Talk to me about Hydros

[griss]

Since the used system came with a Hydros X3 and XP8, I’m thinking about going Hydros and selling the Apex components.

Anyone using Hydros? I find figuring out what I want very confusing.

My main lighting 6 Euroquatics have their own programming so I won’t need to control them. But, I’ll be using 2-3 light bars I’ll want to control.

Powerheads will be Jebaos so I won’t need to control them.

I’ll want to monitor pH and control temperature.

Likely will want to have the main pump and skimmer easily turned off by the Hydros app.

Can I have a second pH monitor/control for a Ca reactor with the X3 and XP8 or do I need to add another module for that?

I will likely want a overflow/water in the floor sensor too.

Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

@Markk96

 

[wvned]

X3 2 sense ports. You plug sensors - water level (several types), temp sensors, leak, flow, TDS .
Control - HYDROS by Coralvue - Sense Port Accessories - SaltwaterAquarium.com

1 probe port accepts a typical pH or ORP probe of any brand like pinpoint

XP8
8 controlled AC ports that work if WIFI is down.

You can have other WIFI based power strips in addition to this.
The command ports are where power plugs in and data travels between the controllers. There is no redundancy in power so I have an extra power brick on hand. Unused command ports have a plug that must be used in them.

The trick to owning hydros is matching what you buy to the ports you need. I have XS, X3 and X4 controllers in a collective. Once joined this way all of them look like one big unit and all of the ports on any un it are addressed by the program with drop down menus.

You would need another controller to get a second probe port.
1 more on an x3 or 2 more on an X4
I run 2 pH probes (system and kalk) and 1 orp probe in the system by the Ozone reactor.

They have all kinds of controllers now for dosing, power considation of wavemakers, the wave engine. All kinds of things II never looked at.
I started with the XS that got me ATO/AWC and grew from there.

X4

This drives the valves on my RODI filter (2 drive ports) 4 sensors like water or skimmate level and 2 probe ports for ORP, pH.

All the controllers now. Control - HYDROS

Ask me if you have a question and there are a bunch of new controllers that do things I dont have any use for. I control a simple BRS AC doser for kalk with mine but most of my chems are on a 7 port doser that runs itself. I had the MH/T5 on it buy not the new lights.
I plug several heaters into a power strip and plugged that into an AC port on a WIFI power strip. I have 3x600w of heaters on 3 different strips. 10 amps per strip. That leaves 400watts for the other 3 outlets. Plenty for most aquarium things like pumps.
Both my skimmers and Ozone shut down when the 5 gallon slim mate bucket is full.

Programming is done by filling out premade forms and selecting inputs and outputs and how they interact.
Odd things are done using generic devices. You can use logical relations like If A and B are on then do C.
There are also schedules to control things by day, hours on, times a day, days a week. all kinds of ways.
It's simple or complicated depending on what you want to do. But it is easy to get important stuff going like heaters
It has never tried my patience trying to do what I want.
Also my WIFI is backed by whole house generator so it is never down long. It works fine without internet. You cant alter the program but you can turn things on and off by using bluetooth locally. They just changed something about that but I am not sure what with a recent firmware update.

Firmware is updated frequently and bugs have been repaired quickly typically in a few weeks to a month.

I had an issue with a controller and worked with Carlos to open it and reseat a memory card you don't normally mess with. I had a quirky skim mate level sensor and they sent me a new one no questions asked and never mentioned the old one.

I am a big fan. Hydros got my systems through the dark days of knee surgeries and a few vacations relatively intact.
You can view inputs either as current or historically

Owe owe finger cramps. I cant believe I typed all that.

 

[griss]

Thank you.

