i like to know?

[cisco1717]

does a person really need a calcium and phosban reactor or those fancy expensive gadets like ato,ph probe, dosing pumps for a 52 gal tank.or are those for larger tanks only cause it could get expensive. thanks

 

[KathyC]

does a person really need a calcium and phosban reactor or those fancy expensive gadets like ato,ph probe, dosing pumps for a 52 gal tank.or are those for larger tanks only cause it could get expensive. thanks

Reefing is a fairly expensive hobby..or so my checkbook tells me..lol

Calcium reactors are often used by people who keep hard core SPS tanks but aren't necessary and are usually not used on 'softie' tanks. Phosban reactors...are another story. Many folks use them to reduce the amount of phosphates in their tanks to eliminate issues with algae, and while there are many methods of dealing with algae, phosban reactors are an easy way to keep the phosphate levels in check.
ATO systems are a blessing for most of us as tanks evaporate water daily and they automatically keep the water level correct which stops the salinity from increasing, as salt does not evaporate.
PH Probes are helpful in that they reduce the amount of testing.
Dosing pumps are yet another time saver and help keep stability in the tank.

All of these items basically save us time since there are so many other necessary maintenance chores to do with a SW tank.
Money is not the only big expense - time goes hand in hand with it

 

[TOTAL AQUARIUMS]

It all depends on the goals you have for your system and how automated you want it to be. It also depends on your skill level. Read anything you can get your hands on and only tackle what you are comfortable with. 2 part dosing should be fine but again, it depends on the needs of your tank. If your tank is packed with SPS frags to the point you can no longer see your rock work, you might want to consider a calcium reactor to help you meet your tanks demands, but if it's just a few mushrooms and leathers, I wouldn't worry about it. There is really too many scenarios to go over them all. It boils down to your research and what you want to get out of your tank.

 

[TOTAL AQUARIUMS]

It might help if you give us some information on your specific goals and current setup. No two tanks are ever alike.

 

[cisco1717]

i just bought a 52 gal custom made starphire cube, 250 watt MH and T5, 40 gal custom king refugium sump, 71lbs of fiji LR and 2 bags of LS, skimmer and chiller.and a few other items.

as for my goal, am new to reefing so am taking it easy and patience. not planning on keeping many fishes just coral. i'll start off with the basic coral for beginners and take from there thanks guys for the input. 1 more ? what to u think of me using miracle mud. my tank is only on its 11th day of cycle.

 

[NYreefNoob]

you got leo's tank ? ok easy way to look at it, i have the same tank, and figured even with buying most stuff used in equipt alone i am around $2000

 

[Awibrandy]

Cisco, decide on what it is that you want to do with the tank first! The animals you decide to keep and the amount of time you can devote will help you to decide what equipment is a MUST HAVE and what you can do without. Or even wait on.

My system is comprised of a 155 gallon bow front, 30g sump, euroreef rs80 skimmer, eheim 1260 & iwaki wrlt 40 pumps for return, 4 #3 Koralias for flow, 3 X 250 watt MH and 4 PC hood, 2 ebo jager heaters, I do have 2 TwoLittlefishies reactors in which I run activitated carbon in one and GFO in the other(off line currently), ATO, a dosing pump (off line also). The animals in my tank are fish, softies, lps, clams, gorgies, sps, leathers, inverts. So far going by my parameters I have not had to dose.

To conclude: It all depends on what you expect from your reef and how much manual labor you plan to do.
I am in Queens also, so if you'd like to come and see with your own two eyes you are more then welcome to do so. Just send me a PM.

 

[cisco1717]

yeah, i took off from leo. great guy, he is helping all the way but told me to ask, read, learn as much as i can.

 

[DevIouS]

Brief description:

Calcium reactor = Maintains Calcium at a constant level. Good if you have alot of Calcium sucking corals.

Phosban reactor = Removes Phosphate

or those fancy expensive gadets like

ATO = automatically replaces your evaporated water & maintains it at a level with little to no salinity fluctuations, instead of you dumping in fresh water daily.

PH probe - monitors PH

Dosing pumps = If using 2 part or Kalk, will give a constant dose throughout the day. Can also be used to replace evaporation.


If you feel you can maintain all of these manually, everyday.....no need to spend.

 

[cisco1717]

hey awibrandy, i may do that, pay you a vist and have a look thanks for the invite just tell me when is a good time and i may bring a 6 pack of corona, thanks

 

[cisco1717]

thanks everyone for the input, i dont have alot of space, not rich nor broke, but i do have alot of time on hand and having fun getting into this hobby. lol.

 

[Awibrandy]

hey awibrandy, i may do that, pay you a vist and have a look thanks for the invite just tell me when is a good time and i may bring a 6 pack of corona, thanks

Cisco, I'm currently unemployed so I'm usually around. Drop me a pm when ever. I thank you for the corona, but it would be my son's who would drink it.lol In other words it is perfectly OK to drop in empty handed.