CoralVue Hydros controller

[Geraud]

Hi folks,

Outside of the useless drama on RB, there is a newcomer in the aquarium controller world: CoralVue with the Hydros

This is their video at MACNA 2019 (I wish they would have not put the annoying loud background music).

They changed some of the form factors and the prices a bit, this is the page on their shop:

HYDROS - Brands | CoralVue

Meet HYDROS Control, your aquarium assistant & automation hub. Connect your equipment. Tell it to do things. It’s always ready to help whenever you need it.

www.coralvue.com

Hopefully this is a tried and proven product (yes, I did receive my Vertex Cerebra, and sent the boards back for exchange ?). They seem to be a bit late due to the hurricane but we should start getting reviews next week.

 

[Rebels23]

Interesting, how does this compare with the Neptune Apex?

 

[Geraud]

Interesting, how does this compare with the Neptune Apex?

Someone had made a comparison if you want the same things in terms of functionality, and the prices were not that different.

 

[Geraud]

They do have interesting modules, like the "rope" to detect water spills.

Bulk Reef Supply - Making Reefing Fun and Easy

Shop top saltwater aquarium equipment at Bulk Reef Supply. We carry everything you will need for your saltwater aquarium or reef tank.

www.marinedepot.com

 

[Geraud]

So, I got the starter kit with the Control 2. I use that on my paludarium (my main tank has the latest Apex with all the bells and whistles, but I am not the kind to put stickers all over my stand... unless they paid me to do it).

Here is what I think:
- the module is nice and looks sturdy
- setting it up was easy... once I got past the fact the links provided with the unit were wrong.
- I do not see the interest of having the connection from the controller to the powerbar be wifi: after all the controller has cables going to the probes, so...
- the app is not bad at all, but for some reason you need to wait a couple of seconds to see the status
- programming things is easy (no programming language to learn for those who are not into that)
- this also means there are some limitations. For instance I "dry" my waterfall: since I cannot program exact times for it to be off, only inside a cycle, I cannot do "dry it at noon, 6pm, midnight for 15 minutes". Instead I use a cycle of 12 hours which starts at midnight with on, and leaves the pump on for 11:30 hours.

To extend the number of ports for probes etc, you buy a new controller (used as a slave) rather than modules. So if you are going with something that has a lot of probes, the end price will be as high as the Apex.

It is good to have competition, and obviously I am waiting to see how it will perform in 6 months, a year, 5 years from now.

 

[stormi2ider]

Hi all,

Been out of the hobby for a while but starting up a 20g nano soon(limited apt space). Pondering if I should get a monitoring system (Apex, RK, or Hydros) and not sure which if I do. Other than branding and price, any benefits to choosing one or the other? Based on some preliminary research RK is the cheaper option but seems like mixed reviews online, APEX is the pricier one with better product and good online resources, and hydros I cannot find much about. Tank will have some soft corals and a couple fish, nothing crazy.

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

 

[Geraud]

Hi all,

Been out of the hobby for a while but starting up a 20g nano soon(limited apt space). Pondering if I should get a monitoring system (Apex, RK, or Hydros) and not sure which if I do. Other than branding and price, any benefits to choosing one or the other? Based on some preliminary research RK is the cheaper option but seems like mixed reviews online, APEX is the pricier one with better product and good online resources, and hydros I cannot find much about. Tank will have some soft corals and a couple fish, nothing crazy.

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

RK is gone so that's not a solution anymore.

If you want to keep things small, I would say either the Apex EL or the Control-4 kits are good. The difference in price is 100$, but the Apex EL has a 8-slot energy bar vs 4.

 

[bonomo53]

Hi all,

Been out of the hobby for a while but starting up a 20g nano soon(limited apt space). Pondering if I should get a monitoring system (Apex, RK, or Hydros) and not sure which if I do. Other than branding and price, any benefits to choosing one or the other? Based on some preliminary research RK is the cheaper option but seems like mixed reviews online, APEX is the pricier one with better product and good online resources, and hydros I cannot find much about. Tank will have some soft corals and a couple fish, nothing crazy.

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

I wouldn't even consider a reefkeeper at this point. I have briefly messed around with the hydros and I can say it is very easy to setup and set alarms and outlets. That being said they are still in the early stages and don't have much available for it. I personally use a apex with multiple modules including the dos and trident but that will not be necessary for a basic tank with softies. Its really personal preference at this point. If you want something that's been around for a long time and proven to work go with the apex el. If you want to try something new and save some money go with the hydros. If you want to see the hydros they have one on display at aquarium village.

 

[stormi2ider]

Got it, thanks for both your inputs. I was leaning towards Apex el as well. I rather go with the established product for a slightly higher price point then. Appreciate it.

 

[Geraud]

Something interesting: CoralVue might have realized that people are not that interested in 0-10V, and created a new version of the small controller called the Control XS: It looks like it has the same size as the Control 2, but instead of 2 sense ports and 2 0-10V, it has 4 sense ports and no 0-10V.

Same price as the Control 2

HYDROS Control XS (Controller Only)

A HYDROS controller with 4 Universal ports dedicated to measuring aquarium parameters. Capable of monitoring temperature, sense leaks, control outlets, send alerts, and much more.

www.coralvue.com

 

[Geraud]

Alright so... I decided to control both my vivarium and paludarium lights with 0-10V (through a device off Amazon to control LEDs that take 12-24V), as well as monitoring humidity. Since there are no 0-10V on the Control 2, I got a 4 and plugged them together into a "collective"

The good things:
- unlike Apex, 0-10V is both for input and output. You get 4 channels on each.
- it was easy to set up my probe, you just give it a slope and offset, and boom, voila, humidity measurements!
- note that CoralVue do not offer a breakout box for inputs. However Harry Aquatics does. It is a nice 3D-printed module that shipped quickly and does the job with easy to use connectors.

The not so good:
- when opening the app, it can be frustrating to see "loading the data" and a blank screen. Maybe they should cache it from the previous times to make things appear more snappy.
- the app feels clunky at times when it comes to settings things up. But it does the job... once you have figured out how to

 

[Reef Trends]

Interested in your setup as we breed geckos too!