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Announcement: New Reef Parameter Monitors - Hydros Maven and Neptune Trident NP
Last updated on April 18th, 2024
New Automatic Reef Tank Testers Announced
If you follow much in terms of the articles I write, you know that I am all about automated testing and even better than that, automated control! This week, both Hydros and Neptune Systems added products to the mix that change the game for automated reef tanks! The Hydros Maven Automated Aquarium Monitor and Controller, and the Neptune Trident NP Nitrate and Phosphate Monitor.
Hydros Maven
The Hydros Maven is an automated tester in the Hydros Ecosystem that tests Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, Nitrate, and Phosphate! What more could you need!? Well, it comes with 2 drive ports, meaning you can add dosing pumps directly to the tester!
Additionally there are 2 sense ports for additional sensors. These really round out the idea of a full controller and monitor in one box! I'm not gonna lie, I'm really excited to order Maven just to try this out!
The one thing I wish it would have had was a probe port for pH. But with the recent Minow and Launch, as well As the wide variety of other Hydros options, this is a great out-of-the-box answer for almost every reef keeper!
The main questions I still have are about pricing, testing frequency, and the cost of reagents. But these will easily Be known with time!
The release date for this has not yet been announced. If you're interested though, you will likely want to order/pre-order as soon as it is available because this one has been getting a LOT of attention!
Neptune Trident NP
As you may already know, I am mostly an "Apex Facility" when it comes to control. So needless to say, I've been looking forward to the Trident NP coming out for quite some time!
With a "minimum" of once-per-day testing of Nitrate and Phosphate, you'll get to see the trends of nutrients in your reef and be able to monitor feeding and effects of water changes and other details of your reef that you otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity!
It goes without saying, I and many others are quite excited about the Trident NP! And having been waiting for 4 years or more, it built up a lot of hype.
As for the other side, with a release date in May 2024, there is a good chance I get a Trident NP to play with. Though the price point will play a role in that. The Neptune Trident NP can't be stacked with the previous Neptune Trident, and appears to be the same size and design. Meaning another shelf if needed for this one.
Conclusion
Being announced at the same time as the Maven didn't help either. The Maven has all of the functionality of both Trident and Trident NP, in a mountable package, and no extra head unit needed. But the prices of these products could really make or break the controller wars! If I had to decide today, with what I know about how the 2 companies do pricing, I know which one I would pick.
Which automated water tester would you lean toward? Feel free to share on social and via email!
About the Author
John Krenzer
John is a Software Engineer with a passion for saltwater aquariums, as well as the founder and president of Reef Stable. He started in the aquarium hobby as a child with a 20 gallon freshwater aquarium. His interest in aquarium life grew and in 2008, John set up his first saltwater aquarium.
Today, John maintains an over 300 gallon reef tank system, consisting of a 120g reef and a 210g reef. These large tanks are contained within the same system, sharing a sump as a means to reduce total maintenance and increase total water volume.
John writes articles for the blog as a means to learn about more reef aquarium topics. These articles act as a reference for the readers as well as himself. John updates these articles frequently to provide additional information or make corrections as new information becomes available.
If you would like to request an article, tank tour article, or to collaborate, let me know via the Contact Me Page!
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