How long do you expect your equipment to last?

[Dj City]

I expect my reef tank and everything in it to outlive me.
I expect the gear running it to outlive the reef tank.

My expectations may be a bit high.

 

[Andrew Zimmerman]

I'm still using an mp20(yes mp20) and a mp40 that is over 10 years old. I run everything until it dies or there's a significant upgrade. Buy good equipment and get good results.

 

[Breadman03]

Years, enough that I don’t remember when I bought it, excluding consumables like bulbs or tubing.

I'm still using an mp20(yes mp20) and a mp40 that is over 10 years old. I run everything until it dies or there's a significant upgrade. Buy good equipment and get good results.

I bet most folks here have never heard of the 20.

 

[Dj City]

Real story...

My mother (bless her soul) purchased a small deep freezer many years ago.
Many many years ago.

My brother (bless his soul) was a toddler when she got it.

Both my mother and brother have passed. I'm still here and so is that freezer. The freezer is 58 years old.

I really expect stuff to last!

 

[Gp!]

How long do you expect a single piece of equipment to last on your tank, and do you plan for its replacement? What's your strategy, or do you just tend to wait for something to give out?

Kind of a difficult question because there are so many different equipment types to be used.

I prefer to spend more on products built with high quality components designed for long life. Ideally designed around the life of the system. That doesn't work for some things so - as long as possible with normal wear based on the materials used and minimal maintenance.

If I purchase something built cheaply it is out of an immediate need and I will replace it as soon as a quality part can be gotten. So it just needs to last that long

However, when quality equipment and cheap equipment are both available I usually pick the quality piece.

My perfect combo is when something is built with high quality and isn't excessively expensive. In which case I like spares for when an unfortunate situation pops up and also to show support for awesome products and the people who make them

 

[Emerson]

I suppose I don't plan on things to fail, but I do have replacements on hand because I know they will. I run an Iwaki external pump as a return; it may outlast me. However, I know that is the single item failure (I don't run dual returns) that could kill my tank so I have a replacement on hand. Everything else is redundant or just stuff that is "nice to have".

I have two extra powerheads I purchased when Tunze stuff was on sale. I run two heaters, each with their own controllers backed up by an Apex, and one extra heater on hand. I have a couple of the cheaper probes for the Apex (pH, temp), also purchased on the rare Neptune sale. I'll replace VHO bulbs on schedule, but the Kessil A360 LEDs (I have 3), ATO pump will get replaced as they fail. My family has a 7 Kw Generator in my garage that I can run to my house (which always reminds me to have it wired with a disconnect to my main CB box). Stuff that is nice, but not essential, is easy to just put on a use to fail program; i.e. skimmer pumps, reactor pumps, ATO pump, heater, lights, bulbs etc. For the most part, I can live without all these things until I can purchase a replacement. We all used to use timers for lights, we used to test pH and Alk regularly every other day, and had what we thought was enough flow. Do I really need to run a reactor or skimmer or powerhead 24/7? I

I also keep an emergency kit on hand for my wife consisting of a roll of Flex Seal and an index card with the number of my LFS in case of a leak. I travel frequently and have alarms letting me know when a pump, heater, fan etc. falls off. All that can be replaced over days. The return pump is the weak link, but with a solid external, I think I might just replace it at 10 years. Lights, reactor and skimmer pumps, life, can all get a mention. Murphy is still lurking, but I feel like I can travel, and sleep well.

 

[StatelineReefer]

I'm a realist.

I expect my equipment not to work out of the box.

I plan on equipment lasting 2-3 years, and procure replacements before they fail, usually upgrades, but not always.

I try to have parts on hand to compensate for equipment failure, and I always backup my backups, like a thermostat on a heater that has a built in thermostat, to shut off power in case the temp exceeds specs.

I also have a float valve on my ATO that has a timed run. In case of emergency, break siphon.

If both fail, I buy a lottery ticket... Because no one's luck stays that bad for long.

 

[Terri Caton]

Forever! Just kidding. No way would any company be dumb enough to do that. They make their money making us replace things or upgrade.

 

[andrewkw]

One of the clips on my kent scraper broke yesterday not an expensive cost to replace but was curious when I got it. I couldn't find the order, but I found some old emails of replacement blade ordering in 2009 so it lasted more then 10 years - it's still usable just going to be a real pain to switch blades.

