RicordeaFreak Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 With Black Friday sales starting to pop up online. I finally bit the bullet and purchased an ATO. What i'm wondering is in your experience what equipment was a game changer or can you not live without now? Or even items you would recommend to make things easier with the hobby. One thing that was big for me even though relatively inexpensive was getting scissor style forceps vs using a pinch style tong to move my corals around. Lets hear about the things you have your eye on this year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 Having my own RO/DI filter in house to produce my own water was the biggest game changer. I'd say that an ATO and controller come right after that. Not having to worry about using timers to turn on/off pumps, lights, etc. My led lights come next, not having to change bulbs is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 Having my own RO/DI filter in house to produce my own water was the biggest game changer. I'd say that an ATO and controller come right after that. Not having to worry about using timers to turn on/off pumps, lights, etc. My led lights come next, not having to change bulbs is amazing.Ditto to Mike, in mostly that same order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 Agree with the above. In addition: Hanna alkalinity tester, I use it every day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicordeaFreak Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 2 hours ago, mFrame said: Having my own RO/DI filter in house to produce my own water was the biggest game changer. I'd say that an ATO and controller come right after that. Not having to worry about using timers to turn on/off pumps, lights, etc. My led lights come next, not having to change bulbs is amazing. I picked up a 4 stage RO/DI filter with the dual TDS meter last year during sales after I got tired of lugging 5g jugs of RO to and from the LFS for my 55g freshwater tank. I'm looking at controllers, but can't decide on what exactly I want out of it. I'm primarily looking at the reef keeper lite basic along with the SLV2 salinity module, but am unsure at what is the most important to obtain first regarding a controller. I would love to try neptune systems, but I think its going to be out of my budget by the time I get the additional modules. 16 minutes ago, jolt said: Agree with the above. In addition: Hanna alkalinity tester, I use it every day I picked up a low range phosphate checker by Hanna and have the red sea MG, CA, AND ALK kit along with a API saltwater master test kit. Are there any other tests you might recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 Those Red Sea tests are pretty good, I like the CA, I just pefer the hanna alk over others for ease of use and reliability, and I prefer the salifert Nitrate kit over others. I've not used API but I think I heard they are not too accurate, not sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 ro/di w/ barrels attached to ATO setup. On my previous aquarium, i was having to top it off manually daily. with this barrel/ato, i just refill the barrel when it gets low. having a holding tank also allows the ro filter to be more efficient. long filtering periods are better then multiple short periods. apex.. i mean really, do you wanna mess w/ a zillion timers? thing daylight saving sucks cuz you have to change the clock on your microwave? *lol* not to mention all the l;evel sensors and sanity it provides. calcium reactor... dosing manually, or dealing w/ liquid doser sucked. simple, but goodie... skimmate bucket. i clean my skimmer maybe monthly lately. it took 10mo for my 3gal bucket to fill up. so.. yea. and the most obvious.... pumps... no pump, no life *lol* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 2 minutes ago, jolt said: Those Red Sea tests are pretty good, I like the CA, I just pefer the hanna alk over others for ease of use and reliability, and I prefer the salifert Nitrate kit over others. I've not used API but I think I heard they are not too accurate, not sure call me crazy, but the API CA test is just the easiest. when i tested hanna vs red sea vs API on calcium... it was accurate enough (vs the hassle of the others) for me. API nitrate test... same deal, api wins. Hanna phosphate is the best... no guessing shades of the same damn color Alk... API is damn close. it measures in whole digits, but you knwo you can see a pale yellow, you just add .5 to the count and be doen w/ it. Red sea is actually pretty easy here too... depends on my mood for accuracy. MG... red sea wins this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 I agree with a lot of the above. Apex keeps the tank running so much easier, especially when I travel for work. RO/DI in the house saves so much time and is so convenient. Hanna meters are great too far easy quantification vs. color changing solutions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicordeaFreak Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 54 minutes ago, Isaac said: ro/di w/ barrels attached to ATO setup. On my previous aquarium, i was having to top it off manually daily. with this barrel/ato, i just refill the barrel when it gets low. having a holding tank also allows the ro filter to be more efficient. long filtering periods are better then multiple short periods. apex.. i mean really, do you wanna mess w/ a zillion timers? thing daylight saving sucks cuz you have to change the clock on your microwave? *lol* not to mention all the l;evel sensors and sanity it provides. calcium reactor... dosing manually, or dealing w/ liquid doser sucked. simple, but goodie... skimmate bucket. i clean my skimmer maybe monthly lately. it took 10mo for my 3gal bucket to fill up. so.. yea. and the most obvious.... pumps... no pump, no life *lol* Ah yes, pumps. I'm glad you reminded me of that. I should definitely get a backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 The RODI and ATO upgrades are real blessings! I really don't use a controller for more than a light timer and I could live without it. One cheap item that really helps my life is a fish bagger! I use mine to dip corals, acclimate new fish, and mount new corals during fragging. Pretty good for only $3.99! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 Did someone say backup pump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 5 hours ago, FarmerTy said: Did someone say backup pump? shush, i cleaned yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 shush, i cleaned yours!Need to borrow my skimmer for a day? Gotta bring it back clean though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 I guess lighting but even that is pretty variable depending on the animals I'm keeping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexMorsePremium Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 RO/DI backup pump (has already happened in slightly over 1 year reefkeeping) I'd say backup heater but that's only barely needed in Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoneroller Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 I'm digging my new dual gyres, strong random flow, big waves when I want, fun to play with settings; the new turbines are robust. Pushbutton remote-control dual outlets, bought for Xmas tree lights. Now used for turning on and off skimmer pumps and return pumps; one click, rtn pumps off, feed, click back on. Easy to teach reef sitters the feeding process. Need to clean skimmer? Click off. Clean, dry, return. Click... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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