Has anyone that pre-ordered seen their ION Director yet?

[Scdell]

we test alk 24x a day -- try it over a week or 2 and observe the fluctuations before

I have no idea why. With a calcium reactor dialed in it never changes. And that's the way it's supposed to be.If it's all over the place an IOND isn't going to help much.

 

[ingchr1]

Hi,

FAQ: ION Director – GHL (International)

www.aquariumcomputer.com

What determines the lifespan of the IOND sensor?​

The lifespan of the sensor is determined by various factors, water quality being the most important one. If the sample water contains high levels of organics and nutrients, the sensor may experience more wear. On the other hand, if the water quality is good, the sensor will see a lengthier life. The frequency of tests performed also play a role in the lifespan of the probe.

To put it into perspective, if one tests 500 times with “dirtier” water compared to 500 times with “cleaner” water, the lifespan of the sensor will not be the same.

Nonetheless, the minimum 6 month period still applies.

Gaël

In between tests is the sensor sitting in tank water? If so, would that also be a variable in sensor life regardless of the number of tests?

Regarding the reference solutions, once opened they are subject to evaporation, even if the iond is supplied with pierced caps limiting the passage of the air as much as possible, it seems to me illusory to hope to keep bottles open in operation for a year, their values will no longer be good.

Also, the software does not allow automatic testing less than once a day, I myself do not have the firm and definitive answer if the fact of only doing manual tests spaced out over time has a negative impact or not on the sensor.

Gaël

Does GHL specify a shelf and open expiration for the reference solutions?

 

[ingchr1]

If this is confirmed, i'll try to cancel my order.... I have no need (and who the hell would???) to test these parameters once a day...

What's the down side? You'll just have more data.

Well it seems to me it would be a huge waste of money if I could only use it to test once a week or once a month , if I’m going to spend that amount of money on something I’m going to want to use it as often as possible

I seen no value in this device, or any other automatic tester, if all your tank needs is weekly testing. It just doesn't make financial sense, including the time it takes to perform manual testing. Which is my situation, I only test weekly. I do test more often on an as needed basis.

 

[IKD]

What's the down side? You'll just have more data.

I agree the value of this device is automation as well as (supposedly) reliable/accurate measures that minimize human error in testing.

 

[Scdell]

I agree the value of this device is automation as well as (supposedly) reliable/accurate measures that minimize human error in testing.

And low quality testing equipment currently available. Can anyone say Hanna?

 

[ingchr1]

And low quality testing equipment currently available. Can anyone say Hanna?

I have checked my hanna checkers against a $5000 Hach digital spec, and found them to be pretty accurate.

 

[Gaël]

In between tests is the sensor sitting in tank water? If so, would that also be a variable in sensor life regardless of the number of tests?

Does GHL specify a shelf and open expiration for the reference solutions?

Hi,

no, between tests the sensor is keep in Ref.B solution.

To my knowledge, GHL don't specify a shelf and open expiration for the reference solutions and nothing like that is wrote on the bottles.
But as I said, beware of evaporation especially when connected to the IOND.

Gaël

 

[ingchr1]

Hi,

no, between tests the sensor is keep in Ref.B solution.

To my knowledge, GHL don't specify a shelf and open expiration for the reference solutions and nothing like that is wrote on the bottles.
But as I said, beware of evaporation especially when connected to the IOND.

Gaël

Seams like something that maybe should be specified.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

What's the down side? You'll just have more data.

Reagent cost, replacement probe cost, dosing pump/head/calilbration maintenance, dealing with waste water if it can't go back in the tank...

I may have been naïve when ordering this i see now...

I wanted an automated test every so often with little maintenance, and an alarm function, not daily tests i don't need (no one needs) and frequent maintenance....

I'll look into the mastertronic, maybe that is more my style....

If this tested the phosphate that we can actually test, i'd be okay with daily testing. That is a parameter that can rise quickly and i run gfo so it would be nice to have heartbeat on that...

But it doesn't.............

Seems if hanna can have a simple test for phosphate, this could automated, even if using a similar photo technology to hanna.

 

[elcapitan1993]

Reagent cost, replacement probe cost, dosing pump/head/calilbration maintenance, dealing with waste water if it can't go back in the tank...

I may have been naïve when ordering this i see now...

I wanted an automated test every so often with little maintenance, and an alarm function, not daily tests i don't need (no one needs) and frequent maintenance....

I'll look into the mastertronic, maybe that is more my style....

