I like the collective part, if main control goes down and you have sense module it will take over and save the tank. That right there means a lot to people, especially to ones who travel.
Thank you for your comment, Michael! The Collective safety net is one of our biggest differentiators and something we are extremely proud of. COVID-19 delayed the release of so many new products from our family of brands, many of which are only now beginning to come to market. The launch of HYDROS Control was a victim as well, although I believe it was a blessing in disguise. It gave our team time to revamp the app (based on feedback from WaveEngine and IceCap Gyre Dual Pump WiFi Controller users), add data logging with charts & graphs, add a browser--based web version of the app, have The Collective live ... there's a whole laundry list of improvements that were added pre-launch instead of post-launch. I recall speaking to a beta tester by phone when he first tested The Collective and he was just blown away. This is a guy who is a longtime user of another controller brand. He was just stunned how immediate other devices and accessories took over. It all happens seamlessly and without programming.
Harry's box can work with it>>>>> Very glad that the unit works and wasn't as bad as people were trying to make it. This is good for the hobby and i see that it shouldn't be marketed as Apex replacement but its own World of a device...Thanks for the review. Looking forward to more.
Thanks for the review Derrick. I’m excited to see where Hydros goes. Like you I have a very complex Apex system, but would definitely consider for smaller additions. Hopefully, this will encourage Neptune to fix their build quality especially input connections.
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation For me it's more than the inputs. My FMMs disconnect all the time and I have to add them back to the dashboard. The trident is amazing, but the drawer is a joke. It won't close all the way and the plastic above the drawer falls off all the time. Don't get me wrong though! The apex and trident have made my system very stable and successful. Just silly issues they could easily fix.
Thank you for your optimism, Macey's Daddy! Please keep an eye on us because we'd like to make you a believer and earn your business some day! Our #1 goal, and what you see with HYDROS Phase 1 releases -- the IC2C, WE, C2, & C4 -- was to make automation affordable for everyone. We felt very strongly that there was an entire market segment being ignored. Other controllers are too complex and expensive for the average hobbyist who only wants basic monitoring, control, remote access, and automation. It was never our intention to win the business of Apex customers with Phase 1. If anything, we just wanted to win their respect. Derrick here at Reef Automation knows this because we discussed it even before he bought a controller. We told him our platform and product line are in their infancy. We felt any head-to-head comparison now may put a wedge between us and Control Freaks who like some of the fresh ideas we're introducing to the category but don't see themselves using it quite yet. But the reality is people were going to make these comparisons no matter what, whether Derrick did it or 50 other reefers on a forum. Our choices were that we could ignore it, knowing full well that the HYDROS vs. [INSERT ANY OTHER CONTROLLER HERE] comparison will look completely different in a year. Or, we could join the conversation. Rather than have people talk about our choices, they could talk to us about why we made them. If they could see we are humans, that we truly care, that their ideas have value, and get a glimpse of our vision of the future, then maybe we'd all come out better on the other side. Nothing is set in stone with us. We are willing to admit mistakes and make improvements. Circling back to where we began, we just want to offer safer, less cluttered, more open, and affordable aquarium automation solutions. If we can do that, more aquarists will succeed and stay in the hobby longer. And that benefits all of us, no matter which side of the debate you're on.
I think for users not looking to invest $500 to turn a few things on and off this is a great option. The negatives, corrosion ect, are still issues with the aquabus ports on the apex. Here in NYC we have high humidity and my apex ports and cables rust all the time, basically every year I replace cables that are anywhere within 5 feet of the tank. The power bar turning on - not ideal. Also the rope leak detector is a huge plus because it covers a larger area and you can daisy chain them together.
As far as WIFi strips on Amazon may work but I have heard there is a different firmware so others may be a issue so use at your own risk. On your phone the text looks big . No issues on mine. Also the connectors are the same as the WaveEngine and I have heard of no issues. I was a beta tester for the WE so I have had mine a pretty long time. I own Two of them.
Sweet, thanks for the info. Yea I have played with the fonts and still have issues so we will see. Stil, I should not have to change fonts to make this work.
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation have they fixed the app since the date of this video? Just curious, thanks for the video. I wanna get the x4 and xp8 configuration.
Thanks Derrick! Appreciate the overview. I think they have a pH and ORP on the bottom left of the control box. I guess you could use 2 pH probes though.
Nicely done Derrick. So very appreciated for diving into this new controller. For me, I have Avast ATO, WiFi Inkbird, Tunze wave controller and AI for my lights...I’m using ReefKeeper for monitoring PH and some switching....and man I was really hoping I could switch my Reefkeeper to the Hydros 2 for the interface and alerts etc...but damnit!...no PH port! My wait continues... Cheers.
Yea that is going to be a bummer for a lot of people sadly which is why I keep saying the pricing can be a little misleading. I am working on a new video for pricing.
I like the collective part, if main control goes down and you have sense module it will take over and save the tank. That right there means a lot to people, especially to ones who travel.
I do also but it could become expensive to do that. Just depends.
Thank you for your comment, Michael! The Collective safety net is one of our biggest differentiators and something we are extremely proud of. COVID-19 delayed the release of so many new products from our family of brands, many of which are only now beginning to come to market. The launch of HYDROS Control was a victim as well, although I believe it was a blessing in disguise. It gave our team time to revamp the app (based on feedback from WaveEngine and IceCap Gyre Dual Pump WiFi Controller users), add data logging with charts & graphs, add a browser--based web version of the app, have The Collective live ... there's a whole laundry list of improvements that were added pre-launch instead of post-launch. I recall speaking to a beta tester by phone when he first tested The Collective and he was just blown away. This is a guy who is a longtime user of another controller brand. He was just stunned how immediate other devices and accessories took over. It all happens seamlessly and without programming.
