Where to start with Hydros
- Thread starter MarcosD
- Start date
You can do different things like feed mode/water change or have it turn equipment on/off like a skimmer pump or return pump. Nice if you don't want to go into your phone all the time to do that stuff. I think it's useful if you go on vacation and are having someone watching your tank, they can just press buttons to do stuff.
But you're covered on the feeding part with your Plank and you can have Hydros turn off the return pump on a schedule to match your feeding times. And if you aren't gone too long, you can forgo someone else doing a water change.
Exactly, but this gives the option to use those modes with physical buttons and switches at your tank, vs using the app, which requires phone in hand, access to the app (ie only you), and active internet.
It’s not required, but some people find it very useful.
You can share app access with people while you're away too. My mom regularly uses it to activate feed mode while I'm not there.
MarcosD
Supporting Member
My mom can barely use her own phone lol. I haven’t looked at the hydros app yet but I’m not too confident she’ll get it. I think having a button for her to press would be easier if I ever need it
divewsharks
Supporting Member
I have one on one of my systems w/ Apex. Physical switch to do a few things as mentioned plus a full Kill. If something goes awry and water is going places it shouldn't; without having to find my phone and turn stuff off (or my wife trying to call me) - lift the safety cover and flip the switch to turn off all things that move water.
Captain Ron
Supporting Member
I think I bought my apex jr 10 years ago new for like $100. I know my tank is nothing compared to everyone else's but I think all this stuff is nuts. To each their own I guess. I occasionally read about people that have poured thousands of dollars into all these controllers. Unless you are setting up some sort of automated testing/dosing feedback loop I just don't see the point. A $500+ controller for a button to control a timer? If you like toys and have the money to spend on this then more power to you I guess. An automated tester that worked would be cool. Still waiting for that. I built my own automated alk tester from scratch before the 1st retail unit hit the market but humidity eventually ate out the motor so I dropped that. I know I should hit delete instead of "post reply"... anyhow, my unsolicited advice is to think carefully about what you actually really need and go from there. For me I never progressed past the Apex Jr. And a big 'Ole power strip. (Well that and I eventually caved and got a totally overpriced tunse ato to replace my float switches and homegrown ato). Today with temperature switched outlets I probably wouldn't even bother with the Apex Jr.
divewsharks
Supporting Member
Not sure the price today on the button break-put boxes as i have not checked; but when i bought mine it was about $45 add-on.
Alexander1312
Supporting Member
I'm not sure if I understand it correctly. I believe you were referring more broadly to overinvestment into these controllers, or was it just a focused comment regarding these physical buttons?
I do tend to spend more money on this hobby—less so because I have the money to spend it but more because I do when I see the cost-benefit.
The disaster prevention argument is a key reason for me.
Also, the ability to use cheaper gyres (wave engine) for outstanding flow and more affordable but fantastic lights (0-10v ports) offsets a lot of the cost for a controller compared to what MP40s, Radions, or Kessil lights cost. There are cheaper wave makers, but I am camp gyres 100%.
Now, the XP8 was one investment I only made to use the expensive Avast auto feeder, so I could feed in 30-second intervals vs 1 minute, which was the lower limit that KASA allowed. There are cheaper ways to do this, so this purchase was questionable. But the one time this feeder dumped all of the food into the tank was because we accidentally pressed the button in the KASA app by swiping it out. This is far less likely to happen now.
I agree with your sentiment in principle, but there are far too many ‘rational’ arguments that can convince one to spend all this money on technology instead of focusing on the animals we keep .
P.S.: Autotesting is something I do not support. Except maybe Alk. But I am not there yet. Testing the water is connecting with the tank. Like water change. I do not automate this.
Captain Ron
Supporting Member
Yes I was basically referring more broadly to the potential overinvestment in these controllers. It appears you have given a great deal of thought in how they will work for you in your system. For some simpler functions as you note, the intelligence has moved into the peripherals. For smaller $60 lights, some atos, some smaller less expensive wavemakers, automation has started to be included in them. I guess I am more personally inclined to keep it simple or atleast no more complicated than my perceived immediate needs.
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Alexander1312
Supporting Member
I am hijacking this post to ask a related question: How do you guys connect the Hydros devices to your power back up?
I currently have the XP8 connected to the Ecoflow Delta 2, and yesterday moved the 600 watt heater to the XP8. Since then the Delta 2 keeps using the fan almost constantly, due to re-charging I assume? Is there a more intelligent way to connect the Hydros devices to the power back up - specifically if the XP8 (or Wifi Power Strip) is used?
Just to clarify, I understand that connecting a high power device such a heater to a power back up might to not make sense, but I am not sure how to connect the other low power devices then, or rather to separately connect them to the power back up?
I currently have the XP8 connected to the Ecoflow Delta 2, and yesterday moved the 600 watt heater to the XP8. Since then the Delta 2 keeps using the fan almost constantly, due to re-charging I assume? Is there a more intelligent way to connect the Hydros devices to the power back up - specifically if the XP8 (or Wifi Power Strip) is used?
Just to clarify, I understand that connecting a high power device such a heater to a power back up might to not make sense, but I am not sure how to connect the other low power devices then, or rather to separately connect them to the power back up?
I don't really count because I have a Powerwall on each system's house. I would use an eco flow if I needed though to back up Hydros controllers and the flow pumps, but not the heaters or lights. I look at these backups just the be something to prevent asphyxiation until you can find a solution, not something to keep the tank going for multiple days.
I can count at least 4 times Hydros has saved my tank from a major issue or potential crash while away or on vacation. Paid for itself and more.
I can count at least 4 times Hydros has saved my tank from a major issue or potential crash while away or on vacation. Paid for itself and more.
