Alkatronic Automated Alkalinity Tester Unboxing & Review

Alkatronic Automated Alkalinity Tester Unboxing & Review - Alk tester for Saltwater aquarium

Рет қаралды 20,043

6 жыл бұрын

Stable alkalinity is key to a thriving SPS dominate reef aquarium. The Alkatronic automates testing (and dosing) to keep that KH rock solid stable! We all get lazy and skip the tests.. and this is where an automated tester shines! Alkatronic www.saltwateraquarium.com/alk...
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@ThaBiznessReefTank 5 жыл бұрын

Good review. This is the future of reefkeeping

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

I'm with you! automated keeping solid paramaters is going to make for alot more stable thriving reefs out there!

@tonyv3793 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the in depth review. This my very well be my next big reefing purchase.

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

You are most welcome! Ill likely do a follow video in a month or so. Let me know if you have any questions or things you want me to dig into.

@matmooNZ 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome product and great review - I'm waiting for the Apex Trident system, but it's pretty tempting to go out and buy this!

@markmckinnell2204 5 жыл бұрын

Degan, the error on the 1500ml was most likely that you zeroed the scales with the lid on the took the reading with the lid off ! 😖

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

hahah i noticed that too after the fact. good catch :)

@Coralust 5 жыл бұрын

That looks very cool.

@dailycoral 5 жыл бұрын

Great review, looks like a solid product!

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jeff, So far is pretty sweet!

@thomask6663 5 жыл бұрын

I absolutely love this machine, in my 1000g system my KH always lay between 7,9 and 8,2 and my PH is stable like never before, the last week it has bounce no more than 0,12 over 24 hours. Now I' just waiting for the DoseTronic. The support has been zero to nothing here. Thanks for building this Jonas!

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome to hear its doing the job on your massive system!

@thomask6663 5 жыл бұрын

As a result after 2 months, I now have corals all my corals growing. I have had milliporas not growing for 4-6 months.

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Sounds awesome! I'm assuming you have it dosing for you as well? How often are you testing and letting it dose to keeep it in check? Do you run dosers or a CA reactor as well or just the Alkatronic?

@focustronic831 5 жыл бұрын

great user review, thank you!

@thomask6663 5 жыл бұрын

Yes, I have the Alkatronic dosing KH, can't wait until the DoseTronic comes. I'm running the Triton method so I have to manually dose Mg and Ca each day. The machine tests every 6 hours. Each month I send in a TritonLAB test and manually test KH (better safe than sorry). Only hard part is to fill the 5 liter canister I have, besides that it's set and forget.

@thepassionreef 5 жыл бұрын

Good video Devan...Seems like a promising product...Cant wait for your 1 month review video on this...if its successful it will be a big plus in the hobby....

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ash! ill keep you updated. I hooked it up to the apex last night to log the alk in there as well woo!

@fr4nkthet4nk86 5 жыл бұрын

Now I want one. Thank you Bro

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

haha Always happy to help :P

@ReefersLife 5 жыл бұрын

I want one!! Great video

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you sir!

@1964SABO Жыл бұрын

I bought the Alkatronic and I'd like to use a dosing container to top off my ALK on dosing pump D. The 3.8mm tube doesn't fit to the RoDi tubing connector. It looks like you did something to attach the two? How?

@Bob-ww7ot 5 жыл бұрын

Looks like a awesome piece of equipment. Wish it wasn’t so much money. Great video

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Robert!

@battyjoe 5 жыл бұрын

Mine is arriving Wednesday :) Looks great !

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Thats exciting!!!!!!

@MadHattersReef 5 жыл бұрын

Great video Devin! Video production question: what is the mic you're using?

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jeff, in this video i was using my wireless mic geni.us/k06ir

@yuyiboy 5 жыл бұрын

Great review!! 😊👍🏽I guess you just couldn’t wait for the trident any longer 😂😂😂😂

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

haha I have 2 tanks... ill prob end up with both :P

@taneshag5337 2 жыл бұрын

So I got it all up and running but I can’t figure out why it keeps testing every hour when I have it set to every 6 hours. Seems it’s following the “Forced Interval Test” mode instead of my schedule. All modes off ( washout, action).

@ReefDudes 2 жыл бұрын

Check the Range, if its out of range if you have set it will test more frequently

@crazyinkjets7005 3 жыл бұрын

for system stability i would highly recommend calcium reactor. more natural way to dos and save

@ReefDudes 3 жыл бұрын

I have the alkatronic paired with my calcium reactor :)

@crazyinkjets7005 3 жыл бұрын

@@ReefDudes does alkatronic shuts down your calcium reactor when it gets to it's lvl of dosing?

