What's the best piece of equipment you have purchased for your reef?

[Kellie in CA]

ATO. Took me more than 12 years to finally buy one.... I have no idea why I waited so long! Would never run a tank without one now.

 

[Oldreefer44]

1. Orphek v4's
2. Life Reef skimmer

 

[jradishness]

The Hanna salinity checker. No more god-awful refractometer calibration (maybe mine was worse than most?). Now it just takes a second to know temp and salinity. Has sped up water changes, acclimation, and the manual topoff that I still have to do on a few of the tanks.

I think all new reefers should skip the swing arm/refractometer learning curve and go straight to the checker, as often as they’re used.

 

[ReefGrammie]

The first thing that came to mind was my ReefBreeders LED light, I guess because it's my most expensive piece of equipment (cost more than the tank setup). I had to think about what my "best" piece of equipment is, though. I agree with others on the ATO, especially after spending my first 5 years of reefing manually topping off...I can't believe I did that for 5 years! When I upgraded to my 90, I may have lasted a week doing manual topoff before I ordered the Tunze ATO and also ordered an acrylic reservoir to sit beside the tank. I can go about 10 days or so without filling up the reservoir now, which suits me just fine! ;Joyful

 

[Proteus Meep]

 

[BZOFIQ]

Lawnmower blenny.

 

[bruinfoodie]

The most satisfying piece of equipment has definitely been the tunze ATO, topping water off without one is a great percentage of the work you have to do without it

 

[Robinson]

Milwaukee Digital salinity tester and Alkatronic tester. This first improvement I saw in my tank came after an ICP test that pointed the salinity value was not right. Second came after realizing with the help of the Alkatronic how much variance I have in my Alk each day due to dosing schedule.

 

[dbowman5]

the category has to be Pumps. between awesome return pumps, water mixing station mixing and transfer pumps, ato pumps, skimmer pumps, and wave makers, the aquarium would be pretty shabby without good pumps.
If the question is: What is the piece of equipment that i am happiest about buying? that would be every must have or upgrade that i have decided i had to have or will get next.

 

[Algaewarrior]

1:ai prime 16 HD
2:so aqua ato
3:brs 4 stage rodi filter

 

[Crustaceon]

This. It’s a prefilter for an ro/di booster pump that I use to stabilize my calcium reactor effluent drip. I modified it to accept a generic nylon automotive fuel filter screen. My effluent drip rate has been at exactly 1 per second for over two weeks now.


This is my backup just in case

 

[Jman76]

For me it was going from stock Aqueon led to AI Prime HD x 2. Wow

 

[gcrawford]

Back up system pump. They always jam in the middle of the night. Also good to swap to the backup a couple days before vacation.

 

[RevMH]

Please share. Whats is the one item you bought for your reef that was a game changer in one way or another? For me I have to say

my Hanna Alk Checker is the best thing I have bought for the reef. It has allowed me to dial in and keep alk stable. A total game changer in keeping my corals happy. A very close 2nd is my pair of AI Hydra 32HDs. Switching to quality LED lighting from 250w MH pendants really made my corals color up. I was never able to get good color in my sps with MH lighting. Even though I have been using MH for a long time.

The Hannah Alk Tester was mine, too. It's SO convenient.

 

[Boochika]

Tunze ATO is clutch.

But I picked up all the Hanna Checkers (Alk, Calc, Phosphorus) for $25 total so I'm torn between the 2 purchases.

 

[Boochika]

the category has to be Pumps. between awesome return pumps, water mixing station mixing and transfer pumps, ato pumps, skimmer pumps, and wave makers, the aquarium would be pretty shabby without good pumps.
If the question is: What is the piece of equipment that i am happiest about buying? that would be every must have or upgrade that i have decided i had to have or will get next.

So what's your favorite pump?? ;Bookworm

 

[MikeYasin]

Trident!! I always struggled (even with DOS) to stay inside .25 dkh daily. I go the Trident, let it simmer for two weeks and gave it control of my Alk and Cal dosing... WOW! Tight, but not more than .2 dkh swing at the widest (once), and a little wider for calcium - 30ppm average

 

[Dr RBG]

Tunze top off Neptune top off

 

[Smarkow]

I voted lighting bc the kessil h380 just CRUSHES it in my fuge for algae control

 

[jgvergo]

Apex controller, hands down! It is my ATO and helps with every other category listed in the survey!