Hydros Owners: how happy are you long term?

[Joe31415]

Okay, this one is partially on me. I looked at the logs and noticed that the last item was the AWC fill that started last night.
Turns out the hose in the new salt water container wasn't submerged.

However, in an effort to get this done faster I grabbed a nearby measuring cup and manually moved water from the bucket to the tank. Oddly though, the ATO kicked on. I assumed I splashed some water on the sensor and stopped the fill process (which should make the ATO active again), however, the fill pump remained on.

What I hate is that this means I have to leave the ATO unplugged until I get home from work since I don't know what's going on and I don't trust the hydros to not do something unexpected.

 

[Joe31415]

Another update. As predicted, it did something unexpected.

Before I left for work I took one more glance at it.
Good thing I did, it was well above the water sensor and close to overflowing. The water sensor is reporting that it's wet, so I have no idea why the fill pump continued running.
So, now in addition to the ATO unplugged, I have the fill and drain pumps unplugged.
Interestingly, the log says it turned the fill pump off about 20 minutes before I had to unplug it.

I can't think of any other device, aquarium related or otherwise, that I've had so many problems with.

That this would have flooded my house had I not checked on it means it's time to find a replacement.
I can no longer trust it. The only reason I've kept it this long is because it's running the AWC. As soon as I come up with a suitable replacement, the hydros is going in the trash.

What an effin' waste of money this project has been. I must be $700 or $800 in the hole between the hydros, the wave engine, the gyre, the AWC pumps and the 0-10v stuff I bought the never worked properly.

 

[n2585722]

Are your AWC pumps plugged into wifi outlets or drive ports? I use drive ports with my ATO and AWC pumps and have not had an issue with them. I would not recommend using wifi outlets for AWC and ATO. If for some reason you have a wifi issue while a pump is running the wifi strip will keep the outlet on until communication is restored. The wifi strips will not change any outlet without a command from the controller telling it to do so.

 

[Syntax1235]

I've had my Hydros XP8/XS4 and Wave Engine for two months and I've had a few bugs but tech support has been helpful.

Everything was going fine until yesterday when I decided for the first time to fire up my halides. The PH probe shot up to 15 and my temp sensor randomly started turning on and off.

I went through tech support with Carlos, and he came to the conclusion that my ballasts were the problem, causing interference. I have three Reef Brite ballasts and they all created the same issue. My Apex never had a problem with these same ballasts. My XHO led's work fine. Apparently the issue is with halides only.

I'm ordering an Apex and going to sell my Hydros. I like my lights and I'm interested in changing at this point due to a controllers limitations.

 

[n2585722]

I've had my Hydros XP8/XS4 and Wave Engine for two months and I've had a few bugs but tech support has been helpful.

Everything was going fine until yesterday when I decided for the first time to fire up my halides. The PH probe shot up to 15 and my temp sensor randomly started turning on and off.

I went through tech support with Carlos, and he came to the conclusion that my ballasts were the problem, causing interference. I have three Reef Brite ballasts and they all created the same issue. My Apex never had a problem with these same ballasts. My XHO led's work fine. Apparently the issue is with halides only.

I'm ordering an Apex and going to sell my Hydros. I like my lights and I'm interested in changing at this point due to a controllers limitations.

High frequency ballast are bad about creating interference. Make sure the ballast wiring is not near any of the controller cables or sensors. I had a IceCap ballast in the 90's that when it was turned on it would cause interference on the TV that was in a different room. I did not have a controller on that tank that it would interfere with. The TV was on cable and it still caused interference on the TV.

 

[Syntax1235]

High frequency ballast are bad about creating interference. Make sure the ballast wiring is not near any of the controller cables or sensors. I had a IceCap ballast in the 90's that when it was turned on it would cause interference on the TV that was in a different room. I did not have a controller on that tank that it would interfere with. The TV was on cable and it still caused interference on the TV.

I wonder why I never had issues with my Apex? Granted I haven't used these ballasts in three years, they were stored well and they fire up the halides without issue.

I tried moving the ballast around 12 feet away and I still had the same issue.

 

[Joe31415]

Are your AWC pumps plugged into wifi outlets or drive ports?

The AWC pumps are plugged into wifi outlets. The ATO is plugged into a drive outlet.

I would not recommend using wifi outlets for AWC and ATO. If for some reason you have a wifi issue while a pump is running the wifi strip will keep the outlet on until communication is restored. The wifi strips will not change any outlet without a command from the controller telling it to do so.

I have no idea if that was the case here. But based on the regular complaints we hear about them, perhaps they need to be recalled. They very clearly don't work as advertised.

