The Saga of the Elusive Coralvue Hydros Launch

[areefer01]

Let us know how the Launch goes. SpaceX had to scrub their launch twice in the last few days for a hydrogen leak and bad weather. I wonder if these are connected, but I am more interested in your findings with the new controller.

Space X still doing better than the Boeing and their Starliner fiasco.

 

[JoJosReef]

went full Amber Heard

Is this a thing now? Please say so! It'd be great of in 100 years people are wondering where that expression came from.

 

[AquaForge]

Last I knew, hydros isn’t going anywhere and just had their Maven release at RAP not too long ago.

Thats great news considering I just went all in on their big kit

 

[Dawagner3240]

The launch is great. I'm running it in addition to an X10 and IV on my tank. All have been awesome.

 

[KrisReef]

Space X still doing better than the Boeing and their Starliner fiasco.

Yup. I am praying that the people are paying attention to the failures in the Government industrial complex and will look for private sector solutions that don’t hide from scrutiny.

Liberty and freedom are much better providers than government intervention.

 

[Reef Puncher]

if i had the money i would get the coralvue MAVEN. that thing looks AMAZING. no more testing? sign me up.

 

[rtparty]

Any idea why? Yet another of my Apex controllers went full Amber Heard on Tuesday (I have two heaters that have outlived three Apex units now), and I'm in the market for a new controller series. I've been ordering from BRS for years, was shocked to see they discontinued Hydros after pitching it so hardcore.

Is something going to happen to the Hydros line?

BRS never pitched Hydros. The one video they made about it never got published

 

[Reefbase1]

TLDR: Anyone know of an online store to buy Coralvue products?

So, I decided it was time to retire my aging Apex and upgrade to the shiny new Coralvue Hydros Launch. After binge-watching every video out there, I was sold. This thing was going to be my reef tank's new best friend. I eagerly hop online, ready to make the purchase of a lifetime, and stumble across the Coralvue outlet store. Jackpot! Or so I thought...

I find the controller, my heart skips a beat, and I’m about to click 'Buy' when—bam—there’s a “Where to Buy” button instead. It’s like a cosmic joke. A button that doesn't lead me to an online checkout but instead gives me a map of all the brick-and-mortar retailers across the country. Now, I like a road trip as much as the next guy, but I’m trying to buy this thing online, not plan a cross-country shopping adventure.

Next stop: BRS. They’ve got tons of Coralvue products listed. But wait—all of them are marked "Discontinued." Seriously, BRS? Are they running a museum now? Someone over there needs to clean up their digital shelves because this is like being in a store where everything you want is out of stock, and the staff just shrugs.

Defeated but not down, I turn to eBay. Maybe some reef enthusiast out there has one they’re ready to part with? Nope. Just a couple of used ones that look like they’ve seen better days. Every other online store I try? Nada. Either the product isn’t available, or the category is as empty as my patience at this point.

Amazon? Oh, they’ve got one. Just one. It’s overpriced and the seller looks sketchier than a Craigslist ad promising a free iPhone if you send your bank details. And for some reason, they’re throwing in a cast iron pan with every purchase. Seriously, what kind of setup is this? Am I buying a reef controller or prepping for a survivalist weekend?

At this point, I’m starting to wonder if Coralvue has somehow angered the retail gods. Did they offend Zeus, the god of e-commerce, or something?

So here I am, still running my trusty Apex while I continue my quest for the Coralvue Hydros Launch. All I want is to buy it online, avoid the politics, and keep my sanity intact. Is that too much to ask?

I laught reading your comments. But, if I can help, ABC Aqua + near Montreal have them. Just contact them and I'm sure they can help. https://abcaquaplus.ca/boutique/

• 450-574-3029
• [email protected]

 

[AquaForge]

Took out my Apex today and got the Hydros setup. Took a little fiddling to get the collective setup. Anyone else call theirs Borg? Anyway loving the interface. Can’t wait to dig into some deeper integrations

 

[AquaForge]

Does anyone know of an add on box like a FMM from Apex, I’m trying to use my standard salinity probe on my new Hydros. Kind of miss salinity monitoring.

