Hydros Launch vs Start

[Tinklez]

Hey everyone, I’m looking to get my first tank and want to get a controller. I’m planning on getting the wave engine as well.

Do you think it’s better to get the launch? Or save the money and get The Start? I’m not sure how important the salinity and pH probe is. Do y’all think it’s worth it?

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Hey everyone, I’m looking to get my first tank and want to get a controller. I’m planning on getting the wave engine as well.

Do you think it’s better to get the launch? Or save the money and get The Start? I’m not sure how important the salinity and pH probe is. Do y’all think it’s worth it?

I'm in the same boat, I am going with the Start because of the drive ports and a/c outlets built into it. Will use it to add heater protection and add the ATO to it also. I am not so much interested in the salinity and PH monitoring

 

[Tinklez]

Yeah I’m thinking the same thing. The one thing that the launch could be really good in is if I want to add the dosing pump, it needs a drive port

 

[Tinklez]

How are you going to add a heater protector to it?

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

How are you going to add a heater protector to it?

using the a/c outlets and it comes with a temp probe.

 

[Tinklez]

Sensor ports-
ATO
Leak detector
Temp probe

Drive ports-
ATO
Dosing pump

AC ports-
Heater
Return pump
UV light
Roller

That’s what I’m thinking of using the roots for…can you think of anyway else to use them? Trying to plan ahead for the future, I know I’ll eventually be dosing all for reef so that’ll take up one drive port.

 

[Tinklez]

Hmm but I guess I don’t have anything to plug my actual lights in with that set up

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Hmm but I guess I don’t have anything to plug my actual lights in with that set up

Lights are not a big hazard to the tank in case of component failure, I never planned on my lights being on my control. They have a set schedule that the light controls and only way it can be messed up is with loss of power

 

[Tinklez]

That’s a good point. What’s your planned set up for the ports?

 

[n2585722]

Sensor ports-
ATO
Leak detector
Temp probe

Drive ports-
ATO
Dosing pump

AC ports-
Heater
Return pump
UV light
Roller

That’s what I’m thinking of using the roots for…can you think of anyway else to use them? Trying to plan ahead for the future, I know I’ll eventually be dosing all for reef so that’ll take up one drive port.

If you are using the Hydros for ATO you will need a water level sensor and those use a sense port. The Hydros ATO kit does come with the pump and water level sensor if that was what you were getting. I use a dosing pump for ATO since my DI reservoir is in my garage 35ft from my tank but I also have Hydros controllers in my Garage with the RODI unit and mixing station. The tubing run between the tank and the mixing station in the garage are run through the attic in insulated PVC conduit.

 

[Tinklez]

That’s a sweet set up! Did you pipe the pvc in your attic yourself? Is the dosing pump you use the hydros regular dosing pump?

 

[fish_collector]

Do you think it’s better to get the launch? Or save the money and get The Start? I’m not sure how important the salinity and pH probe is. Do y’all think it’s worth it?

I am not so much interested in the salinity and PH monitoring

You're right salinity and pH aren't important at all.

Why go to the expense and trouble of setting up a controller and not monitor everything?

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Why go to the expense and trouble of setting up a controller and not monitor everything?

I test parameters every 4 days. salinity probes, let alone PH probes can go south quick. These are on the bottom of my list of needed automation

 

[n2585722]

That’s a sweet set up! Did you pipe the pvc in your attic yourself? Is the dosing pump you use the hydros regular dosing pump?

Yes, I ran the PVC pipes in the attic myself. I have used several pumps over the years. I have used a simple doser to do it from a drive port. I had no issues with it but got another dosing pump to try out and though using it as a ATO would give it a good test run.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Yes, I ran the PVC pipes in the attic myself. I have used several pumps over the years. I have used a simple doser to do it from a drive port. I had no issues with it but got another dosing pump to try out and though using it as a ATO would give it a good test run.

