Choosing an aquarium controller or combination of them -- which option would be best for me?

Shooter6

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,453
Reaction score
1,280
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This is the one I use. I made the cable to hook it to the drive port.

DB51B901-605F-4DE2-B33B-650E991D2ABB.jpeg


I just got one of these today. I have not had a chance to hook it up yet. It comes with the drive port cable.

3A9F5027-A0D2-492A-AC10-4BD98A0DAB6E.jpeg
Which one is the second? I'm considering the intllab for running a avast kalk stirrer. I bought a kamoer x1 pro t but having a heck of a time with the 2.4g wifi connection.
 

fcmatt

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2016
Messages
765
Reaction score
944
Location
MA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My humble opinion... you don't need one. Trying to monitor ph and salinity long term with probes is a total waste of effort and money.

As for alk that be the stuff of legend. I am still not convinced we are there yet to throw money at it. Some will disagree but then I don't have 5000 worth of sticks in my tank. Just an acro or three, monti or two, acan, etc.. mostly anemones and Mr clowns. Anemones can roll over any of my sticks and do so I don't sweat them. Still grow like weeds. Just the other day I had to pick a bta out of my large acro. Darn things. Little terrorists killing the base and bottom levels.

Oh sure.. I would love to play with all the stuff. Money ain't the issue. I don't want the aggravation to be honest. Been there and done that with past toys.
 
Last edited:

Shooter6

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,453
Reaction score
1,280
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My humble opinion... you don't need one. Trying to monitor ph and salinity long term with probes is a total waste of effort and money.

As for alk that be the stuff of legend. I am still not convinced we are there yet to throw money at it. Some will disagree but then I don't have 5000 worth of sticks in my tank. Just an acro or three, monti or two, acan, etc.. mostly anemones and Mr clowns. Anemones can roll over any of my sticks and do so I don't sweat them. Still grow like weeds. Just the other day I had to pick a bta out of my large acro. Darn things. Little terrorists killing the base and bottom levels.

Oh sure.. I would love to play with all the stuff. Money ain't the issue. I don't want the aggravation to be honest. Been there and done that with past toys.
Who was this response directed towards? Edit after reading reading the entire post I figured out it was directed at the op.

I asked about the intllab doser, to run an avast kalk stirrer.

I do have well north of 10k in frags in my new 1200gal system. The kalk stirrer it in addition to my tm afr dosing. Currently using a float ato to dose it but the time is coming to seperate the 2 into individual steps.
 
Last edited:

n2585722

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
3,586
Reaction score
2,075
Location
Cedar Park, Tx
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Which one is the second? I'm considering the intllab for running a avast kalk stirrer. I bought a kamoer x1 pro t but having a heck of a time with the 2.4g wifi connection.
The second one is a Hydros dosing pump that is made by Kamoer. It runs when powered and comes with the drive port cable.
 

Shooter6

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,453
Reaction score
1,280
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The second one is a Hydros dosing pump that is made by Kamoer. It runs when powered and comes with the drive port cable.
How accurate and reliable has the intllab been for you? How long did you run it for.
 

n2585722

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
3,586
Reaction score
2,075
Location
Cedar Park, Tx
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
How accurate and reliable has the intllab been for you? How long did you run it for.
I have had them in use for a little over a year. I replaced one motor. It quit running. I got it to run again cleaning the berings and brushes but replaced it anyways. The new motor with a pump head are around $10. The one I replaced I replaced with a long shaft motor and added two pump heads and use it for AWC. Photos are on my build thread when I did this on a second Intllab as a backup for the first. The only one I use for dosing is to dose All For Reef. It appears to be consistent. I change the daily dose dependent on trending of my calcium test I do weekly. That is set for 20.5ml a day but it is mixed half strength so that would make the actual dose 10.25ml daily. The other two Intllab pumps are ATO and AWC. I just replaced the ATO with the Hydros unit to try it out. The calibration on both pumps was close the Hydros was 43ml per minute and the Intllab was 45ml per minute so I didn't change any settings on the ATO. The Intllab is adjustable at the pump And using the schedule. The Hydros is set at 43ml a minute and adjustments are made in the schedule witch is set for the daily dose and you set how many times you want it to dose. A screenshot of the AFR dosing is below as an example.