 

[n2585722]

Does anyone know of an add on box like a FMM from Apex, I’m trying to use my standard salinity probe on my new Hydros. Kind of miss salinity monitoring.

The only two controllers with a salinity port currently are the Launch and the X10.

 

[AquaForge]

The only two controllers with a salinity port currently are the Launch and the X10.

I thought I bought the one up from the Launch. They don’t have an addon box? Both the X10 and the Launch only have 2 ports PH/ORP and 1 salinity. I’d like more probes, like 4 total. The temp is a sense port which is nice I have 3 left and maybe I should look for a salinity probe with those pins.

 

[n2585722]

I thought I bought the one up from the Launch. They don’t have an addon box?

No, each module is a controller that can be used stand alone or in a collective with other modules. I have 2 of the X10's so I do have 2 salinity ports but the main reason for the X10's was the 4 precision dosing pumps. The smaller controllers are the X2, X3, XS and XD but none of them have a salinity port. I ran for over 3 years without a salinity port without any issues so it was not a must for me. On my Digital Aquatics controller I had constant issues with then as they would drift down in their readings. Usually it was when I was not at home. The Hydros seems to be more stable for me though.

The X4 was the original controller. You got a X4 Pro pack which comes with a X4 and a XP8 controller with a command bus cable and terminators so you can create a collective with the two controllers. The X4 does have quite a bit. It also has 2 pH/ORP ports. The Launch only has one. Also the X4 has 4 0-10v outputs the Launch does not have any. Also the XP8 outlets have power monitoring and the Launch does not.

They do have add on boxes and they are called controllers. Just get the one with the ports you need and a command bus cable and you can set them up and add them to you collective.

 

[AquaForge]

I’m coming from Apex which had more expandability it seems. However, salinity was a mess I just like to have it as a way to tell me when I screw up. I wiped my frag tank a few weeks ago because I screwed up my salt mix. If I had a salinity measurement on that tank I would have known my salt was 43, yes 43. Even if it was off a few numbers it would have shown a massive spike and I could have remedied it. Lesson learned for sure, however I would like the option. Thanks for the tip. By the way. I already have 4 koemer x1 WiFi dosers. Can I run them on hydros? I saw a doser section but was for a single dose pump.

 

[n2585722]

I use a Pinpoint salinity meter with my mix tank when adding salt to it. I also have a refractometer but do not use it. I do have a salinity probe in the iV and one in the refugium. So I do have 2 salinity readings for my tank. You can add a salinity port by getting either a X10 or Launch and adding it to your collective. Hydros may come out with another controller in the future but at this time those are the only ones with that port. The X10 was released last year around this time and the Launch was just a few months ago. So salinity is fairly new on Hydros controllers.

 

[n2585722]

I’m coming from Apex which had more expandability it seems. However, salinity was a mess I just like to have it as a way to tell me when I screw up. I wiped my frag tank a few weeks ago because I screwed up my salt mix. If I had a salinity measurement on that tank I would have known my salt was 43, yes 43. Even if it was off a few numbers it would have shown a massive spike and I could have remedied it. Lesson learned for sure, however I would like the option. Thanks for the tip. By the way. I already have 4 koemer x1 WiFi dosers. Can I run them on hydros? I saw a doser section but was for a single dose pump.

As far as dosing pumps any pump you can set to a specific flow rate and can set it to run when powered will work with the Hydros. The Hydros simple doser is a 43ml pump that is powered by a drive port so it works like that. Hydros also has the X10, Minnow and Sole which are different types of what they call smart dosers. With them you can change the flow rate and direction in the schedule you use them in. It is still best to calibrate them at the flow rate you will be using though. The X10 is a controller with 4 precision dosing pumps but also has a salinity port, pH port, 4 sense ports and 2 drive ports. The pumps on the Hydros units are Kamoer pumps.