I use gravity fed ATO at the moment, 5 gal. lasts me give or take 5 days on my 40 breeder. Looking to use a larger container and remotely place it. When setting up the ATO pump I thought i might still use the Esshops float valve to stop possible over fill from level sensor problems.

 

[n2585722]

I use gravity fed ATO at the moment, 5 gal. lasts me give or take 5 days on my 40 breeder. Looking to use a larger container and remotely place it. When setting up the ATO pump I thought i might still use the Esshops float valve to stop possible over fill from level sensor problems.

The ATO output has some advanced settings you can set like maximum on time along with turning off run past max on time. Then it will only run for the maximum on time set then it will turn off and send an alert if you have the alert settings set to do that in the advanced setting. Once it is forced off by maximum on time either the water level sensor has to go wet or you have to intervene and override the output. I do use the float valves on my RODI dispense into my mix tank and DI reservoir as a backup. On ATO I just use the advanced settings in the screenshot. My ATO output is in the AWC output. I am currently using a Sole dosing pump for it. The drain and fill pumps are Blenny pumps but I have the AWC split into 4 times a day and it is only a 42 gallon tank so the pumps only run for about 15 minutes each time.

 

[JeffB418]

Hey everyone, I’m looking to get my first tank and want to get a controller. I’m planning on getting the wave engine as well.

Do you think it’s better to get the launch? Or save the money and get The Start? I’m not sure how important the salinity and pH probe is. Do y’all think it’s worth it?

Back to the Launch Vs Start. These 2 are identical other than the Start does not have 1) pH/orp port 2) salinity/conductivity port 3) 2 extra drive ports and 4) 0-10V input port. Otherwise all other software/hardware functionality is common.

The Start is a great intro into Hydros and you can always add on those missing features using modules and making a collective later on, but you will pay a price to do so.

 

[Tinklez]

Hey everyone, I’m looking to get my first tank and want to get a controller. I’m planning on getting the wave engine as well.

Do you think it’s better to get the launch? Or save the money and get The Start? I’m not sure how important the salinity and pH probe is. Do y’all think it’s worth it?

Back to the Launch Vs Start. These 2 are identical other than the Start does not have 1) pH/orp port 2) salinity/conductivity port 3) 2 extra drive ports and 4) 0-10V input port. Otherwise all other software/hardware functionality is common.

The Start is a great intro into Hydros and you can always add on those missing features using modules and making a collective later on, but you will pay a price to do so.

Thanks for your reply. Do you think that as a beginner in the hobby, it would be very likely that I will need those extra drive inputs or the 10 V? I saw that I definitely could upgrade on another module, but instead of paying an additional 300 for the launch versus the start, it would likely be an additional 700 to 800 for a whole new module

 

[BeanAnimal]

Back to the Launch Vs Start. These 2 are identical other than the Start does not have 1) pH/orp port 2) salinity/conductivity port 3) 2 extra drive ports and 4) 0-10V input port. Otherwise all other software/hardware functionality is common.

The Start is a great intro into Hydros and you can always add on those missing features using modules and making a collective later on, but you will pay a price to do so.

One more case where a simple product matrix would easily answer these questions.

Can you guess as to why CV refuses to build such a simple marketing tool?

Honest question, as I am baffled as to why this many years and countless marketing pages later, something so simple and so clear is has not been published by the vendor.

 

[JeffB418]

Thanks for your reply. Do you think that as a beginner in the hobby, it would be very likely that I will need those extra drive inputs or the 10 V? I saw that I definitely could upgrade on another module, but instead of paying an additional 300 for the launch versus the start, it would likely be an additional 700 to 800 for a whole new module

The 0-10V port is handy if you want to add a physical button box (www.hydrosbuttonbox.com) or other DiY sensors like door sensors or more. In time having pH monitoring can be useful as well. Salinity is nice to monitor but the cost of the probe itself is a lot, so you might not use that. Extra drive ports can be handy for smaller pumps (like for auto water changes) or additional dosers.

If you can swing for the launch, it’s def cheaper than adding on later.