Results with Alkalinity Controllers

[cbleehk]

Hi all,

I'm on the fence to get a unit be it Alkatronic, KHG etc. I've been trying to go through the threads but almost all of them talk about tuning, connectivity, and troubleshooting.
I was hoping to see how things turn out after you've dialed in the unit and have very stable Alk.

Do the corals look happier?
Do you see an improvement in coral growth?
Or is this more like a peace of mind kind of addition to your reefs?
Did you get it because you're keeping SPS?

I've been keeping Acros, montis, and staghorns and it seems like things are fine, but occasionally I see a +/- 0.3 dKh difference in and out of the light cycle.
I read that the tank takes more ALK during the light cycles, so I decided to add a bit more alk during those hours and I'm not seeing any key changes in response.

Appreciate any kind sharing!

 

[smartwater101]

I used the Alkatronic for awhile and loved it. It really helps in keeping things stable. The only reason I got rid of it is because I'm switching all my stuff over to GHL. The initial setup is annoying because of the blue tooth. But once that is taken care of you'll use the web app instead. Which runs great.

I tried the reefbot for about a week and hated it. Its call "Reefbot for early adopters", but frankly it should still be in beta. Its not ready to be sold to consumers even under the "early adopter" name. Its readings are all over the place. Specifically with Alk. And, with working with Reef kinetics chemist, I could still never it get it calibrated properly.

I wouldn't touch the Trident with a 10 foot pole. Neptune's build quality is atrocious. I've had so many issues with my Apex system, I feel as though I spent more time monitoring my monitor than allowing it to just be. Having a power-bar reset, and dumping the entire contents of my ATO into the tank... was the last of many straws. Steer clear.

I'll actually be hooking up my KH Director tomorrow. GHL has fantastic build quality/reliability so I'm much more inclined to let it it both monitor and control. Having watched the setup vids, and already having GHL controller/dosers, it looks to be super straight forward. GHL has made great improvements to the web/mobile app. The "core" PC app will make you feel like you've traveled to 1995. Its looks very dated but all (and more) functions are available.

Also, both the Alkatronic and KHD allow you to set a baseline so you can adjust its reading to match your test kits (I use Hanna and Red Sea, both of which are spot on with each other) So putting them on that baseline was easy peasy. Reefbot doesn't do this and as far as I know, neither does Trident.

I keep a mixed reef with a lot of sps frags but nothing large yet. BUT I run my pH very high (8.6 - 8.7) I've definitely noticed more growth with higher (and more stable) Alk. As for coloration I can't really say. I was battling some high Nitrates so my SPS are coloring up now that I've fixed that issue.

Alk is consumed at a much higher rate when pH is higher. That's why you'll see more consumption during the day then you would at night.

All-in-all these monitors are a fantastic investment. Even without the controlling aspect, having a monitor is awesome. Its amazing what you'll learn by having a pulse on daily/hourly Alk changes. It really gives you a better understanding of whats going on in the ecosystem.