Hydros Control 2 , Control 4 and accessories question and answer thread.

[n2585722]

Thanks Danny. I also doubt it's the X4. I'm suspecting the power strip may be tripping a resettable PPTC on the outlet due to an inrush spike from the 600w of heating elements. I've moved the heaters to a non-controlled power strip for now. Not going to experiment with my tank to troubleshoot the wifi power strip.

I did not realize you had both on the same outlet. 600 watts would be 5 amps. That doesn't include inrush current. The total on a wifi outlet is 10 amps. I could not find a rating for an individual outlet though. It is best to have them on seperate outlets and Inkbird controllers. Even better would be to have them on separate wifi strips. That way you only loose one of them if something happens to an Inkbird or outlet. Mine are smaller heaters since it is a 42 gallon tank. They each have their own thermostat and they are on separate outlets. I even have them set a couple degrees apart. The heater thermostats are 3 degrees higher than the Hydros setting.

 

[Kayanarka]

Are you around the X4 to look at it when this happens? Breathing yellow or green is no internet connection. Breathing red is no wifi connection. What is in between the router and the X4? Wifi has issues with some material including water. I had a wifi strip that would drop out like this. I eventually moved it to put a control unit were it was. Now the control unit drops out but not the wifi strip. There are other control units and a wifi strip within a foot of this location and they have no issue. The wifi strip that was having an issue with until I moved it was the one between the DA modules and the Hydros controllers in the photo below. The one above it and the controllers never have any issues with wifi.

Hmmmmm there is a is fish tank between the x4 and the router.... I think this weekend we are going to do a gadget tear down to organize wires, so we will get it moved over to above the router and see if that helps.

Your setup looks amazing and clean!

 

[n2585722]

Hmmmmm there is a is fish tank between the x4 and the router.... I think this weekend we are going to do a gadget tear down to organize wires, so we will get it moved over to above the router and see if that helps.

Your setup looks amazing and clean!

Thank you that is actually a control board in the garage. The tank is 35ft away in another room. Below is a photo of the tank.

 

[MGarrison]

Anyone know, does the XP8 have the LED's on it?

 

[CuseReefer]

Anyone know, does the XP8 have the LED's on it?

Yes it does!

 

[pgravis]

I am in the process of building out my new setup and saw that there is a profile built in hydros for AWC. What pumps/parts are people using for this? Interested in incorporating this and if it is cheaper/better than going with dosing pumps set to do the same.

 

[n2585722]

I am in the process of building out my new setup and saw that there is a profile built in hydros for AWC. What pumps/parts are people using for this? Interested in incorporating this and if it is cheaper/better than going with dosing pumps set to do the same.

I don't think there is a particular pump for this. It runs on either time or to a sensor and is filled back up to the ATO full sensor. This also incorporates ATO also into the AWC output type. Below is a couple of screenshots of the AWC output settings. I personally do not use it since I use a dual head dosing pump. You can also use the Hydros dosing pumps to do this if you want. They are 59.99 with the drive port cable but you can use a 12v adpter and power them on AC power also. I filled out the output devices here with ones on a wifi power strip.

 

[CuseReefer]

Don't miss the CVtv Hydros Workshop TODAY at 4PM CT/ 5PM EST



Remember black friday is next week..... they might have some surprises.....

 

[jacksin]

Will the Hydros control2 control a heater to a set temp or can u just monitor temps with this basic controller.

 

[reefiniteasy]

Will the Hydros control2 control a heater to a set temp or can u just monitor temps with this basic controller.

yes it will. I do it with my X4. I have my heater plugged into the WiFi bar and my controller, via temp sensor controls the on/off. Many would say to use an inkbird or something else in between but I have never had an issue with the WiFi bars.

 

[jtichenor]

Looking for help setting up the wifi feeder...

