Hydros Controllers…..

[Rewd]

So you can run an iV on a X4?

Yes. You can also run an IV on a drive port that is free on an X2, or an XD. I've also wondered if you can run the IV on a regular wifi outlet by simply chopping off the GX12 connector and soldering on a regular plug. I did this in reverse for all of my ATO pumps. Soldered on GX12 connectors and connected them all to drive ports. The IV is nothing more than a stir plate... no reason it needs to waste a valuable drive port.

Also, there are a ton of 12V pumps on amazon that can, in theory, be connected to drive ports by adding a GX12. It's all stuff I want to think about at some point and play around with, once I get my actual X10 going. One of my other tanks has a spare X3 with a spare pH port so this is the one I want to experiment on.

 

[JeffB418]

I hooked up an X10, iV, kraken, XS, wave engine V2, XP8, and 4 plug wifi strip.

There has been some ups and downs with all of these but it is improving.

4 plug wifi strip, XS, and XP8 with no issues. I have a leak detector, temp, protein skimmer float valve (in a homemade overflow container that collects drainage from my reef octopus skimmer), and sump return chamber low water detector hooked up to the XS.

Wave engine V2 works but has strange wave schedules. I run my 2 maxspect XF 350 with it. It seems no matter what % I set it at, it tends to stay around 30-40%. I will likely reach out to coralvue soon for some assistance. So far they (usually Carlos) have been really responsive.

X10 with iV: working well so far. The pH probe seems really accurate. Issues are the salinity solution it came with to calibrate (35ppt and 28 ppt) seem off. Still trying to confirm but I may use a 35 ppt solution off amazon to calibrate instead. This likely throws off the alkalinity readings. It has only been 1 week and I have not started comparing to salifert yet but will do so soon. Once it is dialed in though I suspect I will love it. Great part is that only 3 of the dosing pumps on the X10 are needed to test pH, salinity, and alkalinity in the iV. That means the 4th can connect to soda ash and the coralvue software can titrate the soda ash dosing to stabilize the alkalinity level. Looking forward to that.

Kraken: I use it to run the wave engine/maxspects, 3 sump jebao pumps, my sump frag Redsea LED50 light, sump redsea reefwave25, and the X10. I hooked it up to a $40 amazon battery. It works well...ish. I ran a test with no issues. It ran both maxspect XF 350s in the display and a single jebao SOW4 in the sump at low power for hours. Oddly enough, the very next day I had an actual power outage. The kraken with battery ran the 3 pumps set to run at low power as it was supposed to. Once the power came back on though, there was an issue. It seems the outage made the kraken output all the 24v channels at 12v. It took me a while to realize that. The jebao pumps in the sump did not work at all. My maxspects (I use the kraken to power the wave engine V2 and thus the maxspects) ran at really low speeds. I had to unplug the kraken from the wall and from the battery to reset it. Seems better now but I will finish testing in the am. If that fixes it, then it is not the end of the world to have to reset it whenever there is a power outage. To have the piece of mind of the wave makers running off battery with any power outage is great. It gives me time to get home and setup the generator if needed.

I also setup an XS and 4 plug wifi plug in my garage tanks. I am having to return the XS due to a firmware issue but BRS and coralvue have been great to work with and will send out a replacement.

Overall I am very happy with the hydros system so far. Their support response is quick. The setup for each device is quick and intuitive. Once they are setup they work well with no issues thus far other than what I mentioned above. The app is great and easy to use. I also agree that the LED lights on the controllers look great. I will post pics and a video of my setup this weekend.


I'll try to remember to post an update once I work through some of the issues I mentioned. Happy reefing!

Hit up support if your kraken keeps doing that. They should help get ya fixed up if it’s an issue.

 

[Rewd]

I have done the non-X10 iV. And run it against my x10. Testing precision isn’t as good as the x10 and values swing a little more but most of the time they are close. If you can afford slight loss of precision then it’s a very viable option. I have documented some of the things to be aware of and suggestions here

iV testing without X10 setup recommendations/suggestions

With the latest FW/SW release of App 374 and FW 323, alkalinity testing using any other device than an X10 has now been opened to everyone. That being said, using this function on any other device than an X10 requires some considerations to ensure proper operation. This method of iV also is...

forum.coralvuehydros.com

thank you! I saw you posted a link about this on the Coralvue FB group but I didn't see any pump recommendations there. I will read up on this!

 

[JeffB418]

Yes. You can also run an IV on a drive port that is free on an X2, or an XD. I've also wondered if you can run the IV on a regular wifi outlet by simply chopping off the GX12 connector and soldering on a regular plug. I did this in reverse for all of my ATO pumps. Soldered on GX12 connectors and connected them all to drive ports. The IV is nothing more than a stir plate... no reason it needs to waste a valuable drive port.

