Apex Salinity Probe is junk. Any alternatives?

[Reef Jedi]

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

This is how I feel, I swear it was accurate for the first couple days and then ever since it’s always been two points higher. I’ve calibrated it multiple times over the last couple years and it always finishes two points higher. I’ll test with my refractometer and it’s 35, while the probe always reads 37.

For no reason what so ever it’s all of a sudden shot back to the 37 mark lol

 

[Reef Jedi]

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 feel this, I’ve truly never had accurate results. Of course I have other ways to measure but that’s not the point of having one. It would be nice if it worked as intended especially for the cost of replacement and that’s if they are even in stock. I just can’t bring my self to purchasing another one since it’s just never worked. If they were $100 or less then maybe. But at this price point I’d rather invest in something else.

 

[Jamie814]

This is how I feel, I swear it was accurate for the first couple days and then ever since it’s always been two points higher. I’ve calibrated it multiple times over the last couple years and it always finishes two points higher. I’ll test with my refractometer and it’s 35, while the probe always reads 37.

For no reason what so ever it’s all of a sudden shot back to the 37 mark lol

Are you running a chiller or UV? Stray voltage can interfere with readings, so it’s worth checking if any equipment is turning on or off at the same time the spikes occur. Adding a grounding probe near the probes can help reduce interference. I’ve found that keeping probes in a dark location with gentle flow over the tips makes them more consistent. My setup is unique I have an isolated “system lab” box inside the overflow of my frag tank where all my system probes sit and tridents draw from. It’s fed by a line from my return pump through a bulkhead, with a valve and locline nozzle to direct and control flow gently over the tips. This also prevents bubbles from collecting on them, which can skew readings.

My 5-day average shows a dip yesterday, which aligns with the warmer water temperature since I didn’t run the air conditioning.

 

[reefmaster70]

So here's the thing....just get a good salinity tester, and test once a week to get an accurate reading on your salt levels in your tank. If you absolutely need the apex conductivity probe (like I do)... it doesn't matter if it's not reading accurate, as long as it's reading STABLE. For instance. I know my salinity is at 1.025, and my Apex probe reads 31ppt ALL THE TIME.....I've calibrated it many times, and I test my water weekly with the Tropic Marin floating hydrometer, so I know it's 1.025 @ 77F. My point being, , If my Apex probe readout is reading 31ppt on Sunday night at 6pm, and I check it again 6 days later on Saturday at 6pm and it's still reading 31ppm..I know my salinity is GOOD and STABLE both, rather than depending on it being "spot on" with what my hydrometer says.

 

[areefer01]

So here's the thing....just get a good salinity tester, and test once a week to get an accurate reading on your salt levels in your tank. If you absolutely need the apex conductivity probe (like I do)... it doesn't matter if it's not reading accurate, as long as it's reading STABLE. For instance. I know my salinity is at 1.025, and my Apex probe reads 31ppt ALL THE TIME.....I've calibrated it many times, and I test my water weekly with the Tropic Marin floating hydrometer, so I know it's 1.025 @ 77F. My point being, , If my Apex probe readout is reading 31ppt on Sunday night at 6pm, and I check it again 6 days later on Saturday at 6pm and it's still reading 31ppm..I know my salinity is GOOD and STABLE both, rather than depending on it being "spot on" with what my hydrometer says.

They are not looking at spot checking, making water, or taking something off the shelf. They are talking about the actual probe and real time monitoring with the possibility of triggering alerts.

Of course I could be misunderstanding the OP's intent so there is that. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Reef Jedi]

So here's the thing....just get a good salinity tester, and test once a week to get an accurate reading on your salt levels in your tank. If you absolutely need the apex conductivity probe (like I do)... it doesn't matter if it's not reading accurate, as long as it's reading STABLE. For instance. I know my salinity is at 1.025, and my Apex probe reads 31ppt ALL THE TIME.....I've calibrated it many times, and I test my water weekly with the Tropic Marin floating hydrometer, so I know it's 1.025 @ 77F. My point being, , If my Apex probe readout is reading 31ppt on Sunday night at 6pm, and I check it again 6 days later on Saturday at 6pm and it's still reading 31ppm..I know my salinity is GOOD and STABLE both, rather than depending on it being "spot on" with what my hydrometer says.