I would like to turn off the return pump a min before the wifi feeder runs and turn back on 6-7 mins later.
I work from the office 1-2 days a week and would like to have the feeder run only 1 time in the morning on these days. However, if I know I'm going to be working late or go away on vacation for a few days, I would like to set the feeder to run 2-3x per day (each time having the return pump shut off 1 min prior to the feeding).

Would it be possible to set it up so that I can easily change the feeding frequency with the return pump being disabled during feedings?

 

[n2585722]

You would have to use a generic output set as a timer to stop the pump. that will requires resetting both schedules if you change it though. I use the feeder and never turn off my return pump. I have a feeding tube so the food is sinking already when it drops from the tube.

 

[jrill]

Looking for help setting up the wifi feeder...

I would like to turn off the return pump a min before the wifi feeder runs and turn back on 6-7 mins later.
I work from the office 1-2 days a week and would like to have the feeder run only 1 time in the morning on these days. However, if I know I'm going to be working late or go away on vacation for a few days, I would like to set the feeder to run 2-3x per day (each time having the return pump shut off 1 min prior to the feeding).

Would it be possible to set it up so that I can easily change the feeding frequency with the return pump being disabled during feedings?

I use the Generic output for the return pump and set it as dependent on the feeder. Off if On. Then set the pump with a minimum time off. When the feeder fires it turns the pump off and the pump will remain off for the minimum time you set.

 

[jtichenor]

You would have to use a generic output set as a timer to stop the pump. that will requires resetting both schedules if you change it though. I use the feeder and never turn off my return pump. I have a feeding tube so the food is sinking already when it drops from the tube.

Thanks for the tip on creating a timer! I was able to utilize this to make a solution. (I called it 'feed_tm')

I only edit the 'feed_tm' output for my daily needs and set the Run Count from 1-2 as needed. I leave the Feeder output set to 2 feedings. Since the Feeder depends on the feed_tm it should only feed on the Run Count dictated by the feed_tm output. Since the feed_tm begins 1 min prior to my Feed output, the return pump depends on the feed_tm and will turn off 1 min before each interval. This is exactly what I needed!
If I'm working from home and don't need the feeder to run I simply manually set 'feed_tm' to off from the tile.

 

[JeffB418]

Looks like for a Black Friday Hydros is 10% off at participating retailers! Premium Aquatics and Saltwater Aquarium both have put their available inventories on sale! BRS oddly has only marked down a limited number of items. Other retailers may be participating as well, ask your LFS if they are offering a discount.

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[JeffB418]

Looks like units are going fast. X4 starter packs are SOLD OUT at SaltwaterAquarium and BRS. Premium Aquatics and Coralvue.com still have stock. Wave engines are very limited with only BRS having both versions in stock.

 

[Hasted]

Is there any issue with running the Micro Pump off a drive port 24/7?

I have one on a C4 with the ATO, but that just runs here and there.

I have an open drive port on a C2 thats hooked up to a larger tank. I have a Pico Tank I want to slap together and sit under the stand next to the sump. The flow rate on the Micro would be perfect, assuming it can run 24/7 and fit in the chamber. Just wanted to check prior to trying!

 

[n2585722]

Is there any issue with running the Micro Pump off a drive port 24/7?

I have one on a C4 with the ATO, but that just runs here and there.

I have an open drive port on a C2 thats hooked up to a larger tank. I have a Pico Tank I want to slap together and sit under the stand next to the sump. The flow rate on the Micro would be perfect, assuming it can run 24/7 and fit in the chamber. Just wanted to check prior to trying!

I have solenoids hooked to drive ports that are on for a little over 3 hours at a time but I have never ran anything 24/7 before.

 

[sundog101]

Has anyone had this happen?

I’m setting up my control x2 and went through the WiFi setup. It says that it was successfully connected, but will not reboot after that… stays breathing purple. So it is connected over Bluetooth but shows device not responding over WiFi. Also I do have a 2.4Ghz network.

 

[n2585722]

Did you try it again?