Accurately monitor salinity with push notifications???
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
- I recently picked up a bit of gear that will hopefully address a number of potential failure points on the Dream Reef Tank - a Reef factory Salinity Guardian.
Due to auto water changes, skimmer plumbed to the drain, endless RO top off, kalkwasser and off-set salinity in my auto water changes - I am always nervous that something could go wrong and bomb my salinity. I've been on the lookout for a bit of equipment to act as a safety blanket and I think this piece from Reef Factory could be the answer! 
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Love the tech you put on the show. Wish I had some like this in the US. Always enjoy your videos and responses!
Thanks Adam, appreciate it mate!
Thanks mate, excellent review. I'm sold, just placed my order with Aquaristic here in Sydney. Happy Reefing
You will enjoy it, been a great product for me!
Had one of these for about 5 months ish. Good product.
Fantastic to hear!
Another great one Sam. The probe is very responsive indeed. I use a Atlas Scientific one which looks very similar. Once a while I get crazy readings when a tiny snail gets in the probe cavity.
Atlas scientific is great gear!
Thanks for the video sam.
I hve the thermo control and PH monitor and am very happy with both.
The app is the best I have used in the hobby. I think I will need to grab this unit as well.
It’s industry leading software for sure!
🥰 super glad you're happy with our devices!
@@reeffactory The only thing I’m waiting for it to be able to download the data as a CSV file so I can properly analyse the data in Excel. THEN I’ll be impressed. I’ve just bought the PH monitor and as soon as I see an example file or confirmation that this facility is there then I’ll buy the whole family. Until then GHL is still tempting, but apparently Reef Factory will be adding this feature soon 🤞
Also think it would be good to automate RO addition based on Salinity reading like the KH keeper plus.
@@reeffactory hope to add more to the eco system, i like the sound of the upcoming KH Keeper Pro and Smart Tester
Sold! Love reef factory gear
you bet!
That pause at the end 😂 nice review buddy
Hahaha yeah, somehow that slipped through editing 😅😂🤷🏻♂️
Nice video! 💥 In regards to the network case - you can always change your hotspot password to secure it. We're also working on a new way of registering devices in Smart Reef.
thanks team! Glad to hear you are continuing to develop the product. Please give it some smart actions too :D
Great video! I love how tiny this thing is. If it's long-term stable, I'm definitely going to get one. My Apex salinity probe seems to be great for the first couple weeks then seems to "drift"
yeah drifting is no fun... I am 4 weeks in and stable as a foundation so far, but will keep you updated!
Tbh my apex salinity prob been stable for last year but then I still don’t trust it 🤣🤣🤣
Always giving it the side eye look 😅
@@ParkersReef As you should when thousands of dollars are on the line.
Absolutely
Just got a profilux mega 4 for a steal, already ordered this i`m happy im gonna have double redundancy on salinity monitoring as well
Sensational, enjoy the fancy new equipment!!!
Controllers are still key. If it notifies you but can't shut off the water feeds you're screwed anyway. An expensive alarm. Great review
depends on how your water feeds are controlled. All of mine are remote accessible?
Great vid Sam, I've had it for around 4 weeks as well and while it was good to start with, the reading suddenly dropped to 32ppt from the 34 I maintain over a 30min period the other day... validated it with my Milwaukee and it was still reading 34. Took a few hours for the reading to go back up to what it should be. No idea what caused it...
Odd… so did the tank alter or the meter?
Hi Sam, Great Vid as allways.
Interested in the dia of the probe, I have the Sanking probe tube and your thoughts if this would work in that. also what depth does the probe need to be in the water ?
Standard probe diameter and it needs 7-12cm of water, the second part may make it not work with the sanking probe holder?
great vid as always tempted to get one lol
thanks mate, always appreciate your support!
@@ParkersReef anytime mate
Nice bit of gear, although the price is double than I'd ever pay. 😁👍
Yeah it is far from cheap that is for sure
Hey Sam. Any information on the life of the salinity probe? Their website indicates 12 months however the replacement probes aren't cheap. Would be great to know you're thoughts on the PH probe as well.
Yeah I am only going off their website details at this stage too as I've only had it running about 4 weeks myself. Fingers crossed it is longer than 12 months as like you say, they are expensive probes!
Thanks Sam, that's a great bit of gear but a little pricey, I'll have to stick with my Milwaukee
Nothing wrong with the trusty Milwaukee!
Hi Sam, interested in your thoughts on the reef factory Ph monitor? have you thought about it to control you kalk for instance as well?
I’m tempted, but it is so expensive and I don’t think it has actions available yet either….
Отличный обзор 👍
Благодарю вас!