I get that and it’s basically what it is, I know it’s 37 on the apex but it drives me nuts it’s not 35. I know it’s 35 so it just bugs me. What also gets me is even after calibrating it goes back to the 37 range. It’s done that with two different probes over the years. It’s just frustrating that you pay a high price for it and it’s not accurate at all.

 

[Reef Jedi]

They are not looking at spot checking, making water, or taking something off the shelf. They are talking about the actual probe and real time monitoring with the possibility of triggering alerts.

Of course I could be misunderstanding the OP's intent so there is that. Your mileage may vary.

Yes this was the intent. I had to stop the alarms I had for salinity since it’s always off. What gets me is it will go to 0 and then trigger that way. So basically all alarms are off for salinity and it just completely misses the point of having it.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

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.

i have a brand new kamoer of the dos breaks.

 

[commod0re]

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.

a related aspect I haven't seen mentioned, that applies to some lab-grade instruments but not all, is that sometimes their precision/accuracy comes at the cost of being more delicate and a delicate instrument may require more frequent calibration and/or maintenance than a typical home gamer would actually be up for

 

[areefer01]

a related aspect I haven't seen mentioned, that applies to some lab-grade instruments but not all, is that sometimes their precision/accuracy comes at the cost of being more delicate and a delicate instrument may require more frequent calibration and/or maintenance than a typical home gamer would actually be up for

This is a valid point.

I clean my probes following a post by Suncrestreef post below. Easy enough to do and it has worked more or less for me. I still see some dips here and there but overall I can get an idea at a glance. I do not trigger alarms based on the reading. I guess I could or let my datastore manage that aspect of it but I also admit that salinity is one vital aspect worth paying attention to.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/comprehensive-guide-to-cleaning-apex-probes.284709/post-8530210

 

[reefmaster70]

I get that and it’s basically what it is, I know it’s 37 on the apex but it drives me nuts it’s not 35. I know it’s 35 so it just bugs me. What also gets me is even after calibrating it goes back to the 37 range. It’s done that with two different probes over the years. It’s just frustrating that you pay a high price for it and it’s not accurate at all.

You do know that you can go into advanced calibration and adjust your numbers so they do match if a constant 37ppt bothers you and you want it to read 35ppt adjust the calibration manually a bit to hit the mark.

 

[Reef Jedi]

You do know that you can go into advanced calibration and adjust your numbers so they do match if a constant 37ppt bothers you and you want it to read 35ppt adjust the calibration manually a bit to hit the mark.

Do you know how to do that? I had no idea you could? Maybe I’ll play with it

 

[painter1982]

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.

I have this on mine. It works great.

 

[Reef Jedi]

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.

This is a great idea! Worth a shot to even keep it stable! Thanks for the recommendation. At this point I’m ready to try anything.

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

This is a great idea! Worth a shot to even keep it stable! Thanks for the recommendation. At this point I’m ready to try anything.

Like I said, it may not provide a more accurate reading, but it will certainly help with providing you a more reliably trend line.

Here are a few tips to get the best result.

1 - too much flow to the SPS kit is not a good thing. It will sku the reading to the high side. You really just want a trickly of flow entering the SPS housing. the include hose is somewhat restrictive for this reason.

2 - take care when assembling the SPS kit to the probe - the tip of the probe itself can be fragile as is the green pressure screen the is include in the SPS kit.

3 - One thing I do to get the closest to accurate reading is to calibrate in the tank, as opposed to using the solution.

Once you have your salimuth elve where you want it and tested with some other more reliable device like a refractometer, you can then run the calibration routine with the SPS klit isntlale dan dht eprobe in the tank.

4 - Before you calibrate in the tank - let the SPS kit settle in with the SPS kit installed for 8 tp 10 hotus or erven a full day.

5 - also be sure to set the TC factor. I find for my tank 2.4 works the best to the even things out

When properly setup, the SPS kit can provide a steady reading with no more then 0.5 up or down, assuming salinity is stable.