Seneye Review

[Jordon]

I have been fascinated by the Seneye Reef since hearing out it back in 2011. Following its journey from announcement to release amid various reef blogs, articles and personal reviews, I have been waiting for the perfect occasion to give this great device a shot, and finally got my chance! I have been testing this unit f’or over a month now, and would like to share my impressions and experiences with it.

What is Seneye?

Seneye is an Aquarium Monitoring device. The Seneye Reef and Seneye+ monitor temperature, water level, pH*, NH3*, PAR, LUX and Kelvin.



The device is small enough to fit in even the smallest of spaces. I tested mine in the back of my nano - Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion 10g; right in the back chamber, but it could easily fit in a smaller tank as well – and of course, larger! Whether in your display, sump or back chambers of your AIO, Seneye just works.

Please note: for light readings, Seneye Reef must be able to see your light using its available light sensor. Sao display would be optimal when using this feature.

* pH and NH3 reporting require the use of the Seneye+ slide; more on that in a bit.

This sounds amazing; Why on earth did I wait so long to try this out? The one thing holding me back at the time was the Seneye’s lack of Internet connectivity. I don’t have my computer anywhere near my aquarium, and the Seneye would previously only work if directly connected to a PC (that’s a Windows PC) I run all Mac computers at home and this wasn’t too accommodating for me at that time.

Earlier this year, Aqua Digital began distributing the Seneye Web Server (SWS) to the masses across Canada. This directly solved my problem of Internet connectivity and using a Mac. The SWS allows you to use “ The Cloud”. Oh yes! That’s right people, The Cloud. Why should you care? Well, being able to check on your parameters from any computer, smartphone, tablet or web browser in the world is a pretty cool thing to do, and just feels futuristic. It’s the Futurrrrre.



Who is Seneye for?

Seneye is for your Reefing addict (not that kind), Freshwater Enthusiast, Planted Tank Connoisseur, or Pond Aficionado. Seneye offers multiple devices tailored to your specific need, and gives you peace of mind knowing exactly what is happening that you can’t always see with your naked eye.

Unless you have an $800+ Aquarium controller package with probes that need to be calibrated regularly plus a $400+ Par meter, you are unlikely to find a better deal and/or simpler product than the Seneye Reef; and even with that, it won’t do quite everything the Seneye can. Seneye is an Aquarium Monitor, and will save you from failing lights, broken heaters, tank crashes caused by ammonia spikes, sudden pH shifts, ATO disasters and even leaks. This all happens with the help of the Seneye itself along with its accomplice, the Seneye+ slide.

What is Seneye+?

Seneye+ is essentially the brains for monitoring pH and NH3. It will even send you e-mail and/or text alerts to let you know if anything fishy is happening inside your aquarium, and will even recommend solutions and actions to these concerns.





Activating the device is extremely simple; simply enter the code on the package into the www.seneye.me online Interface and bam! You are now monitoring precise free ammonia and pH readings at 5600 times per month!

The pH is monitored between 6.4 and 9, which is an ideal range for Reef aquariums.

The NH3 (free ammonia) sensor allows for detection of highly toxic ammonia at very low concentrations. This allows you to take preventative action if a fish or invert died and is hiding under that lovely piece of live rock, or a snail bit the dust and was shredded by your powerhead.

No calibrating – ever! The Seneye+ needs to be replaced every 30 days (it will actually keep reading parameters for 35 days in case you forgot) and soaked for 48 hours before installation to ensure proper readings immediately after replacing.

Setup and First Impressions

The unit provided to me by Michael @ Aqua Digital consisted of the following:

- Seneye Reef
- SWS Seneye Web Server (wired version)
- One month supply Seneye+ Slide
- Seneye+ Slide Soaker



Setup was relatively simple, and was done in 5 super-easy steps.

1. Soak the Seneye+ slide for 48 hours with the aid of the Seneye+ Slide Soaker
2. Plug the SWS (Seneye Web Server) into a power outlet and connect via Ethernet (cable provided)
3. Install the Seneye+ slide into the Seneye Reef
4. Plug the Seneye Reef into the USB slot on the SWS
5. Log into www.seneye.me and enter the Seneye+ slide code to activate it

Now, I did encounter one issue initially after activating the Seneye+ slide where after about 2 hours it still wasn’t reporting any parameters besides temperature and light/par/lux. Unplugging and re-plugging the Seneye Reef from the SWS via USB solved this issue. DERP.

After about 10 minutes it immediately started reporting parameters correctly, and has run without a hitch from then on.







I did not have wired Ethernet where my aquarium is, but at the time of this review, the Wi-Fi SWS was not available in Canada. I was able to MacGyver a solution using an Apple AirPort Express (essentially a wireless extender) and it worked out flawlessly.

I have heard of others using similar solutions without issue as well.





Pros, Cons and Final Thoughts

Now that you have a good idea of what Seneye can do for you and setup, let’s go through a few of the things I gushed over, and a few of the things that I didn’t.

Pros

+ Feature-rich in a small package
+ User friendly
+ Par Meter for Cheap!
+ Early warning system; 5600 readings/month
+ Polished SWS Interface
+ App available for iPhone, Android and Windows phone
+ No calibration required

Cons

- App is dated; needs more functionality and refinement
- Initial setup with SWS had connectivity issues
- SWS is wired only and not Wi-Fi*

* The SWS Wi-Fi version is now available in Canada!

Final Thoughts

I genuinely enjoyed testing the Seneye Reef and SWS, and have already purchased six months of additional Seneye+ slides to continue using it. Anyone looking for a product that can monitor, report and possibly prevent disasters stemming from stuck heaters, ATO failures, dying livestock, tank leaks, tank crashes due to deaths and pH swings will benefit from the Seneye.

Those of you with Aquarium Controllers with all the probes may not need this device, but for that nano project or office tank where an expensive controller isn’t required, you may very well benefit from the Seneye.

TL;DR - Seneye is awesome.