Must Have Equipment for reef tanks.

[bnumair]

hey guys i am collecting info of equipments that are available now a days for keeping a healthy reef.

[bnumair]

i know few things that are must.
1 Good skimmer
2 Powerheads
3 Sump/Refugium
4 Calcium Reactor
any other ideas

[geo]

A good RO unit should be on your list.

[epicfish]

i know few things that are must.
1 Good skimmer
2 Powerheads
3 Sump/Refugium
4 Calcium Reactor
any other ideas

I wouldn't say a skimmer, a sump/fuge, or a calcium reactor are a MUST in keeping a reef...it just depends on the size and stocking of the tank you want to keep.

I'd have to put a refractometer on the "must" list, no matter what tank size you go with.

Things that have made my life easier include an ATO for top offs and a controller for redundancy (ie: turn off your heater before it has a chance to nuke your tank, etc...).

If you're wanting a larger tank, having your own RODI unit is pretty key to saving your back and time.

[tibob32]

the calcium reactor isn't recessary. I prefer 2-part dosing

[GhostCon1]

Musts:
Tank
Stand
Water
Salt mix
Refractometer
Thermometer
*Reef tank*
Good lighting
Rocks
Calcium dosing
Trace elements (usually taken care of with WC, though)
pH/alk/dKH monitoring

Nice things to have:
Sand
Calcium/ GFO/other types of reactors
Sump
Refugium
Overflow
Auto Top off
Valves for plumbing
Timers
Money

[reef_doug]

reef tanks need lights.

[Ulver]

Auto top off and a controller

[wantacookie]

Nice things to have:
Money

:lmao:

[GhostCon1]

:lmao:

Yeah, that should have been listed under <Must haves> also lol

Or just have funding!

[bad santa]

auto top off and a controller

+1

[nvdiz]

The top 3 that come into my mind

1) ATO
2) Cooling Fan (works for me)
3) my MP10

[Paco]

1. Sugar Mama
2. Time

[t4zalews]

I too think an automatic top off is overlooked...1) skimmer 2)lighting 3)flow 4)RO/DI

[canesfan44]

1. Sugar Mama
2. Time


I see you live in Miami also, if you have any good reccomendations for a sugar mama, let me know. I've been looking for one for a while now, I've been checking both of the selling forums (equipment & livegoods) and no luck. So if you know of a LFS that has some, let me know, they are hard to find and can make a world of difference. :thumbsup:

[Charlies_Reef]

Deep pockets. Just kidding.

The key to a healthy reef is research, planning and ecosystem stability.

Must have:

1) Balanced water chemistry
2) Water Changes
3) Oxygenation/Aeration
4) Water movement/flow
5) Proper lighting
6) Climate/temp control

Maintain these things and I can almost guarantee a healthy reef.

[M88A2]

The top 3 that come into my mind

1) ATO
2) Cooling Fan (works for me)
3) my MP10

these things seem more or less in the category of "nice things to have"
you could totaly get away with careful monetoring of your tank to top off water. i mean i look at my tank every day. whats 1 minute of my time to add some RO/DI water in. for fans i guess i depends on where you live and weather or not u run ac all summer. i myself bought a chiller but i know of some other who dont need them. the mp10 is def on the nice to have list as you can get away with using other brands at a fraction of the price...but i totaly want one. something you def should get is a good test kit fopr ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/phos/alk/cal/mag. and a TDS meter to go with your RO/DI

[cody6766]

I"m sure these have already been passed over, but for a simple mixed reef I'd say:
Good lighting
Wide, dispersed flow
Decent skimmer
Ca, Alk, Mg and Nitrate test kits
cheap controller (RKL) for temp
simple sump/return set up (even a DIY 10g job helps)
ATO
RO/DI

Of course there are other components needed, but those are the ones I'd spend my time researching and carefully selecting.

[Dyraxe]

3 words...auto, top, off.

life is good when your not filling up the tank every time you walk by it.

[DanMgy]

Some of the lists are provide an awful lot of equipment, I am curious is all of that "must have" equipment to get a tank going? Are reactors and dosing pumps truly a "must have" to a get a tank going, or are they something that could be grown into/added on as the tank matures?

[FlaReefDude]

My must have is a bunch of peppermint shrimp to rid aptasia, then good lighting, an ok skimmer, run gfo and carbon if ur keeping sps.
+1 on two part dosing. more money in the long run than a calcium reactor but a lot easier.

[cody6766]

If you were looking at the absolute bare minimum to get a basic mixed reef going you'd need:

Good lighting...I go T5
powerheads or other means of significant flow
heater
Tank to put it all in.

Other things you'll need
Test kit or access to one that belongs to someone else
access to RO/DI water and salt for mixing salt water
refractometer or hydrometer for emsuring salt is mixed properly

those are the bare bones essentials I can think of off the top o fmy head

[GhostCon1]

Musts:
Tank
Stand
Water
Salt mix
Refractometer
Thermometer
*Reef tank*
Good lighting
Rocks
Calcium dosing
Trace elements (usually taken care of with WC, though)
pH/alk/dKH monitoring

Nice things to have:
Sand
Calcium/ GFO/other types of reactors
Sump
Refugium
Overflow
Auto Top off
Valves for plumbing
Timers
Money

I don't perceive how this was hard to understand for bare min.

[M88A2]

I don't perceive how this was hard to understand for bare min.

you missed ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, mag, monitoring and dosing for mag

[GhostCon1]

you missed ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, mag, monitoring and dosing for mag

Ack! Thought I had test kits listed:sad1:

[JeF4y]

Patience & MONEY...