@crazyinkjets7005 3 жыл бұрын

@@ReefDudes i am using apex all about tuning and getting to the right lvl, only issue that i got is, tank is in my room reactor makes so much noise, i try shut in it down night times, cannot take it anymore i would say runs 8am turns off 11pm, what would you recommend, i know your suppose to run it 20/7, komar doesn't make that much noise, should i let that run 24/7 and run the reactor 8am turns off 11pm

@robertscott667 5 жыл бұрын

Devin,Been using Alkatronic for the last 2-3 mos. Testing frequently with Salifert and Hanna along the way. It has performed flawlessly...tracking very well with other test kits. Having some difficulty with cloud application (probably operator error). Have it hooked into Apex for my remote monitoring and control. No doubt I can be away for extended period of time with a greater sense of confidence.

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Thats awesome to hear Robert! Try rebooting it and it should connect to the cloud assuming your wifi/pass is correct in the app. Also make sure that little dot but the alkatronic logo is green before making any changes in the app. I ordered a BNC cable the other day and will hopefully have it for the weekend. Cant wait!

@focustronic831 5 жыл бұрын

very nice to hear that.....it is the confidence that matters......

@madshepsreef282 3 жыл бұрын

I want to make total 2200ml can you tell me in ml How much I need to make the mix.

@markweldon744 4 жыл бұрын

My friend just got one is it correct that you can only access the alkatronic locally (onces hes home) and it isn't cloud based (when hes at work or on vacation)

@ReefDudes 4 жыл бұрын

Mark Weldon it is now as of a few months ago via a firmware update. As long as it’s on your network you can access it remotely

@markweldon744 4 жыл бұрын

@@ReefDudes thank you

@Chukilaje Жыл бұрын

Quick question, I am trying to decide for a 35 Galon to stabilize the Kh. I'm not sure if I can hook this with the Apex 3 Jr and get salinity, so I can check ALK, Ph and Salinity. What are your thought to invest? I was going to buy the new Marine Hanna that comes with Ph, Temp and Salinity, but not sure what would be the best to NOT INVEST in a huge setup to have Ph, Temp, Alkanility and Salinity, what are your thoughts? Thanks! great vid

@ReefDudes Жыл бұрын

Alk will need its own tester (alkatronic will also tell u ph) so kinda give you both, but on a 35g, I feel like water changes may be cheaper haha. but if you want automation the alkatornic is a great tester.. but a bit of an investment!

@Chukilaje Жыл бұрын

Yes water changes are Ok butnKh never get stable. Do you know if I can conect the trident the apex jr? Im moving to trident

@ReefDudes Жыл бұрын

@@Chukilaje I’m pretty sure you can

@stevenlu11 5 жыл бұрын

Hey man love your contents!!! I just got an alkatronic as well and I'm trying to calibrate by weight as well. But my question is the reagent weight and salt water weight are both 1g to 1 ml? How should I calibrate by weight if I don't know if they're 1to1? Thanks a bunch!

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Steven Lu yes. Reagent and rodi water are both 1ml = 1 gram. The instructions saw the ratio. I believe I mixed mine at 300ml reagent to 1200ml rodi to make 1.5L. But double check the manual to confirm. I’m actually talking about it in tonight’s live steam if you hop on later :)

@stevenlu11 5 жыл бұрын

@@ReefDudes Thanks man. Do you know what Fast Mode does on the Alkatronic?

@noeldavis618 5 жыл бұрын

You tared it with the lid on and then measured with the lid off. Also, you're assuming that the density of the reagant is 1g/ml like water. That's probably a good approximation, but it shouldn't be expected to be exactly the same density as water. I'll bet the volume measure is probably more accurate if you corrected for these two items. It's not that hard for AquaMaxx (or whoever makes those containers) to make the markings pretty accurate.

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

hah yes I caught the lid tare thing after.. good eye! I was wondering how many would catch that when i was editing it :P The lines on it were accurate but i still wanted to double check with weight and the lines :)

@taneshag5337 2 жыл бұрын

I just purchased this and I’m looking for the right scale to mix my reagent. Any suggestions?

@ReefDudes 2 жыл бұрын

I do it by weight, just pick up a kitchen scale! I use this guy but any will work amzn.to/3ugyhRg 1g = 1ml :)

@taneshag5337 2 жыл бұрын

@@ReefDudes Great! Thanks, btw your video helped me decide between the kh director and the Alkatronic. Keep doing what you do 😀

@ReefDudes 2 жыл бұрын

@@taneshag5337 Happy to help!

@markmckinnell2204 5 жыл бұрын

I’ve been looking at this for a couple of months now and the only things that put me off are the PH probe does it dry out between tests as we are always told they cannot be dry for more than 2 hours and the fact we get ripped off in the U.K. and pay pound per dollar instead of the 70p it’s worth. 😤

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

The machine drains it and fills it with tank water.. so no drying out the probe :) your safe!

