Single Best Piece of Equipment?

[Jon Fishman]

No to apex? Pft some people just don’t know because they don’t HAVE or cannot afford.

This is me. I’m too poor to have an apex.....

Oh wait..... I have one..... I just didn’t list it because it’s a flawed, glitchy piece of crap that is overly frustrating to program and use, and once it’s in use, it’s another point of failure in the system vs a dedicated non-proprietary one.


Glad you like it though

 

[bsn_rn_cen]

Ato was the game changer for me.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

But I never said the apex is the most important piece of equipment. The apex IS the best controller period. The ghl is nice too but they don’t have the components that the apex has and the ghl interface is ****. Apex atk, afs, dos, cor, trident, and tons of different things are simply top of the line right now.

Not true at all, I have owned an Apex and wasn't all impressed and there is equipment way more important IMO

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Some people just don’t follow the instructions. It took me half an hour to set up. Glitchy? No apex glitches, that was fixed post 2016.

This is me. I’m too poor to have an apex.....

Oh wait..... I have one..... I just didn’t list it because it’s a flawed, glitchy piece of crap that is overly frustrating to program and use, and once it’s in use, it’s another point of failure in the system vs a dedicated non-proprietary one.


Glad you like it though

 

[45ZoaGarden]

And for skimmer, my vote is for the reef octo regal 150ss. The nyos is very nice too but not controllable.

 

[ThatTennesseeBeardedGuy]

Would it be fair to

So I would do it more as a priority ranking

1- filtration ie: sump/skimmer (I like the Eshopps S series skimmers and the Nyos skimmers)
2 - lighting (Hydras or Radions)
3 - power heads (I'm a Gyre fan)
4 - controller (Apex) I disagree the Apex's aren't worth it, as I find mine makes it easier for me to be successful with my reef - note that it makes it easier but it doesn't do it for you. However, it doesn't matter if you have an Apex if it's controlling stuff that doesn't work

That's the vibe I am starting to get, and the main benefit I hear is it being that last line of defense when/if something breaks.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Exactly. If you aren’t home to catch the issue, the apex will. That was my justification of the $3k expenditure.

Would it be fair to

That's the vibe I am starting to get, and the main benefit I hear is it being that last line of defense when/if something breaks.

.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

And if you ever get a bigger tank, that stuff can go over too

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

So far I am loving these Metal Halide/T5 combo, how much flow do you recommend?

Depends on what your trying to keep.

 

[ThatTennesseeBeardedGuy]

Exactly. If you aren’t home to catch the issue, the apex will. That was my justification of the $3k expenditure.
.

Especially when we put so much into them already. Would it be fair to say that this is the last item to get?

 

[Strawberry]

I don’t have a controller or really anything that’s automated. My 29g biocube demands a lot of attention, but not so much now that I have added an Aquamaxx HOB protein skimmer. That thing made my water crystal clear and I can only run it like 3 days a week or my tank is too clean for my zoas. I also recommend the Icecap gyro wave maker because it is just a lot of bang for your buck. I have one in my 29g biocube but I know that it would be great even in a tank up to 40gallons.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Especially when we put so much into them already. Would it be fair to say that this is the last item to get?

Yes and no. I added mine 6 months after setup. It would be easier to get it mounted and everything organized if the tank was dry and there wasn’t stuff in the stand getting in your way. But you can add it down the road.

 

[ThatTennesseeBeardedGuy]

Depends on what your trying to keep.

To be honest everything, I am upgrading my tank in the next year or so because i have a nice basement area to fill and I was just curious what that number would be? Is it like a multiple of like 4 times gph of the tank size kind of thing?

 

[Mical]

This - use it wisely

 

[45ZoaGarden]

If your not too busy with work and life etc... and have time during the week to test the tank, you don’t really need the trident. I personally love it for when I’m too busy or away but when I’m home it’s just eh. I personally don’t test my tank terribly often. If the trident had a one test a day, I would like it more.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

How big of a tank?

To be honest everything, I am upgrading my tank in the next year or so because i have a nice basement area to fill and I was just curious what that number would be? Is it like a multiple of like 4 times gph of the tank size kind of thing?

 

[45ZoaGarden]

My 45 gallon has an mp10 and I’m only running it at about 45%. Some people will tell you that you need a 100x per hour turnover but eh. That’s too much imo.

 

[ThatTennesseeBeardedGuy]

If your not too busy with work and life etc... and have time during the week to test the tank, you don’t really need the trident. I personally love it for when I’m too busy or away but when I’m home it’s just eh. I personally don’t test my tank terribly often. If the trident had a one test a day, I would like it more.

So when I started my 8 to 5 it really has been my goal to actually do something active in the evenings, and this has become one of my go too's now. I remember seeing one of the most gorgeous tanks in my life and all the guy was using was a calendar and tested literally every single day and wrote down the results that his daily dose would have on corals and etc.

 

[ThatTennesseeBeardedGuy]

This - use it wisely

Sometimes I swear people were born without any to begin with!

 

[ThatTennesseeBeardedGuy]

Also a little side comment here, I am loving all these classy gents with the Bearded names!