Required Equipment- What is yours?

[WestMI-Reefer]

I think not having a skimmer would be difficult. It’s a major difference maker to water quality, clarity, aeration and ph.

 

[ReefGeezer]

1) Good 4-5 Stage RODI, Booster Pump, TDS Meter(s), Float Valve, a 44 Gal/on Brute, and a Tunze ATO
2) Great Lights
3) Current/Flow Pumps
4) Skimmer (at least at first)
5) As much ocean cultured live rock as my financial advisor will allow.

 

[Tamberav]

Outside the basics that are needed to keep things alive (like light and flow)...

An ATO. I do not like manually topping off, just would never be good at remembering till the pump was blowing bubbles.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Outside the basics that are needed to keep things alive (like light and flow)...

An ATO. I do not like manually topping off, just would never be good at remembering till the pump was blowing bubbles.

Yeah- Youve alwats mentioned ATO. . thats awesome

 

[kevgib67]

Rodi, skimmer and uv.

 

[One Reefing Boi]

Dosing pump!

 

[C_AWOL]

Rodi, saltwater reservoir/mixing barrel + rodi water reservoir along with hoses for refilling and draining as needed.

Absolutely no hauling any buckets of water for me with multiple tank syndrome in full force.

Everything else to me is optional on an as needed basis depending on system/size/etc.

 

[TurboTang]

I couldn't live without an Apex now on my big system. I wanted to add them to my nanos but i know my compulsive behavior would care to much about them. Like look at the ph, look at the temp all the time, then freaking out about the orp.

So i opted not to use them.

I agree for large tanks the apex (or any controller) is top level for me because I gain ability to control/fix problems remotely. Vacations / long work days are no problem. It's not necessary when starting out, but as tank matures and you have irreplaceable colonies it gives you freedom. And I agree I would go bat "crap" crazy with an apex and nano tank

 

[doubleshot00]

I agree for large tanks the apex (or any controller) is top level for me because I gain ability to control/fix problems remotely. Vacations / long work days are no problem. It's not necessary when starting out, but as tank matures and you have irreplaceable colonies it gives you freedom. And I agree I would go bat "crap" crazy with an apex and nano tank

Agreed. I would rather not know.

 

[ReefLife_Guy]

I think not having a skimmer would be difficult. It’s a major difference maker to water quality, clarity, aeration and ph.

Yes, I was stubborn when I first started my first tank last year and thought I didn't need one but only because I was only thinking about it as a way to export nutrients. Even if you let the skimmate just drain back into your sump or tank, I think it has a huge benefit for aeration and pH alone. I had a ton of water surface agitation with water constantly splashing up on the mesh lid and had a sump and had a huge air stone connected to a CO2 scrubber, and still I never realized how much better skimmers aerate the water than all of those other methods combined. My pH increased a good 0.1-0.2 without connecting the air intake to CO2 scrubber. It is definitely worth the investment just from that standpoint. Also its much easier to add nutrients to your system than take them out.

 

[Rmckoy]

Rodi, flow, light, skimmer… nothing else.

Keep it simple ..

Nothing fancy and no bells and whistles with my system .

must haves … I’m going to say external skimmer. .
I will never use a in sump or hang on skimmer ever again !

 

[Paul B]

 

[Chris Shelton]

I read some of the comments and ran out of patience. I'll admit I didn't read them all! I'm not sure I'd start another tank! As for what I would consider a must "patience and a contracted service guy!" You know the people who want a saltwater tank but who "for the life or love of money" just can't make it work! I totally kicked butt in fresh water if you call it that; outdoor Koi pond the size of an inground pool. But foe the love of money I can't touch the saltwater world! We had a 150G dt with 40G sump, best of the best. I DIY'ed all the stand, canopy ( fully automated) side stand, tables. One hell of an impressive set up (if I may so so myself) but inside that 150G acrylic box was a nightmare! Fought it for years. Just couldn't get the numbers right! Decided to quit! Sell out! Sell it all! In the process I had a friend who "downsized" and gave up. After giving up he had better results than when he cared! So I downsized. Tired of 30" deep acrylic I bought a new IM40AIO! I'll be the first to say it's beyond stupid! I've had nothing but bad luck in the saltwater world so we currently have an IM NUVO40AIO on a custom stand, custom side cabinet for ATO container. Said NUVO40AIO has an upgraded sicce 2.0 return pump, 2 MP10'S for flow, 2 XR 15 G5 pros, Tunze 3155 ATO, 10g ato container, Trident controlled dosing BRS 2 part. DOS and DDR! All that for the 2 kinds of Zoa I have and some GSP on the back wall. Covered in Cyno! TDS zero by 5 stage BRS rodi system. I'm lost! Short of giving up! I could literally contract with our LFS for a service plan and have a full blown stick tank with the options I have but it costs me more to "not be a loser!". Sadly saltwater is the only thing that has beat me in life. I have accomplished anything I set out to accomplish but saltwater is gonna be the death of me. That said. I'd never start another tank "without paying someone educated enough to do better than what I have so far!"

 

[ghostandhyde]

Zeovit reactor

 

[McPuff]

The two things that have made the most difference for me have been ATO and RO/DI. I wouldn't even start up a freshwater or saltwater tank without RO/DI. And the ATO would be priority #1 for saltwater.

I do love having a controller (GHL rocks!) and it has been a sanity saver, especially while traveling.

 

[findingsimple]

My ATO / Smart ATO and auto water change setup. Saves me so much time and helps keep things stable.

If only I could automate salt water mixing/creation

 

[oldmonk]

As opposed to my earlier builds, This time for my Cade build , went with dedicated mixing station and a proper RODI unit. Made water filling and changes much easier and desirable for me and my wife(when am away).

Also this is my 1st time with AWC and UV.

So far things are looking good.

Thanks

 

[dowdalld]

Quarantine tank and battery backup. This time around it's all about reducing stress as much as possible...

 

[fodsod]

I'm sure most of us started with basics and added as we went. I know I did. Good lights, flow and so on is just a given.

An automated ATO, RODI system/mixing station, dosing pumps have made my life easier but the number one thing that has really made a difference for me (I don't own an APEX) are my Hanna testers.

Hanna test units make testing so much easier and reliable (to a point).

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thus far, it appears the essential for many are RODI units and ATO units