If the wifi connection is the problem, I'd suggest the problem is with the wifi chip in the power strip. This problem comes up time and time again, and time and time again people report no problems with any other wifi devices in the house, only the power strips.

The wifi strips will not change any outlet without a command from the controller telling it to do so.

I know hydros farms out their wifi power strips and has no control over the firmware, but that's something that needs to be changed.

The fact that my tank was minutes away from flooding and the only reason it didn't is because I just happened to hear a pump running as I was leaving for work and decided to check on it. That has utterly destroyed any faith I have in this system. It's simply not worth the risk to me.

I know I've been vocal about all the issues I've had with this device and I've done everything in my power to get it working properly, but being this close to having it cause property damage is simply not acceptable.

 

[n2585722]

I wonder why I never had issues with my Apex? Granted I haven't used these ballasts in three years, they were stored well and they fire up the halides without issue.

I tried moving the ballast around 12 feet away and I still had the same issue.

These things will work in most cases to reduce the interference.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/filters/840?utm_adgroup=Ferrite&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=EN_Product_Filters&utm_term=ferrite%20core&utm_content=Ferrite&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0oyYBhDGARIsAMZEuMulPRkD0LaWP3WoeY3jFX_gn3QbHJ1X7etIPglY4lU2qfEyQ4CNqmMaAgYEEALw_wcB

 

[Syntax1235]

These things will work in most cases to reduce the interference.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/filters/840?utm_adgroup=Ferrite&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=EN_Product_Filters&utm_term=ferrite%20core&utm_content=Ferrite&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0oyYBhDGARIsAMZEuMulPRkD0LaWP3WoeY3jFX_gn3QbHJ1X7etIPglY4lU2qfEyQ4CNqmMaAgYEEALw_wcB

hiw would I figure out which one I need?

 

[rtparty]

I've had my Hydros XP8/XS4 and Wave Engine for two months and I've had a few bugs but tech support has been helpful.

Everything was going fine until yesterday when I decided for the first time to fire up my halides. The PH probe shot up to 15 and my temp sensor randomly started turning on and off.

I went through tech support with Carlos, and he came to the conclusion that my ballasts were the problem, causing interference. I have three Reef Brite ballasts and they all created the same issue. My Apex never had a problem with these same ballasts. My XHO led's work fine. Apparently the issue is with halides only.

I'm ordering an Apex and going to sell my Hydros. I like my lights and I'm interested in changing at this point due to a controllers limitations.

I can 100% say I miss nothing about my Hydros at this point.

I had issues as well with Reef Brite ballasts and Hydros items. Especially the pH probe. Moving the ballast and separating the wires won't do anything. I tried that. Apex doesn't have this issue at all.

I did have issues with my RB ballasts and one float switch (I had multiple switches but only one would trigger) on Apex. A simple virtual outlet and problem is gone.

CV never tested any of their stuff with halides. They can say what they want but I had constant issues with halides and Hydros items. I am not switching to LEDs for any reason because a controller can't support the lighting I chose.

 

[Syntax1235]

When my Apex comes in I’ll be posting the hydros pro pack in the marketplace…. XP8 / x4 / two Wi-Fi outlets/ leak rope sensor with extension / two water level sensors / ph and temp probes.

 

[jhuntstl]

I can 100% say I miss nothing about my Hydros at this point.

I had issues as well with Reef Brite ballasts and Hydros items. Especially the pH probe. Moving the ballast and separating the wires won't do anything. I tried that. Apex doesn't have this issue at all.

I did have issues with my RB ballasts and one float switch (I had multiple switches but only one would trigger) on Apex. A simple virtual outlet and problem is gone.

CV never tested any of their stuff with halides. They can say what they want but I had constant issues with halides and Hydros items. I am not switching to LEDs for any reason because a controller can't support the lighting I chose.

What issues did you have with the pH probe? I have been seeing some strange pH spikes since the latest firmware update.

 

[rtparty]

What issues did you have with the pH probe? I have been seeing some strange pH spikes since the latest firmware update.

Every time my halides turned on, the pH would "spike" up to 14+ and set off alarms. It was interference from the halide ballasts.

I tried moving wires and everything but nothing helped.

 

[jhuntstl]

Every time my halides turned on, the pH would "spike" up to 14+ and set off alarms. It was interference from the halide ballasts.

I tried moving wires and everything but nothing helped.

I have a similar issue. I've witnessed the spike when my heaters turn on. I think any electrical interference causes the issue. I've checked for stray voltage, but no amount to cause concern. I did not have this issue before the latest firmware.

