How simple is your setup

[4tanks]

With all the gadgets and epuipment how simple is your setup and do you need so much stuff
my 100 gallon is running on a large canister simple fluval led 3.0 ,koralia wave makers and 2 heaters and a uv and that is about it and at the moment no dosing water changes are keeping up with it at the moment do you think the amount of equipment available is completely nescassary

 

[Reef.]

Isn’t the equipment there in a big part just to reduce water changes?

 

[4tanks]

Perhaps but know of And read about plenty of people with 1000s of £s worth of equipment that still do weekly 10percent water changes

 

[ca1ore]

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 simplest ……. 12

 

[NashobaTek]

There's people who do very few water changes and have minimal equipment and their tank has been running great for decades.

So personally I don't think it's required to have all of the expensive equipment.

My setup consists of a heater, 2 double headed power heads and 3 hob filters, along with a air pump and long air stone. That's it. Fish are growing, coral is growing and pods are populating the tank, snails are laying eggs all over the place.

 

[Starkrost]

Some folks like the fanciest cars, some have to have the latest phone, and then some of us buy our cool toys from the LFS

 

[Hugh Mann]

The simplest tank I am running is as follows.

25 gallon tank with sand and rock.
1 165w Mars aqua led.
1 528gp/h powerhead.
1 200w aqueon pro heater.

Inside is
1 fistful of chaeto
1 green star polyp
1 aussie star polyp
2 nerite snails
1 hermit crab
3 nassarius snails
1 tuxedo urchin
1 greyfaced moray eel

Coralline algae is growing like absolute mad, no cyano, livestock is happy and healthy, nitrates are ~25.

The only thing I do for maintenance is daily 1.5 gallon water changes. This is my quarantine setup, keeping my copper sensitive livestock/rock safe while treated my main tank with coppersafe.

 

[rob s.]

I have nothing "extra" in my tank. Its the basic waterbox nano tank and I do weekly water changes. I think, so far, more equipment just adds the chances of it failing and messing up the tanks parameters. If it aint broke don't fix it rite?

 

[4tanks]

It’s good to see other simple setups I sometimes think I’m missing something without all the reactors skimner ATO etc etc but for now simple is working

 

[Auquanut]

There are as many ways to maintain a reef as there are reefers. Simple systems can be as successful as high tech systems, as well as all points in between.
I think the way we run our tanks is to some extent a reflection of who we are, where we want our tanks to be, and how we want to get there.
A piece of equipment that is considered crucial to one may be considered completely unnecessary to another. In my opinion, they are potentially both right. There are no absolutes in this hobby.

 

[4tanks]

There are as many ways to maintain a reef as there are reefers. Simple systems can be as successful as high tech systems, as well as all points in between.
I think the way we run our tanks is to some extent a reflection of who we are, where we want our tanks to be, and how we want to get there.
A piece of equipment that is considered crucial to one may be considered completely unnecessary to another. In my opinion, they are potentially both right. There are no absolutes in this hobby.

Agreed and 2 tanks setup exactly the same may not run the same

 

[G Santana]

In hobbies, I think simple may be relative. I feel that if equipment were priced more affordable, more people would have similar set-ups. But there will always be those who will do more with less and those who do more with more.
My approach is if I feel that that I need it, I first try to build it for less, If I can't, I'll buy it.

 

[Starkrost]

It seems like adding equipment that you don't really know how to use might be worse than not adding it.

 

[X-37B]

My simple 120 setup.
7" filter sock.
Skimmer.
Carx with no ph probe or controller.
Ato.
4 internal powerheads for flow.
8 bulb ati.

 

[HeyJay]

I have some controllable gadgets (vortechs and AI prime lights), but my setup is pretty old school outside of that. No controllers or monitors or automatic water changes. The AI app for the lights and a reliable heater (with backup) give me all the control I need.

 

[ClearwaterReeferNoob]

I started simple, simple. Now, about average I guess. Sump, 1 Gyre, 1 power head, protein skimmer, basic fuge with chateo and a 300w LED black box.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Just running a protein skimmer in the sump, gyre and dosing pump for Alk and Calc.

 

[Smokeshow]

My 75g is somewhat simple. Got a 55g for free that I turned into a sump with $40 for 4 pieces of 1/4" glass. Has a bubble magus curve 5 elite, Jabeo dcq10k return pump that has a T that splits some of the flow to the refugium. The overflow is a marine depot M box. A single jabeo rw8 wavemaker, about to order a 2nd one. And have a ehiem jager 300w heater. Marineland reef led light. Use a tp link smart power strip to control everything. Have the lights and skimmer on a schedule and can turn off the pump, skimmer and wavemaker with the push of a button on my phone.

 

[Fishurama]

Running a simple dual marine orbit pro light set up, 30(i think) gallon sump, gfo reactor, carbon in bags, bubble magnus nac 7 skimmer, and a cheap sump light. No real dosing other then reef builder ALK every 2-3 days manually, weekly 20-25 percent water changes.

 

[WVNed]

Mines pretty simple. Some stock tanks, 2 skimmers, ozone, UV, 2 reactors, 3 socks, 6 pumps and lots of PVC pipe.

Well it's simple to me.