My Apex Temp / ORP / PH all flatlined

JBKReef · Mar 13, 2023

Hello Rewf2Reef! My tanks have been in autopilot for a couple months now and I have not made major shifts till this weekend.

During my weekly maintenance I installed a DOS, as well as a COR. The DOS is for 2 part, the COR is to run a UV sterilizer. Both of these I plugged into 1Link cables on my EB8. Around noon EST.

Not sure if this is coincidence, or I screwed something up but since around the same time all of my probes have started to flatline, or behave abnormally.

My temperature probe has flatlined, I use two Inkbird controllers to control the heaters as redundancy but the Apex is reading no fluctuations in temp over the past 8 hours which is extremely unusual.

While Orp and Ph hasn’t flatlined, their normal cyclical nature and smooth curves have turned rigid.

Temp- (Multiday view, and last 24 hours)

Orp- (Multiday view, and last 24 hours)

ph- (Multiday

((FORDTECH)) · Mar 13, 2023

JBKReef said:
Hello Rewf2Reef! My tanks have been in autopilot for a couple months now and I have not made major shifts till this weekend.

During my weekly maintenance I installed a DOS, as well as a COR. The DOS is for 2 part, the COR is to run a UV sterilizer. Both of these I plugged into 1Link cables on my EB8. Around noon EST.

Not sure if this is coincidence, or I screwed something up but since around the same time all of my probes have started to flatline, or behave abnormally.

My temperature probe has flatlined, I use two Inkbird controllers to control the heaters as redundancy but the Apex is reading no fluctuations in temp over the past 8 hours which is extremely unusual.

While Orp and Ph hasn’t flatlined, their normal cyclical nature and smooth curves have turned rigid.

Temp- (Multiday view, and last 24 hours)

Orp- (Multiday view, and last 24 hours)

ph- (Multiday

When daylight savings time changes, it generally seems to mess with the graphs of those long as the readings are fine I would say give it two days for the graphs to start populating properly again, hopefully that’s it

HankstankXXL750 · Mar 13, 2023

Have you tried resetting the apex? There is a little hole that you slip a paper clip into. Might be worth a try. Also check that all your cords are securely connected. Possible you loosened them up adding the new items.

rtparty · Mar 13, 2023

Unplug the head unit and plug it back in

JBKReef · Mar 13, 2023

((FORDTECH)) said:
When daylight savings time changes, it generally seems to mess with the graphs of those long as the readings are fine I would say give it two days for the graphs to start populating properly again, hopefully that’s it

I did not even consider the time change, that would make since for some of the flatlining.

I had planned to let it work itself out for a day, nothing is tied to any of the probes for dosing/control. Mainly I was just hoping this wasnt the start to a systemic failure of the head/EB8's.

Thanks for the feedback!

JBKReef · Mar 13, 2023

HankstankXXXL750 said:
Have you tried resetting the apex? There is a little hole that you slip a paper clip into. Might be worth a try. Also check that all your cords are securely connected. Possible you loosened them up adding the new items.

I have never reset the Apex before. If I use the paper clip trick would that completely reset it back to new? or just kind of do a hard reboot on the whole thing and my coding will stay?

JBKReef · Mar 13, 2023

rtparty said:
Unplug the head unit and plug it back in

The standard IT approach, it does fix a lot of problems.

Do you mean plug/unplug from power or the hardlined ethernet?

HankstankXXL750 · Mar 13, 2023

JBKReef said:
I have never reset the Apex before. If I use the paper clip trick would that completely reset it back to new? or just kind of do a hard reboot on the whole thing and my coding will stay?

Your coding will stay. I have had to do it a few times on one of my units. I have 7 units and it has always been the same unit for whatever reason. It is either a little more advanced than unplugging it, or Neptune added it so you wouldn’t have to reach behind your tank to unplug and reply.

JBKReef · Mar 13, 2023

HankstankXXXL750 said:
Your coding will stay. I have had to do it a few times on one of my units. I have 7 units and it has always been the same unit for whatever reason. It is either a little more advanced than unplugging it, or Neptune added it so you wouldn’t have to reach behind your tank to unplug and reply.

Thanks for the quick responses!

HankstankXXL750 · Mar 13, 2023

((FORDTECH)) said:
When daylight savings time changes, it generally seems to mess with the graphs of those long as the readings are fine I would say give it two days for the graphs to start populating properly again, hopefully that’s it

I hadn’t considered DST either. Interesting.

JBKReef · Mar 13, 2023

If anyone comes to this page later having the same issue- here is a breakdown of how to rese the head unit

rtparty · Mar 13, 2023

Literally just unplug the power cable and plug it back in. Problem solved

Lbrdsoxfan · Mar 13, 2023

rtparty said:
Unplug the head unit and plug it back in

This. My A2 flatlined on graphing due to the time change yesterday. It stopped recording data @ 01:50 Sunday morning. Soft reboot fixed it.

The A1's chugged through it... Says something about old tech, lol.

Charlie the Reefer · Mar 13, 2023

Great suggestions - another culprit is if you changed the flow pattern in your sump somehow. I.e. , you have a heater somewhere in your sump (or two), and you have an Apex temp probe, and a Inkbird temp probe.

Well, if all the sudden you have UV output or some other reactor changing the flow pattern, it could change the readings on your probes.

I see probe changes all the time when I switch out carbon / GFO / UV reactors. Just something else to think about / examine.

JBKReef · Mar 13, 2023

Charlie the Reefer said:
Great suggestions - another culprit is if you changed the flow pattern in your sump somehow. I.e. , you have a heater somewhere in your sump (or two), and you have an Apex temp probe, and a Inkbird temp probe.

Well, if all the sudden you have UV output or some other reactor changing the flow pattern, it could change the readings on your probes.

I see probe changes all the time when I switch out carbon / GFO / UV reactors. Just something else to think about / examine.

Yup! This happened a couple months back when I switched out a DIY sump for a Trigger sump. I had to adjust the flow and locations.

I did not fire up the UV yet, so I did not consider that as the culprit. I think the reset will get the job done.

thanks!