Coming Soon! Hydros SOLE continuous duty 300ml/min smart doser

[kenchilada]

I have not had an issue with mine other than the bubbles in the reagent line and I pulled it off and flushed it out good with water using a syringe. Then reinstalled them and so far no issues.

I wish it were bubbles. Support even had me send in a video, no bubbles. They can’t figure it out. I’m going to try moving everything really close together and shortening the tubing, otherwise I’ll just keep my Alkatronic because it’s always been rock solid.

 

[kenchilada]

I’ve had the same problem with my x10 and iV combo. It’s essentially an expensive paperweight at this point because I disconnected it for very unreliable results.

Did you try support? They weren’t much help for me and the result was kind of a shrug and “oh well”.

 

[Atalien2005]

Did you try support? They weren’t much help for me and the result was kind of a shrug and “oh well”.

Yes it took over a month of back and forth with support before Conner stepped in and did provide great support. Him and I did a lot of troubleshooting but still no real solution long term. The results drifted again and now I just get an error.

 

[kenchilada]

Yes it took over a month of back and forth with support before Conner stepped in and did provide great support. Him and I did a lot of troubleshooting but still no real solution long term. The results drifted again and now I just get an error.

It’s weird because I’ve seen people say there’s is solid. I’ve changed to a glass probe and everything, but mine will be accurate for a few test’s and then it just becomes unstable and jumps around by a point.

 

[JeffB418]

The whole ecosystem makes no sense to me. You are spending a lot of money on stand alone controllers that chain together, but don’t need to be stand alone controllers and therefore could cost a fraction of what they do. I may be in the minority, best it feels very poorly thought out, almost random as to how the ecosystem has progressed.

Actually the way that Hydros designed their ecosystem allows them to design/develop new devices much quicker and efficiently. Every device runs the same firmware baseline, which/what perf functions are called are based on what the device actually is. This allows them to share much of the code/functionality between devices and not have to maintain a codeline for every device. So in reality the "controller in every device" concept becomes a benefit and really doesn't add much overall cost to design/maintenance. Even if the device was stand alone, or a slave module, it would still need to have a MCU. Other things add up and make up the cost of most of these devices.

Plus the market for aquarium controllers is not as large as other markets so general manufacturing costs, engineering, support, and more make up a higher per unit % than if it was a standard consumer good where sales volumes are much higher and that NRE (non reoccurring engineering) could be spread out across a much larger amount of product, hence lowering the price.

 

[apb03]

Oh wow, this is excellent news. I can swap out my Versas for these.

 

[braaap]

Oh wow, this is excellent news. I can swap out my Versas for these.

Why would you get rid of excellent dosing pumps for this thing?

This is going to be a good device. But I would never swap out Versas for this. Especially considering the form factor.

 

[apb03]

Why would you get rid of excellent dosing pumps for this thing?

This is going to be a good device. But I would never swap out Versas for this. Especially considering the form factor.

I have 7 Versas, and I had to RMA 5 of them. So my confidence in that product is non existent.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Seems to me you add this $40 head to a controller, say its for the reefing hobby and the price quickly gets up there...for a single head.

I'm scratching mine.

Amazon.com

 

[BZOFIQ]

I have 7 Versas, and I had to RMA 5 of them. So my confidence in that product is non existent.

That's expected with Ecotech products; not surprised you're jumping ship

 

[BeanAnimal]

Actually the way that Hydros designed their ecosystem allows them to design/develop new devices much quicker and efficiently. Every device runs the same firmware baseline, which/what perf functions are called are based on what the device actually is. This allows them to share much of the code/functionality between devices and not have to maintain a codeline for every device. So in reality the "controller in every device" concept becomes a benefit and really doesn't add much overall cost to design/maintenance. Even if the device was stand alone, or a slave module, it would still need to have a MCU. Other things add up and make up the cost of most of these devices.

Plus the market for aquarium controllers is not as large as other markets so general manufacturing costs, engineering, support, and more make up a higher per unit % than if it was a standard consumer good where sales volumes are much higher and that NRE (non reoccurring engineering) could be spread out across a much larger amount of product, hence lowering the price.

As I said, the I don't get many of the choices made in this ecosystem. It is not a single design choice or feature, but the totality. I have no hands on with the software or hardware, but do see many happy customers and my opinion is just that, my opinion.

 

[apb03]

That's expected with Ecotech products; not surprised you're jumping ship

Yeah, it's a real shame. When I started this tank, I went full-steam on Ecotech. I bought 2 Radion XR30s, 7 Versas, 2 M2s, and 2 MP40s.

The Versas haven't been nearly reliable enough to justify the cost. I can handle the time bug with the XR30s and the MP40s have been great, but the Versas need to improve. Fortunately, I'm doing good now with a hot standby, but I still have random days where it doesn't dose at all. I have no clue why.

I will feel much more comfortable controlling the pump on my Hydros instead of Mobius.

I actually do really like Mobius for a lot of reasons, if they opened up the app for 3rd party integration and improved the Versas, I'd probably stay.

 

[JeffB418]

Seems to me you add this $40 head to a controller, say its for the reefing hobby and the price quickly gets up there...for a single head.

I'm scratching mine.

Amazon.com

This is true across much of the products across the hobby. The individual cost of components is usually cheaper than the whole being sold. But the pump head is only 1 part of the whole. Hydros uses a stepper driver chip to actually drive the motor. Then there's the engineering behind that and the software functionality.