Hi, thanks for the great review, very detailed. How are the measurements after 7 months of continuous readings? Thanks lot!
Still fantastic!
I'm pretty sure that is just a conductivity probe like all the others.
Also, conductivity probes are nor shipped wet, because it's literally just electrodes.
It is no doubt a conductivity probe (only way to do it really) but it isn’t like the other options on the market
I’ve got the apex salinity probe/temp probe, they are ok but can swing so I get a rough guide with the hanna salinity/temp probe and the apex to give me an idea.
Yeah the swinging and drifting from the apex unit really turns me off them. I need something I can trust :)
Hey Sam Great video. I am really strugling to find something to hold my aquarium doors opened, and I saw yours that holds from the top. Do you have the name of that mechanism?
They are Blum motorised hinges, but you wouldn’t need motorised ones - just a suitable hinge
@@ParkersReef thanks
Since this devise has a temp probe, can the app send you temp alerts if you only have the Salinity device? Or do you have to buy them stand alone temp device to get those alerts? I am hoping it does so I can buy the one device to do the job of two?
That’s a great question. It can indeed see the temperature, however the push notifications and smart actions are only based off the salinity.
Def something I’d put a request in with reef factory about!
Thanks so much for the fast reply, I appreciate it and love all your vids!
Hello Sam, do you know what is the expected lifespan of the probe? Other manufacturers usually advise to change the probe every 12/24 months. Do you know for how long Reef Factory says probe lasts and if they sell replacement ones? thank you in advance.
they do quote monthly calibration and yearly replacement, however I suspect that is a little pessimistic from my experience
Hey Parker! Big fan kudos on the amazing tank! Are you still using the salinity guardian? Did you come across any issues like incorrect reading or issues with probe?
Thanks so much! I certainly am still using it, no issues at all. I once thought it was reading incorrectly, but I just had a snail on the probe :D
@Parkers Reef thanks for getting back to me! What's the frequency of calibration?
@@tumasgts more often the better. You should do it every month or two, I let mine slip out to every 6-8 months though
@@ParkersReef cheers as I have seen quite a bit of mixed good and bad reviews
Hey Sam, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ve got my salinity guardian for about two weeks, I’ve notice the reading slowly creeping up after calibration. So I measured my ro water the next day after calibration and it was reading 3 ppt. So I recalibrated, but now after a while it is again measuring my ro water at 1 ppt. Has the reading been stable for you? Thanks
Hey Young. Hmmm that is no good. Can you confirm that you have it located in the sump like the instructions - away from bubbles and the heater? Make sure your temperature probe is nearby too. I'd also confirm that you have calibrated the unit against fluids at 25c?
@@ParkersReef Hi Sam, yes the probe is sitting on a probe rack in the return pump chamber, which is two chambers after the heater. However the temperature probe is actually in the refugium, which is one chamber before the heater, I might try and move it to the return chamber and see if it makes any difference. And yes I did calibrate after hearting the fluid to 25c. I tried looking for some new calibration fluid online to buy but couldn’t find any, do you think the calibration fluid for the Hanna salinity pen will do the job just fine?
see how you go with the temperature probe moved, that could make the difference. I suspect hanna calibration fluid would work just fine too :)
Could you possibly try to calibrate it with your RODI water just to see how much of a difference it has with using a calibration fluid
yeah you could, I can't see why not
I live in the UK and our wi fi is now 5gig only and will not drop down to 2.4 so I am wondering how I would get it connected
Might need to grab an extra router, all smart home (and aquarium gear) runs if 2.4ghz networks
I’ve literally just got two spare routers. They must be cheap on eBay, just plug one into the back of your new router.
Would I be able to also use this to mix my weekly water to ensure it’s the exact same ppt as my tank ?
Yes you could!
Great little gadget , but at the moment my refractometer is doing the job ,I'm looking for a sulfur reactor at the moment and I'm going to be down there in Melbourne next month 27th staying in the city and going to St Kilda maybe you could advise me some shops near by to look for reactors, thanks for the video Sam.
Come to deer park mate! We have seatorch reactors, sulphur media, carbonate media and even feed pumps to completely set you up :)
@@ParkersReef you going to be there on a Saturday and what time it closes?
Yep I’m there Saturday and we close at 5pm 👍🏻
@@ParkersReef thanks Sam, see you then.
Looking forward to it!
What's your thoughts on the Reef Factory Salinity Guardian after a year of use?
Love it! One of their best hits of gear along with their ph monitor
Thanks for the video. I’m looking for a controller to monitor both ph and salinity. You didn’t want to throw manufacturer’s under the bus for their bad salinity probes. I’m not going to ask you to expose the bad ones but can you recommend a controller that does both well? I’m in US.
