Are all the toys really worth it?

[Mishri]

A lot has changed since I first started saltwater aquariums.. (not much has changed in the freshwater world)..

For those old school people out there who have done things the old way, and now have all the modern things.. like apex controller. Is it really that helpful? have conditions improved in your aquarium or made things so much easier? Automatic top off, automatic dosage.. do you ever feel you aren't as hands on? Is it actually better/easier or do you get better results?

Based on what some people have said, I suspect that they just enjoy the toys. They like what they can do with the apex controller, but it really hasn't improved their husbandry or anything.. it's like people who want to show you how they can control their home with their phone, from lights, to music etc.. and I just think.. hmm light switches and power buttons are a lot faster and easier..

automatic top off.. was it really that hard to add some RO/DI water every few days? (I guess its more frequent for you open top folks)..

automatic dosage... do you have issues with it? I just don't know if I can trust something that can fail with something fairly important...

What are your thoughts on all of these electronic gadgets we can get now?

I wont deny, the new pumps you can get are so much better than what I had when I first started.. powerheads.. hooked up to a wavemaker power strip.. but I'm not a tinkerer... I'm someone who wants something that works, and then I don't have to mess with it anymore. I just set my gyre for what I think looks best and I leave it... no messing around, no feeding mode.. let those fish chase around for food, it's good for 'em.


I've been doing things the old way for so long.. just don't know if there is a reason to spend potentially thousands of dollars on toys that do what I've been able to do.. Can you convince me otherwise?

 

[EricGRIT]

Not that I have been around for a long time, but I can tell you that if I didn't have a controller (Apex) with auto dosing, ATO, etc. my tank would not be as healthy as it is currently. Now, that isn't because it is not possible to have a healthy tank without the controller and automation, but more because I don't trust myself to dose consistently, evenly, while I'm on vacation, etc. I know I wouldn't do it and I'm sure my tank would suffer because of that.

I probably wouldn't be in the hobby without a controller, to be honest. I find that even with the automation, taking care of the tank still feels like a chore from time to time.

I do certainly enjoy having gadgets to play with, though .

 

[ReefPharmer]

Listen old man river...
I answer your question, some things are worth it and some are hype.

Apex: Very useful as a backup and fallback in case of failure as well as controlling lights, powerheads etc. one backup is if my main pump goes out, my skimmer stops and stays off until the main comes back up and keeps working for 7 minutes so I don't overflow and empty the skimmer into system.
The temperature probe turns the fans on at a set temp and for mh folks turns the halides off at some temp.
My calcium reactor is controlled by a ph probe on the apex.
I control my pumps and LEDs via apex but that's possible to do w standalone controllers.
autotopoff is adding to stability of the tank and makes reasonably dosing kalk possible .
I can't manually dose my 300 w any sort of consistency due to my work schedule and these gadgets make having a sps tank possible

 

[cham]

I think they are.

My "toys" are controller and dosers and Vortechs and water change station for one simple reason. Automation and ease of use = not only more stability for the corals but more mental stability for me as the reef keeper. When you're doing everything manually, unless you're retired and just have the time, you will eventually burn out.

Life gets busy, things happen. With an auto feeder, auto top off, 5 minute water changes, automated dosing and auto light controls I can have an insane week(s) and my tank is still fine (often better off when I'm not screwing with it lol)


I took a 2 year hiatus and didn't clean any of my equipment or vortechs and they were all perfectly fine as I'm now rebuilding the system. I challenge any pump on the market to go 2 years without being touched and is still running fine without being cleaned.

 

[Spslvr]

In 20 years ive never had any sort of automation, I actually enjoy my maintenance, besides if you look through any of the forums they are full of people posting about automation failure crashing their tanks, or a dosing pump that got blocked and they didn't realize until corals started dying then they find out their kh is 4 and then they discover the doser is blocked, or ato malfunction and dumping an entire drum of ro or worse kalkwasser into their system, or theyre apex didn't send a text and they weren't aware their was a power outage and they were on holidays and returned home to a dead tank, or yada yada yada....

 

[ArmanS]

I think they are but I like toys and gadgets so that's just me.

But, I think the most important one is the Apex, with that your control and options are really endless. You can see your TEMP, PH, Salinity, control outlets and setup ATO, AWC and so much more it's really the game changer if you ask me.

ATO is another thing that is great, you don't need a super expensive setup you can use a simple float valve but if you want the best I would get the Tunze Osmolator 3155.

AWC is great for me, I have a large system so I do 4 gallon a day auto water changes, currently with the Neptune Dos but I will be switching to the Genesis Renew System soon. Auto Water Change is great because I never miss a water change, every day I do 4 gallons, and it's completely automated. All I have to do is mix up saltwater once a month in my container and that's it. The other great thing is that it's a small water change and broken up into smaller 500 ml every 10 mins or so that make's it unnoticed really for the tank inhabitants.

 

[Bent]

I'm still doing things the old fashioned way. I have an ATO, but I have it set up the same way I did 20 years ago, with float switches.

The only new gadgets I have are jebao power heads and a couple of LEDs.

I would say: don't fear the toys, but don't forget the basics.

 

[dadummy]

ATO is definitely worth it, I use a float switch and relay, nothing fancy, when a component fails it's about ten bucks to fix. If the float stick no big deal, 5g of water gets pumped into the sump before pump runs dry. I get to fill the bucket up every couple days when I hear the aqualifter sucking air.

I am with Spslvr, the more fancy gadgets you have the more potential for failure, or an expensive fancy gadget breaking

 

[Indymann99]

my first SW tank was 1984. Under gravel "filter" w power heads. Crushed coral, canister filer.

I don't consider a controller a "toy", it is a "TOOL", that helps me do my job (husbandry) better.

