Apex Salinity Probe is junk. Any alternatives?

[Reef Jedi]

I’m getting pretty tired of these Apex salinity probes. I’m on my second one in two years and they still read way off. I just got done calibrating a new PH probe and the existing Neptune salinity probe. PH probe had no troubles and is working great. The salinity probe on the other hand just went from a 2 point higher consistent reading down to this. I re calibrated it again and got the same result.

Does anyone make a better probe? Or do you have any better recommendations?

I’m about to just throw it away and not monitor salinity with the Apex.

 

[UnnamedReef]

I'm not sure about a better probe, but are you sure you aren't getting interference? Any wires close to my salinity probe and it reads around 0. Makes routing it a pain but once I had it separated it worked fine for the past few years

 

[Reef Jedi]

I'm not sure about a better probe, but are you sure you aren't getting interference? Any wires close to my salinity probe and it reads around 0. Makes routing it a pain but once I had it separated it worked fine for the past few years

Interesting, I didn’t know it needed to be routed separately. I figured they would have had sufficient shielding on the cable to tone down interference.

 

[braaap]

Interesting, I didn’t know it needed to be routed separately. I figured they would have had sufficient shielding on the cable to tone down interference.

It shouldn't need to be routed separately. But lots of people do it. Some people put wire shielding on the wire. Or wrap it in foil. Not sure if that helps but they claim it does.

 

[The Farmer]

I have been using the same probe since purchase. When I first calibrated it, I had to adjust the thesis I think I’m not sure.

 

[Jamie814]

If a wire runs near or parallel to 120v power cords or close to any power supplies or ballasts, it can cause interference. I had a Tunze ORCA that kept cutting out because the 12v power wire was lying next to my AQUA UV 57-watt ballast. I moved the wire away, and the problem was solved.

Sensitive electronics are highly susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Keep higher voltage wires as far from probe wires as possible to reduce issues with inaccurate readings.

 

[Rob A]

A $20 refractometer would be a lot less work.

 

[Jamie814]

A $20 refractometer would be a lot less work.

A refractometer is a great tool that every serious reefer should own. However, it doesn’t provide continuous or remote monitoring, nor can it send alerts. I clean and calibrate my Apex probes every few months and have never had an issue with them being inaccurate. You just can’t create a tangled mess of wires with everything else and expect it not to cause interference.

 

[landlubber]

I wouldn't go out of my way to add a salinity probe as its an easy measurement and truthfully if the option to skip the pH probes was available would probably have opted out of that as well. Calibrated and I get 8.14-8.58pH which just doesn't seem real.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

for the price of Neptune and their equipment, they are really disappointing. They should be upgrading their equipment for what they charge for it.

The DOS seems like a really good doser though.

 

[Jamie814]

for the price of Neptune and their equipment, they are really disappointing. They should be upgrading their equipment for what they charge for it.

The DOS seems like a really good doser though.

It might seem overpriced, but compared to actual lab-grade equipment, Neptune’s pricing is extremely cheap. The good news is, it’s not necessary to run a successful reef tank.

The DOS is actually poorly designed IMO. While it uses stepper motors it can't even dose continuously 24/7 like the Kamoer FX-STP can unless you match the allocated time to 7,12 or 25 ml min dosing rates. Anything other than those 3 speeds and it doses intermittently.

 

[Tangdora]

Don’t have an alternative. But for for current I would reset the calibration back to default, reboot the apex Then put the probe back in the water and give it a good shake or invert it temporary. If your not getting between like 33-37 with the default setting something is wrong either with the probe or in the wiring and would not even attempt to calibrate

 

[Bear22]

It might seem overpriced, but compared to actual lab-grade equipment, Neptune’s pricing is extremely cheap. The good news is, it’s not necessary to run a successful reef tank.

Cheap or expensive if the data (measurements) aren't any good; then these devices make better door stops then the utility they were designed and marketed for.

As an example for pH: I use the HM digital PH-200 device. It has a dual probe design. It's temperature compensated. Has a two point calibration process. And I am likely to get a measurement within .1 degrees (or less -this device measures pH in the hundredths) when put in a 7.0 or 10.0 test solution. It costs about 60 bucks.

Compared to an Apex or Hydros (or the new RedSea probe) which all cost considerably more why in the hell can't these companies make a darn probe that measures accurately when compared to a device that costs 40 dollars less, yet yields consistent and accurate results?

 

[areefer01]

Everything seemed to drop within a similar time frame based on that UI screen cap. Sump level was also low.

Interesting enough based on your alk of 7.88, ca of 496, and mg of 1328 (tridents last test result) your estimated salinity is 36.2.