I set my max ph to 8.7, but I still get the notifications on occasion. At 8.5, I get them hourly. I swapped probes today, so we'll see if that makes any difference.

 

[n2585722]

I have a similar issue. I've witnessed the spike when my heaters turn on. I think any electrical interference causes the issue. I've checked for stray voltage, but no amount to cause concern. I did not have this issue before the latest firmware.

I set my max ph to 8.7, but I still get the notifications on occasion. At 8.5, I get them hourly. I swapped probes today, so we'll see if that makes any difference.

Have submitted a support ticket for this since it was not doing it before the firmware update? Here is the link https://support.coralvue.com/submit_ticket

 

[jhuntstl]

Have submitted a support ticket for this since it was not doing it before the firmware update? Here is the link https://support.coralvue.com/submit_ticket

I have. It was originally suggested my kalkwasser dosing was causing the spikes, but this is impossible at the rate I dose. It's absolutely a stray voltage issue. This can upset the readings of many kinds of probes. I was told there was no changes to the filtering process of these probes with the firmware update.

Like I mentioned I swapped probes today, so we'll see if there's any difference.

 

[Joe31415]

And we have yet *another* problem.
I just found my tank's water level to be significantly low. The salinity is at 1.030, so my guess is the ATO stopped. Open up hydros to find the water sensor is "dry", so we know it's not an issue with the sensor being dirty. The ATO, one of my power bars and the AWC fill pump that's plugged into it, all say "Not Responding".

The ATO pump is directly connected to a drive port on the controller. It also responded just fine when I manually turned it on (via the app). I can manually turn it on and off, but if it's set to auto, it just says "waiting". Waiting for what, I have no idea. I also noticed that once I (manually) added about half the water it would need to be properly topped off, the salinity was already at 1.025. Looking at the logs, the AWC pump was never sent a command to shut off. My assumption is that the Hydros sent it the fill command, it wasn't received by the power bar so the pump never actually turned on...and now that I think about it, the ATO pump is probably 'waiting' for the AWC to finish.

Hydros could use some work in making some of these things more descriptive. For example, what is it "waiting" for. It wouldn't be that difficult, I don't think, for it to, instead, say "waiting for AWC to finish". Or when it says a device is "not responding". It would be helpful if we knew if the controller could talk to it or not.

I'm assuming this is just another wifi problem that we're all getting sick of. That majority of these wifi problems, I fully believe, is on the Hydros equipment (as opposed to my wifi router). I think they have faulty or very poor wifi chips in them. As is always the case in these situations, nothing else in my house complained about losing their connection. My Nest doorbell didn't alert me to being offline. My Nest T-stat didn't report being offline. My Dosetronic didn't send me a barrage of messages, like it usually does if it drops (and regains) it's connection. Neither my phone nor my computer dropped their connections (at least not when I was using them). My Versa pumps, vectra pump, AI lights etc, all fine.

Even the other power bar appears to be working just fine, so I assume it (or the wave engine or the controller) never lost it's wifi connection.

And now I have to do something I absolutely dread...reconnect the power bar. I'm sure, as usual, it will involve a half hour of unplugging it, plugging it back in, pushing the button, holding down the button, holding down the button again, seeing that it's *still* not blinking like it is in the picture but moving forward anyway, and of course it still doesn't work. Try swearing at it, try walking away for a half hour, unplug it, plug it back in, hold down the button, still doesn't connect. Get mad about it again. And, eventually, it'll reconnect.

Since the only important thing this does is handle the water change...it's time to find a new AWC so I can finally pull this thing out of the tank. It simply does not work properly and is unreliable to the point that, in my opinion, it was irresponsible for it to have been released to the public.
Every time I have another problem with it, I feel like I'm in a beta test.

Maybe it's just me.

 

[areefer01]

I'm not in their full ecosystem but will comment on the Wave Engine LE.

Build quality is ok. No complaint.

App. Is ok. Not great but not bad. Since they support different wave makers or pumps some require reverse settings making it a bit wonky.

Looking at it from a Gyre user experience switching from Maxspect's controller it is a failure. Using Maxspect's controller you can set the Gyre anywhere from .5 to 10 seconds. On the Wave Engine LE you can only go as low as 2.5 seconds. To get a standing wave using short pulse is not possible.

Support - not great. Not bad, but not great either. So average. Being told it isn't possible to run a Gyre at .5 seconds and then providing them proof showing the maxspect controller does then being asked how do I know it really is driving it that fast is odd. The other oddity was being told that a gyre isn't good at making standing wave patters /shrug.

