Apex readings suddenly skyrocket

[Passedyouby]

Morning!

My APEX is about a week old at this point. Calibration went smoothly, sensors easy to use, etc. After the first day i realized they were mounted too close to my skimmer and the bubbles were throwing off the readings, so i moved to a new area and the problems went away.

All was good for three days, then yesterday my salinity skyrocketed. I shook the sensors to break bubbles loose, it didnt help. Gave it a day, didnt help. Then this morning i pulled the probe out, blew the waiter out, and put it back in with some vigorous shaking to make sure bubbles weren't latched on. Any suggestions?

 

[smartwater101]

The salinity probe is notoriously finicky. It SHOULD NOT be trusted. I'd re-calibrate and perhaps find a better place for it. But you should have a primary way of testing salinity to confirm and never make changes unless you confirmed readings with something else (Hanna salinity checkers are very reliable for example)

 

[Passedyouby]

The salinity probe is notoriously finicky. It SHOULD NOT be trusted. I'd re-calibrate and perhaps find a better place for it. But you should have a primary way of testing salinity to confirm and never make changes unless you confirmed readings with something else (Hanna salinity checkers are very reliable for example)

Yeah ive read tons of bad stories on the probes. But didnt realize it would skyrocket for NO REASON!

thanks.

If anyone else has a tip let me know!

 

[ca1ore]

My probe will be accurate and stable for weeks and then drop precipitously. Dropped today to 31.5. Gave it a good shake and it’s now showing 37. We’ll see tomorrow. Sometimes it just needs a gentle brushing.

 

[thewackyreefer]

Experiencing the same. Not even worth using IMO.

 

[ca1ore]

I think it is useful as another check on levels. Certainly not something that you should ever use to trigger anything other than an alert.

 

[robbyg]

My probe will be accurate and stable for weeks and then drop precipitously. Dropped today to 31.5. Gave it a good shake and it’s now showing 37. We’ll see tomorrow. Sometimes it just needs a gentle brushing.

Trying not to say anything,,,,, really trying hard not so say anything....
Ah crap I have to say it...
That post sounds like you could be talking about something else

Rob

 

[ca1ore]

Trying not to say anything,,,,, really trying hard not so say anything....
Ah crap I have to say it...
That post sounds like you could be talking about something else

Rob

Oh dear, I guess one could interpret that somewhat differently than I had intended. Showed it to my teenage son and he snickered indeed.

 

[robbyg]

Oh dear, I guess one could interpret that somewhat differently than I had intended. Showed it to my teenage son and he snickered indeed.

Smart kid you should be proud of him.

 

[ca1ore]

Yes, but also a teenager .... which was mostly my point .....

 

[robbyg]

Yes, but also a teenager .... which was mostly my point .....

Yeah I got your Sarcasm You should lighten up, it was just a joke.

And a piece of advice, junk those Neptune salinity probes. Any probe that can jump from 31.5 to 37 by just shaking it or brushing it, is rubbish. Also both of those readings are not even good. I would hope you keep your tank around 34 and not on either end of those extreme's. I would also never depend on Neptune Temp probes, they also seem to be problematic.

 

[ADAM]

On my first Apex I ended up disabling the salinity function due to high blood pressure trying to figure out why it wouldn’t stay relatively close to stable..... My newest Apex salinity probe has been perfect, every time I check against a calibrated refractometer it’s spot on.... my fear is that now is getting close to the replacement time.... we’ll see how the replacement does.

You may be getting interference on the probe cable, or possibly the Apex itself. When pulling the probe to shake any possible bubbles the probe cable would have to move as well, thus giving a different reading when placing back in the water. Interference also comes to mind because of the seemingly fine for a little while then changing could be because the interfering signal may not be constant. I would try separating the probe cable from any of the other cables located nearby (as best you can anyway) and you could also try plugging the Apex into a different wall outlet, if available, or using a power conditioning power strip/ plug adapter to power the Apex. Very possible you may just need a new probe. Open a ticket with Neptune support and they’ll help you fix it, if the Apex is new and the probe is faulty the probe should be covered under the warranty.

Good luck.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Yeah I got your Sarcasm You should lighten up, it was just a joke.

And a piece of advice, junk those Neptune salinity probes. Any probe that can jump from 31.5 to 37 by just shaking it or brushing it, is rubbish. Also both of those readings are not even good. I would hope you keep your tank around 34 and not on either end of those extreme's. I would also never depend on Neptune Temp probes, they also seem to be problematic.

The temp probe has worked flawlessly for me for years. Never tried the salinity probe.

 

[jelee01]

FWIW, my Neptune probes are very consistent and been reliable for quite some time now. Yes, they can be finicky to calibrate, but once done I’ve had nothing but success with them. I do cross-check to a Hanna digital refractometer regularly and within specs knowing the two devices measure salinity differently. I will say, I have the probes routed away from nearby electrical lines e.g. heater, pumps. Same experience with their temp probe. So, perhaps try isolating the probe wires if possible? If not, then I’ve read encasing them with aluminum tin foil can help with isolation, but I’ve not tried that. Good luck!

 

[jd-woodlands]

soft toothbrush on the bottom, give it a little cleaning and should be back to normal.

 

[SeniorReefer]

Im just thinking. Neptune wants our money for the apex, but dont want to solve the problems with the sensors, flow sensors. Why is that. I have been using apex fusion for about 2 months now, and its not trustworthy. Im not happy with it, and going to change to GHL in the near future.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

I have never had any trouble with my apex classic. Maybe it's a case of they don't make em like they used to. The new stuff is just not as good?

 

[SeniorReefer]

I have never had any trouble with my apex classic. Maybe it's a case of they don't make em like they used to. The new stuff is just not as good?

you are right. Been reading so many posts and reports about the apex problem. Many dont have any trouble with it, but people still has. Neptune has used a lot of money for promotion ,Like the control freaks, used YouTube sponsor to promote the Neptune system, and so on , but i do think many people will shift to the GHL aqua-computer for reliability, i suddenly will.
In Europe we have to pay about 1000 Dollar for the system Fusion. You pay and then thing dont work. I dont like to pay for something there is broken when you got it. Been using the IKS computer from Germany for many year, and will again go back to made in Germany

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

you are right. Been reading so many posts and reports about the apex problem. Many dont have any trouble with it, but people still has. Neptune has used a lot of money for promotion ,Like the control freaks, used YouTube sponsor to promote the Neptune system, and so on , but i do think many people will shift to the GHL aqua-computer for reliability, i suddenly will

I won't switch away from my apex classic since it has been rock solid, but if I were just getting in to automation, I would seriously consider all the options.