 

[Jimbo327]

I just my TM hydrometer as a standard, and index my salinity probe to that. I don't recalibrate the probe at all. If my hydrometer says it's 1.025, and my salinity probe says 33...then I know that's what it is. If it see a significant shift, then I check with my hydrometer again to make sure .

 

[Jamie814]

Cheap or expensive if the data (measurements) aren't any good; then these devices make better door stops then the utility they were designed and marketed for.

As an example for pH: I use the HM digital PH-200 device. It has a dual probe design. It's temperature compensated. Has a two point calibration process. And I am likely to get a measurement within .1 degrees (or less -this device measures pH in the hundredths) when put in a 7.0 or 10.0 test solution. It costs about 60 bucks.

Compared to an Apex or Hydros (or the new RedSea probe) which all cost considerably more why in the hell can't these companies make a darn probe that measures accurately when compared to a device that costs 40 dollars less, yet yields consistent and accurate results?

I’m not defending any of the controller manufacturers, and I get what you’re saying, but you’re comparing a single stand-alone device that isn’t constantly submerged in a reef tank or exposed to the interference that a connected meter has to deal with.

Even HM has a disclaimer on the PH-200 stating that using it regularly in high-salinity seawater requires strict maintenance to prevent premature sensor drift or damage. Seawater's heavy ionic strength can skew readings over time.

 

[Bear22]

I’m not defending any of the controller manufacturers, and I get what you’re saying, but you’re comparing a single stand-alone device that isn’t constantly submerged in a reef tank or exposed to the interference that a connected meter has to deal with.

Even HM has a disclaimer on the PH-200 stating that using it regularly in high-salinity seawater requires strict maintenance to prevent premature sensor drift or damage. Seawater's heavy ionic strength can skew readings over time.

That's probably more legalese than anything else. Also noteworthy, that I didn't mention is that the HMS meter is a lot more complex in terms of features and design, and still costs less than half what these simple analog probes cost. AND the HMS probe tip can be replaced without having to toss the whole thing away.

I never said that these devices don't require some degree of maintenance whether it's through calibration or simple house keeping in terms of keeping the device free of salt creep, etc.

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

You could try one of our SPS kits on your conductivity probe. THe fact that the reading holds steady and then instances drops or spikes, is typical going to be debris or bubbles getting on the probe tip. The SPS can help in these instances:

SPS Kit – The Salinity Probe Stability Kit
https://vividcreativeaquatics.com/shop/sps-kit-the-salinity-probe-shield/




it may not make the more accurate, but it will help to even it out and make the trend more reliable to follow.

For instance here is the reading from our office tank from the 14th to this morning (18th) . The ATO ran dry yesterday in the early evening (1), and we filled it back up when we got in this morning (2)

The reading is steady enough you can actually see that rise and fall in the Salinity reading

You will find the SPS kit on our website but also at BRS, SalwaterDOTcom and possible at your local fish store.

 

[petcellar]

So the salinity probe can be a bit finicky for sure and quite frustrating.

I had trouble with them for a long time, but I think I finally have the hang of it.

I would calibrate my probe and within a few days it would already be drifting again.

I tried mounting it upside down in order to prevent bubbles from building up, and it seemed to help with the drifting, but then the probe wouldn't last as long.... I guess maybe from bending the cord so much? IDK.

My tank has a split sump and I ended up moving it to the second sump that I was using for a refugium.
Maybe it was farther away from the electrical interference of the return pumps and skimmer, but also it was calmer water and less bubbles.

I do a very careful manual calibration. I make sure the calibration liquids are the right temp. I use apex.local rather than fusion for the calibration.

Once I do this and keep it in the calmer water it is good for months. It lasted for over a year until my Red Sea failed catastrophically. I got a new probe for my new tank and its been several months now and steady as a rock.

They have worked so well for me now that I actually use them to control my salinity in my tank like @subdhs did in https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/why-do-people-buy-expensive-ato.1090871/.

Scary I know :) but has done well.

I think if the salinity probe is something that you really want eventually you can get it set up and tweaked for your system where there isn't interference and it will last.

If its really not a big deal you could probably hurl it out the window and save a lot of frustration.

 

[landlubber]

for the price of Neptune and their equipment, they are really disappointing. They should be upgrading their equipment for what they charge for it.

The DOS seems like a really good doser though.

truthfully short of a few things (the AFS feeding device sucks too) I personally can't complain about my 10 year experience with Neptune gear.
I'm currently running an Apex EL, a Cor20 and 2 Dos. All have worked well IME