E225B39E-AA77-432E-A468-F240BB547521.png
 

Shooter6

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,453
Reaction score
1,280
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have had them in use for a little over a year. I replaced one motor. It quit running. I got it to run again cleaning the berings and brushes but replaced it anyways. The new motor with a pump head are around $10. The one I replaced I replaced with a long shaft motor and added two pump heads and use it for AWC. Photos are on my build thread when I did this on a second Intllab as a backup for the first. The only one I use for dosing is to dose All For Reef. It appears to be consistent. I change the daily dose dependent on trending of my calcium test I do weekly. That is set for 20.5ml a day but it is mixed half strength so that would make the actual dose 10.25ml daily. The other two Intllab pumps are ATO and AWC. I just replaced the ATO with the Hydros unit to try it out. The calibration on both pumps was close the Hydros was 43ml per minute and the Intllab was 45ml per minute so I didn't change any settings on the ATO. The Intllab is adjustable at the pump And using the schedule. The Hydros is set at 43ml a minute and adjustments are made in the schedule witch is set for the daily dose and you set how many times you want it to dose. A screenshot of the AFR dosing is below as an example.

E225B39E-AA77-432E-A468-F240BB547521.png
That's great news. I was contemplating using one as a continuous dose, at only a few ml a minute, to get around 3-5 gal a day of kalk dose. I already have a doser running afr, but considering adding an alkatronic to control the afr dosing. I bought the kamoer but like I said I'm less then happy with the whole 2.4g wifi .I don't think the hydros can connect to it to take over its control but it's possible.
 

n2585722

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
3,586
Reaction score
2,075
Location
Cedar Park, Tx
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That's great news. I was contemplating using one as a continuous dose, at only a few ml a minute, to get around 3-5 gal a day of kalk dose. I already have a doser running afr, but considering adding an alkatronic to control the afr dosing. I bought the kamoer but like I said I'm less then happy with the whole 2.4g wifi .I don't think the hydros can connect to it to take over its control but it's possible.
The Hydros dosing pump is made by Kamoer and doses at 43 ml a minute. It is controlled by the Hydros via a drive port. I currently have the one I have hooked up as an ATO pump since that is the pump that get the most use and is the best on to test a new pump on. I just hooked it up today. Unfortunately for me they will not fit on the shelves I have made so I will need to make new shelves to use them permanently.

73A71B37-224B-4502-81F4-7DBB38C8DB9C.jpeg
 

n2585722

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
3,586
Reaction score
2,075
Location
Cedar Park, Tx
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That's great news. I was contemplating using one as a continuous dose, at only a few ml a minute, to get around 3-5 gal a day of kalk dose. I already have a doser running afr, but considering adding an alkatronic to control the afr dosing. I bought the kamoer but like I said I'm less then happy with the whole 2.4g wifi .I don't think the hydros can connect to it to take over its control but it's possible.
3-5 gallons a day is a lot. I don't pump anywhere near that amount. The ATO does the most and the storage tank last about 24 days. It is a 20 gallon brute can but it does not empty completely or fill completely so it is probably around 15 gallons of use. The ATO tubing last about 6 months so you will be changing the tubing quite a bit at that rate.
 

Shooter6

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,453
Reaction score
1,280
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
3-5 gallons a day is a lot. I don't pump anywhere near that amount. The ATO does the most and the storage tank last about 24 days. It is a 20 gallon brute can but it does not empty completely or fill completely so it is probably around 15 gallons of use. The ATO tubing last about 6 months so you will be changing the tubing quite a bit at that rate.
5-8ml a minute equals 3-5gal a day. The add for that doser says 5ml to150ml an hr.
Here is my calculations
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20211031-151100_Google.jpg
    Screenshot_20211031-151100_Google.jpg
    78.8 KB · Views: 21
  • Screenshot_20211031-151115_Google.jpg
    Screenshot_20211031-151115_Google.jpg
    81.4 KB · Views: 18
  • Screenshot_20211031-151004_Google.jpg
    Screenshot_20211031-151004_Google.jpg
    83.8 KB · Views: 22

n2585722

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
3,586
Reaction score
2,075
Location
Cedar Park, Tx
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
5-8ml a minute equals 3-5gal a day. The add for that doser says 5ml to150ml an hr.
Here is my calculations
I only get 6 months on the tubing before it starts to split and that is at less than a gallon a day. you will probably only get a month if you are lucky at that usage. I am curious as to how long the tubing on the Hydros dosing pump will last.
 

