Equipment Must Haves

[CoralsAddiction]

Other than basic stuff like light and flow what are your reef equipment must haves? I have two:
1. Auto Top Off.
2. RO/DI unit.
I won't ever do reef without those two.

 

[jsker]

Controller
Doser or Dosers

 

[AdamNC]

Skimmer, a good refractometer and good test kits, preferences will vary. Mine is Red Sea.

 

[reefaboo]

ATO and controller

 

[twilliard]

Controller? To control what?

 

[Browner20]

Probably would not have said it a couple years ago but have to agree with @CoralsAddiction. It all starts with the water you put in your tank so an RO system is where it begins. Also you would be amazed at all of the parameters that fluctuate with evaporation so an ATO system is a must in my book. An ATO is also very cheap and easy to install - mine consists of a couple Rubbermaid containers in the garage next to the RO with a supply line run behind the baseboard to the tank in another room. I have added some redundancy and leak protection to the ATO over the years but to this date I haven't needed them.

With some very basic plumbing skills every person should be able to add an RO and ATO to any system in any room. Going through walls/ceilings is scary for some but 1/4" RO line is super small and can be routed near crown/baseboards and painted to match.

 

[ifarmer]

Heaters
Salinity checker
Extra pump for mixing
5 gallon buckets

Not sure what i have to do without them

 

[Salty1962]

Great Lights
Great Skimmer
Best RODI you can get
Good Controller
Good Test Kits
Good Refractor
These are minimal, in my opinion for achieving success.