Don’t trust your apex temp probe!

[Formulator]

I bought a brand new apex system about 6 weeks ago and installed according to instructions which state that the temperature probe is calibrated at the factory and should not require initial calibration upon start-up of a new probe. I didn’t think twice about it.

Installed a new Helio PTC heater last week and it was reading 2 degrees cooler. For some reason I convinced myself the helios was wrong and adjusted its calibration to match my apex. This weighed on my mind for a few nights so I finally broke down and bought a Traceable NIST certified thermometer to see what my actual water temp was. The apex was reading 2 degrees high!

So instead of running my tank at 78.2-78.8 F, it has been running at 76.2-76.8 F for the last 6 weeks! Fortunately everything in the tank still seems healthy.

 

[ca1ore]

Unless you are running your tank at temperature ‘extremes’, 2 degrees F isn’t likely to make any difference one way or the other. Many temperature controllers have 2 degree setbacks. Having said that, and despite what Neptune says, always a good idea to calibrate all probes. Mine wasn’t off my as much as yours, but it was off.

 

[Surfrunner]

I've been running my tanks at 76 for years. Tons of growth. This tank is 6 months old. (not the best photo, but you get the idea)

 

[Formulator]

I've been running my tanks at 76 for years. Tons of growth. This tank is 6 months old. (not the best photo, but you get the idea)

Beautiful tank! Yes, I wasn’t so concerned with the temperature running at 76, but I’m in Missouri and it gets very hot and humid in the summer, so its more practical for me to run a bit warmer.

My post was really just intended as a public service announcement for folks that might be using apex to run their tanks at the extreme ends of acceptable. Your tank, for example, would have been running at 74 had you trusted my apex probe. That may have had some detrimental effects…

 

[kenchilada]

I wish glass NIST-certified thermometers weren't so expensive. You can get electronic digital probes that are certified for ~$20 but never pulled the trigger because I don't know how trustworthy they are.

 

[kenchilada]

I wish glass NIST-certified thermometers weren't so expensive. You can get electronic digital probes that are certified for ~$20 but never pulled the trigger because I don't know how trustworthy they are.

Well I did just find one for $15 from Grainger...

https://www.grainger.com/product/3LRK9
Maybe worth a shot.

 

[Formulator]

I wish glass NIST-certified thermometers weren't so expensive. You can get electronic digital probes that are certified for ~$20 but never pulled the trigger because I don't know how trustworthy they are.

I bought this one. Not cheap, but not outrageous or anything. Anything from Traceable is trustworthy. That’s what we use in our GMP laboratories at the big pharma company I work for.

 

[Surfrunner]

Beautiful tank! Yes, I wasn’t so concerned with the temperature running at 76, but I’m in Missouri and it gets very hot and humid in the summer, so its more practical for me to run a bit warmer.

My post was really just intended as a public service announcement for folks that might be using apex to run their tanks at the extreme ends of acceptable. Your tank, for example, would have been running at 74 had you trusted my apex probe. That may have had some detrimental effects…

Thanks! I totally get it. I run an Apex A3 on all my tanks. That said, every month I calibrate every single probe on every single tank. It's my strange obsession that drives my wife insane. Every month on the first of the month is "calibration day." I do the PH probes, Temp probes, all the tridents.. then go to my Hannah checkers and do the same thing. I (like most of us) put a ton of money into my tanks, so it's my strange obsession to calibrate everything... constantly.