 

[AquaForge]

Which is so weird that the X1/F1 are not natively available in the app as an option. They are WiFi and CoralVue just rebrands the Koemer F1 as Hydros. It’s the same pump. If I look at WiFi or 3rd Party they are not listed. Maybe it’s coming soon

As far as dosing pumps any pump you can set to a specific flow rate and can set it to run when powered will work with the Hydros. The Hydros simple doser is a 43ml pump that is powered by a drive port so it works like that. Hydros also has the X10, Minnow and Sole which are different types of what they call smart dosers. With them you can change the flow rate and direction in the schedule you use them in. It is still best to calibrate them at the flow rate you will be using though. The X10 is a controller with 4 precision dosing pumps but also has a salinity port, pH port, 4 sense ports and 2 drive ports. The pumps on the Hydros units are Kamoer pumps.

 

[n2585722]

Which is so weird that the X1/F1 are not natively available in the app as an option. They are WiFi and CoralVue just rebrands the Koemer F1 as Hydros. It’s the same pump. If I look at WiFi or 3rd Party they are not listed. Maybe it’s coming soon

The Hydros simple doser has no wifi communications. It runs when powered and the Hydro just powers it on when it has it scheduled to dose. The X10, Minnow and Sole are controllers and the pumps are a part of the controller but the pumps are Kamoer pumps. They just have Hydros electronics. The X10 pumps have a flow rate of -100 to -.1 to .1 to 100 ml a minute at .1 intervals. The Minnow pumps have a -55, -40, -25, 25, 40 and 55 ml a minute flow rates. The Sole had -300 to -.1 to .1 to 300 ml a minute at .1 intervals. The minus sign just indicates reverse rotation. They also have a AC powered pump at a fixed 2ml a minute. It also runs when powered. The Kamoer KH Carer the Hydros can get the test info from but it is from the Kamoer cloud and not directly from the unit.

 

[JoJosReef]

The Hydros simple doser has no wifi communications. It runs when powered and the Hydro just powers it on when it has it scheduled to dose. The X10, Minnow and Sole are controllers and the pumps are a part of the controller but the pumps are Kamoer pumps. They just have Hydros electronics. The X10 pumps have a flow rate of -100 to -.1 to .1 to 100 ml a minute at .1 intervals. The Minnow pumps have a -55, -40, -25, 25, 40 and 55 ml a minute flow rates. The Sole had -300 to -.1 to .1 to 300 ml a minute at .1 intervals. The minus sign just indicates reverse rotation. They also have a AC powered pump at a fixed 2ml a minute. It also runs when powered. The Kamoer KH Carer the Hydros can get the test info from but it is from the Kamoer cloud and not directly from the unit.

Thanks for that explanation. So I understand that for the Hydros simple doser, you have to plug it into a Drive Port and tell the drive port to turn on at time HH:MM (does it do HH:MM:SS?). For the Minnow (my new controller) and X10, are you able to tell Hydros you want XmL dosed? Or does it also have to be specified as "on at HH:MM, off at HH:MM"?

 

[n2585722]

Thanks for that explanation. So I understand that for the Hydros simple doser, you have to plug it into a Drive Port and tell the drive port to turn on at time HH:MM (does it do HH:MM:SS?). For the Minnow (my new controller) and X10, are you able to tell Hydros you want XmL dosed? Or does it also have to be specified as "on at HH:MM, off at HH:MM"?

You can use a dosing schedule with the simple doser. Just make sure that you have the dose amount set so that the pump runs at least 2.5 seconds on each dose. You would go through the calibration and then tell the Hydros how much was dosed and then it can calculate how long to run the pump to achieve the dose amount. The Hydros calibration is a little different since it just turns on the pump for one minute and then you tell it how much was dosed by measuring it. So if you repeat the calibration it will still only run for one minute. If you want to check the calibration then you would do a manual dose in the amount you want and then measure that. Even the smart dosers calibrate the same way. With the smart dosers you have to use a schedule unless it is one of the ones you can set to continuous use. The simple doser can be used in the ATO or AWC pump outputs if you want. Smart dosers can be used for AWC and ATO but require a different setup to do it.