 

[BZOFIQ]

This is true across much of the products across the hobby. The individual cost of components is usually cheaper than the whole being sold. But the pump head is only 1 part of the whole. Hydros uses a stepper driver chip to actually drive the motor. Then there's the engineering behind that and the software functionality.

Then there is also packaging

I'm glad Hydros is around, it will wake the others to not fall asleep.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Hydros uses a stepper driver chip to actually drive the motor. Then there's the engineering behind that and the software functionality.

This continues to be repeated like it is some groundbreaking advancement that justifies a certain price point and offsets this "doser" from everything else out there.

The GHL dosers are stepper driven, as are the Jabeo, the DOS and countless others. There is nothing special about a "stepper" motor.

Servo motors could be used too...

Quiet? Sure some motors and some drive algorithms are quieter than others. Valid selling point that may matter to some people..

I assume that the product is quality and the head is designed we so that it is both quiet and easy on tubing. As for the price, I suppose if people are willing to pay for it, then the price is right.

 

[GARRIGA]

This continues to be repeated like it is some groundbreaking advancement that justifies a certain price point and offsets this "doser" from everything else out there.

The GHL dosers are stepper driven, as are the Jabeo, the DOS and countless others. There is nothing special about a "stepper" motor.

Servo motors could be used too...

Quiet? Sure some motors and some drive algorithms are quieter than others. Valid selling point that may matter to some people..

I assume that the product is a quality product and of the head is designed well it is both quiet and easy on tubing. As for the price, I suppose if people are willing to pay for it, then the price is right.

What the market will bear gets lost on consumers

 

[javajaws]

These sound great to me. I want something a little more beefy than their other dosing pumps for continuous (and remote) AWC and topoff use yet still controllable through the system (more than just on/off via outlet control for non-Hydros pumps). So I'll buy 4 if the quality is there.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I'm in agreement with @BeanAnimal, most of the quality peristaltic pumps offered in the hobby already utilize stepper motors and stealth chop to drive the stepper for quiet operation.

What's different about this pump (besides the Hydros compatibility that oli won't get into) is that they pulled an off the shelf pump to incorporate into their device. It definitely looks like a kamoer pump but not the same style that was linked earlier. I've used those particular kamoer pumps for various projects in the past. These look a bit different and seems like the rollers have less contact time with the tube which would indicate a very high rpm to push 300ml/min. I would lime to know the tube replacement procedures as well.

Those JG push to connects are also off the shelf,

John Guest Superseal Barb - 1/4 Superseal x 1/4 ID Barb

The John Guest SuperSeal barb connector is specifically designed to provide extra grip on stainless steel tubing. Each fitting in this series features a collet with integrally molded stainless steel teeth and a hand-operated nut and wedge-shaped plastic washer that applies extra pressure to the...

www.freshwatersystems.com

I use those in my current 2AWC unit

 

[braaap]

That's expected with Ecotech products; not surprised you're jumping ship

Really? In 18 years of owning Ecotech products I've not once had a failure. They replaced a wetside for me that I broke. Didn't even question it. My current pumps are 5+ years old and don't make a whisper of a noise. Blanket statements don't really work.

I'm in agreement with @BeanAnimal, most of the quality peristaltic pumps offered in the hobby already utilize stepper motors and stealth chop to drive the stepper for quiet operation.

What's different about this pump (besides the Hydros compatibility that oli won't get into) is that they pulled an off the shelf pump to incorporate into their device. It definitely looks like a kamoer pump but not the same style that was linked earlier. I've used those particular kamoer pumps for various projects in the past. These look a bit different and seems like the rollers have less contact time with the tube which would indicate a very high rpm to push 300ml/min. I would lime to know the tube replacement procedures as well.

The amazon link earlier is VERY similar to the one they are using. They likely just changed the hose orientation. Their X10 uses Kaomer F4 pumps. Literally the exact ones. About the only thing they manufacture specifically for the Hydros is the sensors. Like their triple optical sensor and their slim temp probe. But their Salinity, PH and ORP probes are all off the shelf solutions as well. Not even rebranded.

 

[n2585722]

I'm in agreement with @BeanAnimal, most of the quality peristaltic pumps offered in the hobby already utilize stepper motors and stealth chop to drive the stepper for quiet operation.

What's different about this pump (besides the Hydros compatibility that oli won't get into) is that they pulled an off the shelf pump to incorporate into their device. It definitely looks like a kamoer pump but not the same style that was linked earlier. I've used those particular kamoer pumps for various projects in the past. These look a bit different and seems like the rollers have less contact time with the tube which would indicate a very high rpm to push 300ml/min. I would lime to know the tube replacement procedures as well.

Those JG push to connects are also off the shelf,

John Guest Superseal Barb - 1/4 Superseal x 1/4 ID Barb

The John Guest SuperSeal barb connector is specifically designed to provide extra grip on stainless steel tubing. Each fitting in this series features a collet with integrally molded stainless steel teeth and a hand-operated nut and wedge-shaped plastic washer that applies extra pressure to the...

www.freshwatersystems.com

I use those in my current 2AWC unit

All the Hydros dosing pumps are Kamoer. The tubing size on this pump is larger than any of the ones I have. It looks close to 3/8" ID. I think it is also a 24v pump.