@markmckinnell2204 5 жыл бұрын

ReefDudes Devan,sorry about the “Degan” - bloody spell checker 😆

@AaronsAquaticsA2 5 жыл бұрын

You sure this is a reef hobby or chemistry hobby? :D Also, glad to have talked with you in Discord!

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

A bit of both! always a pleasure :)

@StNovaSt 5 жыл бұрын

Bro your intro is definitely Kid in a Candy store. Your inner nerd escaped there.lol

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Who doesnt love new reefing tech!

@camilacesar2544 4 жыл бұрын

I am Brazilian and in Brazil the price of the alkatronic is so so 2500 dolars,what is the price in USA?

@ReefDudes 4 жыл бұрын

899 www.saltwateraquarium.com/alkatronic-alkalinity-controller-batch-3-focustronic/?aff=8

@stefanklimek6114 2 ай бұрын

you tare and afterward take to top off?

@ReefDudes 2 ай бұрын

you tare with what ever container your using on :)

@stefanklimek6114 2 ай бұрын

@@ReefDudes but you tared and then filled the fluids in. That can't be right! Or did you put the top back on when checking the final weight? I don't think so.

@RookieReefer 5 жыл бұрын

I thought the box was it 😅 wondered where the hell you'd fit it

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Go big or go home! :P

@kielfriedt 5 жыл бұрын

Why this instead of the apex version?

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Apex version isnt released yet.

@TheHelicapt 5 жыл бұрын

Great info....you made me spend my money on one...should be getting it in about a week....still liking yours ?

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

TheHelicapt loving it. Paired with a calcium reactor it’s a dream . currently test twice a day and if I see my alk trending up or down I walk over and tweak the flow by 1ml/‘’min and I’m set for another month or two. Makes it so easy (and I’m a slacker at testing at times )

@TheHelicapt 5 жыл бұрын

ReefDudes Unfortunately I don’t have a calcium reactor, I use two part. I assume I can adjust my two part if I see the testing varies.

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

TheHelicapt yep. Same thing. You can just tweak your dosing accordingly (or let it dose for you). They have a new add on product coming out soon called a doserronic that can dose everything for you based on the algorithms of alk dosing. Looks pretty neat

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Exactly. My buddy has an alkatronic as well . He uses his old jebao doser for the bulk of the dosing then lets the alkatronic tweak it with additional alk when needed

@TheHelicapt 5 жыл бұрын

ReefDudes Awesome. Thanks for quick response.

@MrHCMSS 5 жыл бұрын

1g does not = 1ml. Only with RODI. Once salts etc are dissolved into RODI, the weight changes depending on the concentration.

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

You are correct with saltwater..It works for mixing the reagents but may be off for measuring the tank water output.. good call!

@AquaSplendor 5 жыл бұрын

My only concern with that product is who are they targeting, it's a expansive machine, it will do his job but what group of person will buy this. I really wish them the best, the idea is great, hope other company will look at this and try to create something similar and (hopefully) cheaper ? Guess in the next couple years we will see evolution of this kind of product !

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

There is a ton popping up, so its the new cool trend of the hobby.. that and filter rollers! Not cheap but it certainly will make reefing easier! It would be great for a frag system where the demands are constantly changing

@MeditationMelodiessounds 5 жыл бұрын

will wait on the Jebao version lmao.

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

hahaha maybe one day

@chriskitedude565 5 жыл бұрын

pretty slick kit. a niche product for the ocd freak really. lets say your standard salifert alk test is € 0.38 per test / 50 tests per kit / € 19 euro per kit. thats a +\- 2600 manual tests. quite pricey box of plastic then imho. get the apex hooked up on a bnc connector and lets see how this works. :-) would get one near the 500 usd price point but like a poster mentioned before we get ripped off in euroland and this thing will be 1k euro which i see no point in.

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Already ordered a BNC cable.. thats next on my list hehe! Not even the cost its the effort of actually doing it! I alternate between consistent testing then going far too long without testing.. then back to consistent..ect :) this should make life easier !

@chriskitedude565 5 жыл бұрын

ReefDudes forsure dude! no question. i like the design. really so much better in comparison to the kh guardian ie not bulky. for us reef techy guys no way around it really :-) i will hold off and await neptunes triton release and then make a descision. so the bnc out plugs to the apex ph port or pm module and reads a ph value? and that value is the kh value basically right?

@ReefDudes 5 жыл бұрын

Yep pretty much my understanding. Ill try it this weekend and confirm (and prob add it to the next update) My Buddy brad who bought one is ready to buy the fancy corals now that he has this to keep his tank stable! :P hehehe future frags for me to acquire! woo