Also, there are a ton of 12V pumps on amazon that can, in theory, be connected to drive ports by adding a GX12. It's all stuff I want to think about at some point and play around with, once I get my actual X10 going. One of my other tanks has a spare X3 with a spare pH port so this is the one I want to experiment on.

Yeah you can easily run the iV on a power strip. Just keep an eye on off/on latency and testing. It does turn the mixing off and on a lot. So keep an eye and make sure it does mix property with your networks latency.

I’d just say get a 12V wall wort and put a make gx12-2 plug on it. Then you can still use your iV on a drive port in the future.

 

[JeffB418]

thank you! I saw you posted a link about this on the Coralvue FB group but I didn't see any pump recommendations there. I will read up on this!

The fill and drain pumps can be any 40-80ml/min pump. It’s the reagent that needs to be a lower rate pump. There are some gear reduced kamoer pumps on alie that meet the requirement but I have never tested one. There are also custom ones in the us as well that run $80ish.

 

[Rewd]

Yeah you can easily run the iV on a power strip. Just keep an eye on off/on latency and testing. It does turn the mixing off and on a lot. So keep an eye and make sure it does mix property with your networks latency.

I’d just say get a 12V wall wort and put a make gx12-2 plug on it. Then you can still use your iV on a drive port in the future.

What do you think about a pump like this for reagent? Wire it to a GX12 and connect to a drive port. Might be cheap and effective, plus easy to check calibration with a home scale.

 

[JeffB418]

What do you think about a pump like this for reagent? Wire it to a GX12 and connect to a drive port. Might be cheap and effective, plus easy to check calibration with a home scale.

link didn’t post

 

[Rewd]

link didn’t post

Trying again:

Amazon pump

 

[JeffB418]

Trying again:

Amazon pump

Not sure about this one. The issue with some of these is that if you drop the voltage using a controller, the pump stalls before you ever get to a low enough rate. Really need gear reduced pumps with a full rate dc motor. Like this one here. If you order this model with the 12V option and 2 slowdown gears with B06 tubing, it runs at 4ml/min. That should work for reagent. You can use the thinner tube and get down to 1ml:min as well but might be too slow and drag out tests.

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! $30.00 | kamoer KFS Peristaltic Pump 6V/12V/24V DC Motor Gear Pump High Precision Low Flow Dosing Pump with One/Two Slowgear

https://a.aliexpress.com/_m020mOW

 

[Rewd]

Not sure about this one. The issue with some of these is that if you drop the voltage using a controller, the pump stalls before you ever get to a low enough rate. Really need gear reduced pumps with a full rate dc motor. Like this one here. If you order this model with the 12V option and 2 slowdown gears with B06 tubing, it runs at 4ml/min. That should work for reagent. You can use the thinner tube and get down to 1ml:min as well but might be too slow and drag out tests.

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! $30.00 | kamoer KFS Peristaltic Pump 6V/12V/24V DC Motor Gear Pump High Precision Low Flow Dosing Pump with One/Two Slowgear

https://a.aliexpress.com/_m020mOW

Yea i think I've seen that one on Amazon too! You have to troll around the peristaltic pump listings. There's tons of them and most are cheap too. Wouldn't be a big lose to experiment a bit!

 

[InactionJackson]

I hooked up an X10, iV, kraken, XS, wave engine V2, XP8, and 4 plug wifi strip.

There has been some ups and downs with all of these but it is improving.

4 plug wifi strip, XS, and XP8 with no issues. I have a leak detector, temp, protein skimmer float valve (in a homemade overflow container that collects drainage from my reef octopus skimmer), and sump return chamber low water detector hooked up to the XS.

Wave engine V2 works but has strange wave schedules. I run my 2 maxspect XF 350 with it. It seems no matter what % I set it at, it tends to stay around 30-40%. I will likely reach out to coralvue soon for some assistance. So far they (usually Carlos) have been really responsive.

X10 with iV: working well so far. The pH probe seems really accurate. Issues are the salinity solution it came with to calibrate (35ppt and 28 ppt) seem off. Still trying to confirm but I may use a 35 ppt solution off amazon to calibrate instead. This likely throws off the alkalinity readings. It has only been 1 week and I have not started comparing to salifert yet but will do so soon. Once it is dialed in though I suspect I will love it. Great part is that only 3 of the dosing pumps on the X10 are needed to test pH, salinity, and alkalinity in the iV. That means the 4th can connect to soda ash and the coralvue software can titrate the soda ash dosing to stabilize the alkalinity level. Looking forward to that.