 

[wvned]

for example
this is ATO/AWC programming form
It says
Use the system water level sensor to fill to
There is no sensor to drain down to, Run the drain pump 7 minutes.
It lists where the drain, NSW fill and ATO fill pumps are plugged in on power strip one.
What modes it runs in, Modes can best be described different programs that can be activated so a group of activities are on or off. In my case I have Nornal and No Water Change. The mode No Water Change simply deactivates the schedule that triggers this. The ATO still works,
I name the schedule that runs AWC. AWC-2.
ATO Depends on - All Systems Go. All system Go is a logical operator I built that makes sure two outputs are true.
AWC Go and ATO Go. That makes sure the ATO has the tank full and not in alarm and my NSW tank has sufficient water.
These are outputs that each read a water level sensor input and output (that's why they are programmed outputs) what you want it to mean. If the NSW tank sensor is wet = AWVGo is on or true. If the RODI tank low level sensor is wet = ATOGo is true so the ATO has filled the tank to the water level sensor in the system. When both are true = All Systems Go is true so the AWC can run.
If it is not on no AWC happens.

Inputs can be used in several places in programming. Outputs can only be programmed once and turned on one way. BUT that way can be a logical operator that says if A OR B is true then turn on.
Logical operators are built with outputs and become a new output themselves. So one output can happen or groups of outputs can make another output happen.
That was the hardest concept for me. You program with outputs.
Sounds complicated - Just remember inputs give the controller information, You tell the controller what it means by creating an output from it. For example. A water level sensor can be wet or dry. A tank sensor output turns when it is dry. A skimmate level sensor turns on when it is wet.

ramblin on now

 

[Markk96]

We can get you going very easily. You will need more sense ports in the future, trust me on that.

Water level sensors, Skimmer sensor, floor sensor, a couple temp probes...

The XP8 can turn off and control your skimmer and return pump easily, as well as your main power heads.

 

[wvned]

I intended to post about, an XS controller has 4 sense ports and is the cheapest one. That is what I started with, enough to do ATO/AWC with a WIFIpower strip.

A lot of people had trouble with network drops on dual band routers. I put up an old router I had with only 2.4ghx enables and plugged it into my Xfinity router with a cable. I have no drops. They may have fixed that. I dont have problems so I dont visit the Hydros forum anymore.

 

[Markk96]

Hydros for over 3 years, and never had Wifi issues, everything must be line of sight, wifi strips will not work well through water. A cheap netgear range extender for those that have issue works wonders.

 

[Cruzersmith]

So I want to get a tank set up but absolutely will need ato/awc as tank will be unattended occasionally. I see that this can be accomplished with an xs and Wi-Fi power bar. Will this work if the reservoirs are in a basement below the tank on first floor right above or is there a level up from the xs I should consider that will make this easier or work better?

 

[wvned]

So I want to get a tank set up but absolutely will need ato/awc as tank will be unattended occasionally. I see that this can be accomplished with an xs and Wi-Fi power bar. Will this work if the reservoirs are in a basement below the tank on first floor right above or is there a level up from the xs I should consider that will make this easier or work better?

Where the reservoirs are has more to do with what pumps to select for the head height. The water level sensor cables are 8 feet and you can get a 9 foot extension for them if needed. You can add multiple Wi-Fi strips if you want one at the tank and one by the reservoirs as long as you have good signal.

 

[Cruzersmith]

thanks. Yeah I figure I would have to do my own ato as the pump would have to be more than comes with their ato system. I also assume it would have to be line voltage as that higher head pump might require more power than the 3amp DC supply available. My understanding is the Wi-Fi power strip can be downstairs and the controller remains by the tank and controls the pump through Wi-Fi remotely?

 

[wvned]

thanks. Yeah I figure I would have to do my own ato as the pump would have to be more than comes with their ato system. I also assume it would have to be line voltage as that higher head pump might require more power than the 3amp DC supply available. My understanding is the Wi-Fi power strip can be downstairs and the controller remains by the tank and controls the pump through Wi-Fi remotely?

yes I use 3 AC pumps for this.

 

[Cruzersmith]

Curious about how you all using hydros feel about no api? This to me is while maybe not a deal breaker is a big concern especially being that many have been asking and waiting for quite some time.

 

[Cruzersmith]

I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my newbie questions. I really like most of what I’ve learned so far but I’ve learned about an issue that I’m not sure there is a workaround. I was expecting to use a Wi-Fi power strip in the basement for my ato/awc reservoirs but have discovered that if Wi-Fi power is lost during a pump run during either run that the power strip remains in the state it was at when communication was lost until restored. Well I can count on my isp dropping out once or twice a year lately for hours at a time and if that happened during a pump run I would lose my wife license to have an aquarium and battery backup won’t work when my isp sucks this way.

