Great comparison! I had an autotester for KH and it was such a pain and unreliable. I'm better testing once a week. Be great if there was a reasonably price autotester (under $750) that tested the big 5 and you could test as little as each once per week with cheap reagent. If they did that (and they could) every reefer would get one and would test a lot. But my experience was it was more hassle per test than Salifert and a LOT more expensive
Thanks for the video! Honestly i just replaced 2 tridents that needed maintenance and a mastertronic for 2 reefbot lab, waiting on the second one to arrive. Any one who tried them all will surely say that the reefbot is the best option to go with, really wish they could add a doser soon
I hate testing so much. But I’ve been doing this a long time so keeping non demanding SPS and frequent water changes has worked for my set up. But once I splurge for that dream tank I’ll definitely be acquiring an auto tester. Thanks for the info!
Having an auto tester is key and like you said does save a lot of time. I do have the trident which works well as I use it for dosing as well but am looking for a standalone to cross check. Great info Deven. Thanks.
This is what am talking about sir a full review of a few testers this information for a newbie like myself is invaluable I appreciate your time my friend.
I'm using Hanna checkers, NO3 HR, PO4 LR, alkalinity in DKH, and calcium. I get pretty accurate results compared to my red sea test kits too. For magnesium I'm using red sea test, I test once a week, sometimes I miss a week but that's ok lol.
I heard about it last summer but apparently it’s been in the market for a few years now, saw they released this new model and preordered it, i was reluctant at first but now i just casually enjoy watching it performing the tests, it’s truly the future
It is worth mentioning an important issue, namely Trident and their reagents, it is not possible to buy the KH reagent alone, you have to buy the whole kit, which is total stupidity because Mg and Ca tests are not performed as often as KH in my case and probably many other people. It is a pity that you did not additionally show the applications, their appearance, ease of use and possibilities
You test alkalinity twice as often as calcium and magnesium with the Trident. The Trident reagents come with twice the amount of alkalinity reagent. I always have more A reagent than B and C. If you are really worried, go buy ABC reagents. They sell them separately I believe
Hey Dev! I've been running the Reefbot Lab for a few months now. I've been having accuracy issues with Nitrate and Phosphate with API reagents. Reefbot customer service is telling me to manually shake the reagents before each test because their magnetic pill isn't mixing enough. What brand of reagents are you using for your nitrate and phosphate? Have you run into this problem?
Redsea for po4 and tropic Marin for fauna marin for no3 If it’s to low it will give me an error that it can’t determine results but works well otherwise
Devin, have you done any accuracy testing? I just wondered how the devices stack up against one another. Also, I am curious, if you have just one, which one would choose?
No issues with the mastertronic?? I love the thing when it works...but i have had Clogged needles Useless leak detector Position flag which stops everything until off/on Split hoses in the heads, hopefully fixed with a 3d print part from reef2reef
I have a 300 gallon salt water tank. Been in the hobby for forty years. Test and measure my water with a strip every few days and manually add whatever I need into my sump. The youngest fish I have is 15 years old and have fish that are not even suppose to be together multiple angels, multiple triggers, wrasse, clowns. I wouldn’t waste money on this
Hi... I want to ask, if Reefbot can be turn ON/OFF at will? I don't want to connect it to a Tank. I want to use as tester for all my tanks. Do you think I could just Click start manual Test and have inlet suck the water from a bottle of different tank? And after I'm done, I can just shut it off? And open it to use a week later? I test weekly. Please advice? May Mastronic too? Can it be use are more of station for testing? rather than connect to specific tank? I prefer something like Aquaspin from API I heard it's unreliable. What I need is similar to that of Hanna Marine Master except Hanna is still Manual Testing. What I do nowadays, to put Trident inlet into a bottle and click start a manual test. And then test NO3 and PO4 with Checkers. But since Trident is hooked on to my DP, I don't have to shut it on & off. If I am using ReefBot or Mastronic, I will have to shut it off? Or keep it on but schedule it not to run automatically? And have it click start manual test? Can you recommend anything? Thanks.
Deven, kind of a no brainer for me, especially if you are using a calcium reactor. Alkatronic tests alkalinity only, but that's all you really need on a frequent basis. Manually testing Calcium (once per week?) and Magnesium (once per month?) is no big deal. The feature of the Alkatronic regarding mixing reagent that can last for months AND connecting into Apex means it's low maintenance. I suppose if you dose vs Calcium reactor, you might have a little more concern regarding the Calcium levels.
