What not to buy: A DO NOT buy list for your reef.

[roncgizmo]

Mojanos, why? I just got a rock full of them from a buddy ...I stocked my .5 gallon with it
I like them, don't know why but I do..just not enough for my main tank

 

[cb747]

never buy this product. The only way you end up with no sick fish is when they all die! They do not stand behind there product unless you spend more and more cash till your fish are dead.
http://www.nosickfish.com/products.php?product=1

 

[Killerdrgn]

Mojanos, why? I just got a rock full of them from a buddy ...I stocked my .5 gallon with it
I like them, don't know why but I do..just not enough for my main tank

Yeah i asked the same question, Thats when i realised the store was just out to make a buck off of people that didn't know any better. They gave out bad advice (strip lights are enough for a reef), sold stupid things like the mojanos, and was just really overpriced on just about everything.

 

[Killerdrgn]

Sounds like a place I used to go in yonkers.

Yeah unfortunatly these places exist all over the place, but this was back in Boston for me.
Oh yeah another thing you probably shouldn't buy, T5's fixtures without Individual reflectors.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Hey,I disagree with the rio pumps.They're ok.No heating problems whatsoever.Maxijet is better but Rios aren't half bad.To each it's own.:lol2:

 

[roncgizmo]

Hey,I disagree with the rio pumps.They're ok.No heating problems whatsoever.Maxijet is better but Rios aren't half bad.To each it's own.:lol2:

On my first SW tank with a sump way back when..I had a Rio on my skimmer
my girlfriend woke me up at 4am and said it sounded like someone is in the house... when I walked out to the front room I saw a BIG flash of light coming from the doors of my stand...I was new at it and ignorant and had no GFCI outlet ..had I not been home I could of come home to a completely different
story...Out of all the pump I've had then and since the Rio was the only one
that ever scared the hell out of me.

BTW, NEVER SKIMP ON THE GFCI it could mean the life of your family.

 

[KathyC]

I'm sure someone will jump in here reagrding the Rios..something to do with their motor leaking oil when they go bad. Maxijets are sealed units and therefore safer.

Lova ya Aaron but don't agree about the Mag Drive pumps. If you change the screws to the nylon ones you take away the rust issue and as far as how hot they run...I recently changed to external pumps when I upgraded and now my tanks run 3 degrees hotter than when I ran the Mag drives internally. Reliability? I've never had one go bad and have been using them for years on all my tanks & my pond.

What NOT to get/use...anything with the words PH Up or PH Down.
Only a very temporary fix (less than 24 hours) and then your PH will quickly swing back to where it was. Fix the cause - don't treat the symptom!

 

[roncgizmo]

Oh one more thing. under any circumstances you do not need a 400w or even a 250w MH light for your 20 gallon tank.

 

[cali_reef]

Don't buy any new Deltec stuff, they are way over-priced for what you get :lol2:.

 

[reefman]

dont buy nothing that u can't afford. dont buy anything if u can't pay full. don't buy and 1 week later put on for sale forum. dont buy just out high tech gadget.

 

[bad coffee]

The smaller rio pumps are okay. It's the larger ones that had problems. The epoxy coating covering the motor was too thin. The pump would heat up and crack the waterproofing. Saltwater + electricity = VERY BAD. I had smaller rios for years, and never had problems.

B

 

[ming]

I actually have this and use it and have no problem with it. Granted its not as accurate as a refractometer, some people have evaporation which changes more then this thing is off. My corals have no complaints and speak for themselves.

Don't buy a seaclone!

 

[ellebelle]

As far as things not to buy ...

Crushed coral substrate. Do yourself a favor and either get sand or go BB.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Oh one more thing. under any circumstances you do not need a 400w or even a 250w MH light for your 20 gallon tank.

So you mean to tell me that the 250 MH on my 24 g tank is over kill? My Corals and I beg to differ. My tank has never looked better.

I don't know your background in the hobby but if you could elaborate a little on the above statement and your experience I would love to hear your reasoning.

Sometimes it is better to be silent.......................

 

[Bahamian1999]

seaclone Skimmer

From my experience in the reef hobby....DO NOT BUY a Seaclone Skimmer and DO NOT BUY an Unneccesary expensive sump....sumps can be made with refugiums for a very very low price.... I spent $200 on a sump, later on wanted to add a fuge and skimmer and made one out of a $20 tank, $4 acrylic baffles and $5 AGA glue=$29
and seaclones just waste of money....

Why not use the Seaclone Skimmer? I've had one for a few years and had no problems. What problems did you have?:duh:

 

[aaron23]

herman use to call the seaclone skimmer, a "SEACLOWN skimmer" they are terrible skimmers cheap plastic material unreliable and garbage.

 

[roncgizmo]

I actually have this and use it and have no problem with it. Granted its not as accurate as a refractometer, some people have evaporation which changes more then this thing is off. My corals have no complaints and speak for themselves.

Ya want another one? I used it 3 times. Personally I think the swing arm is about the worst you can get... I would rather use the Glass hydrometer

 

[fritz]

I owned and used a swing arm for 8 or so years and never had a problem. Sure while I thought my SG was 1.021 it may have been 1.024. Mike SLama Jama and I both bought refractometers around the same time and just for goofs compared our old swing arms against the refractometers. They had the exact same readings. I was very careful with my swingarm and made sure to wash it out in fresh water thoroughly every time I used it. I think if you calibrate a swing arm once and take good care of it, it should serve you fine.

However, if you don't own a hydrometer and you are going to buy one, for only about $35-$40 you can get a refractometer. If you already own a swing arm do yourself a favor and take it to someone with a refractometer so they can test it's accuracy. You may find that it reads up or down a few points. It's good to know if your swing arm's 1.024 is actually 1.019.

 

[ming]

Ya want another one? I used it 3 times. Personally I think the swing arm is about the worst you can get... I would rather use the Glass hydrometer

Sure, but since I don't go to NJ, we'll meet up during the next frag swap
Only when its new, it tends to get bubbles on the arm which makes in inaccurate, but after using it for a while, that will no longer happen.

 

[inkblue]

Any other contributions...