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Salinity / Conductivity Probe – Lab Grade
Start measuring salinity in your tank and get alerts when it is out of range.
- Replace an old probe
- Add salinity monitoring to your system via the Salinity Module: PM2
Start measuring salinity in your tank and get alerts when it is out of range.
- Replace an old probe
- Add salinity monitoring to your system via the Salinity Module: PM2
*Calibration solutions sold separately
Use 53.0mS calibration fluid for monitoring salinity of saltwater
Use 447mS calibration fluid for monitoring TDS of freshwater
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Garbage By Fredrick on 3/15/2020
Fredrick wouldn't recommend this product to a friendI'm not usually so opinionated on things. But for a company to constantly tout themselves as the leader in aquarium testing you would think they could at least get salinity right. I've been on reef 2 reef, apex, and brs forums. I've calibrated and re calibrated over and over and over again. You get a good reading for 10 minutes then its off to the races. I would say don't buy this but you sad to say you can't get the apex without it. So just know..........it wont work. -
Problem with Conductivity By Robert on 11/21/2019
Robert wouldn't recommend this product to a friendThe problem with measuring conductivity in sea water is that if done incorrectly (like this apparently is) by applying a DC current is that it acts to plate the electrodes (electroplating) which rapidly changes the reading and destroys the probe. Proper way is using an AC signal and complicated timing to determine conductivity without plating the electrodes. The cost of this probe is 4x as much as an equivalent probe and is designed for low conductivity measurements IE fresh or brackish water. -
Never calibrates right, readings always off By Constance on 11/4/2019
Constance wouldn't recommend this product to a friendI read the reviews and I am relieved to know that it is not just me. My probe has always been off. It has gotten pretty bad and now I can never seem to calibrate it. For the price, I would think this thing would last longer. After a year, it just doesn't want to calibrate. Very sad and unhappy customer with Apex! -
What happened to the quality of the product By Russell on 8/27/2019
Russell wouldn't recommend this product to a friendThis is the second conductivity probe that I've own, Sold my original one with my Apex classic that I bought in 2014. The old one worked the whole time, only had a problem when sponges or something touched the electrode, then I just clean it and went back to the normal values. This new one that came with the 2016 version is poorly assembled. -
Garbage By Derrick on 8/19/2019
Derrick wouldn't recommend this product to a friendNever works properly. This is my third probe. It is CONSISTENTLY off. Never reads accurately. You can calibrate this thing 20 times and it will still be off. If you tap it with your finger the reading goes up by almost 1 PPT then goes back to being off. Sometimes it will drift for no apparent reason either. -
Waste of Money By Robert on 8/5/2019
Robert wouldn't recommend this product to a friendI have invested quite a bit in the Neptune Apex and accessories and for the rest of the line it is amazing, but the salinity probe takes more time to setup maintain, verify, fix, etc.. than just doing the task yourself. It is completely unreliable and can't be trusted for accurate measurements because you don't know if it is working or not until you verify it with another device. Don't waste your money. -
Great to have, insane price for its lifespan By Phil on 7/23/2019
Phil wouldn't recommend this product to a friendYou have to replace it every two years or it stops working. When it works - it's indispensable, however $125 for an item expected to last less than two years is a joke. Neptune should at a minimum offer a replacement at discount if you send yours in. Calibration will take multiple attempts. Only use this for monitoring deltas, I wouldn't trust the actual reading despite being "lab grabe". Get a refractometer for better accuracy. -
so dysfunctional By boneless3vil on 6/20/2019
boneless3vil wouldn't recommend this product to a friendfrom minute one I never got this thing calibrated correctly. No matter what I did, cleaning it with vinegar, washing it out and then letting it dry overnight…It's never displayed the right number – at all– while my refractometer and Milwaukee are showing 35/1.026. Now, I use the Milwaukee tester and its accurate every time. I wish this probe worked, as it would save me time and do consistent monitoring. Too bad. It's a nice idea, poor execution. -
Shoddy Quality (but salvageable if you can solder) By Thomas on 6/4/2019
Thomas wouldn't recommend this product to a friendI had 2 of these failing on me.
After investigating the failure of the first electrode I discovered that the problem wasn't with the electrode itself but rather with the solder joints inside the Mini-DIN connector. Whoever soldered these didn't know what he/she was doing and created to cold solder joints. It is just a matter of time when these come loose or completely off. On the first electrode both leads had come off, on the second only one lead had come off (not that I would trust the other.)
A cold solder joint could also be one explanation why there are so many people reporting unstable readings or problems to calibrate the electrode.
The good news is that this issue can be fixed without shelling out $130 for a new electrode if you can solder or know someone who can solder.
