Hydros Owners: how happy are you long term?

[n2585722]

Yup..that is what I was looking at. Still annoys me that I am at 300 just to monitor PH..but I dont see other options.

You do know even if you get a monitor only package it is still a controller and all that is needed is a wifi power strip or and XP8 controller with a buss cable and terminator to start controlling things. So if you want to use it to backup heaters you can get a $40 wifi power strip and pair it with the controller. I assume you already have another way to control your heaters. The heaters sticking on is one of the leading causes of a tank crash. Heaters not coming on do not usually cause a tank crash unless you don't heat your house.

 

[polyppal]

The big thing I’ve used Apex for is heater control/backup, that’s my primary focus, ph a nice benefit. Some quick on/off automation at the power bar would be nice for reactors/cleaning. So I’m thinking X3 with the new power bar will make me happy

though I do like the idea of using the ro solenoid and running it straight to my rodi instead of even having a ATO reservoir under the tank

 

[polyppal]

Hydros definitely has this market pinned down for now. The X3 will do what you need easily

The Apex ELMO will as well if we ever see it come back to market

Seriously, you can get into Hydros for like $200. it seems like Neptune is in trouble unless they make a much more affordable system in the near future

 

[n2585722]

The big thing I’ve used Apex for is heater control/backup, that’s my primary focus, ph a nice benefit. Some quick on/off automation at the power bar would be nice for reactors/cleaning. So I’m thinking X3 with the new power bar will make me happy

though I do like the idea of using the ro solenoid and running it straight to my rodi instead of even having a ATO reservoir under the tank

I would not directly use the RODI to top off the tank. it is better to make 5 gallons or greater at a time when running an RODI system. Another is that would be an almost endless supply of water if something were to go wrong. I have float valves on the RODI to the storage tanks. I would at least have that on anything I was filling with a RODI unit. There will be a package offered with the X3 and a XP8 together.

 

[polyppal]

I would not directly use the RODI to top off the tank. it is getter to make 5 gallons or greater at a time when running an RODI system. Another is that would be an almost endless supplu of water if something were to go wrong. I have float valves on the RODi to the storage tanks. I would at least have that on anything I was filling with a RODI unit. There will be a package offered with the X3 and a XP8 together.

Ahh I have my ro hooked up to float valves already and I just manually turn it on/off when things get low, I’ll just stick to what I’m doing with that then.

 

[jhuntstl]

Have you submitted a support ticket for this. I did have that happen a couple of times but it has been a while, but I have been on beta firmware for a while now. Here is a link https://support.coralvue.com/submit_ticket

I have not, but I will. Thanks for the link.

I’ve seen where the icons disappear but not the reset. I’ve never experienced it. Have you ever put in a ticket to have it looked at?

What was your solution to make the icons reappear?

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Yeah. I was thinking about this as well.

You do know even if you get a monitor only package it is still a controller and all that is needed is a wifi power strip or and XP8 controller with a buss cable and terminator to start controlling things. So if you want to use it to backup heaters you can get a $40 wifi power strip and pair it with the controller. I assume you already have another way to control your heaters. The heaters sticking on is one of the leading causes of a tank crash. Heaters not coming on do not usually cause a tank crash unless you don't heat your house.

so is your suggestion that I run my heat controller though a wifi strip and get a double back up of heat control so that I have two temp probes controlling the heat?

 

[n2585722]

I would do that. That way if the controller you are using fails the Hydros would catch it and turn off the output and send alert if you have it set to do that. I think you would have to use the minimum off time for that alert though. Since the heater is a common thing to fail it doesn't hurt to have it backed up. I control my two heaters on separate outlets on the Hydros and use the thermostat on the heaters as a backup for the Hydros. It is also best to split the wattage needed between at least two heaters also.

 

[jhuntstl]

so is your suggestion that I run my heat controller though a wifi strip and get a double back up of heat control so that I have two temp probes controlling the heat?

That's what I do. I use a Ranco controller and eheim jagers. You do want to make sure your individual probes and thermostats are all in agreement though. I did find myself in a situation where the Hydros would turn on my Ranco, but the Ranco didn't think it was time to heat the water yet...so the temp would drop .5 before the Ranco kicked on. Then it would heat up quickly and shut off. I was seeing very consistent .5 swings every 30 minutes. Which probably isn't a big deal, but avoidable.

