Controller/Monitor advice

[kmarine]

Hey everyone,

I am looking into aquarium controllers/monitors for my reef tank and am interested in recommendations for a good starting point. I am most interested in monitoring things while away on vacation and am looking at Hydros vs Apex but not sure which models would be best?

I currently have a 50 gallon tank with the following equipment:
-Tunze osmolator ATO
-HOB aquamaxx skimmer with Autoaqua Skimmer security
-Eheim heater with Ranco controller
-In-tank UV filter
-HOB power filter
-Fluval wave maker
-Current USA pro LED lights.

Thank you!

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

It sounds like you have a nice simple system with some redundancy already built in. I think the best value would be a control X3 Starter Kit. This will give you 4 controllable outlets pH and temperature monitoring. I would add an extra power bar and a leak sensor and then you will have a pretty full-featured controller with an additional 4 outlets and leak monitoring for less than $400.

CoralVue Hydros Control X3 Starter Pack HDRS-CX3PK

This CoralVue Hydros Control X3 Starter Pack includes all essential equipment needed to monitor and control a healthy aquarium including a Control X3 device, Hydros App, temperature sensor, pH probe, and more.

www.marineandreef.com

CoralVue Hydros WiFi Power 4 Strip (HDRS-SM-S0301)

The CoralVue Hydros WiFi Power Strip (HDRS-SM-S0301) is a smart power bar designed to work with the CoralVue HYDROS platform.

www.marineandreef.com

CoralVue Hydros Rope Leak Sensor (HDRS-LKDT0011)

The CoralVue Hydros Rope Leak Sensor (HDRS-LKDT0011) is the first of its kind in the aquarium industry.

www.marineandreef.com

 

[kmarine]

It sounds like you have a nice simple system with some redundancy already built in. I think the best value would be a control X3 Starter Kit. This will give you 4 controllable outlets pH and temperature monitoring. I would add an extra power bar and a leak sensor and then you will have a pretty full-featured controller with an additional 4 outlets and leak monitoring for less than $400.

CoralVue Hydros Control X3 Starter Pack HDRS-CX3PK

This CoralVue Hydros Control X3 Starter Pack includes all essential equipment needed to monitor and control a healthy aquarium including a Control X3 device, Hydros App, temperature sensor, pH probe, and more.

www.marineandreef.com

CoralVue Hydros WiFi Power 4 Strip (HDRS-SM-S0301)

The CoralVue Hydros WiFi Power Strip (HDRS-SM-S0301) is a smart power bar designed to work with the CoralVue HYDROS platform.

www.marineandreef.com

CoralVue Hydros Rope Leak Sensor (HDRS-LKDT0011)

The CoralVue Hydros Rope Leak Sensor (HDRS-LKDT0011) is the first of its kind in the aquarium industry.

www.marineandreef.com

This is great, thank you so much! I appreciate it.

 

[srobertb]

Hey everyone,

I am looking into aquarium controllers/monitors for my reef tank and am interested in recommendations for a good starting point. I am most interested in monitoring things while away on vacation and am looking at Hydros vs Apex but not sure which models would be best?

I currently have a 50 gallon tank with the following equipment:
-Tunze osmolator ATO
-HOB aquamaxx skimmer with Autoaqua Skimmer security
-Eheim heater with Ranco controller
-In-tank UV filter
-HOB power filter
-Fluval wave maker
-Current USA pro LED lights.

Thank you!

I have both a Hydros and an Apex. I purchased the Hydros because I think it’s important to support new businesses and ideas in this hobby. Coralvue did a lot wrong here. There was tremendous opportunity to create something more robust and fix a lot of glaring Apex issues but instead they seemed determined to create their own walled garden…they just didn’t buy any plants for it.

I went with the Hydros when it was first released on my smaller display tanks (a FW and a SW). It controls the temperature, A CO2 solenoid, and several overflow monitors using the ports. It controls the usual stuff (ATO’s, fans, etc) through the power bar.

At first the entire system disconnected and reconnected to the internet 30-40 times a day. I eventually turned the alarms off because it became tedious. I had to purchase a separate router for the system with a different Wi-Fi SSID. This fixed most of the disconnects (but not all)

I started with 2 of the 4-outlet Wi-Fi power strips as the hardwired 8-outlet had not been released. There were awful and would constantly disconnect. Out of all the Hydros equipment, they were absolutely the worst and most frustrating. They look cheap. They feel cheap. They worked poorly. I replaced them with the 8-outlet version eventually thus officially making this system equal in price to the Apex I would have purchased.

So I had to completely rework and reinstall everything with the new power outlets. Of course it wanted to update. So I did. The first few updates all broke the collective each time. It was a nightmare. I thought the powerbar was bricked at one point after 6 hours. Updating can be easy and take 2 minutes of something can go wrong and it can take hours to fix and require the whole system to be rebuilt. If you don’t update, the app stops working and you’re forced to use the web interface…which I typically do until I have the time and emotional energy to deal with it.