There are of course other issues with this electrode. One of them is that air bubbles might get trapped inside and alter the reading. -
Trash By Peter Pan on 3/2/2019
Peter Pan wouldn't recommend this product to a friendWill not calibrate, Will not give you accurate results, -
Decent Probe But Can Be Tough To Calibrate By Richard on 2/16/2019
Richard would recommend this product to a friendI've owned several of these and they've each had a useful life of about 12 months. I replace when readings begin to change erratically despite cleaning and re-calibration, or probe fails to recalibrate altogether. Expensive 'relative to pH probes, etc.'? Yes, but I have no idea what the relative manufacturing costs might be for this type probe vs. the others. Reliable? Mine certainly have been and always read within 0.1 - 0.2 ppm of my VEE GEE STX-3 Refractometer (awesome refractometer by-the-way!). Easy to re-calibration this probe? No. Sometimes it takes 2 to 3 attempts to get probe to read within .1 ppm of calibration solution's concentration. But eventually I get it and all is well. I use the output from this probe as a quick salinity check at least once every single day and the Apex sends me a text & email anytime the salinity drifts more than +/- .3 ppm. If that happens, I know there's either something going on with my ATO or the probe needs cleaning / re-calibration or replacement. As far as I'm concerned this is a perishable item with a relatively high price tag - but one that provides a lot of peace-of-mind in return. -
P.O.S. Brand New won’t calibrate By AH on 12/21/2018
AH wouldn't recommend this product to a friendI just bought the new system. Plug in the salinity probe and the Apex gives me a reading of 41 without any calibration. I cant get passed step 4 ( the dry calibration) to use the calibration fluid because it has an unacceptably dry rating of 41. WTH???
Ble
Can you guys help me please? I'm looking into automating my 75gl reef aquarium. I like the Apex for its wireless/cloud features. Looking to monitor Temp, PH, Alkalinity, and eventually Calcium and Salinity. With all the various modules it can be confusing. Could you all tell me what equipment is needed for the most bank for my buck. Thinking all I need is the Apex Jr. for power supply and can always add on if needed.
Question posted on Jun 26, 2016 4:28:00 PM
Great question! Honestly, the most bang-for-your-buck, as far as future upgrades would be the newest Neptune Apex. It offers pH, Temp, Salinity, and ORP monitoring out of the box! :-)
Answer by: Randy (Admin) on Jun 29, 2016 6:18:00 PM
Packing up my apex for a move. How should these probes be stored for long term (about 6 months)?
Question posted on Mar 20, 2016 2:04:00 PM
Great question!
The probes will last around 1.5-2 year maximum and may need to be replaced by the time the tank is being set up, however they can be stored in probe bottles listed below with solution. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-ph-orp-probe-tip-soaker-bottle.html
The probes will last around 1.5-2 year maximum and may need to be replaced by the time the tank is being set up, however they can be stored in probe bottles listed below with solution. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-ph-orp-probe-tip-soaker-bottle.html
Answer by: Connor (Admin) on Mar 21, 2016 6:12:00 PM
New to the controllers. Wondering if the probe needs to be taken out and cleaned or you just calibrate and put it in your tank and leave it? If it has to be cleaned how often? Thanks
Question posted on Jan 19, 2016 4:04:00 PM
Great question.
It is best to clean and re-calibrate the probes. When cleaning the probes should be unplugged and removed and rinsed with water to take any build up off. This can occur once every few months. probes do need to be replaced to accuracy once every 1-2 years. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
It is best to clean and re-calibrate the probes. When cleaning the probes should be unplugged and removed and rinsed with water to take any build up off. This can occur once every few months. probes do need to be replaced to accuracy once every 1-2 years. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
Answer by: Connor (Admin) on Jan 27, 2016 2:59:00 PM
Would this prove work with vertex cerebra?
Question posted on Nov 28, 2016 3:30:00 AM
Great question! Unlike pH probes, which use the same BNC connector, some Salinity probes are proprietary to their manufacturer's equipment. For example, the Salinity probe for Neptune Apex will not work with the ReefKeeper and vice versa. :-)
Answer by: Randy (Admin) on Nov 28, 2016 7:34:00 AM
Do I need to buy the salinity module in addition to the APEX controller that is $549 in addition to this probe to make all things work best together?
Question posted on Mar 10, 2016 2:29:00 PM
Great question!
You will need the PM2 module in addition to the apex and salinity probe. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
You will need the PM2 module in addition to the apex and salinity probe. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
Answer by: Connor (Admin) on Mar 10, 2016 4:30:00 PM
How long is the cord on these? If it's not long enough to reach where I want to put my Apex is there any way to extend the cable?
Question posted on Mar 12, 2016 9:18:00 PM
Great question!
These will have a 10.5 foot cable attached. You would need to look into a BNC adapter cable to increase the length. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
These will have a 10.5 foot cable attached. You would need to look into a BNC adapter cable to increase the length. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
Answer by: Connor (Admin) on Mar 14, 2016 4:41:00 PM
I am thinking of using salinity to regulate my ATO in my new 90 gallon reef I am building with float switch as back up. Do you think this is a valid approach? pros/cons?
Question posted on Aug 6, 2016 10:49:00 PM
Hey there, great question. I would not recommend using salinity to be the control of your ATO for a couple of reasons. First, any conductivity probe has a variance of some sort which could be the difference of 1.025SG +/- .002. This could cause misreadings and fluctuations outside of the ranges you desire. Second, conductivity probes need to be calibrated on a regular schedule to ensure accuracy, which means that they fall out of calibration. If you aren't calibrating on a weekly, even daily basis, how can you trust the readings 24/7? Keep it simple in my opinion. Evaporation leaves salt in the tank and takes freshwater out, replace with equal amounts of fresh water and you will be more accurate than any probe could be. ;-)
Answer by: Randy (Admin) on Aug 9, 2016 9:44:00 PM
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