 

[artieg1]

I bought the Hydros x4 several weeks ago, once I knew the xp8 was coming out. Very excited, waiting for the xp8 now. I am not using the wifi plugs for anything yet and do not plan to. Just monitoring at the moment. Seems great. And I like the style and UI.

 

[n2585722]

That's what I do. I use a Ranco controller and eheim jagers. You do want to make sure your individual probes and thermostats are all in agreement though. I did find myself in a situation where the Hydros would turn on my Ranco, but the Ranco didn't think it was time to heat the water yet...so the temp would drop .5 before the Ranco kicked on. Then it would heat up quickly and shut off. I was seeing very consistent .5 swings every 30 minutes. Which probably isn't a big deal, but avoidable.

You may want to set the Hydros about 3 degrees higher than the Ranco so it normally stays on. also make sure the turn on setting is also above the Ranco. A lot of people make the mistake os setting that below the Ranco setting.

 

[polyppal]

Has the hydros temp probe proven to be accurate/reliable?

 

[jhuntstl]

You may want to set the Hydros about 3 degrees higher than the Ranco so it normally stays on. also make sure the turn on setting is also above the Ranco. A lot of people make the mistake os setting that below the Ranco setting.

I did modify some settings and it's no longer an issue. I had them tuned perfectly though. I started to notice an increasing zig zag in the temp log. It's pretty clearly a probe issue. I'm not entirely certain which one yet. I ordered a ranco replacement first as it was going on 8 months and it's protective sleeve had failed.

 

[n2585722]

Has the hydros temp probe proven to be accurate/reliable?

I have not had any issues with the three I have in use. The sensor is an IC chip and sends the readings back to the controller as a digital signal. I have not checked it to any type of standard but it was close to the reading on the Archon. It has an offset setting where you can adjust it if you want. Here are the graphs for the three I have in use. The top screenshot is the one in the tank. The two in the bottom screenshot are in the garage. As a reference it is 49 degrees outside at this time. The garage is not heated. That is one reason I have the garage temp one. If i Have to I can always plug in a space heater. So far this year it has not got close to freezing out there. The storage tanks are not heated either.

 

[rtparty]

Seriously, you can get into Hydros for like $200. it seems like Neptune is in trouble unless they make a much more affordable system in the near future

I wouldn't say "in trouble" but they'll continue to lose the lower budget builds for sure.

The ELMO (or some version of it) will be back at some point. I'm betting there are supply chain issues slowing them down. Hard to dedicate resources to the $300 unit when they can't build the $900 system fast enough.

 

[JeffB418]

I wouldn't say "in trouble" but they'll continue to lose the lower budget builds for sure.

The ELMO (or some version of it) will be back at some point. I'm betting there are supply chain issues slowing them down. Hard to dedicate resources to the $300 unit when they can't build the $900 system fast enough.

Neptune has an infrastructure issue with their ecosystem. BRS/Ryan wants to Neptune to take their interface to the next level and make it easier for new users/new markets but it’s very hard to make a new UI that’s simple since the back end is built on their simple scripting. The wizards they added the last few years were an attempt at bridging this gap but all they really do is generate canned script calls on the back end. You can’t reopen something you generated in a wizard since it’s very complicated to handle all the reverse cases. So if you want to change anything without learning the coding, you have to rerun the wizard and start over. Same thing can be said about their new UI overlay. It’s just another layer on top of the existing structure. Nothing revolutionary just another level, which in a way could make it even more confusing for new users.

you can also see how delicate the Neptune codeline is right now. They have pushed out a few minor updates in the last year to add in the sky and other smaller features but were quickly met with multiple fix updates shortly after due to unforeseen bugs, some pretty serious. With as much pride as Neptune presents about having a super reliable product with extensive beta testing and years of experience, I have really been surprised to see that occur. I will admit tho hydros has had their own releases with bugs but have been learning as they grow. But Hydros has been doing it for 1 year, Neptune has 20 years behind them. And this is also where I see the expectations from BRS on Neptune might not move or develop as fast as BRS wants or needs since it is such a deep rooted legacy product. I just don’t think their baseline can change as fast as BRS wants. Plus BRS has no exp in product development at that tech level.

im still surprised Neptune hasn’t been forced to properly address their failing EB832s from earlier batches. They must have known about the issue since they upgraded the power supply in newer models. That whole situation is crazy.