As I sit here, my XS module has some sort of issue as it connects and disconnects from the internet a few times a day (which started after the latest update).

Programming: It’s just fine I guess. It’s very simple in what you can do. I don’t find it to be intuitive or customizable. Digging through menus and things doesn’t flow correctly to me. I hold my breath every time I have to save the programming. This may be because I’m afraid to touch it or do too much with it lest it break. Ultimately if you want a “if optical sensor on then return off” you’re good. Anything more and I can’t see a path to that.

It doesn’t update the data. I have a tablet that’s always on above the fish tanks with the expectation being that I can glance at it and see what’s going on. But it doesn’t update automatically. You have to click a refresh button…which sometimes pulls a “no system found” error. A couple more refreshes and it works (or I just walk away and come back some time later and try again).

My Apex: I use this on my display tank. Trying to add it up I have around 20 Neptune devices, 30 sensors, heaters, pumps, dosing pumps, etc connected.

I like that it has an Ethernet port on it. It’s hardwired and has had 99.9% uptime in the last 3 years. Prior to that it had 90% uptime via my home’s mixed 2.5/5ghz network.

It’s far more robust (and part of that is because it’s existed for far longer). I can program nearly anything to do anything based on criteria from numerous sensors. Programming help is widely available and if I can’t get my answer online, Neptune responds in 48 hours (often with a “I took a look at your system and you should do this.”)

I can pull up my Apex and guarantee it will work this second. I can see the water levels in my sump, refugium, mixing station, ATO, and return overflow on the display. I can see temps for all of those too. I can tell you the temp, speed, and draw from my accessory return pump and the power draw from anything plugged in. I see my average flow from my ATO to know when and how long it’s running daily. Flow through my UV, carbon, refugium return, and display return. PH in different areas of the system. Temp in different areas in the system too. The list goes on. It’s all there and it’s all very reliable. Return pump died? I can kick on the second pump, adjust the flow output, and I’m good…. I recently was stuck 50 miles off the coast of Cuba and my ATO stopped working. I just manually turned my ATO pump on 2x a day until the water level in my return section reached the desired level then shut it off.

The knocks on the Apex are: I’d say cost but once I purchased the Hydros 8-outlet power strip it about evened out. The older EB832 power bars blow due to cheap components and people overloading them (they can handle very little draw). I lost one this way. I switched over to EB8’s and 1link power modules and actually read the specs on the device to see that 2 COR-15 pumps (and Even 1, COR-15 and a couple DOS pumps) isn’t allowed on one power supply.

The old optical sensors were garbage. The old leak sensors were HOT garbage. The salinity probe…I don’t know what to say on this. Since moving it to a dark very low flow part of my sump it’s been dead on but I do admit that in a more traditional sump it will most likely be erratic and I had given up on it when it was in the sump area of my old tank. Ph probes drift. Sa la vie.

The trident handles all my dosing. It isn’t perfect. Reagents should be changed at 33%. But going back to the days of testing 2x weekly and guessing on dosing, this has been a godsend.

The app updates automatically on my always-on wall mounted screen.

Lastly. My mixing station is 60’ away from my display. My Sump is around 15’. You can easily make cables using ethernet cable to remotely connect Apex modules.

I just can’t recommend the Hydros.
Maybe because I’m old and have stuff to do and kids and just need things to work. If you like to rail against the machine or support the little guy (and Coralvue is definitely not the little guy) I guess go with Hydros. Maybe it will improve over time. I think they made some huge mistakes in their design (utilizing 2.4ghz in 2022, not including ethernet, using weird BNC ports, using what appears to be 30+ year old token ethernet rings to link modules, etc. They will HAVE to overhaul their hardware in the next few years vs My Apex which is 7 years old.

 

[kmarine]

I have both a Hydros and an Apex. I purchased the Hydros because I think it’s important to support new businesses and ideas in this hobby. Coralvue did a lot wrong here. There was tremendous opportunity to create something more robust and fix a lot of glaring Apex issues but instead they seemed determined to create their own walled garden…they just didn’t buy any plants for it.

I went with the Hydros when it was first released on my smaller display tanks (a FW and a SW). It controls the temperature, A CO2 solenoid, and several overflow monitors using the ports. It controls the usual stuff (ATO’s, fans, etc) through the power bar.

At first the entire system disconnected and reconnected to the internet 30-40 times a day. I eventually turned the alarms off because it became tedious. I had to purchase a separate router for the system with a different Wi-Fi SSID. This fixed most of the disconnects (but not all)

I started with 2 of the 4-outlet Wi-Fi power strips as the hardwired 8-outlet had not been released. There were awful and would constantly disconnect. Out of all the Hydros equipment, they were absolutely the worst and most frustrating. They look cheap. They feel cheap. They worked poorly. I replaced them with the 8-outlet version eventually thus officially making this system equal in price to the Apex I would have purchased.

