Poll: How do you manage your reef?

[Richards_reef]

High end equipment, high maintenance, hands off as much as possible and daily monitoring. I would say I'm between choice 1 and 2.

 

[ca1ore]

I'd get the top of the line equipment if funds would allow.

It's hard to know sometimes. I think there is high correlation between top-of-the-line/price/reliability, but it's not always true. Also depends a lot on how long you end up being in the hobby. For example, I ran an Iwaki pump for 20 years ...... incredible value and low cost, but only because I ran it for as long as I did.

 

[fabutahoun]

High maintenance, hands on, continual monitoring, Very Good equipment, I try to get the best equipment that I can afford. I think my equipment are the best value for money

 

[revhtree]

I choose the high end equipment as much as possible and then I go kinda lazy until needed! HA! Nah I've been netter with this tank and it's given me the most problem! BLAH!

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

I made my reef as low maintainence as possible with low stocking of fish, and few stony corals. My 30 gallon tamk has one fish and is mostly softies.

 

[bubblemytip]

The KISS method is fine if you have the time to personally monitor your tank regularly, have less demanding livestock etc. Sometimes DIY works great. Sometimes a quality ready-made product is the way to go. However, I would rank safety, reliability and ease of use ahead of cost. Sometimes the quality of gear you choose will dictate what livestock you can keep, or how you want to keep it (colouration, growth rate). Proper maintenance of equipment, whatever its cost, usually greatly assists with its reliability.

My 100L nano is easy to look after, but I have the gear to make it that way, and having tried various bits of gear, the price tag alone is not a gauge of quality. There is no substitute for research - reading equipment reviews, looking at the gear used on SUCCESSFUL 'tanks of the month' of major US, UK and European reefkeeping forums and asking for opinions of other users via pages like this one. That said, my equipment cost is pushing NZ$15K for my nano (including spares). IMO, spare pieces of equipment should be factored into the cost in case, for example, your return pump fails on a public holiday, or your light craps out etc, or your co2 cylinder runs out.

 

[smoothmove]

a mixture. Mother hen like maintenance, custom equipment and just looking at the health of your corals. They will tell you before any tests will.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I picked medium, but really, it should have read

"Low maintenance, take-care-of-itself, little to no testing, best equipment"

 

[bobman]

Some of those choices are not exactly fair. I rarely ever do anything to the tank. I have not done a water change in months and when I did the last time it was only because I was testing a skimmer I made and needed saltwater so instead of using freshly mixed salt water I did a water changed and used old saltwater. I do test but not to often. And as far as high end equipment that is really a matter of opinion. Just because it has a high end price tag hardly makes it high end equipment. I dont use controllers as I just dont believe in them. I believe in understanding my tank on a personal level. I dont have much equipment because its not needed. Equipment needs differ from tank to tank. I have seen some DIY skimmers that in my opinion are way higher end than some over priced piece of plastic online.

 

[cracker]

I enjoy working on the tanks. I'll test when not necessary & such. I think I mess with them too much at times. I have good equipment but not necessarily pricey. No controllers & such I like the hands on approach Makes it fun & interesting .

 

[Mark Gray]

I am low maintenance but high end equipment

 

[Bug235]

I am low maintenance but high end equipment

150 reef Weekly water change 10% , good equipment , ATO, no controllers , but I do something to it everyday from glass cleaning to maybe pulling some long hair algae!

 

[Mark Gray]

150 reef Weekly water change 10% , good equipment , ATO, no controllers , but I do something to it everyday from glass cleaning to maybe pulling some long hair algae!

I test often I have not changed any water in my current tank for about 8 months, my new build will be the Triton method, I have controllers and ATO's I still have a few things to buy but almost there waiting on my tank to deliver

 

[Bug235]

I test often I have not changed any water in my current tank for about 8 months, my new build will be the Triton method, I have controllers and ATO's I still have a few things to buy but almost there waiting on my tank to deliver

I think I have to many fish not to do water changes wish I didn’t have to

 

[Scott.h]

It's kind of a bad choice selection. I buy the best equipment so I can primarily rely on it so I can be hands off. I try to plan things out and put thought into everything I do because the hands off approach usually has the best consistency. That said, it's not because of laziness. Buying "whatever" equipment is a bad plan if you have a lot riding on that equipment.

 

[Paul B]

I am low maintenance. Few water changes. I don’t test and have all diy stuff except pumps and heater

 

[OldGoat]

I am def low maintenance. I got my entire 55G set up for free second hand except the lights I bought a T-5 four bulb and some led strips new. I take my water to the LFS once a week for testing, do a 5 gallon water change once a week, top off with fresh and buffer as needed, dose calcium twice a week and clean the glass when it needs it. I haven't had any real problems yet in the year it's been up.