Hydros Controllers…..

[n2585722]

Will those run from battery power? I am not familiar with those pumps. If they are DC what is the voltage they need to run?

 

[telegraham]

The X10 is not the Kraken. It has a 24v power port where you can connect the AC power pack that comes with it or it can be connected to a Kraken with the proper force port but it has no battery backup.

Sorry. I had Kraken on the brain.

 

[telegraham]

So I have 1 return pump, a skimmer, a small pump running a 15w Uv, a heater and my light and 3 Ai 3 Nero’s. Those are it….oh and an air pump.

Ignore my dumb above. I was thinking Kraken and typed X10.

 

[n2585722]

Sorry. I had Kraken on the brain.

Understand, I just wanted to make sure you knew that the X10 does not come with any type of backup directly.

 

[InactionJackson]

Understand, I just wanted to make sure you knew that the X10 does not come with any type of backup directly.

So the x10 you have to run to. Battery, nut not the Kracken?

 

[n2585722]

So the x10 you have to run to. Battery, nut not the Kracken?

The X10 has a power supply that plugs into the wall but if you have a Kraken it can also be used to supply power to the X10 instead of using the power supply by using one of the force ports on the kraken and the proper cable. This also applies to the XD and Wave Engines also. The power on the control bus will power the brains in these controllers but you need the external supplies for powering the output ports on them or in the case of the X10 it is also needed to power the dosing pumps on the X10 also. I have a XD, X10 and a Wave Engine that use three of the Kraken force ports. I have 7 of the 8 force ports in use.

 

[The Flying Turkey]

I friggin love Hydros. That said I've never owned any other controller. I have the X4, XP8, XD and XS. I have it doing daily 1.5 gallon water changes and ATO, monitors live PH and temp, controls heater with a Finnex heater controller as the primary on/off controller, controls my Avast Plank auto feeder, it automatically refills my RO/DI storage tank (and also flushes my RO membrane every 60 minutes it's in use), and I'll be integrating my Sicce Syncra SDC7 return pump in the next day or two. So far after just under 1 year it's been flawless.

 

[TheLandShark]

Thank you….thats the info I was really looking forward to..to make a decision…I’m sure others have good opinions and bad ones….but I used Apex as well as wasn’t enthused, don’t want to have to code ….I want simplicity,I just want Ph and salinity checks….basically. Thank you for the pros and cons.

Check this product out

Kactoily Wireless 6-in-1 Water Monitor for pH, Temp, Salt, TDS, SG, and EC.

Reef tank/fish tank/aquarium/pond water tester&monitor. Real-time monitoring of PH, Temperature, Sanility, EC, TDS, and SG, with a 1.6 inch color LCD display. Free shipping. Easy return and refund. Tax free. One-year warranty.

kactoily.com

It’s not as fancy and no Wi-Fi or app.
However you can program the offset and calibrate to the correct readings
They make them for saltwater and fresh.

 

[InactionJackson]

I friggin love Hydros. That said I've never owned any other controller. I have the X4, XP8, XD and XS. I have it doing daily 1.5 gallon water changes and ATO, monitors live PH and temp, controls heater with a Finnex heater controller as the primary on/off controller, controls my Avast Plank auto feeder, it automatically refills my RO/DI storage tank (and also flushes my RO membrane every 60 minutes it's in use), and I'll be integrating my Sicce Syncra SDC7 return pump in the next day or two. So far after just under 1 year it's been flawless.

That’s a lot…lol. But glad to hear the good review….

 

[InactionJackson]

Check this product out

Kactoily Wireless 6-in-1 Water Monitor for pH, Temp, Salt, TDS, SG, and EC.

Reef tank/fish tank/aquarium/pond water tester&monitor. Real-time monitoring of PH, Temperature, Sanility, EC, TDS, and SG, with a 1.6 inch color LCD display. Free shipping. Easy return and refund. Tax free. One-year warranty.

kactoily.com

It’s not as fancy and no Wi-Fi or app.
However you can program the offset and calibrate to the correct readings
They make them for saltwater and fresh.

Thx…but ended up ordering the x4 pro package.

 

[n2585722]

Thx…but ended up ordering the x4 pro package.

I started with the X4 starter kit but the Pro Pack was not available then since the XP8 was not out. Otherwise I would have got the Pro Pack. Just remember If you need more of a particular port All you will need is to get a controller with needed ports and a command bus cable and you can add it to the collective you will have with the X4 and XP8. You may want to joint the Hydros facebook group here https://m.facebook.com/groups/hydrosgroup/?ref=share . There are lots of people there ready to help with any questions you might have. There is also a Hydros forum here you might also want to join https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/

 

[InactionJackson]

I started with the X4 starter kit but the Pro Pack was not available then since the XP8 was not out. Otherwise I would have got the Pro Pack. Just remember If you need more of a particular port All you will need is to get a controller with needed ports and a command bus cable and you can add it to the collective you will have with the X4 and XP8. You may want to joint the Hydros facebook group here https://m.facebook.com/groups/hydrosgroup/?ref=share . There are lots of people there ready to help with any questions you might have. There is also a Hydros forum here you might also want to join https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/

Thank you….i did join the FB….will look into the other.

 

[JoeinLA]

Just a heads up, you can get an open box Kamoer KH Carer on CV.com clearance outlet for $500 that will integrate with Hydros. Ask me how I know…

I do also have an X10/iv setup on one of my other systems. I’m interested to see how they stack up to each other.

