What is your favorite piece of equipment??

Stolireef · 04/17/2017, 06:25 PM

I'm pretty much done with my new build now and I got to thinking about my equipment. I'm a bit of a gear head and most of my kit is relatively high end (Radions, MP40s, Tunze, Vertex etc.).

So I started considering what was my best/favorite piece of equipment.

At first, I was thinking my Apex but while it may be the one piece of equipment I wouldn't do without, there are things about it that are just not that great (display is terrible in this day and age).

I considered closely my Vertex 180i skimmer. It's really well made but adjusting the riser pipe is too finicky.

My MP40 QD is a great piece of kit and very quiet. That said, I'm not in love with the stupid three little buttons on the driver (hence why I really like my Apex on Fusion). Radions are also really nice but I don't like the RMS mounting kit that much.

I actually arrived at an odd choice. I just love my fuge light (how often do you hear that?). Its the Tunze submersible. It is pie to set up, it throws great directed light, it's built like a tank, and it really looks good. It also helps out with keeping the temp in my tank even. Although its probably the cheapest piece of kit on my system, it just works in every way that I expected.

So, with this in mind, what's your favorite piece and why. You can only list one thing.

djbon · 04/17/2017, 06:46 PM

My home made nitrate destroyer

jda · 04/17/2017, 06:46 PM

Calcium Reactor - dissolves exactly what stony corals needed to grow and puts them into your tank in the right proportion.

BigBlueTang · 04/17/2017, 07:02 PM

Definitely my ATO. I didn't have one for the longest time and manually topping off sucks. I was really lazy with it and only topped off when my return was sucking air. ATO makes reefing 10x better

jimmy n · 04/17/2017, 07:18 PM

Reef Genesis. Auto water change is amazing. You never get to lazy to do one.

ktownhero · 04/17/2017, 07:24 PM

My MP40s. Just a great piece of gear with incredible quality and versatility. Adding a wxm module to my Apex made them even more awesome.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

rocsec1 · 04/17/2017, 07:51 PM

Apex

zsuman101 · 04/17/2017, 08:10 PM

my girlfriend

ca1ore · 04/17/2017, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jda

Calcium Reactor - dissolves exactly what stony corals needed to grow and puts them into your tank in the right proportion.

Yep, CaRx gets my vote as well.

edsbeaker · 04/17/2017, 08:15 PM

My radions!!! The radions are not only responsible for my reef to be possible, but they are what makes all the hard work and expense come to life. It's the beauty of this living breathing entity that makes all the hard work worth the effort, and without my radions it wouldn't look nearly as beautiful.

RCS82 · 04/17/2017, 08:27 PM

I'm pretty happy with everything I have running but 2 things spring to mind pretty quick. First is the ghl doser2, some days I'm not such a big fan of the software side of it but it really is an awesome piece of equipment, maybe its because it's my first doser haha. Second is the hanna alk checker, not a big piece of equipment but I am really impressed with its consistency and accuracy.
Just my 2 cents

solitude127 · 04/17/2017, 09:27 PM

RO/DI unit

jkapit · 04/17/2017, 09:37 PM

my Apex, close 2nd my Bubble king skimmer

Stolireef · 04/18/2017, 12:01 AM

No cheating. Pick your favorite

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

A sea K · 04/18/2017, 04:57 AM

Vodka bottle, for obvious reasons. Might have dosed a bit too much last night, have sort of a foggy bacterial bloom going on in my head this morning.

ReefsandGeeks · 04/18/2017, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A sea K

Vodka bottle, for obvious reasons. Might have dosed a bit too much last night, have sort of a foggy bacterial bloom going on in my head this morning.

I think I dosed a bit too much vodka last night too, woke up with a hang over

kevin.st · 04/18/2017, 09:59 AM

My old calcium reactor is my favorite item. It's the backbone of my setup.

crabbydan · 04/20/2017, 10:54 AM

The portable chair I keep next to my tank. I pull it out and stare into the tank at night to see what crazy tiny things are alive as well as in the day time I could watch my pistol shrimp fix, build and move his door all day long. (lucky me his main doorway is dead center front of tank.

A sea K · 04/20/2017, 01:12 PM

Very cool crabbydan, I've had a pretty rough time during my latest system trying to keep a pistol shrimp/goby pair.

Looking back through the thread it appears that not only myself but devastator007 and the OP, Stolireef all have something in common.

Stolireef · 04/20/2017, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A sea K

Vodka bottle, for obvious reasons. Might have dosed a bit too much last night, have sort of a foggy bacterial bloom going on in my head this morning.