 

[Paul B]

My older powerheads with internal propellers are almost all from the 70s or 80s. After 20 years or so I had to put shrink tubing on the shaft as it wore a little probably from sand.

The new Korilas with external propellers will not last longer than a few years as they are hard to clean and grow all sorts of hard tubes in them and break when you clean them.

The old powerheads don't have to be cleaned and run forever with no cleaning or maintenance.

Heaters seem to last 10 or 15 years, LEDs not so good even though they are advertised to last well past flying cars but they are made in China and there is no such thing as a quality item made in China.

My last tank was about 40 years old and I left it in the wall when I moved. As far as I know, it is still filed with water. Probably fresh water used for Koi, or ducks.

I built my skimmer and algae scrubber so they will last forever.

 

[Mickey]

Generally I'll run things until they fail. Tank itself is just over 15 years old. It's got lots of fine scratches which are barely noticeable when glass is clean but become very noticeable when glass gets dirty. I dread the day I need to replace it (it's a custom 225).

Metal Halide fixtures are original to the tank so 15 years old as is the Iwaki external return. I bought a backup for the return a few years ago that's sitting in my basement. I'm really bad with routine maintenance and don't remember the last time I cleaned the pump and it's still going strong.

Heaters are at least 3 years old but I think I'll plan on replacing them this year. Hate to push my luck too far.

I'm on my second chiller and it's probably 7 or 8 years old so maybe that will need replacing.

One Tunze pump that's probably 8 years old but only running for 4. 3 WAV pumps and one has already been replaced because of a failure.

As I think of it, I better start keeping a list of equipment and when I bought it so I can plan for replacement better.

 

[AZMSGT]

Heaters are presently the only thing I plan to replace regularly, annually. I’m presently trying to figure out a good interval to change Doser tubing and wheels. Like car tires the rubber will wear out.

Return pumps might be a every three year thing but we will see.

Perhaps at the 10yr mark I’ll consider a tank replacement.

 

[jda]

I am using an Oceanic 200g (they are really like 240g) that was made in 1988 - they have a build tag on them. I am in the process of replacing it, but because it is too small and I hate the center brace. It should be down in the next 12-18 months.

 

[ZoWhat]

I would say the expectation of most newbies is nothing over $100... and stuff they can pass down to their kids.

$20,000 later I'm still not happy and STILL trying to figure out the last 10%

 

[Pickwun]

What about the glass tank itself?! I'm informed a good silicone done well on a thicker glass should last 10+ years. Saw this mentioned by the Reef Savvy owner on a BRS episode recently.
...

That's totally made up. No aquarist has ever kept the same tank long enough to see if it would last 10 years. Powerheads on the other hand are expected to last as long as the outlet they're plugged into.

 

[ZoWhat]

That's totally made up. No aquarist has ever kept the same tank long enough to see if it would last 10 years.

Wow just wow... my nomination for "Comment of the Year" and it's still mid January

My 6ft 180g that I bought used 16yrs ago should be flooding my entire first floor.

My feet have been dry since 2004

 

[csb123]

For nonconsumables, I feel for every $100 spent we should get 2 years of service. So long as preventative maintenance is done. This includes power heads and LED lights.

If you have to replace parts every year, then I would not consider them durable goods, and reefers should budget for that.

Tunze powerheads should be a role model for other companies.

 

[User1]

How long do you expect a single piece of equipment to last on your tank, and do you plan for its replacement? What's your strategy, or do you just tend to wait for something to give out?

I've planned, for the most part, to last as long as I own the tank. To also include tank upgrades. Assuming I did it correctly So far I have been pretty lucky and my skimmer has made the cut. Purchased it in 2000 for a 100 gallon and used it again recently with my 210 upgrade.

 

[B7Joe]

Not sure about glass but I’ve had a 55 acrylic tank that was given to me after about 5 years of use. I then had it for close to 7 years and passed it on to someone else that is still using it several years later.

And to answer the initial post... forever and a day.

 

[Paul B]

That's totally made up. No aquarist has ever kept the same tank long enough to see if it would last 10 years.

Don't bet on that.