Apex Trident Pros and Cons

[Coral reefer]

Mastertronic? Does that mean they are adding more testing capabilities?

 

[Scott Sweet]

Mastertronic? Does that mean they are adding more testing capabilities?

There is a new device about to be released from Focustronic...makers of Alkatronic. It is based on a similar principle as the Reefbot..automating the testing using standard test kits. The tests must be a liquid based test kit. Nearly all of our parameters can be tested with a liquid based approach...with various vendors providing the reagents in a liquid form. The tests that Mastertronic are targeting are nitrate, phosphate, calcium, mg. I am sure there will be others as the kits are validated. The prototype has been made and they are working on it...

 

[Coral reefer]

There is a new device about to be released from Focustronic...makers of Alkatronic. It is based on a similar principle as the Reefbot..automating the testing using standard test kits. The tests must be a liquid based test kit. Nearly all of our parameters can be tested with a liquid based approach...with various vendors providing the reagents in a liquid form. The tests that Mastertronic are targeting are nitrate, phosphate, calcium, mg. I am sure there will be others as the kits are validated. The prototype has been made and they are working on it...

Awesome. The more the merrier!

 

[Flagg37]

There is a new device about to be released from Focustronic...makers of Alkatronic. It is based on a similar principle as the Reefbot..automating the testing using standard test kits. The tests must be a liquid based test kit. Nearly all of our parameters can be tested with a liquid based approach...with various vendors providing the reagents in a liquid form. The tests that Mastertronic are targeting are nitrate, phosphate, calcium, mg. I am sure there will be others as the kits are validated. The prototype has been made and they are working on it...

I mean, I know they already have the alkatronic, but hopefully they’ll include alkalinity with those others.

 

[Scott Sweet]

I mean, I know they already have the alkatronic, but hopefully they’ll include alkalinity with those others.

Think you are misunderstanding. Alkalinity will remain with the Alkatronic. The Mastertronic will do the others in a different manner. The Alkatronic works by titrating a mild acid and then correlating that with a dKH measurement. The tests for Mastertronic will be using standard test kits and automating what we do manually to ensure better accuracy and consistency of any one test kit. The Mastertronic will not do alkalinity.

 

[ofzakaria]

Yup, now the trend from equipment vendors is to have a dedicated kh tester since kh is the most wanted and needed, then another device to test for others.
Which I think is the right strategy from customer stand point. Kh tester is the entry to test automation in my openion. Many reefers will find themself happy with kh testing alone if they are giving the choice.

 

[NanoCrazed]

Think you are misunderstanding. Alkalinity will remain with the Alkatronic. The Mastertronic will do the others in a different manner. The Alkatronic works by titrating a mild acid and then correlating that with a dKH measurement. The tests for Mastertronic will be using standard test kits and automating what we do manually to ensure better accuracy and consistency of any one test kit. The Mastertronic will not do alkalinity.

that down side though is that you one would still need to manually read and interpret the test. Unless the device can be calibrated to read different tests (likely not... due to variability and scalability). I would save me from dripping reagents and collecting samples but it won't save me the pain of deciding what shade goes with what numbers, and the extrapolation of results in between...

(full disclosure: I hate trying to interpret color readings... )

 

[Scott Sweet]

that down side though is that you one would still need to manually read and interpret the test. Unless the device can be calibrated to read different tests (likely not... due to variability and scalability). I would save me from dripping reagents and collecting samples but it won't save me the pain of deciding what shade goes with what numbers, and the extrapolation of results in between...

(full disclosure: I hate trying to interpret color readings... )

Uh..no. I am not sure what you mean. The Mastertronic will be calibrated to work with specific brands of test kits...say Red Sea Phosphate. When you schedule a test, the device knows it has the Red Sea Phosphate test reagent in the system. It will draw the proper tank water volume, put in the reagent, exactly, mix..wait and then read the color using a colorimeter type device...similar to how Hanna does it. The result will be recorded and then provided to you on a smartphone application.

There is no manual doing of anything nor reading of anything. Does this make sense?

It is similar to the ReefBot by ReefKinetics.com. I have both the ReefBot and the Alkatronic...and anxiously awaiting for the Mastertronic. The kinds of tests the Reefbot can do is likely to be bigger than the Mastertronic upon release...but the Mastertronic will have the key ones we all want...CA, Mg, Nitrate, Phosphate.

@JVU maybe you want to do a meeting on these technologies for club members? I am a tech junkie LOL. Zoom or live...whichever makes sense . My tank is fully automated...I do manual checks to verify, but I don't actively do many manual tests as I rely on automation/technology .