So I had to completely rework and reinstall everything with the new power outlets. Of course it wanted to update. So I did. The first few updates all broke the collective each time. It was a nightmare. I thought the powerbar was bricked at one point after 6 hours. Updating can be easy and take 2 minutes of something can go wrong and it can take hours to fix and require the whole system to be rebuilt. If you don’t update, the app stops working and you’re forced to use the web interface…which I typically do until I have the time and emotional energy to deal with it.

As I sit here, my XS module has some sort of issue as it connects and disconnects from the internet a few times a day (which started after the latest update).

Programming: It’s just fine I guess. It’s very simple in what you can do. I don’t find it to be intuitive or customizable. Digging through menus and things doesn’t flow correctly to me. I hold my breath every time I have to save the programming. This may be because I’m afraid to touch it or do too much with it lest it break. Ultimately if you want a “if optical sensor on then return off” you’re good. Anything more and I can’t see a path to that.

It doesn’t update the data. I have a tablet that’s always on above the fish tanks with the expectation being that I can glance at it and see what’s going on. But it doesn’t update automatically. You have to click a refresh button…which sometimes pulls a “no system found” error. A couple more refreshes and it works (or I just walk away and come back some time later and try again).

My Apex: I use this on my display tank. Trying to add it up I have around 20 Neptune devices, 30 sensors, heaters, pumps, dosing pumps, etc connected.

I like that it has an Ethernet port on it. It’s hardwired and has had 99.9% uptime in the last 3 years. Prior to that it had 90% uptime via my home’s mixed 2.5/5ghz network.

It’s far more robust (and part of that is because it’s existed for far longer). I can program nearly anything to do anything based on criteria from numerous sensors. Programming help is widely available and if I can’t get my answer online, Neptune responds in 48 hours (often with a “I took a look at your system and you should do this.”)

I can pull up my Apex and guarantee it will work this second. I can see the water levels in my sump, refugium, mixing station, ATO, and return overflow on the display. I can see temps for all of those too. I can tell you the temp, speed, and draw from my accessory return pump and the power draw from anything plugged in. I see my average flow from my ATO to know when and how long it’s running daily. Flow through my UV, carbon, refugium return, and display return. PH in different areas of the system. Temp in different areas in the system too. The list goes on. It’s all there and it’s all very reliable. Return pump died? I can kick on the second pump, adjust the flow output, and I’m good…. I recently was stuck 50 miles off the coast of Cuba and my ATO stopped working. I just manually turned my ATO pump on 2x a day until the water level in my return section reached the desired level then shut it off.

The knocks on the Apex are: I’d say cost but once I purchased the Hydros 8-outlet power strip it about evened out. The older EB832 power bars blow due to cheap components and people overloading them (they can handle very little draw). I lost one this way. I switched over to EB8’s and 1link power modules and actually read the specs on the device to see that 2 COR-15 pumps (and Even 1, COR-15 and a couple DOS pumps) isn’t allowed on one power supply.

The old optical sensors were garbage. The old leak sensors were HOT garbage. The salinity probe…I don’t know what to say on this. Since moving it to a dark very low flow part of my sump it’s been dead on but I do admit that in a more traditional sump it will most likely be erratic and I had given up on it when it was in the sump area of my old tank. Ph probes drift. Sa la vie.

The trident handles all my dosing. It isn’t perfect. Reagents should be changed at 33%. But going back to the days of testing 2x weekly and guessing on dosing, this has been a godsend.

The app updates automatically on my always-on wall mounted screen.

Lastly. My mixing station is 60’ away from my display. My Sump is around 15’. You can easily make cables using ethernet cable to remotely connect Apex modules.

I just can’t recommend the Hydros.
Maybe because I’m old and have stuff to do and kids and just need things to work. If you like to rail against the machine or support the little guy (and Coralvue is definitely not the little guy) I guess go with Hydros. Maybe it will improve over time. I think they made some huge mistakes in their design (utilizing 2.4ghz in 2022, not including ethernet, using weird BNC ports, using what appears to be 30+ year old token ethernet rings to link modules, etc. They will HAVE to overhaul their hardware in the next few years vs My Apex which is 7 years old.

Wow thanks for your thorough review. I definitely had concerns about the connectivity of hydros given that it is not hardwired. I actually chatted with a rep from coralvue today and asked about the wifi connection. They said it just depended on the individuals Wi-Fi but who knows.

 

[Pistondog]

No hydos experience.
Very happy with apex. 3 eb832, io breakout, and flowmeters.
Because its been around a while, good programming support if you need it.
Get one or the other, its nice to be able to check up on things on your phone