What equipment is essential and worth spending extra on for best water chemistry?

[WhalesLovePineapple]

After a few years away from the hobby, I've come back to a bunch of old test kits, refractometers, salt mix, etc.

As of now I'm reusing all of it, but am also wanting to take my reef chemistry to the next level with better maintenance.

Therefore, what equipment should I spend extra money on that will ensure happy fish?

 

[ndrwater]

Protein Skimmer. Hands down..

 

[Muttley000]

What size tank and what are you planning in keeping. It is so easy to customize now you can tailor your gear to what you want to keep.
You mentioned chemistry so the Hanna checkers are nice and I like the Red Sea pro test kits too

 

[AdamNC]

Lights, skimmer, water flow and reliable test kits(ie: Red Sea, Salifert, Hanna). These things IMO are not to be skimped on.

 

[WhalesLovePineapple]

What size tank and what are you planning in keeping. It is so easy to customize now you can tailor your gear to what you want to keep.
You mentioned chemistry so the Hanna checkers are nice and I like the Red Sea pro test kits too

At the moment a 20 gallon tank, a few softies and fish. I'm leaning towards making the water chemistry as best as possible for fish health.

 

[Gareth elliott]

A good ato would top my list for both stability and saving your own personal time of hand topping off.

Dont go ultra cheap on a skimmer sub $120-150 on a skimmer its better to just not have one imo.

 

[acrylic2k]

Skimmer. Then lights.

Both seem to have really improved over the last 15 years.

 

[Cory]

For chemistry? Definitely a doser. Dont cheap out on that.

 

[Joe148]

RO/DI starting with as near to perfect water goes a long way.

 

[Joe148]

RO/DI starting with as near to perfect water goes a long way.

 

[dmunyon8]

A 20 Gallon softie tank doesn’t really need the top of the line lights... or even a protein skimmer for that matter. An Auto Water change System would be enough to maintain a tank like that. If you want a sump then maybe a ball of chaeto and nice grow light.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

For water chemistry, don't skimp on:
Skimmer
Dosing pump(s)
Test kits
RODI system

 

[HawaiianReef]

20g is considered nano tanks.
If you're asking about just water chemistry, the answer is quality test kits and ro/di. Then you need quality supplements like: salt, calcium, carbon, and anything else you plan to put into the tank. Running the tank would be some decent circulation pump(s) and most important, a quality heater.
Now, if you want to make things easier, like less water changes, a skimmer can help there. But wouldn't be a good investment financially when doing a 2g per week water change could do the same. And maybe even more. Salt is cheap with a 20g. A 300 dollar skimmer isn't.
Lights dont matter about the size of tank. If you want to stock some softies and fish, just a t8 with a cheap plastic fixture will grow them once they acclimate. And no matter what light you get, they still have to acclimate.
A sump isn't necessary at all. Not even mechanical filtration. Good flow and a good heater is all you need with the 10% (2g) water changes per week.

So a 20g tank with a couple circulation pumps and heater. A $20 florescent light and quality bulb. And a bucket of quality salt. On the table, a good test kit and supplements. Can't go wrong and VERY affordable. About a couple hundred bucks.

 

[T Carey]

I agree with HawaiianReef. On a tank that size water changes are the cheapest and best option to maintain water quality.

If you want to start getting a feel for testing and such you can get into it a a pace of your choosing. That will prepare you for getting a larger tank if that is the direction you want to go.

As for lighting, I have had good luck at LFS buying used equipment for my 29 gal. I do recommend a good RO/DI system. The BRS system I have has been great. I do not have it set up as a permanent system. I set it up the kitchen counter and use an adapter on the sink faucet that I hook it up to. Takes 5 minutes or less to set up and the same to take down. I store it as two separate units so moving it is not a problem.

If you want to set up a 10 gal as a sump, you can learn about the various issues of plumbing, flooding, refugium and chaeto.

You have a great opportunity to explore reefing system things at your own rate. Good luck.

 

[Joe Batt]

Decent ATO since salinity is number one parameter to watch. Good test kits for the main 3 (Kh,Ca, Mg) Then couple of reasonable pumps for good flow. Then lastly some middle of the road lights since it’s just a small softie tank ( no need for super dooper high end for this type of tank)

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Forget the skimmer, their totally unnecessary.
If you want co2 removal/ oxygenation, & nutrient control, get a good algae scrubber.
For DOC control use activated carbon such as ROX 0.8 in a reactor.

 

[Stigigemla]

There are 2 aspects of having a skimmer.
1. To remove skimmate as everybody says.
2. To get a good gas exchange. Take out ammonia and maintain good oxygen level. You will have less nitrate buildup.

I would never put an algae scrubber for a 20 gallon tank. In such a small tank stability is the main issue to solve.
An ATO is a must in order to have stable values. In my experience Sinularia and Sarcophyton are more sensitive to changes in salinity than SPS.

 

[ScottB]

The key goal in water chemistry is achieving stability.

The single largest driver of stability is VOLUME.

Start with a bigger tank, like a 65G. Whatever size you choose, you will wish you went bigger.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

There are 2 aspects of having a skimmer.
1. To remove skimmate as everybody says.

Skimate is the term used to describe what collects in a skimmer cup. Skimate consists of various compounds, but the main target & purpose of a skimmer is the removal of organics, both particulate & disolved - TOC.
Feldman's tests found that, at best, a skimmer removes only "20% - 35% of the post-feeding TOC present" & Feldman's findings lead him to conclude that, "bubbles are really not a very effective medium for organic nutrient removal." On the other hand, Feldman found that " Granulated Activated Carbon filtration is quite effective at stripping reef tank water of its TOC load, removing 60 - 85% of the TOC present."
So activated carbon is far more effective at removing organics.

2. To get a good gas exchange. Take out ammonia and maintain good oxygen level. You will have less nitrate buildup.

I would question how effective degassing of NH3 from aquarium water is, but if a skimmer is effective at this then the cascading water of an algae scrubber would also perform "degassing". But the algae scrubber has the advantage in that the algae synthesises nitrogen in the form of ammonia most efficiently, removing it from the water rather than converting it biologically into nitrite & then nitrate.

I should also point out that skimmers do not produce oxygen, but algae photosynthesis does. Skimmers inject 'air' into the aquarium water, & if the 'air' in the room has CO2 levels of 800, 1,000 or 2,000 ppm, that is what is being injected into the aquarium. Algae scrubbers remove CO2, producing oxygen at the same time.

I would never put an algae scrubber for a 20 gallon tank. In such a small tank stability is the main issue to solve.

If a tank is big enough for a skimmer, its big enough for an algae scrubber.
Admittedly, on such a small tank, regular largish water changes are practicle.

 

[Stigigemla]

In my opinion algae scrubbers are very good for a bit larger aquaria. Small tanks are often overloaded with fish and other animals + nutrition. That means that the pH swings will be larger than in big tank. A skimmer will went out CO2 when it is a lot of it in the tank and supply it if it is low. And so we get a smaller pH swing.
Of coarse You can get a much higher oxygen level when a scrubber has been on a whole day than what You get with a skimmer. But the skimmer tends to regulate the oxygen closer to 1 value.
In my opinion algae scrubbers are better in removing nutrition and raise pH.
Skimmers are better in keeping pH swings lower and for small aquaria I think that is more important.
Removing nutrition is easy to do via water changes for small tanks.