So is my mix tank, my RODI system, QT tank, etc. all "tools".

 

[Arthur1]

Listen Old Man River lol. Too funny. Automation does have it's ups as well as downs. As some people mentioned, if you like technology and toys, a controller will be for you. I personally don't have any controllers such as an Apex going but as far as automation, ATO with a Tunze or Spectrapure top off IMO is a must. If I had any SPS dominant systems going, I'd be utilizing the "balling method" but you still have to manually test water parameters bc we all know the larger sps corals grow, the more elements they utilize from the water column. If running an external skimmer, I use a waste collection container that will shut the recirc pump down once the container is full. Running ozone, a controller is nice and recommended by most over a meter alone. All in all, if you're a hands on person and home more often than not, an ATO system and timers for your lights may be as hi-tech as you "need" to go, at least that is my opinion for you.

 

[C3hutson]

I think it's extremely subjective. My aquarium is in my home office, and I work from home as a pharmacist consultant, so I'm on the phone a lot. It's amazing what I can get done while I'm on hold. Feedings/top offs/testing/cleaning... for me I can't see the automation as a requirement except for MAYBE when I'm out of town, but there's still some comfort in knowing that I have the house sitter checking on things vs relying on technology.

 

[Bpb]

Are all the toys really worth it?

Every piece of gadgetry solves a problem. If your life is at a point where your attention to the tank eliminates those problems...then no, technological advancements are not worth the cost to you. If you leave for days at a time, but still like having a teeming reef...then an auto topoff isn't a luxury, or a tinker toy. It's a necessity, unless you just happen to enjoy burning up return pumps and having salinity spikes. How is this hard to rationalize? If your ac happens to go out while you're at work, and you run metal halides in the south in the summertime, do you want to have a temperature spike up to 90 degrees or more? Or would you like the peace of mind that a fan can turn on and your lights turn off until temperature is in an acceptable range? Anyone who has had a tank crash from automation failure is either a victim of unlucky circumstance, or simply forgot that laying eyes on your tank and doing at least a quick once over every day or two you're home is the best way to avoid a crash. I could easily catch a dead dosing pump within 24 hours of the fault. Automation makes for a more stable tank, and gives you some wiggle room in your schedule with keeping livestock you may not otherwise been able. It should never take the place of basic husbandry though.

 

[moondoggy4]

Back to the 80's here, I think the trick is getting a tank that can go at least a week on auto pilot, ATO skimmer locker fish that do not need any food or at least not a specific diet that can be dropped by a auto feeder.

I went to Dallas for a funeral and not even 12 hours latter my wife states that the floor is flooded and my ATO container was empty. Float switch got bumped. Float holders must have two magnets so they do not rotate.

 

[ceslane13]

I'm in the same boat just getting back into the hobby after quite a few years and am amazed at the changes this hobby has made and am looking forward to testing out all the new gadgets.

 

[Perth_reefer]

I'm definitely a gadget freak but I find that the gadgets I have make life so much easier:-

Apex:- Probably the most important piece of kit on my tank, my insurance policy! It regulates my temperature down to 0.3C by turning my heaters and chiller on/off, also data logging helps me see trends in the tank, not essential but definitely helps me to see how the tank is travelling.

ATO:- Second most important item in my system, I have a rimless 150G and have a lot of evaporation, to successfully keep SPS I need my parameters as stable as possible.

Apex AFS:- I always had trouble keeping Anthias and Chromis with 2 feedings a day, the AFS gives me the facility to feed 5 times a day, the fish are fatter and more colourful since I installed this piece of kit.

I also run MP40s and high end Giesemann LED/T5 Hybrid lighting which while not essential definitely add to the reef keeping experience for me, seeing sunrise/sunsets, high wave moments and calm periods on lagoon settings add to the enjoyment of keeping a reef for me.
I also run a doser for Calcium/Magnesium/Alk to help keep parameters stable, the Apex helps me log trends in these parameters too.

You can definitely run a successful reef without the gadgets, I'd say for people that work a lot having the gadgets definitely helps maintain a healthy system.

 

[andrewkw]

Life would not be worth living without an auto top off.

 

[d-man]

I always used to dose by hand, I was inconsistent. Then I got a doser....it failed! Luckily I had the tube only an inch or so into the Ca jug so it didn't empty the whole thing. Nothing was harmed....except my trust in doses. So I went back to manual. I was to inconsistent and my tank suffered. I then reluctantly got a CaRx and an apex, plus an Aquarium plants Carbon doser. The apex is there mainly for the Co2 control, even though the AP does the same thing. I'm into redundancy. The apex also controls my heater when needed.
For this reason I believe in them now. Although there are so many things it can do, but I'm a tech moron and don't know how to do the cool things, but as long as my 2 things that can crash a tank are controlled, I'm fine with that.
I do manually top off. Again, don't know how on apex

 

[Wazzel]

I think to a point the gargets help out. Something to turn the lights on and auto top off make life significantly easier. When I did everything else manually those two function were always "automated", even if it was timers and float valves. I have a doser now so that has kept my levels consistent.

 

[wicz101]

I think I fall in the middle... ATO a must, basics that an APEX provide are just amazing to the over all long term health of the tank and auto dosers are just great... but at the same time none are truly need to keep a nice reef and there is a level were over automation is a bit much/overkill.

Also I need to point out that just as "automation" can fail, so can the reef keeper, for many reasons laziness, work, family,bad luck and pure dumbness, etc... so neither are perfect

 

[DavidinGA]

A lot of the "need" can arise from how busy your lifestyle is too. If I were single I probably wouldn't mind being more hands on with topping off, dosing, etc., but being married with kids I don't have the time for all the extra maintenance anymore. I have just enough time to tinker and enjoy the show