasing the Mastertronic (already have an Alkatronic) from BRS when it comes out.

I completely understand that BRS looks at their lineup in deciding what products to stock but would really have liked BRS, with its market clout, to support an up-and-comer product like Alkatronic.

Not sure where the “fairly” accurate comment is coming from. Not my experience and doesn’t seem consistent with what most users have reported. And while a bit frustrating to set up at first, not nearly as frustrating as my Apex Classic was to set up a few years ago...
 

vangvace

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Out of curiosity did Neptune influence the decision with direct communication they didn't want you to carry trident competition?
As much as I love a conspiracy theory sometimes and BRS is likely receiving higher profit margins than most of the other online vendors from Neptune... BRS does carry the KH Director by GHL and they might have gotten really burnt on the Vertex Controller deal.
 
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hart24601

hart24601

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As much as I love a conspiracy theory sometimes and BRS is likely receiving higher profit margins than most of the other online vendors from Neptune... BRS does carry the KH Director by GHL and they might have gotten really burnt on the Vertex Controller deal.
Conspiracy theory? Just regular business. Exclusive offerings, sponsorships and so on are just standard business practices. Hence the question.
 

BrianReefer

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That’s unfortunate. I too, was looking forward to potentially purchasing the Mastertronic (already have an Alkatronic) from BRS when it comes out.

I completely understand that BRS looks at their lineup in deciding what products to stock but would really have liked BRS, with its market clout, to support an up-and-comer product like Alkatronic.

Not sure where the “fairly” accurate comment is coming from. Not my experience and doesn’t seem consistent with what most users have reported. And while a bit frustrating to set up at first, not nearly as frustrating as my Apex Classic was to set up a few years ago...

I’d call this more than fairly accurate...
F05690D1-718B-41AD-B3EA-F81B774126D9.png
 

ReeferBud

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Right... my own experience and seems like many others that it is more than “fairly” accurate... mine was spot on from the first test it ran and has been ever since.
 

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