Saltwater Aquarium Equipment of the Future: "To Boldly Go Where No Reef Has Gone Before"

[revhtree]

With the rapid advancements in saltwater aquariums over the past decade we have also seen a rapid advancement in different equipment for our tanks. I think they somewhat go hand in hand! Things like Lighting, Flow, Control, Testing, Dosing and even Cleaning equipment to name a few, have gotten better and better and better. Tools that are available to us now were unheard and seemed almost unattainable not too many years back.

So I have questions for you and I hope you'll put your thinking cap on and think outside the box if you will.

What do you think the future holds in regards to saltwater aquarium equipment?

What do you think the next BIG thing is?

What would you like to see more advanced?

 

[DeepBlueSomething]

IMO:

I think we will see continued automation -- and hopefully integration

I think there are companies that are making some runs at improved testing methods / monitoring for the Big 3 etc. but it is still a ways out.

Testing needs more accuracy, reproducibility and automation if possible.

 

[AdamNC]

What do you think the future holds in regards to saltwater aquarium equipment?
At the rate we’re going I believe we will have the resources to fully sustain our reefs as easily as freshwater providing people are willing to learn and not want instant gratification.

What do you think the next BIG thing is?
I think the automatic parameters testing are going to be the next big thing. We already have pH, Alk, Ca and Mag. We’re pretty much set on lighting and flow which has proven results already.

What would you like to see more advanced?
Auto testing AND calculated dosing combined.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Other - reliable, long term use heaters. I have had glass ones explode and thermostats fail. Many use redundant heaters and controllers with them which helps. It is a small expense in our systems, but could fry the entire aquarium.

 

[MIReefer78]

Like others have alluded to, I think the next big step will be with water testing kits/equipment. I’d like to see lab grade accuracy at hobby grade pricing. With the automation that’s starting to happen we’ll see a large reduction in the human error side of things

 

[ReefWithCare]

I see three main things:

- Controllers that monitor and dose alk, mag, and calcium (this is in early stages but will be main stream with cheaper makers eventually)

- Advancement in cooling technology. Some sort of chiller/heater combo that is highly reliable at a higher end price. Maybe we will see some type of liquid cooling technology hit reef tanks like we see with gaming CPUs.

- Advancement in tank bred fish - we will see tank bred tangs hit the market. Maybe development of fancy type bred tangs [emoji848]

 

[Brew12]

I feel pumps still have a long way to go. There are some very high quality pumps on the market but they come with a very high cost premium.

I see the improvement coming from 2 directions, specifically with DC pumps. First, manufacturing facilities are getting better and better at establishing quality when they switch their lines from one product to another. The motor manufacturer that is making a DC return pump today may be making fuel pumps for diesel trucks next week. Every time they change out the production they go throw quality issues while the new run gets going. Modern modular manufacturing methods and automation are making this less of a problem. The 2nd improvement will come in the power electronics used to run the pumps. Small DC motors and becoming much more common across a range of products. This should lead to improvements in the thyristors, SCR's, or other power electronics used in building the controllers. Hopefully this will lead to higher efficiency and better reliability.

 

[LBReefer]

Cost.

Reefing is prohibitively expensive for most people. $800 for a controller and $1000 for pumps is a lot to spend. Sure there are less expensive options out there, but I would like to see the developers invest in more stable/reliable technology for entry level folks.

 

[declanisadog]

Ideally, everything, but the only thing on that list that I wouldn't consider adequate right now is testing. Too many variables, too time consuming/expensive to be testing as often as we should be (me at least), and no reliable tests for some of the stuff that it would be nice to test for.

 

[Swoody]

I would have no problem paying the price for an AIO type of tester that could nail all the main or most important tests down with one sample.... it does get tedious especially when, for example it is full board test day and you come to the Hanna Ca tester.... accurate...sure, but man! (not to mention the reagent packets etc....) plus I never get the same results between my Salifert & Hanna products.... close, yes but an AIO would make life so much easier and people would most likely pay much closer attention to tank water parameters/chemistry if something like this became available.

 

[A_Poythress]

Cost.

Reefing is prohibitively expensive for most people. $800 for a controller and $1000 for pumps is a lot to spend. Sure there are less expensive options out there, but I would like to see the developers invest in more stable/reliable technology for entry level folks.

I think we are beginning to see more cost friendly options hit the market. Hopefully quality will not be sacrificed though.

 

[Mark Gray]

My vote is for testing I would really love a gun like a temp gun that I could sit across the room get Temp PH Nitrate Alk and Calcium

 

[A_Poythress]

I would like to see more affordable sump options. Yeah, you can make your own sumps, but why are pre-made sumps the price of a 100G display tank? I am new to the hobby, but I still don’t think I will ever understand why some things in the hobby are ridiculously overpriced for no reason.

 

[JBKReef]

What do you think the future holds in regards to saltwater aquarium equipment? Automation and simplification in coding

What do you think the next BIG thing is? Automated testing

What would you like to see more advanced? reliability in larger heaters

 

[jgvergo]

My current predicament is that my nitrate and phosphorous are at 0.0 and my corals are starving. So, I'd like to see automated testing that can be linked to an Apex so I can control my skimmer and carbon/gfo reactor to keep nitrates and phosphrous at a predefined target value.

 

[cracker]

I would like to see test kits that would be easier to use.Maybe remove steps that can throw it off. Automated & accurate testing would be nice How about controller that are more simple to set up. Look I'm an old country boy who wasn't exposed much to the electronic age. At least more clear instructions .

 

[siggy]

Automatic tank controller that test, doses, heat/cools, WC and mixes SW everything! no-code required.... and in a hundred years?.. Pour a bag of aragonite and sodium into hoppers and HAL will synthesize everything!
HAL: What will it be today? The STYX protocol? or will it be a Zoa Garden?....... Is that BOLD enough?

 

[The River]

What do you think the future holds in regards to saltwater aquarium equipment?
Automation - removal of redundant tasks

What do you think the next BIG thing is?
I think the next major break through will be completely automated systems that monitor and dose essential elements in our reef tanks. Alk, Ca, Mag, etc..
To the point that fluctuations and testing (other than calibrations) are a thing of the past

What would you like to see more advanced?
Elimination of water changes via sustainable methods

I am a product development design engineer and in all areas automation and removing human error and redundant tasks that can be preformed by machines and computers is the focus. I expect to see the reef keeping community catch up as the market and spending dollars flow in...

 

[Fudsey]

You forgot the most damaging thing that can go wrong in a tank @revhtree, HEATERS.

A good, not high cost heater that won't boil or freeze our livestock.

I have had glass ones, plastic ones and titanium ones all fail. Plastic one cracked and stuff leaked out. Glass one cracked in half and the bottom fell to the sand. Titanium one just stopped working after a year. I'd rather spend $100 on a heater guaranteed for a couple years than keep buying new ones every year or so.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Anyone that doesn't answer heaters is wrong. The fact that a $25 heater can blow up an aquarium unless its replaced every year (or controlled with an expensive controller) is ridiculous.

What do you think the future holds in regards to saltwater aquarium equipment?
Removing the human element.
What do you think the next BIG thing is?
Cheaper controllers.
What would you like to see more advanced?
Heaters (see above). I'd also like to see test kits and controllers, although we've seen some nice improvements in this recently.