[Poseidon]

I am disappointed with Oceanus Systems.

Here is why, I started a correspondence with Steven Scott, owner of Oceanus Systems back in November of 2006. I sent this E-Mail asking about a custom controller that could control the water level in my sump, as well as the water level in my RO reservoir. I wanted this ATO (auto top off) to have dual float sensors for the sump, a high water sensor for the tank, and a solenoid valve that my RO unit would pass through. Here is my original E-Mail from 11/19/2006:

Hello,

I am hoping you can help me out. I am looking for an auto top off that can do these things:

1)Double float valves in my sump, one for high water, the other for low water.
-I would like the float valves to control an outlet where I can plug in my dosing pump.
2) 2 single float sensors to use in my 2 Rubbermaid containers, one for fresh the other for salt water
-I would like to use 2 solenoids to control on/off from my RO unit.
3) High water sensor for my tank.
-Pretty obviously to turn off the return pump. This one would need a rather long cable as the sump is in the Basement.

I need to have the 2 Rubbermaid’s for water as I use the freshwater for my lizard and fresh water tank as well. I hope my explanation is clear, if not feel free to ask all kinds of questions!

Thanks!
Mike LaPorte

I thought that was pretty specific, but I understood things may be lost in translation; this is the response I received the same day:

Hello mike we have a alantis top off it is new not on our website yet it is like the proteus but has a extra float sensor like the atlas that would go in your main display tank for high water that would shut down your main pumps. we also have timer options the top off receptacle has a 1-15 adjustable timer this prevents short cycles due to water level flucuations the pump protection circuit has a 30 min timer that waits for 30 min before checking water levels to activate pumps. This top off would take care of #1 and #3 is your dosing pump in your basement now?
For # 2 to fill two seperate rubber maid containers from 1 ro you would need 2 zues and then for double solenoids we would have to put the extra solenoids in there own enclousures we have done this before the zues also have timer options also. Let me know if this is what you are looking for i will be in the shop today please feel free to give me a call at 269-251-8554 thank you steve
Oceanus Systems
price break down
Alantis $ 152.95 optional timers $35.00 = $187.95
Zues $ 145.95 optional timer $25.00 = 170.95 x 2 = $341.90
extra solenoids in there own enclosures $70.00 x 2 = $140.00
Total 669.85
To save some money on your fresh water tank is this used for water changes and the lizard? i would only get 1 zues and move the float assembly when you need to fill the holding tank.

That was more then I wanted to spend, so I asked for his advice, and described what it was that I wanted to accomplish:

Does the Atlantis have the Solenoid option?

I guess I could just explain what I want to do, and then I can give you a clearer picture.

I have a basement sump, and my RO unit is also in the basement. My RO unit auto shut off does not work with a Kent float valve, the water just keeps filing right up over the valve.

My dosing pump is in the basement, but it just pumps water to my Kalk reactor. From the reactor the water goes into my sump. I would like to keep a supply of fresh water, where the dosing pump can get its supply, and where I can also get water for the Bearded Dragon, and my sons 5 gallon tank. That is all I want the reservoir for in Fresh water anyway. I also want a separate 32 gallon Rubbermaid to have 20 gallons of saltwater on hand for water changes. I guess I could get by with one float valve, if I connected the two containers together, and separated them with a valve. That way I could open the valve to fill it, and then close the valve when I add salt. This would eliminate the need for a second solenoid right?

So I guess I need a ATO that can control my dosing pump, RO reservoir, and have an overfill sensor, to cut off my return.

Thanks!
Mike

Hello mike yes the alantis does have a solenoid option this would be 2 top offs in 1 it would have 2- double float assemblys( top off) and (high water) and 1 - single float assembly (low water) 1- single float assembly (display tank high water) this would be a atlas and a poseidon in 1 . This would add water to your holding tank from your r/o. control your dosing pump to add water from holding tank to your sump . and monitor your display tank for a high water condition. I will give you a price monday when i get back to the shop….. (Discussion about another board and becoming a sponsor omitted)

Steve and I discussed me putting a review of his product up for all to see once I received his ATO, I am a Moderator on a couple of boards, and an active member on a couple more. I own my own business, and I know that a positive word from a customer can go a long way towards building your business. At no point in time did I ask for a discount because I was a moderator, nor did Steve offer to send me any product for free, in exchange for a positive review.

