Hydros X10 vs Hydros launch

[Odenac]

Hello, next month I plan on finally getting a controller and I'm set on going with Hydros, however I'm stuck between getting the hydros launch or the hydros X10 as my first controller. I see that they're mostly the same however one has 4 dosing pumps and the other has 4 outlets and 2 extra control ports
I don't have a dosing pump and at the moment I'm dosing 3ml of reef fusion 2 and 10ml of reef plus daily by hand

I'm leaning towards the X10 because I don't really know anything about dosing pumps, but I'm not sure the $70 hydros dosing pumps would fit my low application since they're set at one speed and I don't think I could get a decent dose based by my understanding. And the only thing at the moment that I would need a plug for would be my inkbird controller so if the temp gets too high due to inkbird not working properly at least the launch could turn it off.

With that said should I get an X10 and a WiFi plug for my inkbird which would be about $825 (assuming I can have hydros automatically turn off the WiFi plug if temp is too high)

Or should I get a hydros launch with a different brand of dosing pumps
Launch with simplicity doser $700
Launch with kamoer f4 pro wifi $970
Launch with 4 simple hydros dosers $802
I'm open to other brand of dosing pumps if the ones on the X10 aren't that great

Help me decide, please and thank you

 

[Connor At CoralVue]

That is the glory of HYDROS, you get to build a system that you truly need. It sounds like you have answered your question, you primarily want to dose, the answer is going to be the X10.

I can almost assure you, the moment you get everything setup, you will want to expand to the Control XP8 for 8x Outlets. I know you said you can only imagine plugging in the heater, but I undoubtedly say that will expand.

So, you can easily start with the X10 to get the dosing features you want, along with the WiFi Plug for now, then eventually possibly upgrade to the Control XP8 for Heaters, Skimmer, Return Pump, Flow Pumps, Reactors, etc.

How small are your doses? The HYDROS Drive Port Dosers can accurately dose 2.0ML and above, its when its lower than 2ml per dose that the Drive Port cannot time it. This is not a problem with the X10, Minnow, or SOLE, they can dose 0.1ML.

 

[claydogg84]

I wouldn't bother with the WIFI strip personally. It's a good value @ $40, but in my opinion is just not built as well as the other controllers. Save that $40 towards the XP8, which is a reliable outlet controller. My WIFI strip would give me a lost connection message nearly once a day and then I noticed my lighting for the algae scrubber was turning on/off constantly and not indicating such on the app. As soon as I saw that I bought an XP8.

 

[Odenac]

How small are your doses? The HYDROS Drive Port Dosers can accurately dose 2.0ML and above, its when its lower than 2ml per dose that the Drive Port cannot time it. This is not a problem with the X10, Minnow, or SOLE, they can dose 0.1ML.

My lowest current dosage is about 2.8ml a day for dkh (I just add 3ml every day and skip on water change days) would the port dosers be able to go up by .1ml increments after that 2 ml minimum? Or should I play it safe and just go with the X10?

 

[Schulks]

The flexibility of hydros is a great asset but it also makes it a bit overwhelming to get into. I started with the Launch. If you go this route you can use the Hydros 2ml/min doser on an AC outlet. It is extremely slow/precise for small amounts. You can also use Hydros 47ml/min dosers on a drive port but that is much faster.

I think the Launch gives you more options because it has the 4 AC outlets and 2 more drive ports. If you don't plan on spending more go with the Launch but if you want to embrace the entire ecosystem get x10 and xp8. If you ever plan on using the Hydros IV get the x10.

 

[Dragen Fiend]

When all said and done, The Hydros Launch wins compared to the x10 unless your looking to save space. I actually prefer separation of dosing pumps from the main controller.

But if you do Hydros Launch plus 4 hydros dosing pumps. That puts you at the exact price as just buying the X10. But its better because its more versatile. And in the end you still gain the additional 10v port.

 

[Odenac]

if you do Hydros Launch plus 4 hydros dosing pumps. That puts you at the exact price as just buying the X10. But its better because its more versatile. And in the end you still gain the additional 10v port.

You make a good point, if the drive port dosing pumps are accurate above 2ml like Conner said then I could get the launch and only 2 pumps in the meantime and save a bit of money in the meantime, especially since pretty much everyone says I'll want xp8 features in the future

 

[braaap]

The dosing heads on the X10 are absolute garbage. Do not waste your money. Get a launch. It’s far better. And then get a ReefDose 4.

And don’t fall into the support for hydros is great. It isn’t. It average at best. They firmly believe their system has zero flaws and I’ve uncovered dozens of them.