MarcosD
Supporting Member
Yeah the new Hydros ones are only $80
MarcosD
Supporting Member
I see what you’re trying to say and I honestly used to feel that way too. Recently there’s a few things that have made me want to go the controller route. I was gone for only two days to LA for a funeral and I came back and my ATO had failed. Thankfully the water level in the return chamber was not low enough where it stopped but it was shooting a ton of micro bubbles into the display. If I had been gone any longer then it would’ve been bad. If I had a controller, I at least would’ve known and could’ve had a neighbor or friend go top it off. I also had surgery a couple of days ago. I wish I had setup an autodoser, the avast plank, maybe some AWC before all of this. I won’t be able to lift more than 10lbs for a couple of weeks so if anything goes wrong I’m basically useless. I mostly have been feeding frozen so someone has been helping me just drop a cube in the tank daily to feed the fed. Yesterday I used the bettix bottle and put the amount of AFR needed to dose and passed it to my brother to pour it into the tank since its hard for me to get out of bed and he basically kept pouring more than the amount I had pre measured for him. Don’t know how much he overdosed but I don’t think it was too much. A doser would’ve prevented that and an AWC system would’ve helped me correct the situation. I also leave town a lot especially in the summers to that’s the value I see in the button boxes because I’ll usually have someone from home take care of the tank for me. As I started investing more and more into my livestock, I see more of a reason to invest into a controller as a preventive measure and to automate tasks when I can’t do it. I think for a lot of things, there’s nothing better than doing it yourself, but I need to think about for when I can’t do it.
Very many people go from less robust controller/backup/safety systems to more robust systems, and very few go from more robust to less robust. And people with less robust systems are much more likely to have hobby-ending crashes. Or at least crashes that make it so that when they reboot they have a more robust system. To each his own though.
MarcosD
Supporting Member
Good question, I’m also curious
You're right I think it's your heater that's causing the issues with the Delta 2. The energy consumption of the heater and the charging rate of the Ecoflow are probably very close, so the Ecoflow is trying to keep pace but never catches up, or it takes a very long time to catch up.
All the Hydros backup battery and low power mode stuff I read about is mainly geared towards keeping pumps running. I found this article that has an interesting DIY solution, but I don't think it solves your issue if you want to run the heater as well: https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/th...detection-w-o-icecap-battery-or-we-wele.1428/
I have my MP10 hooked up to an Ecoflow River 2. When the power goes out the MP10 can run for 30+ hours and provides flow and enough surface agitation for gas exchange (I think, I should post a video for a second opinion). If it's an extended duration power outage and I need heat I have a camp stove and can heat up water to put in water bottles. I don't have 150+ gallon water volume like you though.
Be very careful with heaters and the ecoflow devices. I've almost killed my tank 3 times doing that. Twice last week.
The issue is the ecoflows have a max output restriction. If you shoot past it, the entire AC output turns off and doesn't reactivate until you manually turn it back on.
What happened to me this week was I forgot about that, and had plugged in an extra heater into my frag tank's _critical_ power strip when I was setting up a holding tank that I needed to get up to temperature quickly. That was fine during the day, but at 11pm at night (based on my nest camera), it must've ramped up to full output and then the ecoflow flipped off. That meant until the next morning I had only a bubbler running. Luckily I keep a heater in the frag display so it only dropped to 73ish.
This embarrassingly happened again last night because I completely blanked and did the same thing again yesterday when trying to heat up a water change.
In the past I've had this happen on my main display tank too. I couldn't figure out wtf was happening, why I'd wake up and my tank would be completely off. After a couple times I finally realized it was this triggering. No warning notices from the ecoflow.
It's not due to power outages, purely the device trying to guard too high output. A similar issue actually has happened to me using my car as a backup battery during an outage...
Different units have different max outputs, but I'd be very careful having anything beyond a small, backup, 100w or so, heater on one. Especially given their max draw are startup seems likely to be beyond their standard rating.
Frag tank: River pro with backup battery
Peninsula: delta 2 with backup battery
Also, as another reason not to, the ecoflows aren't lossless on AC. There's a double transform ac-dc-ac going on, is my understanding. Therefore the 500w heater might be costing you 600w to run (my vague recollection being they are under 80% efficient).
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MarcosD
Supporting Member
Ok just to make sure I get this right.
So my frag tank is a few feet from the display. If I want to tie it into Hydros to monitor ph, temp, and ATO I should be able to do that with the X4 I currently have right? Or should I get another smaller controller for that tank?
There’s 4 sense ports:
-Tank 1 ATO level sensor
-Tank 2 ATO level sensor
-Tank 1 Temp probe
-Tank 2 Temp probe
2 Drive Ports
-Tank 1 ATO pump
-Tank 2 ATO pump
2 Probe Ports
-Tank 1 pH Probe
-Tank 2 pH Probe
0-10V In
Button Box
That just leaves me with the 0-10V Out empty which I don’t know what could go there. Does this sound logical?
So my frag tank is a few feet from the display. If I want to tie it into Hydros to monitor ph, temp, and ATO I should be able to do that with the X4 I currently have right? Or should I get another smaller controller for that tank?
There’s 4 sense ports:
-Tank 1 ATO level sensor
-Tank 2 ATO level sensor
-Tank 1 Temp probe
-Tank 2 Temp probe
2 Drive Ports
-Tank 1 ATO pump
-Tank 2 ATO pump
2 Probe Ports
-Tank 1 pH Probe
-Tank 2 pH Probe
0-10V In
Button Box
That just leaves me with the 0-10V Out empty which I don’t know what could go there. Does this sound logical?