Harry's box can work with it>>>>>
Very glad that the unit works and wasn't as bad as people were trying to make it. This is good for the hobby and i see that it shouldn't be marketed as Apex replacement but its own World of a device...Thanks for the review. Looking forward to more.
Thanks man. Yea the 0-10V I put is a huge thing for automation. I concerns on reliability but other then that it seems like a great product.
Thanks for the review Derrick. I’m excited to see where Hydros goes. Like you I have a very complex Apex system, but would definitely consider for smaller additions. Hopefully, this will encourage Neptune to fix their build quality especially input connections.
Well, I just wish their inputs wouldn't come loose so easily is all.
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation For me it's more than the inputs. My FMMs disconnect all the time and I have to add them back to the dashboard. The trident is amazing, but the drawer is a joke. It won't close all the way and the plastic above the drawer falls off all the time. Don't get me wrong though! The apex and trident have made my system very stable and successful. Just silly issues they could easily fix.
Thank you for your optimism, Macey's Daddy! Please keep an eye on us because we'd like to make you a believer and earn your business some day! Our #1 goal, and what you see with HYDROS Phase 1 releases -- the IC2C, WE, C2, & C4 -- was to make automation affordable for everyone. We felt very strongly that there was an entire market segment being ignored. Other controllers are too complex and expensive for the average hobbyist who only wants basic monitoring, control, remote access, and automation. It was never our intention to win the business of Apex customers with Phase 1. If anything, we just wanted to win their respect. Derrick here at Reef Automation knows this because we discussed it even before he bought a controller. We told him our platform and product line are in their infancy. We felt any head-to-head comparison now may put a wedge between us and Control Freaks who like some of the fresh ideas we're introducing to the category but don't see themselves using it quite yet. But the reality is people were going to make these comparisons no matter what, whether Derrick did it or 50 other reefers on a forum. Our choices were that we could ignore it, knowing full well that the HYDROS vs. [INSERT ANY OTHER CONTROLLER HERE] comparison will look completely different in a year. Or, we could join the conversation. Rather than have people talk about our choices, they could talk to us about why we made them. If they could see we are humans, that we truly care, that their ideas have value, and get a glimpse of our vision of the future, then maybe we'd all come out better on the other side. Nothing is set in stone with us. We are willing to admit mistakes and make improvements. Circling back to where we began, we just want to offer safer, less cluttered, more open, and affordable aquarium automation solutions. If we can do that, more aquarists will succeed and stay in the hobby longer. And that benefits all of us, no matter which side of the debate you're on.
Awesome video! I think this will be a perfect fit for my waterbox.
I think so too!
I think for users not looking to invest $500 to turn a few things on and off this is a great option. The negatives, corrosion ect, are still issues with the aquabus ports on the apex. Here in NYC we have high humidity and my apex ports and cables rust all the time, basically every year I replace cables that are anywhere within 5 feet of the tank. The power bar turning on - not ideal. Also the rope leak detector is a huge plus because it covers a larger area and you can daisy chain them together.
Agreed but this video has nothing to do with Apex. It is the review of a Hydros system :) When I do a comparison video then yea.
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation I see what you did there. 😁
Good video clere concise and no BS.Stay well ,Doc BC
Thanks, you too!
As far as WIFi strips on Amazon may work but I have heard there is a different firmware so others may be a issue so use at your own risk. On your phone the text looks big . No issues on mine. Also the connectors are the same as the WaveEngine and I have heard of no issues. I was a beta tester for the WE so I have had mine a pretty long time. I own Two of them.
Sweet, thanks for the info. Yea I have played with the fonts and still have issues so we will see. Stil, I should not have to change fonts to make this work.
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation have they fixed the app since the date of this video? Just curious, thanks for the video. I wanna get the x4 and xp8 configuration.
@Pontiuspilate666 what was wrong with app? I haven’t used it in a long time.
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation they fixed everything, the hydros is amazing. Surpasses the apex in my opinion.
Thanks Derrick! Appreciate the overview. I think they have a pH and ORP on the bottom left of the control box. I guess you could use 2 pH probes though.
I am not sure on that but I believe so.
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation You can use 1 PH and 1 ORP probe or two Orp probes. Does not matter type.
@@96markk Yes that is correct.
Nicely done Derrick. So very appreciated for diving into this new controller.
For me, I have Avast ATO, WiFi Inkbird, Tunze wave controller and AI for my lights...I’m using ReefKeeper for monitoring PH and some switching....and man I was really hoping I could switch my Reefkeeper to the Hydros 2 for the interface and alerts etc...but damnit!...no PH port!
My wait continues...
Cheers.
Yea that is going to be a bummer for a lot of people sadly which is why I keep saying the pricing can be a little misleading. I am working on a new video for pricing.
I think the iPhone issue may be with previous or smaller iPhones, I didn’t see any issues on the max.
Yea I am hoping they fix it. Real annoying.
Can the temperature be changed from Fahrenheit to Celsius?
Yes, of course.
I found that when I tried adding the power bar it disconnects from the controller. Any suggestions? It's very frustrating.
Yea I had some similar issues. They need to make a hardwired unit for sure.
Power bar is the same as the eKoral Lite
How has reliability been with them.
I thought Coralvue said you could go 50 feet without needing additional power?
15 feet. They stated this on my stream.
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation My bad, I thought I heard 50. Good video 👍
how has your hydros been doing? any issues? is this better than apex?
It’s doing well. I’ve had minor issues. It is not better than my Apex at all.
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation so apex is better?
What can you control/power/ monitor with the USB ports?
It is just USB ports so anything that plugs into USB power.
4 th er here.
5th then.
First!!!!
Second!
Second
No I was second!
@@ReefAndReptileAutomation well 3rd is better anyway
You get all the bugs out on 1 and 2 lol