FishyFishFish
Valuable Member
Does the app update? That’s what confused me. When 196 became available it seemed to suggest that the app was out of date, so I went to the App Store to try to find a newer version but there wasn’t one.
Hydros Owners: how happy are you long term?
Does the app update? That’s what confused me. When 196 became available it seemed to suggest that the app was out of date, so I went to the App Store to try to find a newer version but there wasn’t one.
brightlifeaquaculture
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Man I’ve been watching threads recently and everhthing. I want to say you literally take the words out of my mouth!!! Lol I just want to monitor ph and have it graphed!!
n2585722
2500 Club Member
Bring up the right popup menu and at the bottom of the menu is the app version. It should match the screenshot below. They have a web app that can be accessed on one of their websites if you cannot get the up to date app on the app store. Here is a link: https://www.coralvuehydros.com/ Just click on web app in the menu and log into your account. The web app works on a computer and a surface tablet. It does not support blue tooth so you cannot add controllers to your account or change their wifi information.
Yeah I’ve had discussions with coralvue on this. I don’t like that they lock you out of even viewing your controller status until you update. Sounds like they might consider some alternative methods to make updates less forceful. At minimum If I can’t upgrade at that time i think a read only mode would acceptable until I can get home to update safely.
Joe31415
Valuable Member
I'll look at the forums/facebook. I've poured over the online manual and that's part of what makes me think there's an actual problem. For example, to connect the power bar, I'll follow the directions exactly as written, however, I'll have to repeat them over and over and over and over trying to get the power bar to blink (<1 second). Eventually I'll give up and just try pairing it anyway, sometimes it works, sometimes not.
Eventually I'll get both of them paired and attempt to set up an AWC system.
Absolutely can not get that to work. Either I can't get it to start running, I can get it to start but the drain pump runs continuously and never moves past the 'drain' part of the AWC or if it 'finishes' draining, it never starts refilling.
Then, to make things even worse, more often than not (but not always), if I give up and put it back in normal mode because I'm done playing with it, one of the pumps (don't remember which) turns on and never shuts off. Luckily, I learned right at the very beginning to make sure the pumps aren't actually moving any water (the input side of the pumps have the hoses pulled out of the water when I'm playing with it).
And, through all of this, it has never, ever, not once, provided power to my ATO.
I really want to like this and I really want it to work, but so far as I'm concerned, it's garbage.
And why does new firmware completely lock me out of the app until I install it. I just wanted to open the app to see something as I was typing this. I had to wait (yes, I timed it), 9 minutes to do that. It would really suck if I was trying to do something important like stop a pump or figure out why a heater was off.
On a less complain-y note, it would also be nice if it had the ability to ID devices. That is, when I want to know, for example, which power bar I'm working with, if I could get it to blink the lights. Even better, if it could blink the light next to a specific outlet so you could more easily figure out what's plugged into what.
Having said all that, I'm waiting to be approved for the facebook group and I'll see if anyone else has had similar issues. Otherwise, I'll set up an account on the forums, detail my issues and see if they can help me sort it out.
Like I said, I'm hoping/assuming, I'm either missing something or that there's actually something wrong. If it's this much of a nightmare to set up, it's getting tossed. If for no other reason, as is, I don't trust it control anything in my tank.
n2585722
2500 Club Member
As far is the wifi power bars, CoralVue buy them and they are the same as a mass produced unit under several different names. They did lock in a specific firmware version on the ones they get but I don't thing the manufacturer allows for modified firmware on the power strips. Now the XP8 is a CoralVue manufactured unit and they do have control over the firmware but it is more expensive than two wifi strips. You can name the wifi strips when you pair them the outlet is 1 is the one below the push button switch and 5 is the USB ports.
Now lets tackle the ATO. Can you post a screenshot of your setup for the ATO. My setup for my ATO is in the first two screenshot. It is dependent on the output in the last two screenshots I called that output ATO OK. I use a Hydros dosing pump as an ATO pump so my times on the on times are going to be a lot lager than if you use the Hydros ATO pump.
Now lets tackle the ATO. Can you post a screenshot of your setup for the ATO. My setup for my ATO is in the first two screenshot. It is dependent on the output in the last two screenshots I called that output ATO OK. I use a Hydros dosing pump as an ATO pump so my times on the on times are going to be a lot lager than if you use the Hydros ATO pump.
n2585722
2500 Club Member
I forgot you are using the built in AWC regimen so you have to use the ATO built into that. Once the drain starts the ATO is blocked from running until the fill pump fill it back up to the ATO level sensor. I think it has to be at the ATO sensor to start the drain also. So get screeshots of the whole thing. I don't use the built in AWC since I use a dual head dosing pump for AWC so I have to use a dosing schedule instead for AWC.
FishyFishFish
Valuable Member
Talking of firmware updates, when you carry out updates, go back and make sure all of your outputs are where they should be.
When I updated to 196, my heater output turned off. I had to turn it on manually and then back to auto to get it back on.
When I updated to 196, my heater output turned off. I had to turn it on manually and then back to auto to get it back on.
n2585722
2500 Club Member
Was the temp in between the turn on temp and the turn off temp? If so it can do that since it can be on or off in that range.
FishyFishFish
Valuable Member
That looks like that may be it. It has just done it again when I updated to 197.
Kind of annoying for me as I use the heater thermostat for temperature control, and have the Hydros set above and below my normal limits as a safety cut off. I would prefer it to default to on (or at least stay where it was before the firmware update).
n2585722
2500 Club Member
The default is probably off. The controller reboots on a firmware update. Almost the same as powering it off and back on.