Alright, back to the ATO and the price for a custom unit to do what I wanted, this is from Steve on Nov. 21st:

…. for a custom 2 in 1 top off with a discount would be $230.00 shipped that includes all the bells and whistles timers gfci`s long cord to go upstairs etc i would need 7 working days to complete. Thank you steve Oceanus Systems

At this point, I am SOLD! I can completely automate my topoff system, and reservoir for just over $200, I am THRILLED!

On Nov 23rd, after clearing the purchase with my CFO, (wife) I sent payment via PayPal. Steve responded with an E-Mail detailing the time frame it would take:

Hello mike it`s going to take 2 weeks i found out to get the dual indicator lites sorry for the delay but if you placed a order today it would be 3 weeks before i could ship. I will make it worth your wait you can pay pal me at xxxxxxxxxxxxx (removed private e-mail address) please include attn to steve and what it`s for thank you steve Oceanus Systems

At this point I am satisfied that my ATO will be here soon, and I start to look forward to hooking it all up! I am thinking that by Christmas I should be all set. (Boy was I wrong!)

Here is a brief exchange from Steve and myself dated 12/12/06, I was just touching base with him to make sure everything was okay:

Hello mike we are planning on shipping your top off next week so you have it no later than next friday before we shut down for christmas. Thank you steve Oceanus systems

Mike LaPorte wrote:
Hi Steve,

I just wanted to touch base with you, I am very anxious to get my new ATO. I have had it with fussing with all these timers and such.

I look forward to my new toy!
Mike LaPorte

So based on that, everything is still going well, the ATO is going to be a little later then I expected, but I can live with that. As a business owner, I depend on others for product, and I have had problems getting wedding albums, or pictures lost in the mail from the lab, I understand that things can go wrong…. So I am still confident that my ATO is on the way.

On January 3rd my ATO shows up! YAY I am so excited, I tear open the well packed ATO, and start looking with a gleam in my eye, at my new toy!!!! I carefully unwrap all the little pieces, the main unit, (which was much larger then it looked on the website, but I don’t care about that…) this is where something odd strikes me, there is NOT a solenoid valve to hook the RO unit up too!

Here is my E-mail to Steve asking about the differences, Jan 3rd, 2007:

Hi Steve,

My ATO came in today, but I am missing the solenoid to turn my RO unit on and off. I have the long cord for the high water sensor in the tank, I have a double float sensor for the sump, and I have a single float sensor for my reservoir, but nothing to control the actual RO unit. The unit also has 2 outlets, one for my return pump, and one for my dosing pump I assume. I have not hooked up anything, and it is still wrapped up in the plastic.

What would you like me to do with this one? This unit is not quite what we discussed, and is missing a feature that I very much wanted, and you described exactly what I was looking for in the email below.

Thanks for your help,
Mike LaPorte

Hmmm…. I start to get that sinking feeling. I hinted at returning this one, as it was not what I ordered, but Steve gave me a reasonable response, and I can live with having a second ATO as space is not really a concern:

Hello mikei sent you a alantis i could not combine the 2 top off`s together as planned since my parts to do so are on back order. I will be sending you another 1 about the 15th it will be a zues i just wanted to send you something since you have waited long enough please call me at 269-251-XXXX thank you steve

See, I am going to be taken care of, and if you can’t get the parts, you can’t get the parts.

Here is where the trouble starts, one of the sensors that came with the unit is defective, so I send this 1/5/07:

Hi Steve,

I have the unit all hooked up and running! I have a couple of problems though, the high water sensor for the tank seems to be defective, and that same sensor was much too deep for my tank.