It depends on the reagent, i have tested expied hanna ones next to new ones, and some time the result was a bit off but it was still in the ballpark. (in my experience)
Lol those are my spare wet sides. I pop them on for maintenance then give the dirty ones a citric acid bath and a scrub then they go under until the next maintenance session
I agree! It is! It wouldn’t be possible to test out so many different products if I had to buy them all at full retail. That being said it would be cheaper to buy it then spend countless hours of my life building content to help reefers for years. If I count all the effort it’s very expensive and I would be better off working the day job and buying reefing toys to play with. :) all In perspective
@@ReefDudes if you complain you can share them, problem with reviews is that they are not trully honest, like that guy he asked you about which one is the best so you can say which one is for you the best :)
That’s because it depends what you prioritize… you want ease of use and own an apex thentreident is a solid choice You want stand also w then alkatronic is awesome. Plus cheap in reagent You want to test other stuff then mastertronic to reefbot They all have pros and cons. So it really depends on what you value and what your space / budget / priorities are. I’m happy to answer any question but it’s hard to genetically day with out knowing the goals of the asker :)
I just cant stand the sound of alkatronic, dosetronic and the DOS pump for apex. its just ruins the whole experiance since i keep my tank close to my bedroom and where i watch tv. KH keeper is the only device that has an acceptable Sound. i dont also care how "accurate" they are aslong they are doing consistent tests and keep my parameters stable. Also the MAG and CAL in trident is just bullshit since u cant buy KH reagent by itself. i never even test CAL or MAG outside my monthly ICP / 2nd month
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
I feel like these testers are such a waste of money. I’m waiting for a machine that will test parameters from a single sample of water and no reagents lol
@@ReefDudes I know. It’s 2023. We should have auto testers like this by now. Nitrate probes phosphate probes alk probes mag probes calc probes. That would be totally worth the hundreds and thousands of dollars these machines cost
So many options! Gotta love how far we have come in the hobby. Thanks for the video. 👌🏻
Hello Devon, thanks for answering my email earlier :) Glad you made this a video!
Great comparison!
I had an autotester for KH and it was such a pain and unreliable. I'm better testing once a week. Be great if there was a reasonably price autotester (under $750) that tested the big 5 and you could test as little as each once per week with cheap reagent.
If they did that (and they could) every reefer would get one and would test a lot.
But my experience was it was more hassle per test than Salifert and a LOT more expensive
Thanks for the video! Honestly i just replaced 2 tridents that needed maintenance and a mastertronic for 2 reefbot lab, waiting on the second one to arrive. Any one who tried them all will surely say that the reefbot is the best option to go with, really wish they could add a doser soon
I’m sure they will come out with one eventually!
I hate testing so much. But I’ve been doing this a long time so keeping non demanding SPS and frequent water changes has worked for my set up. But once I splurge for that dream tank I’ll definitely be acquiring an auto tester. Thanks for the info!
Having an auto tester is key and like you said does save a lot of time. I do have the trident which works well as I use it for dosing as well but am looking for a standalone to cross check. Great info Deven. Thanks.
Try the reefbot, got mine for about 3-4 months now and i already trust it more than my eye lol
This is what am talking about sir a full review of a few testers this information for a newbie like myself is invaluable I appreciate your time my friend.
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome video but I dont know if you are aware but the ask a question place on the website is not functioning.
Devin where did you get that mini trident cover???
How often do you have to change the probe on the KH Keeper? And can you use other makes of probe to save some cash?
I'm using Hanna checkers, NO3 HR, PO4 LR, alkalinity in DKH, and calcium. I get pretty accurate results compared to my red sea test kits too. For magnesium I'm using red sea test, I test once a week, sometimes I miss a week but that's ok lol.
Sounds liek your on a very solid schedule!
How long will the mastertronic testing last usually if you test once a week?
Out of all the autotesters, which one of them is the most accurate?
Which has been the most consistent with set it and forget it?
You should have a look at the Xepta range, they look quite interesting, auto-testing without test kits with probes apparently.
All I know is I've never seen or heard of a reef bot that thing is nuts!!! We really are entering the future of reefing. Love it!
I heard about it last summer but apparently it’s been in the market for a few years now, saw they released this new model and preordered it, i was reluctant at first but now i just casually enjoy watching it performing the tests, it’s truly the future
Yea they are 2,000$$
It is worth mentioning an important issue, namely Trident and their reagents, it is not possible to buy the KH reagent alone, you have to buy the whole kit, which is total stupidity because Mg and Ca tests are not performed as often as KH in my case and probably many other people.
It is a pity that you did not additionally show the applications, their appearance, ease of use and possibilities
You test alkalinity twice as often as calcium and magnesium with the Trident. The Trident reagents come with twice the amount of alkalinity reagent. I always have more A reagent than B and C.
If you are really worried, go buy ABC reagents. They sell them separately I believe
Where can I buy the reefbot in the USA ?
Hey Dev! I've been running the Reefbot Lab for a few months now. I've been having accuracy issues with Nitrate and Phosphate with API reagents. Reefbot customer service is telling me to manually shake the reagents before each test because their magnetic pill isn't mixing enough.
What brand of reagents are you using for your nitrate and phosphate? Have you run into this problem?
Redsea for po4 and tropic Marin for fauna marin for no3
If it’s to low it will give me an error that it can’t determine results but works well otherwise
@@ReefDudes Perfect! I just ordered both of those kits, hopefully they will work out better. Thanks for the reply!
Devin, have you done any accuracy testing? I just wondered how the devices stack up against one another. Also, I am curious, if you have just one, which one would choose?
No issues with the mastertronic?? I love the thing when it works...but i have had
Clogged needles
Useless leak detector
Position flag which stops everything until off/on
Split hoses in the heads, hopefully fixed with a 3d print part from reef2reef
Did you actually buy any of these as you don't disclosed how many were paid promotions?