Overall the vibe I get is that they really care, mean well, have some positives but still have some room to improve.

 

[n2585722]

And we have yet *another* problem.
I just found my tank's water level to be significantly low. The salinity is at 1.030, so my guess is the ATO stopped. Open up hydros to find the water sensor is "dry", so we know it's not an issue with the sensor being dirty. The ATO, one of my power bars and the AWC fill pump that's plugged into it, all say "Not Responding".

The ATO pump is directly connected to a drive port on the controller. It also responded just fine when I manually turned it on (via the app). I can manually turn it on and off, but if it's set to auto, it just says "waiting". Waiting for what, I have no idea. I also noticed that once I (manually) added about half the water it would need to be properly topped off, the salinity was already at 1.025. Looking at the logs, the AWC pump was never sent a command to shut off. My assumption is that the Hydros sent it the fill command, it wasn't received by the power bar so the pump never actually turned on...and now that I think about it, the ATO pump is probably 'waiting' for the AWC to finish.

Hydros could use some work in making some of these things more descriptive. For example, what is it "waiting" for. It wouldn't be that difficult, I don't think, for it to, instead, say "waiting for AWC to finish". Or when it says a device is "not responding". It would be helpful if we knew if the controller could talk to it or not.

I'm assuming this is just another wifi problem that we're all getting sick of. That majority of these wifi problems, I fully believe, is on the Hydros equipment (as opposed to my wifi router). I think they have faulty or very poor wifi chips in them. As is always the case in these situations, nothing else in my house complained about losing their connection. My Nest doorbell didn't alert me to being offline. My Nest T-stat didn't report being offline. My Dosetronic didn't send me a barrage of messages, like it usually does if it drops (and regains) it's connection. Neither my phone nor my computer dropped their connections (at least not when I was using them). My Versa pumps, vectra pump, AI lights etc, all fine.

Even the other power bar appears to be working just fine, so I assume it (or the wave engine or the controller) never lost it's wifi connection.

And now I have to do something I absolutely dread...reconnect the power bar. I'm sure, as usual, it will involve a half hour of unplugging it, plugging it back in, pushing the button, holding down the button, holding down the button again, seeing that it's *still* not blinking like it is in the picture but moving forward anyway, and of course it still doesn't work. Try swearing at it, try walking away for a half hour, unplug it, plug it back in, hold down the button, still doesn't connect. Get mad about it again. And, eventually, it'll reconnect.

Since the only important thing this does is handle the water change...it's time to find a new AWC so I can finally pull this thing out of the tank. It simply does not work properly and is unreliable to the point that, in my opinion, it was irresponsible for it to have been released to the public.
Every time I have another problem with it, I feel like I'm in a beta test.

Maybe it's just me.

I would set a max ontime for the fill pump for a little more than you set on your drain pump. That way if it never fills for any reason the pump will stay on too long and send a alert. I have mine set to not run past max on time. The three screenshots are of my AWC settings. I use dosing pumps somy times may a lot longer than what you are using since the dosing pump have a low flow compared to normal pumps. This runs 3 times a day and changes about 1000ml a day of water. The last issue I had was my low level float switch did not show low and the fresh saltwater tank ran dry and the fill pump ran the max time and then shut off. It sent an alert that the AWC max on time was exceeded. So i was aware it happened when it did. I transferred the water from the mix tank to the fresh salt water tank after getting the low float switch to working. Then I manually turned off the ATO so it would not run and manually turned on the fill pump till the full sensor was met. I then put everything back to auto.

 

[Joe31415]

some require reverse settings making it a bit wonky.

If I was attaching a 3rd party pump to it, that would be entirely understandable. However, the fact that you have to set it to "opposite wall" and "reversed" with a pump that was included with the WE is odd. Add to that the fact that I had to figure this out on my own looking at online forums should have been a harbinger of things to come.
I wonder how many people returned their WE and included gyre on the assumption that it was broken.

That way if it never fills for any reason the pump will stay on too long and send a alert

I turned all the alerts off when I first set this up. I was getting literal *dozens* of alerts every single day, almost exclusively about things I didn't need to be alerted to. I don't recall what they were, I just remember getting so sick of it I shut everything off.
But, regardless, tricking the hydros into letting you know a wifi power bar isn't working by setting an alert to go off if something it controls doesn't happen, IMO, is another workaround.

Considering the shear amount of workarounds* this controller has and how often they're pushing new firmware, you'd think these bugs would get ironed out a lot faster.

*user found and implemented workarounds, because we're very clearly involuntarily beta testing this hardware.