Kraken: I use it to run the wave engine/maxspects, 3 sump jebao pumps, my sump frag Redsea LED50 light, sump redsea reefwave25, and the X10. I hooked it up to a $40 amazon battery. It works well...ish. I ran a test with no issues. It ran both maxspect XF 350s in the display and a single jebao SOW4 in the sump at low power for hours. Oddly enough, the very next day I had an actual power outage. The kraken with battery ran the 3 pumps set to run at low power as it was supposed to. Once the power came back on though, there was an issue. It seems the outage made the kraken output all the 24v channels at 12v. It took me a while to realize that. The jebao pumps in the sump did not work at all. My maxspects (I use the kraken to power the wave engine V2 and thus the maxspects) ran at really low speeds. I had to unplug the kraken from the wall and from the battery to reset it. Seems better now but I will finish testing in the am. If that fixes it, then it is not the end of the world to have to reset it whenever there is a power outage. To have the piece of mind of the wave makers running off battery with any power outage is great. It gives me time to get home and setup the generator if needed.

I also setup an XS and 4 plug wifi plug in my garage tanks. I am having to return the XS due to a firmware issue but BRS and coralvue have been great to work with and will send out a replacement.

Overall I am very happy with the hydros system so far. Their support response is quick. The setup for each device is quick and intuitive. Once they are setup they work well with no issues thus far other than what I mentioned above. The app is great and easy to use. I also agree that the LED lights on the controllers look great. I will post pics and a video of my setup this weekend.


I'll try to remember to post an update once I work through some of the issues I mentioned. Happy reefing!

Awesome, keep us up to date with the iV situation.

 

[InactionJackson]

I have done the non-X10 iV. And run it against my x10. Testing precision isn’t as good as the x10 and values swing a little more but most of the time they are close. If you can afford slight loss of precision then it’s a very viable option. I have documented some of the things to be aware of and suggestions here

iV testing without X10 setup recommendations/suggestions

With the latest FW/SW release of App 374 and FW 323, alkalinity testing using any other device than an X10 has now been opened to everyone. That being said, using this function on any other device than an X10 requires some considerations to ensure proper operation. This method of iV also is...

forum.coralvuehydros.com

I’m not gonna run a non iV system….ill wait a get the x10 in near future.

 

[telegraham]

I have someone home all the time….but like I said, eventually will get the x10.

I have friends and family at the ready, but life happens. Vacations happen. As hard as I try, I don't always have someone available to help.

Remember that unless you add additional hardware, the X10 will provide only 12VDC when on battery. If you have powerheads or pumps requiring higher voltage, you'll need more than just the X10.

 

[n2585722]

I have friends and family at the ready, but life happens. Vacations happen. As hard as I try, I don't always have someone available to help.

Remember that unless you add additional hardware, the X10 will provide only 12VDC when on battery. If you have powerheads or pumps requiring higher voltage, you'll need more than just the X10.

The X10 is not the Kraken. It has a 24v power port where you can connect the AC power pack that comes with it or it can be connected to a Kraken with the proper force port but it has no battery backup.

 

[BAMatter]

I don't care about salinity? I check mine once in a while and it doesn't drift, so why waste the money on a whole kit for this?

To my knowledge, no one has attempted to run alk on a non-X10 and I'm game to try it out. Worse case it isn't as good as other methods, best case it's just as good and cheaper than buying a whole second X10.

Just a heads up, you can get an open box Kamoer KH Carer on CV.com clearance outlet for $500 that will integrate with Hydros. Ask me how I know…

I do also have an X10/iv setup on one of my other systems. I’m interested to see how they stack up to each other.

 

[InactionJackson]

The X10 is not the Kraken. It has a 24v power port where you can connect the AC power pack that comes with it or it can be connected to a Kraken with the proper force port but it has no battery backup.

So I have 1 return pump, a skimmer, a small pump running a 15w Uv, a heater and my light and 3 Ai 3 Nero’s. Those are it….oh and an air pump.

 

[InactionJackson]

I have friends and family at the ready, but life happens. Vacations happen. As hard as I try, I don't always have someone available to help.

Remember that unless you add additional hardware, the X10 will provide only 12VDC when on battery. If you have powerheads or pumps requiring higher voltage, you'll need more than just the X10.

So I have 1 return pump, a skimmer, a small pump running a 15w Uv, a heater and my light and 3 Ai 3 Nero’s. Those are it….oh and an air pump.

 

[n2585722]

So I have 1 return pump, a skimmer, a small pump running a 15w Uv, a heater and my light and 3 Ai 3 Nero’s. Those are it….oh and an air pump.

Do you have any flow pumps? If so those are the most important ones to keep running. I have a battery backup for my 2 MP10's along with the Kraken battery backup.

 

[InactionJackson]

Do you have any flow pumps? If so those are the most important ones to keep running. I have a battery backup for my 2 MP10's along with the Kraken battery backup.

Do you have any flow pumps? If so those are the most important ones to keep running. I have a battery backup for my 2 MP10's along with the Kraken battery backup.

3….Nero 3’s

 

[InactionJackson]

Do you have any flow pumps? If so those are the most important ones to keep running. I have a battery backup for my 2 MP10's along with the Kraken battery backup.

3 Nero 3’s. Might be a duplicate message….sorry