Clever video about Reefing. A chuckle or two..🐠

[xxBarneyxx]

Anyway...longevity and equipment failure issues associated with high-end equipment are often completely ignored in discussions like these about why one might choose the basic and DIY vs. going all out on fancy things.

Yep. For me on a reef tank my first priority is reliability/repairability. Reliable is stable and stable is king. If I can build it myself I can replace/repair it if it goes wrong.

I have korallia powerheads that are 15+ years old and still working. Only things I have had to replace is the impeller shafts as I find they break easy (I'm heavy handed).

I have grown and propergated softies and lps in a tank with no sump and compact florescent lighting. Light, powerheads, heater and a ready supply of RO/DI, decent salt and test kits was all I needed.

A lot of SPS do need more as they are so much more fragile but I don't think a reef tank is defined by how many SPS you have anyway. I much prefer my mushrooms, zoas, palys, hammer and torch corals anyway.

Edit: it's a bit like freshwater lowtech vs high tech planted tanks. Similar results, different methods. The key to success with either method is knowledge.

 

[Donya]

I have korallia powerheads that are 15+ years old and still working.

Those are my favorite powerheads. They are tough little things.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Any good reefer will admit, that stability is key. This goes for tank maintenance as well. An ATO ($150 is an INSANE amount to pay for one. Usually they as cheap as $45-$60) will top off your tank every single day, so you don’t have major salinity swings. If you plan on topping off everyday, but you miss a few days, it certainly won’t crash your tank. However, it will mess with your head. You will think “oh, it’s ok to miss a few days here and there”. And then it’ll go to 4 days, then a week, etc

Programmable reef LED	$250​	Lasted barely over 2 years then failed in a bizarre way that stressed my corals and fish. It still turns on/off and just looks a little oddly dim, but it now wreaks havoc with algal blooms and animal stress wherever I put it.
Wifi programmable reef LED (different brand from above)	$​

How many years ago was this? What brand were the light? Did you buy them new?

Lots of lights have a warranty these days, usually 2-5 years long. If they malfunction or break, you can send them back and get a full refund or product replacement.

Sounds like you got some cheap, malfunctioning lights. You can’t hood a good quality WIFI/Bluetooth LED reef light for as cheap as $300. I wouldn’t trust it.

Additionally, LED bulbs typically need replaced in 5-10 years, depending on useage hours, age of product, brand, etc.

 

[Donya]

An ATO ($150 is an INSANE amount to pay for one. Usually they as cheap as $45-$60) will top off your tank every single day, so you don’t have major salinity swings.

So you don't like high tech ATOs, but you only trust lights costing >$300? Carry on with your tastes in equipment then. I feel like I gave enough info in my last post which took rather a long time to type out and yes, everything was brand new. Just because you pay a lot for something doesn't mean there isn't a low probability of it being a lemon a month after the warranty is up. Happens with laptops and other pieces of very expensive technology all the time.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

An ATO ($150 is an INSANE amount to pay for one. Usually they as cheap as $45-$60) will top off your tank every single day, so you don’t have major salinity swings.

I don't disagree, I have used them myself, especially on larger tanks where you need to top off more.

However on small tanks having a fill mark and a 3 litre bottle of DI water next to the tank means its literally a 30 second job every day. I used to do it when I fed.

On larger tanks, especially open top and in hot weather it can get a bit of a pain. On the other hand though on larger tanks the amount lost due to evaporation is less of a big deal because more water volume is more stable. I live in the UK so don't get that much hot weather, an ATO was nice to have on a big tank during the summer though and If I lived somewhere warmer I could see it being a lot more useful.

I have also seen ATO's fail, and fail badly. When people use a really large RO/DI water reservoir on a smaller tank, and the ATO fails with an open switch, dumping 25L of fresh water into 100L of salt water can nuke a tank fairly quickly. There are ways to work around this, it is also a pretty a rare fault, but it is something that isn't a possibility if you are just doing it by hand. Also dosing pumps in general require regular maintenance and replacement parts or they start sticking or not pumping.

Regarding the LEDS we really are living in the future. Back when I first started with marine tanks the only LED units people had access to where DIY jobs using Cree LEDS, even that was cutting edge. They use less power, put out less heat and give more control. However they still don't make the tank any better, especially for LPS and softies where you can literally grow them under CFL's for a 10th of the cost. More money just means more pretty/more easy.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

So you don't like high tech ATOs, but you only trust lights costing >$300? Carry on with your tastes in equipment then. I feel like I gave enough info in my last post which took rather a long time to type out and yes, everything was brand new. Just because you pay a lot for something doesn't mean there isn't a low probability of it being a lemon a month after the warranty is up. Happens with laptops and other pieces of very expensive technology all the time.

Since you decided to use technology as an example, I’ll give you this one: You get what you pay for. Does a cheap pre payed $40 phone from Walmart work just fine? Yes. But does the $1k IPhone from Best Buy work better, have a ton of different features, and is made better? Yes again.

 

[Fishmanic]

Since you decided to use technology as an example, I’ll give you this one: You get what you pay for. Does a cheap pre payed $40 phone from Walmart work just fine? Yes. But does the $1k IPhone from Best Buy work better, have a ton of different features, and is made better? Yes again.

If you want the latest and greatest cameras, then a newer more expensive phone may be better for you. If you only make phone calls with it and check emails, that $40 phone might be good enough.

There's also a middle ground where a $200 used phone from ebay may well serve your purpose depending on your type of use. I paid $235 for my used iphone 6s plus from ebay over 3 years ago and it has served me well. It has a decent enough camera for my needs and is fast enough for web browsing including moderating our site. It was able to get the latest ios 15 update. Perhaps in a year, I'll upgrade to an iphone 11 but for now, my iphone 6s plus serves my needs. I see no need to buy a $1000 iphone 13.

One benefit of my iphone 6s plus is that it is much easier and cheaper to service than the newer phones. I have replaced the screen myself twice for $30 each time and replaced the battery about 3 times at $7 each time.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

If you want the latest and greatest cameras, then a newer more expensive phone may be better for you. If you only make phone calls with it and check emails, that $40 phone might be good enough.

There's also a middle ground where a $200 used phone from ebay may well serve your purpose depending on your type of use. I paid $235 for my used iphone 6s plus from ebay over 3 years ago and it has served me well. It has a decent enough camera for my needs and is fast enough for web browsing including moderating our site. It was able to get the latest ios 15 update. Perhaps in a year, I'll upgrade to an iphone 11 but for now, my iphone 6s plus serves my needs. I see no need to buy a $1000 iphone 13.

One benefit of my iphone 6s plus is that it is much easier and cheaper to service than the newer phones. I have replaced the screen myself twice for $30 each time and replaced the battery about 3 times at $7 each time.

This is a good point. If you want the absolute basics to just barely suit your needs, then a more DIY aprouch might be better.

Now I’m not saying go blow $10k on a small brand new setup. But there are advantages with getting the best technology.

 

[Rocky998]

I agree with both sides, I feel like if you have the money and you are a beginner at saltwater, you should spend a bit extra to hopefully be able to handle the tank better. I think of the high tech saltwater supplies as some sort of life saver so it eases your mind on not killing off hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of corals and fish... I have no experience in saltwater but this is just my opinion...

 

[Animallover😍]

Yeah you need a lot of cords for the tanks. This is for my 6g and my 55g(even without a heater)!