Actually, I was wrong. Definitely my vodka bottle. I only dose the high end stuff like Grey Goose.

MMacro · 04/20/2017, 05:32 PM

Neptune apex.
Couldn't live without it.

Vio · 04/20/2017, 08:09 PM

My Algae Scrubber .

billwill · 04/20/2017, 10:21 PM

My favorite thing to geek out in is my calcium reactor, then my skimmer., then my gfo reactor. Sometimes in the opposite order...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Clavius78 · 04/21/2017, 07:22 AM

My Zeomatic! Tumbling the stones was fun only very shortly. This machine does it 3 times a day, of which 2 times during the night when my corals are feeding.

cincyjim · 04/21/2017, 08:56 AM

Mine would be my continuous water change system. That is one chore I do not miss!

04/17/2017, 06:25 PM	#1
Stolireef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scottsdale AZ Posts: 3,180 Blog Entries: 5	What is your favorite piece of equipment?? I'm pretty much done with my new build now and I got to thinking about my equipment. I'm a bit of a gear head and most of my kit is relatively high end (Radions, MP40s, Tunze, Vertex etc.). So I started considering what was my best/favorite piece of equipment. At first, I was thinking my Apex but while it may be the one piece of equipment I wouldn't do without, there are things about it that are just not that great (display is terrible in this day and age). I considered closely my Vertex 180i skimmer. It's really well made but adjusting the riser pipe is too finicky. My MP40 QD is a great piece of kit and very quiet. That said, I'm not in love with the stupid three little buttons on the driver (hence why I really like my Apex on Fusion). Radions are also really nice but I don't like the RMS mounting kit that much. I actually arrived at an odd choice. I just love my fuge light (how often do you hear that?). Its the Tunze submersible. It is pie to set up, it throws great directed light, it's built like a tank, and it really looks good. It also helps out with keeping the temp in my tank even. Although its probably the cheapest piece of kit on my system, it just works in every way that I expected. So, with this in mind, what's your favorite piece and why. You can only list one thing. __________________ I want to burn twice as bright and half as long. Oh, and a full tank crash is just an excuse for a new build. Current Tank Info: 125 Rimless Leemar, Apex, Trigger 30 Elite Sump, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 X Gen4 Radion XR30W, BM Doser, 2xMP40WES, 2xTunze 6095, Sicce Syncra 4.0.

04/17/2017, 06:46 PM	#2
djbon Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MY Posts: 813	My home made nitrate destroyer __________________ 75 gallon DT, 5 gallon sump, DIY LED bar with moonlight, DIY Arduino controller Current Tank Info: 75 gallon/Arduino Controller

04/17/2017, 07:02 PM	#4
BigBlueTang Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Boulder, Colorado Posts: 1,430	Definitely my ATO. I didn't have one for the longest time and manually topping off sucks. I was really lazy with it and only topped off when my return was sucking air. ATO makes reefing 10x better __________________ 75 gal, 20 L using as sump, MP40Qd , Eheim 1260 Return,Royal Exclusiv Bubble King Mini 160,Kamoer FX-STP Calcium Reactor Setup, ATI Sunpower 6x54W

04/17/2017, 08:10 PM	#8
zsuman101 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 434	my girlfriend __________________ Full zeovit 24x24 starfire ati t5 radions ecotech and sicce pumps tunze skimmer apex gold yeah its nuts

04/17/2017, 08:15 PM	#10
edsbeaker Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bartlett, IL Posts: 857	My radions!!! The radions are not only responsible for my reef to be possible, but they are what makes all the hard work and expense come to life. It's the beauty of this living breathing entity that makes all the hard work worth the effort, and without my radions it wouldn't look nearly as beautiful. __________________ Marilyn RedSea Max-E 260

04/17/2017, 06:46 PM	#3
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	Calcium Reactor - dissolves exactly what stony corals needed to grow and puts them into your tank in the right proportion.

04/17/2017, 07:18 PM	#5
jimmy n Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 1,256	Reef Genesis. Auto water change is amazing. You never get to lazy to do one.