Personally I’d look into reef factory for both, but I know they are not quite in the states just yet (is due soon!!)
I actually couldn’t recommend any alternatives I’m afraid, ph isn’t too bad - most controllers out there can do it well. But salinity I’ve found every other brand to not be remotely reliable. I know others will say their XYZ brand salinity probe is great, but that just hasn’t been my experience
@@ParkersReef Thanks for the info. I do have a “home made” ph probe I’m using that my buddy made me with a raspberry pi that is handling ph at the moment. So I could make a separate purchase for salinity. I appreciate the response & thanks again for doing what you do.
No trouble at all! Thanks for watching!
Wow that price is nuts
It is up there, but does work well
Anyone know what to do if it keeps dropping wifi and saying “The device is offline” ? Faulty?
I’d raise a ticket with support. Usually these problems are to do with your own network, usually sharing SSID across 2.4 and 5ghz bandwidths.
But raise a support ticket and they’ll work it through with you
@@ParkersReef good idea. Thanks Sam
Actions aren’t available yet from my understanding
From this device that is correct. But coming soon
Another Con I found that the leads are a tiny bit short. That's both the probe length and the power cable length.
Since installing it, I've also found that the whole Reef Factory network isn't stable. I've now got 6 Reef Factory products working and since adding the sixth, am now getting all the devices dropping out every day. Usually early in the morning. If I remove a device, it seems to be more stable.
None of my EcoTech or Maxspect equipment drops out, so I don't think it's a network issue.
Tried to post my issue on their forum and the admins won't approve the post.
Totally agree with the lead length, would be handy to have them longer seeing as they are not extendable.
I know the reef factory support guys are looking at the comments in this video, so I will get their attention and see if we can resolve your issue.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
@@ParkersReef all their products work exactly how they're marketed, unlike those other companies that you've alluded to.
Just wish I didn't have to keep unplugging all the powerpacks everyday to get it to work again.
The good thing is that once you do get in trouble with their gear, it is really easy to resolve yourself. Just this multiple devices dropping out on the same network is a bit beyond normal trouble shooting.
@@grantrogers2878 yeah that is an absolute pain. I currently have a bunch of their gear on my network all staying connected just fine - however I will say that I recently upgraded my network to a commercial spec bit of gear as we have well over 100 connected devices!!!
@@ParkersReef that might be the solution. Would you mind sharing what you got?
Perhaps a future video on how you solved your network issues?
Looks like it is a network issue. I lost my Kamoer gear for the first time tonight and all my Reef Factory gear is still connected. I must have too many wifi devices connected.
Anyone can ship me one? I'm in the US and it kills me that I can't have one easily at the moment
Expect Reef Factory in the states very soon!
Where can i get in us
Is coming to the USA very very soon
Howdy Parker
howdy there!
You run your system on the edge sam 😅😅
If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space 😅😂
570!
570???
Only downside is i can log into my neighbours reef factory gear, support informed me u cant turn off the hotspot, nor can u change the password.
Oh wow, that is a HUGE oversight….
@@ParkersReef yeh, i wanted to shut off the hot spot , no go. I am sure they will program it in at some point. Even if it just needs a power cycle to get the hotspot back id be happy. You wont see any of their equipment on any public displays until they do. Just seems like an invitation to jam my kh dosing to 10L a day and wipe out the tank. I may be wrong but support a few months back confirmed it.
Yeah huge flaw… concerned for stores running the gear now…
Insurance policy 💰☑️
Job done!
I'm waiting on the episode where you install an AI to run this tank.
Hahahaha you never know…
K10 salinity probe from Hydros is much better from an accuracy perspective and their isolation chamber which tests conductivity away from your equipment...most salinity probes on market use the K1 salinity probe which primarily reads in fresh water range with just the end spectrum for salinity which leaves it less accurate than a K10 probe which is dedicated to saltwater - Reef Factory, it is just another walled garden which doesn't make sense....fragmentation is not what we need in the hobby as no one will be brand loyal down to every last piece of equipment IMO. Also, there is a fatal flaw with Reef Factory as it has NO wired communication between its devices. All the devices rely only on Wifi to transmit data....god forbid you're in the middle of a dosing cycle and lose wifi....I don't see them lasting very long here as their equipment is cheaply made overseas in China while their software is made in Poland...they don't have dedicated customer support in the US which will make it really hard to support...also, no one is carrying their line willingly...Reef Factory got desperate and now providing a 60 day payment term and if you don't want it after 60 days, it can be returned...its why Champion and other small "distributors" only picked it up...I'd stay far away from them
good to know Mike. Sadly for us here in australia, we face the opposite problem. Hydros is not supported at all (not even sold here) whilst reef factory has fantastic support.