 

[rtparty]

Neptune has an infrastructure issue with their ecosystem. BRS/Ryan wants to Neptune to take their interface to the next level and make it easier for new users/new markets but it’s very hard to make a new UI that’s simple since the back end is built on their simple scripting. The wizards they added the last few years were an attempt at bridging this gap but all they really do is generate canned script calls on the back end. You can’t reopen something you generated in a wizard since it’s very complicated to handle all the reverse cases. So if you want to change anything without learning the coding, you have to rerun the wizard and start over. Same thing can be said about their new UI overlay. It’s just another layer on top of the existing structure. Nothing revolutionary just another level, which in a way could make it even more confusing for new users.

you can also see how delicate the Neptune codeline is right now. They have pushed out a few minor updates in the last year to add in the sky and other smaller features but were quickly met with multiple fix updates shortly after due to unforeseen bugs, some pretty serious. With as much pride as Neptune presents about having a super reliable product with extensive beta testing and years of experience, I have really been surprised to see that occur. I will admit tho hydros has had their own releases with bugs but have been learning as they grow. But Hydros has been doing it for 1 year, Neptune has 20 years behind them. And this is also where I see the expectations from BRS on Neptune might not move or develop as fast as BRS wants or needs since it is such a deep rooted legacy product. I just don’t think their baseline can change as fast as BRS wants. Plus BRS has no exp in product development at that tech level.

im still surprised Neptune hasn’t been forced to properly address their failing EB832s from earlier batches. They must have known about the issue since they upgraded the power supply in newer models. That whole situation is crazy.

BRS doesn't own or operate Neptune. They are still independent companies. Neptune dumping leadership was the best thing they could do and they did it within a week or so. Bertram isn't messing around there.

I highly doubt Bertram put out millions of dollars on a totally obsolete product. They certainly would have researched that pretty thoroughly (I hope.)

Apex's last major update was 2016. For all we know, they could have something in the works that's been in development for years. Maybe leadership was slowing this down? Maybe the shake up at the top and a large infusion of money gets things rolling? Again, I don't know. Just speculation.

Let's not pretend the Apex software is bad. It's not. It's actually extremely solid at the core. Thousands and thousands and thousands of tanks being run by Neptune and the most common problems are always hardware related. There is no doubt Apex is behind in the hardware game (although I've got 7 year old Neptune items still running flawlessly) but it wouldn't be that hard to upgrade hardware with a couple modifications.

Yes, the EB832 isn't the best. I won't run one personally. I use the EB8's which are pretty bulletproof. It wouldn't be hard to upgrade that hardware with a couple tweaks. But at least Neptune has years worth of data to use and fix problems. The hope is they use that to our, the consumers, benefit. Competition is good for all of us. Look how long Neptune sat at the top with no one pushing them. It's bad for consumers.

This is just my opinion and situation. I will never use any controller to its full potential. I don't run a complicated enough system to even break into "advanced" settings. My signature says it all. Give me a couple temp probes, a couple pH probes, and a dozen outlets that I can shut off in an oh **** moment and I'm set. The rest is too much for this simpleton. Strong light, strong flow, strong export. None of the controllers provide me anything to help with that.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

I bought the Hydros x4 several weeks ago, once I knew the xp8 was coming out. Very excited, waiting for the xp8 now. I am not using the wifi plugs for anything yet and do not plan to. Just monitoring at the moment. Seems great. And I like the style and UI.

Not sure how I feel about the x8. By buying the x3/4 and the X8, you are now on par with the cost of the GHL or Apex. If I am going to be on par with the Apex, I might as well go with the apex because the testing and dosing add ons for the Apex actually make it more affordable for the all in.

Just wish someone had the X3 controller and the PH probe in stock. Done want the entire starter package.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I've had mine for 2 weeks now, and personally I love it. I have the controller 4 system with 2 hydros wifi bars, it all works perfect for my little 32 gallon system.

I love how easy it is to handle and program on my phone

I was disappointed that it wouldn't work for my pumps, even my hydros gyre, unless I get a wavemaker

Its very expensive, anyone thinking to get this product because its cheaper, its not. Only the entry cost is cheaper, the controller plus wavermaker plus additional power bars and other accessories brings the cost well over $1000 (Canadian dollars)

 

[JeffB418]

Not sure how I feel about the x8. By buying the x3/4 and the X8, you are now on par with the cost of the GHL or Apex. If I am going to be on par with the Apex, I might as well go with the apex because the testing and dosing add ons for the Apex actually make it more affordable for the all in.

Just wish someone had the X3 controller and the PH probe in stock. Done want the entire starter package.

Coralvue.com sells all hydros items direct and typically has most items in stock