Shooter6

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,453
Reaction score
1,280
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I only get 6 months on the tubing before it starts to split and that is at less than a gallon a day. you will probably only get a month if you are lucky at that usage. I am curious as to how long the tubing on the Hydros dosing pump will last.
I would replace the tubing with the stuff from kamoer, to see if to holds up better. Also probably use the lube on it as I found that makes the line last longer no matter who made the doser.
 

n2585722

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
3,586
Reaction score
2,075
Location
Cedar Park, Tx
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The tubing is inexpensive I think I have meter of it. the size of the Hydros which is Kamoer is different than what is on the Intllab. I was looking at the frequency of changing more than anything.
 

Shooter6

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,453
Reaction score
1,280
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The tubing is inexpensive I think I have meter of it. the size of the Hydros which is Kamoer is different than what is on the Intllab. I was looking at the frequency of changing more than anything.
I know kamoer has a few different size options and the intllab says it uses 2 different sizes o. The product description
 

Shooter6

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,453
Reaction score
1,280
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
FYI I tried the intllab doser, couldn't get it to work, and couldn't get a response from the seller. Luckily it was less then 50.00.
I've been using the kamoer x1 pro t for the past 4-5months. It was a bit of a pain to get it connected via app, but once I did it's been a beast. Easily handles the continuous dosing of kalk through the avast marine kalk stirrer, and I am using a jebao 4 head doser for the all for reef. The combo keeps my tank rock solid. When the jebao gives up the ghost I'll add another of the kamoer dosers, at 150.00 each and having the ability to dose either up to 24 times a day or continuously makes them a great option!
 

n2585722

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
3,586
Reaction score
2,075
Location
Cedar Park, Tx
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
FYI I tried the intllab doser, couldn't get it to work, and couldn't get a response from the seller. Luckily it was less then 50.00.
I have 5 of the Intllab dosing pumps and they all work. There is no control circuit in them. They run when powered on and will continue to run until powered off. There is a knob to adjust the motor speed and that is it.
 

vangvace

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
May 24, 2019
Messages
697
Reaction score
813
Location
IL side of St Louis
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hey everyone, I read this forum probably too much, and there's a lot of information out there on all the various controllers, add-ons, gadgets associated with each brand.

I'm looking at a couple options to up my reef game with an aquarium monitoring system. I'd like any input regarding the following options -- which looks more promising / accurate / reliable etc.

In any of the options, I want basic functions such as reading me the tank temperature, pH and salinity of the tank. If there is a way to display alkalinity as well that would be awesome. Power switches are not overly important? I run my reef on kasa smart strips which work well.

Option 1:
Control system: Hydros Control 4 as the main control device.
- I will have the ability to monitor temperature and pH, but not salinity.
- Alkalinity monitoring: alkatronic or apex trident. Monitor only, not looking for automated dosing. I have a GHL doser that is extremely precise and I'd feel like I was going in a major downgrade direction if I chose an apex dos.
- Wavemaker control: Hydros WaveEngine. Currently gyre, tunze and jebao -- would like to run them off of hydros wave engine. Maybe even the vortech version of it if I can find the extra change for vortechs in the future.

Option 2:
Control system: GHL Profilux 4 (mega set?)
- Includes the ability to monitor temperature, pH, conductivity, ORP/redox (not sure what I'd do with that info?)
- Comes with GHL power strip, again don't need?
- Alkalinity monitoring: alkatronic or KHD? Doubt Apex trident can be integrated into Profilux system?
- Wavemaker control: Hydros wave engine

Option 3:
Control system: Apex
Purely a monitoring device. Trident vs alkatronic for alkalinity checking.
Includes the standard temp/pH/salinity probes
WaveEngine for wavemaker control.

It doesn't matter where you read, there's always a problem(s) with any of the alk checkers. I'm hoping a combination of these brands might integrate well with one another and give me remote access to view vital information of the tank. I can make dosing adjustments remotely from my phone to the GHL doser which is a standalone unit.

Anything else important that I'm missing that should be included in automated aquarium control? Any particular suggestions to move in one direction or another completely?

Thanks!!
If you like the interface for the GHL doser, then you already 3/4 of the way there for their monitoring solutions with a KHD or IOND slave kit. If you don't care for the GHL interface then the Alkatronic products could be a better bet.

For just monitoring pH and temp I would lean towards the Hydros since you are not looking at control. I like the concept of their rope leak alarms, but haven't looked more into them.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 73 37.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 66 34.2%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 13.0%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 28 14.5%
  • Other.

    Votes: 1 0.5%
Back
Top