04/17/2017, 07:24 PM	#6
ktownhero Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 1,426	My MP40s. Just a great piece of gear with incredible quality and versatility. Adding a wxm module to my Apex made them even more awesome. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

04/17/2017, 07:51 PM	#7
rocsec1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Medina oh Posts: 1,782	Apex

04/17/2017, 08:27 PM	#11
RCS82 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Sherwood Park, AB, Canada Posts: 273	I'm pretty happy with everything I have running but 2 things spring to mind pretty quick. First is the ghl doser2, some days I'm not such a big fan of the software side of it but it really is an awesome piece of equipment, maybe its because it's my first doser haha. Second is the hanna alk checker, not a big piece of equipment but I am really impressed with its consistency and accuracy. Just my 2 cents __________________ After about a 16 year break from fish keeping, Wow, how things have changed. Current Tank Info: 90g, mixed reef, I hope haha

04/17/2017, 09:27 PM	#12
solitude127 Proud user of IO Salt! Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 9,136	RO/DI unit __________________ Mike <)))>{ <)))>{ <)))>{ <)))>{ ReefKeeping.com TOTM Nov 2012 Socalireefs Featured Reef Oct 2011 Current Tank Info: 603020, 8x54 ATI Powermodule, ReefBrite XHO, ATB Elegance 200, Aquamaxx CTech CaRx, Ecotech Vortechs, Apex Controls, WM Ecobak powered. RedSea Reefer 170, MP10, Apex Jr, Ecotech Radion XR15, Aquamaxx WS-1

04/17/2017, 09:37 PM	#13
jkapit Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Central, NJ Posts: 333	my Apex, close 2nd my Bubble king skimmer

04/18/2017, 12:01 AM	#14
Stolireef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scottsdale AZ Posts: 3,180 Blog Entries: 5	No cheating. Pick your favorite Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk __________________ I want to burn twice as bright and half as long. Oh, and a full tank crash is just an excuse for a new build. Current Tank Info: 125 Rimless Leemar, Apex, Trigger 30 Elite Sump, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 X Gen4 Radion XR30W, BM Doser, 2xMP40WES, 2xTunze 6095, Sicce Syncra 4.0.

04/18/2017, 04:57 AM	#15
A sea K Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Branford Fl Posts: 3,024	Vodka bottle, for obvious reasons. Might have dosed a bit too much last night, have sort of a foggy bacterial bloom going on in my head this morning. __________________ I am not a pro so excuse me if I'm wrong. Current Tank Info: 30gal Deep Blue rimless 9/10/2014, 80gal Deep Blue rimless 40gal sump/refugium 9/11/16 LPS reef, 2 x Kessil A160 with a single Maxspect Razor, RO Prime 150INT skimmer, Sicce 3 return pump, Vortech MP40 and MP10

04/18/2017, 09:59 AM	#17
kevin.st Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 151	My old calcium reactor is my favorite item. It's the backbone of my setup.

04/20/2017, 10:54 AM	#18
crabbydan Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 267	What is your favorite piece of equipment?? The portable chair I keep next to my tank. I pull it out and stare into the tank at night to see what crazy tiny things are alive as well as in the day time I could watch my pistol shrimp fix, build and move his door all day long. (lucky me his main doorway is dead center front of tank.

04/20/2017, 01:12 PM	#19
A sea K Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Branford Fl Posts: 3,024	Very cool crabbydan, I've had a pretty rough time during my latest system trying to keep a pistol shrimp/goby pair. Looking back through the thread it appears that not only myself but devastator007 and the OP, Stolireef all have something in common. __________________ I am not a pro so excuse me if I'm wrong. Current Tank Info: 30gal Deep Blue rimless 9/10/2014, 80gal Deep Blue rimless 40gal sump/refugium 9/11/16 LPS reef, 2 x Kessil A160 with a single Maxspect Razor, RO Prime 150INT skimmer, Sicce 3 return pump, Vortech MP40 and MP10

04/20/2017, 05:32 PM	#21
MMacro Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,442	Neptune apex. Couldn't live without it. __________________ 155 Mixed Reef (48x31x24)

04/20/2017, 10:21 PM	#23
billwill Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Oregon Posts: 244	My favorite thing to geek out in is my calcium reactor, then my skimmer., then my gfo reactor. Sometimes in the opposite order... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

04/21/2017, 07:22 AM	#24
Clavius78 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 60	My Zeomatic! Tumbling the stones was fun only very shortly. This machine does it 3 times a day, of which 2 times during the night when my corals are feeding.

04/21/2017, 08:56 AM	#25
cincyjim Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 1,147	Mine would be my continuous water change system. That is one chore I do not miss! __________________ Jim Current Tank Info: SCA 150G, 5 inch sand bed, 2 Tunze 6095s, ReefBreeders v2+ 50" with 2 all Blue Reefbrites, and Continuous Water Change System