 

[wvned]

I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my newbie questions. I really like most of what I’ve learned so far but I’ve learned about an issue that I’m not sure there is a workaround. I was expecting to use a Wi-Fi power strip in the basement for my ato/awc reservoirs but have discovered that if Wi-Fi power is lost during a pump run during either run that the power strip remains in the state it was at when communication was lost until restored. Well I can count on my isp dropping out once or twice a year lately for hours at a time and if that happened during a pump run I would lose my wife license to have an aquarium and battery backup won’t work when my isp sucks this way.

It isnt your internet that has to stay up. It is your home network that matters. I have 5 WIFI power strips and have never had a problem. I have a home generator for power outages also. As long as my router has power FISHNET works and Hydros communicates.
If you are deeply worried about this, you get an X8 that is controlled through the command bus and not WIFI. There is a graphic about the X8 above.

 

[n2585722]

Checkout my build thread here on Reef Central. It has a lot of info on the Hydros system. I currently have 15 controllers in my collective and two others that are running stand alone. In a collective the controllers share data with each other so you can use inputs form other controllers to control outputs on different controller. They act like one larger controller with all the inputs and outputs of the member controllers. They all have to be connected together using command bus cables in a daisy chain fashion. Then you need two terminators one on each of the controllers at each end of the daisy chain. I control quite a lot of things with mine and I post about it all in my build thread here on Reef Central.

 

[n2585722]

So I want to get a tank set up but absolutely will need ato/awc as tank will be unattended occasionally. I see that this can be accomplished with an xs and Wi-Fi power bar. Will this work if the reservoirs are in a basement below the tank on first floor right above or is there a level up from the xs I should consider that will make this easier or work better?

I would not use wifi outlets for ATO, AWC or dosing. Get a controller with drive ports and use the small Hydros ATO pump or a simple doser hooked to a drive port. On wifi outlets if communication is lost they will remain in the state they are in when the communication is lost. So if they are on they will stay on until communications is restored no matter how long that takes. That would not ge good if an outlet were to get stuck on when a ATO, AWC or dosing pump was running. If you need to use AC power pumps the use a XP8 or a Launch since those are controllers with AC outlets connected directly to the controller so they do not rely on wifi between the controller and AC outlets.

 

[n2585722]

thanks. Yeah I figure I would have to do my own ato as the pump would have to be more than comes with their ato system. I also assume it would have to be line voltage as that higher head pump might require more power than the 3amp DC supply available. My understanding is the Wi-Fi power strip can be downstairs and the controller remains by the tank and controls the pump through Wi-Fi remotely?

I use a dosing pump in my garage where my DI reservoir is locater and the tubing runs through the attic on insulated PVC conduit down the wall and out to the tank. I have used a Hydros simple doser for doing this. Currently I have a Sole doing it. I got a Sole to try out and that is where I decided to test it is on the ATO. The simple doser runs off a drive port.

 

[n2585722]

I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my newbie questions. I really like most of what I’ve learned so far but I’ve learned about an issue that I’m not sure there is a workaround. I was expecting to use a Wi-Fi power strip in the basement for my ato/awc reservoirs but have discovered that if Wi-Fi power is lost during a pump run during either run that the power strip remains in the state it was at when communication was lost until restored. Well I can count on my isp dropping out once or twice a year lately for hours at a time and if that happened during a pump run I would lose my wife license to have an aquarium and battery backup won’t work when my isp sucks this way.

You can get data only command bus cables in longer lengths so you can have controllers in your basement and at your tank in the same collective. I don't have a basement but I have several controllers in my garage when my Reservoirs, mixing station and RODI unit are located. I control all of those with my Hydros. I also have several controllers at my tank. I have 15 controllers in the collective. So as long as you can run a cable between the two places you should be ok.

 

[Cruzersmith]

Thanks I’ll check it out.