I was able to remove the lower of the 2 thumbscrews and move the adjustment plate all the way to the top to get the sensor to what I thought would be a proper level. I also used a little bit of silicone to keep the adjustment plate from moving as I was using only one of the original 2 adjustment screws.

The second problem is much more serious, as soon as that sensor touches the tank water, it triggers the alarm.

The two separate in sump sensors work great, I have them both attached with silicone to the side of my Rubbermaid sump.

If you can send me the little float valve assembly, and some heat shrink tubing, I can solder it in place no problem. (Just let me know if it matters which side the red/black wires go to.) By the way, is that a normally closed, or normally open circuit?

Thanks for your help,
Mike

Pretty straight forward right? I am explaining what is wrong, and ask for help getting the product to 100%.

Here is the response from Steve 1/8/07:

Hello Mike i will send you a float switch when i send you your other controller sorry for the mistake. Thank you steve

Well, I am still waiting for that second ATO, and that defective float switch… But I am getting ahead of myself here.

I had a bust couple of weeks with the photography, booking weddings, shooting a wedding, working on proofs etc… So when I get caught up, I realize that the second ATO has yet to show up! Feb 15th I send this:

I don’t want to be a PITA but do you have an idea on when the other ATO will be shipped? I am starting to wonder what is taking so long, and I feel I have been very patient up to this point. Please keep me in the loop.

Thanks,
Mike

Pretty diplomatic right? I have not accused Steve of anything, I am just asking for help.

Then this comes in, and I feel like I am fighting an uphill battle… “What controller did I order?” What the heck is this guy doing???

Hello mike very sorry for the delays we ran into a problem with are suppier the new power supplys that we received came in larger than normal so we had to get new enclosure`s then have them laid out for new printing we plan on working around the clock this weekend and will ship first part of next week. what controller did you order? thank you Oceanus Systems

So now I am angry, not only has he fallen behind on his promised ship date, by over a MONTH, but now he says that he doesn’t even know what the heck he owes me!

I sent this 2/22/2007:

Well I ordered a custom controller that was supposed to be able to control the level of my RO reservoir and the level of my sump. What I ended up with was a controller that can control the level of my sump, and not the RO tank. That ATO also has a defective high water sensor that I was promised a replacement for.

What I would really like is the ATO that I ordered, you can see the requirements at the bottom of this E-mail. What I would settle for at this point is a second controller that will have a solenoid valve, and timer, to control the water in my RO tank. As you can see this has been an ongoing process, since the end of November. I feel I have been very patient, and quite frankly that patience is almost exhausted.

If you can send me the ATO that I originally ordered, I will gladly return the ATO that was sent to me as a temporary solution.

Please get back with me ASAP,
Mike LaPorte

PS, I paid in full by PayPal, and was promised a 3 week delivery time. I paid $230, and I still have not received what I consider adequate product for that money.

I feel I contained my anger very well, I was still polite even though it is 100% for sure that Oceanus Systems has/had no intentions of sending that second ATO to control my RO unit. Of course if I started spouting an angry e-mail, it would not have done any good, so this was as diplomatic as I could make it.

In response I get this from Steve 2/23/07:

Hello mike please call me asap would like to talk with you thanks
steve 269-251-XXXX

I called Steve as he asked, left a message, and he returned my call. During discussion we come to an agreement that he will send an ATO with his new timer, that will be part of his “Pro” series, I feel this is adequate solution. It is an added feature that we had not discussed previously, and it will serve my purpose very well. Never mind that we are 4 months away from the original delivery date, I am going to get what I needed, even if it is in 2 cases instead of one. Steve promised me that he would ship out the second unit by Wednesday of that week, which would have been 2/28/07. Given that, I would have my last piece of my ATO by March 1st.

Anyone care to guess what happened? Yup, you guessed it, NOTHING! I sent this to Steve on Sunday, 3/11/07:

Steve,

What is the hold up? I think I have been more then fair in waiting for a reasonable solution. Please get back to me with a shipping date of my ATO.

Thanks,
Mike

I am still waiting for a response from Steve on this latest E-Mail, and I sent another E-Mail today, which I expect will also be ignored.