Coralvue did include a link to the previous version of the webapp on the forums at forum.coralvuehydros.com per my request. This way if you can’t update firmware due to being away but your app got updated on your phone automatically, you can use the web app for now to still operate as before on the currently installed firmware on your device. they are looking into a more graceful way of covering this in the future. This is the note they added on the release post of 2.3.0:
Thread 'App 2.3.0 / Firmware 196'
https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/threads/app-2-3-0-firmware-196.1231/
IMPORTANT:
Firmware 196 requires App 2.3.0. To update to firmware 196, you must first download App 2.3.0 from the app store. If you are using the web app, please clear your browser's cache so it updates to the new app as well. NEVER, EVER, EVER update your firmware if you are not in the same location as your controller.
On Vacation and Need Access to App 2.3.0?
If you are on vacation and cannot update the firmware right away, you can always access your devices via the Web App v209. Note that if you update the firmware, you will not be able to use 2.3.0.
Joe31415
Valuable Member
Sorry, meant to answer this before. No, no mesh network. Just a single wifi router with a different name for 2.4 and 5GHz bands.
I was about to do that when I realized, I don't have hydros set up to do ATO. I have my own ATO system. However, I told hydros which outlet the ATO system was plugged into so that it could shut it off during the water change. I'm hoping that's not going to be an issue.
I've been playing around with all these settings trying to get things to work. I should probably factory reset the unit and the app and start over, again. That way I can make sure I've done a clean, by the book, installation and go from there. As of this moment, a lot of the settings are really wonky as I've been tweaking every setting I can think of that might make a difference and nothing I can figure out makes the hydros do anything resembling a water change.
Honestly, the reason I've been putting off that is not only because I've tried it a bunch of times, but also, getting the power bars reconnected is awful.
At some point during all this, I did have the sensor under water to see if that made a difference, which it didn't. Then removed it, and my ATO from the system entirely. Thinking it couldn't possibly be that hard to tell it to drain for X minutes then refill for X minutes. Nope, couldn't get that to work either.
I'm so frustrated with this thing.
I'd say reach out to coralvue support at [email protected] and see if they can get you on the right track. They can help you remotely and if there is any hardware issues, they can get you replacements as well.
As for the facebook group, I dont see any pending members at this time, did you get access? I am a moderator on the official FB group and help you get access if you need it.
n2585722
2500 Club Member
The Hydros has to have the ability to turn on the ATO pump as well as turn it off. It has to have full control of the pump. The ATO level sensor has to be connected to the Hydros and the ATO function within the AWC regimen and not the normal ATO type on the Hydros. I am not sure you would be able to get it to work using another ATO. I could not get it to work with a dual head dosing pump since the drain and fill are the same pump. It would work as long as the full sensor would stay full during the water change but any time it dropped off of full it would error and the ATO would also quit working. You have to have three pumps and they have to be plumbed and working. You could test it but you would have to have a container that the pumps could actually drain and fill to do that if you want to do that separate from the actual tank. There is a write up on doing a auto water change from before it was added to the Hydros here https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/threads/auto-water-change-advanced-users-only.428/ . It is kind of complex for a new user.
Joe31415
Valuable Member
Yes, at some point between last night and this morning I noticed posts from that group in my feed, so it must have been accepted.
But even when I told it I didn't have an ATO or water level sensor, it still didn't work.
Is there just a way to set up custom programs?
All I need to do is:
Turn off ATO outlet
Run drain pump X minutes
Run fill pump X minutes (and/or until it hits high water sensor)
Turn on ATO outlet.
Honestly, between all the problems I've been having and it not able to work with my own ATO, it's probably a deal breaker.
If you are going to use your own ATO you can do the following:
Add the high level sensor input to hydros
Add a new output of type Automatic Water Change.
- Set the high level input you made from above
- leave low level input unused
- Set your drain duration based on your pump rate
- leave the ATO Output Device set to NONE since you are using your own ATO, below I will show how to tie your ATO into the AWC profile
- Set the drain and fill output devices per the outputs on your wifi strips
- configure other advanced features if you wish
Add a new schedule for your AWC by going to Schedules, then add and select Water Change Regimen.
- Set the awc count, start, end, and other schedules for your AWC
- Select the output made above for the AWC Output
Finally lets connect your existing ATO to this profile.
- Make a new output for your ATO, use profile Constant.
- Leave default to off, disabled
- Select which wifi plug that your ATO is plugged into under output device
- Finally set the DEPENDS ON section. Select the Auto Water Change output you generated above and the dependency mode to OFF IF ON. This will turn OFF your ATO when the AWC cycle occurs. I checked with my backup X4 device and my ATO output would turn off if the AWC DRAIN or FILL outputs turned on. But it ignored the AWC output of the AWC profile. You might want to set the AWC output to OFF just incase.
The above assumes you aren't having issues with your wifi strips. If those are giving you issues, I'd suggest contacting support at [email protected] first and getting that resolved.
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FWIW, I recently had an issue with my collective of Hydros controllers after the recent firmware update. I reached out to their support team and they were extremely helpful and my issue was quickly resolved.
Joe31415
Valuable Member
I'll play with that later today (or in the next day or two).
Do I have to have a schedule? Can I leave the schedule out so I can just run it on demand by clicking the AWC button on the status page?
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