Apex Probe Placement help

[SaltwaterandLime]

Question about best practice for probe placement in my sump.

I have a red sea reefer with essentially 3 compartments in my sump. No matter where I place my probes I am going against one of the neptune suggestions about where NOT to place them.

My first chamber has my reefmat, my heater, and an attempt at a refugium. I could probably place the pH and ORP probes here except neptune says to place them away from light and algae. I don't want to place my temperature probe in the same chamber as my heater either for obvious reasons.

My second chance holds my skimmer. I have plenty of room in this chamber but the probe instructions say to keep away from micro bubbles.

My third chamber has my return pump, a small powerhead, and is where all of my dosing tube are placed so that chamber has the greatest fluctuation in pH so I don't really want my probe to be where my supplements are.

I could probably set them up in the baffle between my skimmer and return pump chamber (I got rid of the sponge as soon as I set up the tank)..... but no matter what I do there, any time the return pump is off the very top of the probes will be submerged briefly.

 

[ReefStable]

Personal thought...

My theory is to get as close of readings to what your tank has, so near the water coming back down the overflow. If the closest chamber you have is also a refugium, you may have to clean the probes more often.

You may even think about moving the heaters closer to the return, without the risk of them getting removed from water if something goes wrong/evaporation/leak.

I put my probes in the second chamber and my heat in the baffles between chambers 2 and 3. The first chamber is the refugium, and the second has the skimmer.

I do aim the output water from my skimmer opposite of the direction of the probes to help with the bubble concern.