Thanks for the heads up on the open box deal. I’ve been dying for an auto mated alk tester

 

[BAMatter]

Thanks for the heads up on the open box deal. I’ve been dying for an auto mated alk tester

Really easy setup and calibration. Just got mine going this morning actually. Integrates nicely into Hydros too still waiting on the first test to upload from the cloud.

 

[tritonpower]

I hooked up an X10, iV, kraken, XS, wave engine V2, XP8, and 4 plug wifi strip.

There has been some ups and downs with all of these but it is improving.

4 plug wifi strip, XS, and XP8 with no issues. I have a leak detector, temp, protein skimmer float valve (in a homemade overflow container that collects drainage from my reef octopus skimmer), and sump return chamber low water detector hooked up to the XS.

Wave engine V2 works but has strange wave schedules. I run my 2 maxspect XF 350 with it. It seems no matter what % I set it at, it tends to stay around 30-40%. I will likely reach out to coralvue soon for some assistance. So far they (usually Carlos) have been really responsive.

X10 with iV: working well so far. The pH probe seems really accurate. Issues are the salinity solution it came with to calibrate (35ppt and 28 ppt) seem off. Still trying to confirm but I may use a 35 ppt solution off amazon to calibrate instead. This likely throws off the alkalinity readings. It has only been 1 week and I have not started comparing to salifert yet but will do so soon. Once it is dialed in though I suspect I will love it. Great part is that only 3 of the dosing pumps on the X10 are needed to test pH, salinity, and alkalinity in the iV. That means the 4th can connect to soda ash and the coralvue software can titrate the soda ash dosing to stabilize the alkalinity level. Looking forward to that.

Kraken: I use it to run the wave engine/maxspects, 3 sump jebao pumps, my sump frag Redsea LED50 light, sump redsea reefwave25, and the X10. I hooked it up to a $40 amazon battery. It works well...ish. I ran a test with no issues. It ran both maxspect XF 350s in the display and a single jebao SOW4 in the sump at low power for hours. Oddly enough, the very next day I had an actual power outage. The kraken with battery ran the 3 pumps set to run at low power as it was supposed to. Once the power came back on though, there was an issue. It seems the outage made the kraken output all the 24v channels at 12v. It took me a while to realize that. The jebao pumps in the sump did not work at all. My maxspects (I use the kraken to power the wave engine V2 and thus the maxspects) ran at really low speeds. I had to unplug the kraken from the wall and from the battery to reset it. Seems better now but I will finish testing in the am. If that fixes it, then it is not the end of the world to have to reset it whenever there is a power outage. To have the piece of mind of the wave makers running off battery with any power outage is great. It gives me time to get home and setup the generator if needed.

I also setup an XS and 4 plug wifi plug in my garage tanks. I am having to return the XS due to a firmware issue but BRS and coralvue have been great to work with and will send out a replacement.

Overall I am very happy with the hydros system so far. Their support response is quick. The setup for each device is quick and intuitive. Once they are setup they work well with no issues thus far other than what I mentioned above. The app is great and easy to use. I also agree that the LED lights on the controllers look great. I will post pics and a video of my setup this weekend.


I'll try to remember to post an update once I work through some of the issues I mentioned. Happy reefing!

For the kraken all I needed to do was unplug it from the wall and the battery and it reset and is working great now.

I am still trying to dial in the salinity on the X10/iV. Once I do then I will hook up the 4th dose to my soda ash and see how well the computer can stabilize my alkalinity.

I general, I am loving the hydros system. Their customer support is great. Most everything just seems to work from day one which is nice (and if it doesn't they will help fix it or replace it).

 

[InactionJackson]

For the kraken all I needed to do was unplug it from the wall and the battery and it reset and is working great now.

I am still trying to dial in the salinity on the X10/iV. Once I do then I will hook up the 4th dose to my soda ash and see how well the computer can stabilize my alkalinity.

I general, I am loving the hydros system. Their customer support is great. Most everything just seems to work from day one which is nice (and if it doesn't they will help fix it or replace it).

Question on the soda ash…. I know it raises ph and Alk, but I read somewhere it slowly raises Alk….i still have Ph issues even with fresh air in the skimmer and soda lime….qmd im thinking of using soda ash

 

[tritonpower]

Question on the soda ash…. I know it raises ph and Alk, but I read somewhere it slowly raises Alk….i still have Ph issues even with fresh air in the skimmer and soda lime….qmd im thinking of using soda ash

My pH is at around 7.98 in the am before light come on and around 8.3 in the evening after lights on all day. Not sure how much that is soda ash and how much is the lights. My soda ash doses at 7a, noon, and 7p so not overnight.

 

[InactionJackson]

My pH is at around 7.98 in the am before light come on and around 8.3 in the evening after lights on all day. Not sure how much that is soda ash and how much is the lights. My soda ash doses at 7a, noon, and 7p so not overnight.

Does it mess with your Alk?

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

What’s the advantage of the kraken? I can’t see any value in that particular piece. What’s it actually do? I run 12 and 24 volt pumps right off of battery’s directly. Solar charges the battery’s, generator kicks in if needed. My pumps are minn kota brand trolling motors If that matters. i currently have the hydros sense module for monitoring only usage

 

[tritonpower]

Does it mess with your Alk?

It is the only thing I use to replace alk. I use tropic marin method. I use trace elements A/K added to soda ash and calcium chloride plus a 3rd doser with TM part C.