THIS is one of the BEST investment for your saltwater reef aquarium!

A camera is one of the BEST investment for your saltwater reef aquarium!

  • True and I montior my tank via a camera

    Votes: 101 23.2%
  • True but I don't have a camera yet

    Votes: 110 25.3%
  • False. I have a camera and it's not valuable to me

    Votes: 71 16.3%
  • False, just false

    Votes: 153 35.2%

  • Total voters
    435

ScottB

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APEX is for me #1

Not that far behind though is my plumbed line from DT to basement mixing station. Thirty gallon WC in thirty minutes start to finish.
 

Richards_reef

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I have a camera but only set it up when I'm on vacation to monitor my auto top off (so it doesn't even see the display).
My top 5 investments in order
1) my time and effort
2) ato
3) chiller (my AC went out 3 times this year,once while I was on vacation)
4) Apex
5) calcium reactor
 

ReefRondo

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I have cameras on all of my tanks. It's a great peace of mind and I login regularly to check all sorts of things. Well worth the money.
 

Bouncingsoul39

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I voted "False". If you look with your eyeballs at your tank in the morning before leaving for work and again later when you get home, you probably don't need cameras. If you can't do that, then sure a camera can be helpful but I'd not call it a must have.
If you do want cameras, I'd recommend Wyze cams. They can by used indoors or outdoors with some mods. I have two and they've been great for over one year now. The app is free, cloud is free, they are cheap and work well.
 

hotdrop

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Is there a decent camera out there for under 100$. Something that can deal well with tank lighting or be in tank?
 

attilak

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just wanted to add one more comment to my post. Honestly I think the best investment in this hobby is probably a good generator! I have a portable one which does the job, but for lengthy outages, it sucks because you keep having to fill it with gas every few hours. It's expensive, but if you can afford it, get a standby natural gas generator.
 

KrisReef

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I think I could make a pretty penny with one of these cameras. My tank looks pretty nice most of the time so the real attraction would be me strutting into camera view wearing my “Pajamas.”
I’d need my wife and lawyer to clear the purchase :)

So obviously these things can be fantastic investments.
 

Richyreefer

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I voted yes, but the camera is pointed at my Alkatronic display, not the aquarium. It is a second generation Alkatronic and i have had problems getting it connected to my wifi, so the camera on the display is my only way to monitor and adjust my apex while i am traveling.
 

Why-Me

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YES!!
I love my Wyze Cam Pan

2CAA8E1A7111_1568402830571.png
 

foxt

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I have several cameras, used on several tanks and sumps, but only when I am away for extended periods. Not the "best" investment, but worth the small amount of cash it costs to be able to peek in on the tanks from afar.
 

Entz

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I have a wyze camera that can see my tank but isn't strictly for my tank, used to watch a door that is the same room.

It does give me a bit of piece of mind though, if the tank suddenly starts overflowing (or god forbid blows a seam) or I want to hear if my ATO alarm is going off or if my lights are working etc I can.

Just recently had a flurry of texts from fusion saying one of the leak sensors had detected a leak and i was able to check remotely. That was invaluable as I was able to quickly determine nothing of the sort was happening -- Skimmer went psycho and was foaming and the spray for that eventually pooled to something the size of a drop and it tripped the sensor inside the stand. Sensitive little buggers.

If I was away I would absolutely leave the sump door open and make sure I could see inside.

However it is certainly not the BEST thing, nor a requirement. It would be pretty far down my list on needs. It can be nice to have though.
 
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SMB

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Raised two kids without a baby monitor, not sure I need to see my tank 24/7. If you're out of town and see water on the floor....
 

Tuan Black

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Bought cameras for the house and put one to monitor the DT. It’s saved my but one day. My Ritteri anemone was wanting to move and got stuck in the mp40, saw it just in time. Ran home and did a water change 50% then another 50% was able save all fish and corals. So I say it’s worth the investment
 

gcrawford

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When out of town I would put one camera on the sump and one on the display. Peace of mind to see the water level correct in both locations. I did have a return pump failure once. Apex alerted me (also good investment), I looked at the cams which showed the water level in the sump to the top and the display down. Power cycled the pump using the apex and watched it restart. Water level went back to normal and subsequent good night's sleep. So, I'd say #1 is Apex controller, and #2 Web Cams.
 

Greengny

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Absolutely. Live alone and travel a lot and it's saved me several times. One time, ATI Hybrid fixture Time reset to 0, and lights would come on at midnight until noon. 2 other times, ATO messed up. Another time, large snail clogged one drain and nearly had a catastrophe. Each time, I was able to spot and call, reef-savvy, son in law to correct. A must have if you travel. Apex can only tell you so much.
 

Dragon52

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I have a camera pointed at my aquarium but it can also pic up movement & pan to the movement. so yes I use it to monitor tank but other parts of the house also. So my choice would be.
False, My Camera is important to me but not the most important.
 

LiveWire

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I believe that a camera is valueable but without a way to correct any issue that you see happening is mostly just a way to see an issue is happening earlier than you would if you were home which could be helpful if you have someone at home that can fix that issue.
 

saltyhog

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The Wyze cam has definitely been a bargain and money well spent. Trying to figure out how to get one directly in front of the tank....don't have an outlet there.

Wyze cam.png
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 65 37.1%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.7%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.3%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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