rygh
Guest
As some may know, I bought a ReefBot automatic water tester about a month ago.
https://www.reefkinetics.com
Unlike the others, this is basically a robot with vials, servos, syringes that mimics how you test.
General:
It does work, I am glad I have it, but it has a ways to go to be perfect.
Why did I pick ReefBot?
1) I knew it would work.
It just mechanizes tests I do myself. No new fancy testing methods.
Just a robot to do what I procrastinate on doing.
2) It was available.
Other devices are out of stock, may not exist, or who knows.
3) It does the tests I do now.
I want Calcium + Alkalinity + Phosphate.
As a bonus it can do Nitrate or Magnesium. For now I chose Nitrate.
4) It uses standard reagents.
No problems getting those long term, and they are cheap.
Would I recommend it?
Well ... maybe ... somewhat.
If you are fairly DIY friendly and have a really large tank it could work well for you.
My real recommendation if you are not sure - WAIT.
Wait for longer term reviews on ReefBot, Trident, and Mindstream.
Wait for generation 2 on all of them, after they fix the inevitable problems.
Mindstream is the best if you look at raw features, But I am highly skeptical.
Trident will likely be the best integrated, with the best productization and support.
Setup:
It is trivial to unbox and get going.
Although the documents could have been a little bit better.
I did have an issue with some errant packing foam, but no big deal.
However: This thing is BIG.
Full installation means finding a good spot for the box and RODI and Waste water.
This is a big deal if your sump is crowded.
Testing ability and accuracy:
It uses standard API/Salifert reagents, and generally mimics the tests you do.
This, the results match what you do.
For example:
Machine reports 10 dkH using API. If I use API, I get exactly the same thing.
If I use Salifert, I get around 9.8. Within the margin of error.
So I would call it "accurate."
Certainly accurate enough for our needs, and no worse than current testing.
You get 8 spots for reagents. You can mix and match to decide what you want.
There is a growing list of tests it can perform.
But in general, you will most like test: Alkalinity, Calcium, Phosphate, then either Magnesium or Nitrate.
You can set your tests from hourly to yearly. Fully programmable.
And each test type can have a different rate. Like Alk daily and Nitrate weekly.
Reliability:
So far there has only been one "failure" where the little magnet stirrer popped out.
They provided spares. And it should be somewhere in the box anyway.
Tests work reliably and values are repeatable.
However, there are two concerns long term:
The enclosure is not even splash resistant, let alone moisture.
There are quite a few moving parts.
So I do worry about long term corrosion and wear.
Maintenance:
You need to empty waste water and fill RODI water.
You can in theory make both of those unlimited with the right setup, but otherwise
weekly to monthly depending on container sizes.
You need to change the syringe every 60 tests.
You need to change the reagents when empty, which varies.
The app warns you on maintenance items before it fails.
Reagent use:
This is one thing that gave a bit of a surprise.
Some reagents, especially Alk, are used far more than expected per test,
where others are fairly normal.
But even then, it is not some huge amount.
I hear they are working on this.
Costs:
Initial cost is large. $800.
Reagent and long term costs are very cheap since it uses off the shelf reagents,
plus you can adjust how often you test.
Phone App:
Everything is done through their phone app. Smartphone is required to operate.
I would call the app reliable but mediocre.
It works. It has most features. It does not crash.
But it is rather confusing to use, and is missing a few things.
But I do believe they are working to improve it.
https://www.reefkinetics.com
Unlike the others, this is basically a robot with vials, servos, syringes that mimics how you test.
General:
It does work, I am glad I have it, but it has a ways to go to be perfect.
Why did I pick ReefBot?
1) I knew it would work.
It just mechanizes tests I do myself. No new fancy testing methods.
Just a robot to do what I procrastinate on doing.
2) It was available.
Other devices are out of stock, may not exist, or who knows.
3) It does the tests I do now.
I want Calcium + Alkalinity + Phosphate.
As a bonus it can do Nitrate or Magnesium. For now I chose Nitrate.
4) It uses standard reagents.
No problems getting those long term, and they are cheap.
Would I recommend it?
Well ... maybe ... somewhat.
If you are fairly DIY friendly and have a really large tank it could work well for you.
My real recommendation if you are not sure - WAIT.
Wait for longer term reviews on ReefBot, Trident, and Mindstream.
Wait for generation 2 on all of them, after they fix the inevitable problems.
Mindstream is the best if you look at raw features, But I am highly skeptical.
Trident will likely be the best integrated, with the best productization and support.
Setup:
It is trivial to unbox and get going.
Although the documents could have been a little bit better.
I did have an issue with some errant packing foam, but no big deal.
However: This thing is BIG.
Full installation means finding a good spot for the box and RODI and Waste water.
This is a big deal if your sump is crowded.
Testing ability and accuracy:
It uses standard API/Salifert reagents, and generally mimics the tests you do.
This, the results match what you do.
For example:
Machine reports 10 dkH using API. If I use API, I get exactly the same thing.
If I use Salifert, I get around 9.8. Within the margin of error.
So I would call it "accurate."
Certainly accurate enough for our needs, and no worse than current testing.
You get 8 spots for reagents. You can mix and match to decide what you want.
There is a growing list of tests it can perform.
But in general, you will most like test: Alkalinity, Calcium, Phosphate, then either Magnesium or Nitrate.
You can set your tests from hourly to yearly. Fully programmable.
And each test type can have a different rate. Like Alk daily and Nitrate weekly.
Reliability:
So far there has only been one "failure" where the little magnet stirrer popped out.
They provided spares. And it should be somewhere in the box anyway.
Tests work reliably and values are repeatable.
However, there are two concerns long term:
The enclosure is not even splash resistant, let alone moisture.
There are quite a few moving parts.
So I do worry about long term corrosion and wear.
Maintenance:
You need to empty waste water and fill RODI water.
You can in theory make both of those unlimited with the right setup, but otherwise
weekly to monthly depending on container sizes.
You need to change the syringe every 60 tests.
You need to change the reagents when empty, which varies.
The app warns you on maintenance items before it fails.
Reagent use:
This is one thing that gave a bit of a surprise.
Some reagents, especially Alk, are used far more than expected per test,
where others are fairly normal.
But even then, it is not some huge amount.
I hear they are working on this.
Costs:
Initial cost is large. $800.
Reagent and long term costs are very cheap since it uses off the shelf reagents,
plus you can adjust how often you test.
Phone App:
Everything is done through their phone app. Smartphone is required to operate.
I would call the app reliable but mediocre.
It works. It has most features. It does not crash.
But it is rather confusing to use, and is missing a few things.
But I do believe they are working to improve it.