Ok, what tester do you like the best, the mastertronic or reefbot?
Thank you, sir! Extremely helpful!
Happy to help! Thanks Lisa!
My Auto tester is me 😂
I bet you do a fine Job!
I used to have the same, but it broke every few months, so needed a new option.
Have you used the ReefBot for nitrate? If so, how accurate is it?
I have a 300 gallon salt water tank. Been in the hobby for forty years. Test and measure my water with a strip every few days and manually add whatever I need into my sump. The youngest fish I have is 15 years old and have fish that are not even suppose to be together multiple angels, multiple triggers, wrasse, clowns. I wouldn’t waste money on this
how did you make your apex trident look like that? :D
Are you going to do a video on the mini trident cover ?
Could :)
Hi...
I want to ask, if Reefbot can be turn ON/OFF at will? I don't want to connect it to a Tank. I want to use as tester for all my tanks.
Do you think I could just Click start manual Test and have inlet suck the water from a bottle of different tank? And after I'm done, I can just shut it off? And open it to use a week later? I test weekly.
Please advice?
May Mastronic too? Can it be use are more of station for testing? rather than connect to specific tank? I prefer something like Aquaspin from API I heard it's unreliable.
What I need is similar to that of Hanna Marine Master except Hanna is still Manual Testing.
What I do nowadays, to put Trident inlet into a bottle and click start a manual test. And then test NO3 and PO4 with Checkers. But since Trident is hooked on to my DP, I don't have to shut it on & off.
If I am using ReefBot or Mastronic, I will have to shut it off? Or keep it on but schedule it not to run automatically? And have it click start manual test?
Can you recommend anything? Thanks.
Hey Dev, which one is the most accurate do you cross check with manual tests to see if there is a difference ? Please advise
The accuracy all depends on how well/often you calibrate it Biggest thing is they are consistent for trends
Which tester is the most accurate ? Please advise
He cant say that because he is sponsored....
Deven, kind of a no brainer for me, especially if you are using a calcium reactor. Alkatronic tests alkalinity only, but that's all you really need on a frequent basis. Manually testing Calcium (once per week?) and Magnesium (once per month?) is no big deal. The feature of the Alkatronic regarding mixing reagent that can last for months AND connecting into Apex means it's low maintenance. I suppose if you dose vs Calcium reactor, you might have a little more concern regarding the Calcium levels.
I hope apex makes a new model that does more
Great information!!
Thanks Bob!
If the kh keeper would pipe into my apex I would buy it in a heart beat
doesnt the reagent expire in like 6months-year? i have no experience with auto testers but my hanna reagent lasts about 6 months
It depends on the reagent, i have tested expied hanna ones next to new ones, and some time the result was a bit off but it was still in the ballpark. (in my experience)
@@ReefDudes well that's good to hear haha thanks for response
Great video!!!!
Thanks Greg!!
Are you using those mp40s as fans 😂
Lol those are my spare wet sides. I pop them on for maintenance then give the dirty ones a citric acid bath and a scrub then they go under until the next maintenance session
When you recalibrate the ph probe in the allkatronic do the results change?
Its good when companies send you toys so you can play with them for free...
I agree! It is! It wouldn’t be possible to test out so many different products if I had to buy them all at full retail. That being said it would be cheaper to buy it then spend countless hours of my life building content to help reefers for years. If I count all the effort it’s very expensive and I would be better off working the day job and buying reefing toys to play with. :) all
In perspective
@@ReefDudes if you complain you can share them, problem with reviews is that they are not trully honest, like that guy he asked you about which one is the best so you can say which one is for you the best :)
That’s because it depends what you prioritize… you want ease of use and own an apex thentreident is a solid choice
You want stand also w then alkatronic is awesome. Plus cheap in reagent
You want to test other stuff then mastertronic to reefbot They all have pros and cons. So it really depends on what you value and what your space / budget / priorities are. I’m happy to answer any question but it’s hard to genetically day with out knowing the goals of the asker :)
@@ReefDudes you are right for kh only which you will choose?
I just cant stand the sound of alkatronic, dosetronic and the DOS pump for apex. its just ruins the whole experiance since i keep my tank close to my bedroom and where i watch tv. KH keeper is the only device that has an acceptable Sound. i dont also care how "accurate" they are aslong they are doing consistent tests and keep my parameters stable. Also the MAG and CAL in trident is just bullshit since u cant buy KH reagent by itself. i never even test CAL or MAG outside my monthly ICP / 2nd month
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
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
I feel like these testers are such a waste of money. I’m waiting for a machine that will test parameters from a single sample of water and no reagents lol
Good luck! That is the dream but I don’t think we will have probe based one’s any time soon (as awesome as that would be!!!)
@@ReefDudes I know. It’s 2023. We should have auto testers like this by now. Nitrate probes phosphate probes alk probes mag probes calc probes. That would be totally worth the hundreds and thousands of dollars these machines cost
Never going to happen
If you know the basic science, you wouldn't have said such things, lol.
Enjoy that wait. It will be eternal 😂