 

[Connor At CoralVue]

Dosing heads on X10, Minnow, Launch, and even the Drive Port Dosers are all Kamoer Parts...which are widely regarded as some of the best dosing heads for the aquarium market. I'm not sure exactly what you are referring to, but we would be happy to assist.

If anyone reading this wants to put our support to the test for themselves, even with a simple question, reach out to support.coralvue.com and see how quickly you get a reply. :)

 

[Odenac]

Get a launch. It’s far better. And then get a ReefDose 4.

I've heard decent things about the reefdose, but I've also read their app kinda sucks. Does it get annoying switching from hydros app to redsea app, or do you rarely ever need to get into the redsea app that it doesn't really matter too much?

 

[braaap]

I've heard decent things about the reefdose, but I've also read their app kinda sucks. Does it get annoying switching from hydros app to redsea app, or do you rarely ever need to get into the redsea app that it doesn't really matter too much?

I have ZERO complaints about my reefdose or the app. It works as it should. I get in and adjust dosing maybe once a week. It changes depending on consumption obviously. But it is a clean app and easy to use. I have adjusted it from across the world with no issues.

Meanwhile I had an X10 for 3 months and one of the heads cracked. They wouldn't replace it because it was a wear item. Turns out the kaomer heads they use are junk and are known for blowing out the side of the heads.

Also the Hydros app is hilariously awful. It signs you out every 30 days. Has no API access. The graphing features are terrible. It is ugly and slow. It is literally one of the worst apps I have ever used. And I am saying this but I have invested over 2k into Hydros lol. For the most part their hardware is massively superior. AND I like my wifi bars. Have zero issues with them. I have 2 running and have 2 more as well but I don't think I will end up using those.

 

[n2585722]

I have ZERO complaints about my reefdose or the app. It works as it should. I get in and adjust dosing maybe once a week. It changes depending on consumption obviously. But it is a clean app and easy to use. I have adjusted it from across the world with no issues.

Meanwhile I had an X10 for 3 months and one of the heads cracked. They wouldn't replace it because it was a wear item. Turns out the kaomer heads they use are junk and are known for blowing out the side of the heads.

Also the Hydros app is hilariously awful. It signs you out every 30 days. Has no API access. The graphing features are terrible. It is ugly and slow. It is literally one of the worst apps I have ever used. And I am saying this but I have invested over 2k into Hydros lol. For the most part their hardware is massively superior. AND I like my wifi bars. Have zero issues with them. I have 2 running and have 2 more as well but I don't think I will end up using those.

I have had one of my X10's for over a year and 1/2 and the other for over a year. I did have two pump heads crack a year and 1/2 ago on the first X10 but I replaced them and slowed down those pumps from 100ml a minute to 75ml a minute. I use them on the alkalinity testing but also do a drain and fill twice before each test on those pumps so they get a lot of use on those two pumps. So far I have not had to replace any tubing, just check the calibration occasionally. The pump heads I got to replace the cracked ones were Kamoer heads and had different tubing so I switched out the tubing form the cracked heads. The cracked heads could have been from handling during shipping also since they did fail fairly quickly and were on the same side of the X10.

 

[Pod_01]

So to muddle things a bit, I been using GHL Doser 2.1 for 6 years and so far no cracked heads etc…
Actually I have yet to do any maintenance on it, I have the parts but it just keeps on working.
I dose approximately 100ml a day… Also the stand alone GHL doser doesn’t require controller, and has port for temperature probe…

Good luck,

 

[n2585722]

So to muddle things a bit, I been using GHL Doser 2.1 for 6 years and so far no cracked heads etc…
Actually I have yet to do any maintenance on it, I have the parts but it just keeps on working.
I dose approximately 100ml a day… Also the stand alone GHL doser doesn’t require controller, and has port for temperature probe…

Good luck,

The fill pump on my X10 dispenses 2960ml a day doing alkalinity testing. It has been doing that for over 1 1/2 years now. The pumps are bidirectional and there are 4 pumps on the X10 and it can run stand alone and had 4 sense port inputs and 2 drive port outputs along with the 4 dosing pumps. I had a X10 setup as stand alone doing the alkalinity testings and also dynamically dosing a KH buffer and my All For Reef. I did have to use a Hydros simple doser as a drain pump on one of the drive ports since that requires 5 dosing pumps. The other drive port powered the stirrer for the alkalinity testing. The pH port was also used for alkalinity testing and the salinity port was connected to a salinity probe in the iV used for alkalinity testing. So I would get a pH and salinity reading at the start of the alkalinity test which ran 4 times a day or every 6 hours. I did eventually add the X10 to my collective since all controllers in the collective act like one large controller.