 

[Scott Sweet]

Yup, now the trend from equipment vendors is to have a dedicated kh tester since kh is the most wanted and needed, then another device to test for others.
Which I think is the right strategy from customer stand point. Kh tester is the entry to test automation in my openion. Many reefers will find themself happy with kh testing alone if they are giving the choice.

Yes..you are right. Further...you want to control dosing based on the testing. I dose Core7 and it is controlled by the measured dKH of the Alkatronic with the Dosetronic . It also adjusts the amount of dosing based on the measured dKH as it changes.

 

[ofzakaria]

Yes..you are right. Further...you want to control dosing based on the testing. I dose Core7 and it is controlled by the measured dKH of the Alkatronic with the Dosetronic . It also adjusts the amount of dosing based on the measured dKH as it changes.

That's the way to go. I do the same using the khg for years.

 

[NanoCrazed]

Uh..no. I am not sure what you mean. The Mastertronic will be calibrated to work with specific brands of test kits...say Red Sea Phosphate. When you schedule a test, the device knows it has the Red Sea Phosphate test reagent in the system. It will draw the proper tank water volume, put in the reagent, exactly, mix..wait and then read the color using a colorimeter type device...similar to how Hanna does it. The result will be recorded and then provided to you on a smartphone application.

There is no manual doing of anything nor reading of anything. Does this make sense?

It is similar to the ReefBot by ReefKinetics.com. I have both the ReefBot and the Alkatronic...and anxiously awaiting for the Mastertronic. The kinds of tests the Reefbot can do is likely to be bigger than the Mastertronic upon release...but the Mastertronic will have the key ones we all want...CA, Mg, Nitrate, Phosphate.

@JVU maybe you want to do a meeting on these technologies for club members? I am a tech junkie LOL. Zoom or live...whichever makes sense . My tank is fully automated...I do manual checks to verify, but I don't actively do many manual tests as I rely on automation/technology .

Aaaah.... ok. Didn't realize they would have settings for different tests. So are they going to sell calibration solution that's been fully standardized?

 

[Scott Sweet]

Aaaah.... ok. Didn't realize they would have settings for different tests. So are they going to sell calibration solution that's been fully standardized?

No. You use the actual test kit. You pour the reagents in to vials that the system will use as if you were doing the test manually. The system basically does what you would do manually...just exactly the same way every time.

 

[NanoCrazed]

No. You use the actual test kit. You pour the reagents in to vials that the system will use as if you were doing the test manually. The system basically does what you would do manually...just exactly the same way every time.

So my original point holds then. You get a system that performs the steps to create consistency but you would have to perform the reading visually yourself... so the device doesn't perform readings like a hanna. Correct?

 

[Scott Sweet]

So my original point holds then. You get a system that performs the steps to create consistency but you would have to perform the reading visually yourself... so the device doesn't perform readings like a hanna. Correct?

No...the machine does the collecting, mixing and reading for you. You schedule with your smartphone...and when completed...view the final numbers on your phone....ie. 0.15ppm

 

[max_nano]

That's the way to go. I do the same using the khg for years.

I am tempted to use the khg and all for reef. Seems perfect for the 4 dosing pumps, kicking myself for not just getting the combo when I picked up the doser

 

[ofzakaria]

I am tempted to use the khg and all for reef. Seems perfect for the 4 dosing pumps, kicking myself for not just getting the combo when I picked up the doser

Khg test and dose. So you do not need to have a doser for the alk.

 

[max_nano]

Khg test and dose. So you do not need to have a doser for the alk.

‍ I always mix up kh guardian and kh director. I was talking about the kh director since it requires 3 heads

 

[Scott Sweet]

‍*facepalm* I always mix up kh guardian and kh director. I was talking about the kh director since it requires 3 heads

I used to have a KHDirector. I hated the s/w. The way you get the KH Director to manage dosing is so not intuitive. I really like their dosing pumps though.

 

[max_nano]

I used to have a KHDirector. I hated the s/w. The way you get the KH Director to manage dosing is so not intuitive. I really like their dosing pumps though.

Yeah I can see that happening. Setup has not been intuitive, but I think the functionality will be worth it. I need to spend some time learning it

 

[ofzakaria]

‍ I always mix up kh guardian and kh director. I was talking about the kh director since it requires 3 heads

Yeh cost wise khg take the win in my books. Cheaper and I can return the test sample back to the sump.