If this tested the phosphate that we can actually test, i'd be okay with daily testing. That is a parameter that can rise quickly and i run gfo so it would be nice to have heartbeat on that...

But it doesn't.............

Seems if hanna can have a simple test for phosphate, this could automated, even if using a similar photo technology to hanna.

I literally don’t understand how you can think like this lol, and just because you don’t think anyone needs to test that often dosent make it true , you wanted to press a button once a month to run a test, this kind of thinking is beyond me what a waste of technology and money , and you might as well manually test once a month if that is the way you want to do things why even spend the 1000$ ?

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

I literally don’t understand how you can think like this lol, and just because you don’t think anyone needs to test that often dosent make it true , you wanted to press a button once a month to run a test, this kind of thinking is beyond me what a waste of technology and money , and you might as well manually test once a month if that is the way you want to do things why even spend the 1000$ ?

My first reef tank was in the early 2000's. You do not need to test daily. That is not a requirement to success whatsoever. You are choosing to do so. That is not a need. You sound like my three year old saying he needs candy. No, he wants candy and you want daily testing. You don't need it, and when you have it--on these parameters--you will likely ignore it because these parameters don't fluctuate if you are at all in the ball park on dosing/nutrient control.


The issues i have that is turning me away from the ion director now is maintenance of a device that tests daily and from screen clippings of software--cannot be programmed to test less often, say once a week--and thus unless you test everyday and keep up with reagent, waste water, calibration, and maintenance of the doser, you won't have alarm functions.

They marketed this as a probe... I was naive to beleive that meant you could test infrequently and have little maintenance.

A device that can test these things infrequently, be low maintence, give me an extra half hour or so with my kids every week or so--is well worth $1000.00 to me... Income is not my problem. Time is. For daily testing you will spend more time maintaining this thing than manual testing is my bet, and then pay for probes and reagent too. The daily testing will not save your tank or give you more needed information on these parameters than weekly or monthly testing of these particular parameters.

Edit:

I probably spent the equivalent to two days setting up the KH director... Two days away from my kids....calibrating, recalibrating (if you get ANYTHING OFF on calibration of tube length, dosing calibration--get an accurate gram scale!--your KH readings will be WAY OFF), connectivity issues, squeaky pump head issues, getting email and text alarms (WOW, is all i can say there to setting that up...) and general learning of the antiquated software from the 1960's moon project. If this thing has to test daily, and is not just a simple probe and simple test procedure, i doubt the ion director will be different experience than the KH director. I was hoping this was different than the KH director. It does not appear so, however.

 

[CEReefer]

If this tested the phosphate that we can actually test, i'd be okay with daily testing. That is a parameter that can rise quickly and i run gfo so it would be nice to have heartbeat on that...

My first reef tank was in the early 2000's. You do not need to test daily. That is not a requirement to success whatsoever. You are choosing to do so. That is not a need. You sound like my three year old saying he needs candy. No, he wants candy and you want daily testing. You don't need it, and when you have it--on these parameters--you will likely ignore it because these parameters don't fluctuate if you are at all in the ball park on dosing/nutrient control.


The issues i have that is turning me away from the ion director now is maintenance of a device that tests daily and from screen clippings of software--cannot be programmed to test less often, say once a week--and thus unless you test everyday and keep up with reagent, waste water, calibration, and maintenance of the doser, you won't have alarm functions.

They marketed this as a probe... I was naive to beleive that meant you could test infrequently and have little maintenance.

You are aware that you can drop the number of tests per day to 0 and then click on manual test, and it will run a test at the touch of a button?

Your reasoning on "is it worth it?" is totally correct though, it's more for the lazy people (like me) that can't move their a++ and do a manual test.. is it a lot of money for not moving your a++? Yes.. Could you (partially) pay a vacation with the 500$ needed to run this thing per year? yes.. But I guess I am willing to waste the money..

 

[elcapitan1993]

My first reef tank was in the early 2000's. You do not need to test daily. That is not a requirement to success whatsoever. You are choosing to do so. That is not a need. You sound like my three year old saying he needs candy. No, he wants candy and you want daily testing. You don't need it, and when you have it--on these parameters--you will likely ignore it because these parameters don't fluctuate if you are at all in the ball park on dosing/nutrient control.


The issues i have that is turning me away from the ion director now is maintenance of a device that tests daily and from screen clippings of software--cannot be programmed to test less often, say once a week--and thus unless you test everyday and keep up with reagent, waste water, calibration, and maintenance of the doser, you won't have alarm functions.