 

[Pod_01]

The fill pump on my X10 dispenses 2960ml a day doing alkalinity testing. It has been doing that for over 1 1/2 years now. The pumps are bidirectional and there are 4 pumps on the X10 and it can run stand alone and had 4 sense port inputs and 2 drive port outputs along with the 4 dosing pumps. I had a X10 setup as stand alone doing the alkalinity testings and also dynamically dosing a KH buffer and my All For Reef. I did have to use a Hydros simple doser as a drain pump on one of the drive ports since that requires 5 dosing pumps. The other drive port powered the stirrer for the alkalinity testing. The pH port was also used for alkalinity testing and the salinity port was connected to a salinity probe in the iV used for alkalinity testing. So I would get a pH and salinity reading at the start of the alkalinity test which ran 4 times a day or every 6 hours. I did eventually add the X10 to my collective since all controllers in the collective act like one large controller.

If I recall each GHL 2.1 Doser pump can deliver 1 gallon per day, but wear and tear will require some maintenance. GHL does have the Maxi Doser for large volume dosing. The GHL Doser 2.1 pumps are stepper motor type and have been bydirectional from the get go. You can dose 0.1 ml increments if required.
As for Alk measurement the Kh director requires 100ml to take a measurement and Kh director does dynamic dosing etc…
On my main tank I been using GHL controller, KH director and dosers for 6 years now so I am confident in the hardware longevity. Actually there have been zero hardware issues.

I recently took a look at Hydros for my 10gal tank, but decided to go with GHL ProfiLux Mini WiFi. I was looking for controller to monitor temp, pH and 1-10v interface for cooling fan and light control. Hydros equivalent was going to cost bit more and there was no clean cooling fan option comparable to GHL PropellerBreeze…

 

[n2585722]

If I recall each GHL 2.1 Doser pump can deliver 1 gallon per day, but wear and tear will require some maintenance. GHL does have the Maxi Doser for large volume dosing. The GHL Doser 2.1 pumps are stepper motor type and have been bydirectional from the get go. You can dose 0.1 ml increments if required.
As for Alk measurement the Kh director requires 100ml to take a measurement and Kh director does dynamic dosing etc…
On my main tank I been using GHL controller, KH director and dosers for 6 years now so I am confident in the hardware longevity. Actually there have been zero hardware issues.

I recently took a look at Hydros for my 10gal tank, but decided to go with GHL ProfiLux Mini WiFi. I was looking for controller to monitor temp, pH and 1-10v interface for cooling fan and light control. Hydros equivalent was going to cost bit more and there was no clean cooling fan option comparable to GHL PropellerBreeze…

The X10 pumps are stepper motor pumps and also can be set in .1ml increments. The iV beaker is a 150ml beaker but it goes through several sequences before starting the test and a drain and fill after the test. The fill pump also does a clean drain where it empties the beaker and the pump lines. Then dispenses enough to prime the line again. Then the drain pump empties the beaker and the fill pump dispenses 100ml of water for the test. When cleaning the beaker before testing it will fill the beaker with more than 100ml. I also have the drain and fill pumps drain and fill the beaker 20 minutes before and 10 minutes before each test to help stabilize the temp in the beaker closer to that of the tank. Here are a couple of screenshots of the fill pump log. The negative numbers for dose is when it ran in the reverse direction. I do use cooling fans on mine. They blow across the sump and I use the chiller output type to control them. In fact they are on a lot more than my heaters. Below is also a graph of the tank temp for a year. The cooling turns on at 78.1 and turns off at 77.9.

 

[Pod_01]

I do use cooling fans on mine. They blow across the sump and I use the chiller output type to control them.

Out of curiosity what fans do you use? Are they speed controlled or is it on/off type of control?
When I was searching I didn’t find any Hydros cooling fan solutions that I liked.

The GHL are 1-10v controlled so there is nice ramp up. Usually they stay on the low speed so there is minimal noise. I used chiller in the past but they are loud, eventually break and tend to leak…

 

[n2585722]

I use Cooler Guy's 12v IP67 rated fans. They are in the stand so I cannot hear them unless I am close to the stand. The stand is also vented using fans that run all the time. I do not have a chiller but use the chiller output type in Hydros to turn the fans on and off. I power them off a drive port which is a 12v output. Below is a photo of the fans mounted in the bracket that goes above the bubble trap on the sump and also a photo of one of the fans showing the other side .