Steve, please take this as an opportunity to do the right thing, and get the ATO out to me ASAP. I really feel bad that it has come to this, I was very hopeful that I could help you build your business, and get a great ATO in the process. It is obvious now that you have other priorities in your life that are more important then Oceanus Systems, and if that is true, then fine, but I feel you still owe me what you promised.

To everyone else, order from Oceanus Systems at your own risk, the products are great, IF you get them. I am happy with the performance of the ATO I have, except for the broken high water sensor of course. Maybe this documentation is what Oceanus Systems needs in order to put its best foot forward, and I am certainly not opposed to closing this thread once the problem is resolved, but until then, I feel it is in the best interest of the Reefing community to know what the service from Oceanus Systems is like.

I look forward to a positive resolution, thank you for taking the time to read all the way through!

Sincerely,
Mike LaPorte

[Poseidon]

Sorry for the extemely long post guys, but this is information that needs to be heard.

[Poseidon]

A Tracking number showed up last night, UPS says my ATO will be here today! I will update again once I have it all set up.

[wozza]

good luck!

[Reefland]

What a bum deal Mike, I hope it all works out for you.

[Poseidon]

The missing ATO has ARRIVED!!!! YAY!

I really regret that I had to post a negative review in a public forum in order to get the issue resolved, but nothing else was working. Hopefully Oceanus Systems can learn from their mistake, and prevent it from happening again. The quality of the ATO is fantastic, and it works flawlessly, but the ordeal to get it delivered to my door was just to much.

Anyway, if you find an Oceanus Systems ATO that suits your needs, that he has in Stock, don't be shy to get it! Just be cautious with a custom unit....

[Oceanus_Systems]

The following order was corrected the problem was that mike ordered 2 top off`s we shipped the first the order board was marked shipped that was my mistake it should have been marked incomplete. we shipped mike our lastest pro series poseidon top off hope he likes it. Oceanus Systems

[Poseidon]

Thanks Steve! I have the new unit in place, and it is working flawlessly!

[Firefish]

I give you credit Poseidon… I would’ve lost my patience far sooner then you!
I would’ve thrown in the white flag just trying to read his responses with the poor punctuation & grammar!
Hope it all worked out well in the end!

[captain Jim]

WOW.. I got to hand it to you Mike you have more self control than I would have! I was getting fustrated just reading it. I couldn"t imagine the rage you must have felt.

[reefracer]

HI POSEIDON, I was wondering if you are still using the ATO you got from OCEANUS? I have their Poseidon Pro unit that I have been using for over two years and love it. I think the company has gone out of bus., it that correct? Sad, I understand they had some customer service problems, I have spoken with Steven Scott myself, it is my belief that they where a very small start up company that possibily couldn't handle the demands put on them "weren't ready for prime time" so to speak. I am still using my unit and hate to think of what I'll do if it ever stops working. I know what everyone says about DON'T HOOKUP A RODI DIRECT TO A CONTROLLER but life is so good that way, are their any other controllers out now that will do the same function as the Oceanus? If not my opinion is someone should make this and perfect it, mine has continued to perform as desired with only problem a ftting began leaking and a little teflon tape took care of that.

[Poseidon]

No I am not still using them. I bought a much simpler unit from a board member here, and it works perfect.

Both ATO's from Oceanus Systems developed problems, my Poseidon Pro broke due to MY error, not Steve's. (I had turned off the water to my RO unit, and the solenoid overheated.) My other ATO had a "ghost in the machine" and would not work consistently. I ended up selling both of them with all the float switches for $50!!!

I really miss some of the features, but I really like the easy system I have now.

[reefracer]

Mike, is the system you are using now hooked directly to your ro/di or to a pump in a tank? I want to know what is out there that does not require a separate water tank that you have to fill by hand. Is Oceanus out of bus? Sorry I just like automation of the repetitive tasks.

[Poseidon]

Nope, I have a reservoir now.

Yes, Oceanus Systems are now Closed. I heard he was bought out by a "large company" but I have not seen his designs anywhere yet.