They marketed this as a probe... I was naive to beleive that meant you could test infrequently and have little maintenance.

A device that can test these things infrequently, be low maintence, give me an extra half hour or so with my kids every week or so--is well worth $1000.00 to me... Income is not my problem. Time is. For daily testing you will spend more time maintaining this thing than manual testing is my bet, and then pay for probes and reagent too. The daily testing will not save your tank or give you more needed information on these parameters than weekly or monthly testing of these particular parameters.

I’m not saying I need it at all I’m saying FOR ME that it is extremely helpful for me to be able to keep all my parameters steady and have something alert me when they are not, and if your only testing once a month your are highly unlikely to catch anything at all, I have had automated testers that have saved my tank from a stupid mistake I have made, to me that’s worth the upkeep and maintenance cost of the unit.

 

[Peace River]

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[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

... if your only testing once a month your are highly unlikely to catch anything at all, I have had automated testers that have saved my tank from a stupid mistake I have made,...

You lack experience here. Magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, and nitrate do not radically change over the course of a week or month unless (1) you have royally screw up dosing/calicum reactor and in which case your ALK testing and/or conductivity probe/refractometer will show that, or (2) you added bad salt to your tank, in which case the preventative is to test your new salt water--not the tank.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

You are aware that you can drop the number of tests per day to 0 and then click on manual test, and it will run a test at the touch of a button?

Yes. That's not bad. But no alarm function was my point. I would rather have it set to test once a week or more like once a month for these parameters automatically and just trigger an alarm if something was off.

I was also thinking, and i guess i am wrong, that since this was just probe, maintenance would be infrequent and reagent not needed to be replaced very often at all.... I thought that was why this thing was so expensive for upfront cost... down the road costs and time to maintain were much less..

Last, still waiting to hear if this thing requires daily testing; what is the reason for no weekly/month testing option?

 

[Scdell]

this hobby evolves and you can either evolve with it or stay stuck in the dark ages.

Hmmmm.........Wonder how we did it back in the 80's???

We passed on the knowledge. We didn't argue on social media about who is right or wrong.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

this hobby evolves and you can either evolve with it or stay stuck in the dark ages.

Hmmmm.........Wonder how we did it back in the 80's???

We passed on the knowledge. We didn't argue on social media about who is right or wrong.

True enough.. lol.. then reef central came and everyone argued.. lol... i don't think this device is an evolution whatsoever, let alone that manual testing is the "dark ages"--that's not true.. The ion director is just a different way to test.

I do like the arguing and opposite views and statements of desires though because it quickly lays out the good and bad points on ion director...

Obviously what i want is not what others above may want... People reading this i think are helped by that..

It sucks when you buy something expensive with expectations and then realize what you thought it was--it is not..

 

[Scdell]

True enough.. lol.. then reef central came and everyone argued.. lol... i don't think this device is an evolution whatsoever, let alone that manual testing is the "dark ages"--that's not true.. The ion director is just a different way to test.

I do like the arguing and opposite views and statements of desires though because it quickly lays out the good and bad points on ion director...

Obviously what i want is not what others above may want... People reading this i think are helped by that..

It sucks when you buy something expensive with expectations and then realize what you thought it was--it is not..

Like I said...... I bought it because I'm tired of manual testing. Not because I'm lazy. I'm just bored of that aspect. A lot of people want it because they don't have the time for the tank. They want the tank to run itself........ It doesn't work that way. Way too many things can go wrong with that approach. They will figure that out, then you will see IOND's for sale used.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Like I said...... I bought it because I'm tired of manual testing. Not because I'm lazy. I'm just bored of that aspect. A lot of people want it because they don't have the time for the tank. They want the tank to run itself........ It doesn't work that way. Way too many things can go wrong with that approach. They will figure that out, then you will see IOND's for sale used.

I get it, now, you'd rather tinker with the ion director equipment than conduct repetitive miniatous tests... There may or may not be a time time savings either way, but you want to do something other than manually test and playing with the ion director is a more enjoyable part of the hobby; whereas, testing manually parameters feels more like a chore..

About accurate?

totally agree that tanks can't run themselves and never will.

Edit: I may be waiting for a unicorn, lol.. i think i remember jake adams basically saying he won't buy devices like this because the technology is just not there yet.... investing in these contraptions is first generation tech and in not long there could be like a true alk probe or nitrate probe or whatever, making everyone ditch this first generation tech anyway..