Equipment that has lasted the test of time and is still sold.

RobbyG

Active member
Since it's the 15th Anniversary of my current Aquarium I thought I would make a thread about equipment that has lasted the whole time plus additions. I know too many new owners get caught up on what is the latest and most fancy piece of gear out there. Others just don't know what lasts so they buy what they has good reviews even though the reviewer might have owned the item for a short period of time.



Please post the equipment that you have had that your impressed with and has lasted for a long time.


My List:


1) ASM G3 Skimmer with Sedra 5000 pump. (Still going after 15 years. I have only had to replace the needle wheel once because the magnet got swollen and jammed.


2) Reeflo Dart Pump with Baldor motor. Still going after 15 years but I have two of them, Every 5 years I have to pull one out and replace the bearings (they get noisy). Pretty easy job if you have a bearing puller or a nearby machine shop. Also replace the seals as a precaution.


3) Aquatronica controller. While my original ACQ 110 model is still working fine I upgraded to the Touch model five years ago. All the accessories work with the new controller so it was just a head unit change.


The following parts are all 15 years old and still working perfectly.
A) Powerbars x3
B) Temperature probes plus modules x2
C) Float sensors x4
D) pH module x2 plus Redox module (Probes changed every 18 months to 2 years)


Added equipment that is about four or five years old and still working fine


Touch controller has been going fine, never have to do anything with it

A) Aquatronica LED lighting system
B) Salinty Module. (Probe lasts 2-3 Years is dead accurate and never really needs re-calibration, every 3 months I just clean it with Ro)
C) Oxygen Module (Probe is still good after 3 years. Just have to change the pad every year)
D) Aquatronica Dosing Pump (Changed one motor head cover and all the tubes after three years. Never stopped working but I was not waiting for the hoses to break)
E) Leak Detector Module and Sensor x2. (I Just clean the Sensors once a year)


I plan on adding the Aquatronica Ecotech module and the flow rate module very soon.


4) Koralin 1502 Calc Reactor (Still working 10 years later but has been a nightmare to control so I stopped using it)


5)Ocean Motions Super Squirt. (DOA after about 3 years and that was with one motor replacement. Ended up leaking and had to be removed)


6) Echotech MP40 still going after about 5 or 6 years with one impeller shaft replacement in the third year.



7) Typhoon 3 RoDi System still going strong for 15 years including the pressure tank. (Change filter stuff as needed)


8) Ozotech Ozone generator still going after about 3 years. Only use it sometimes.



Rob
 
Although I don't have any equipment that I started with some 25 years ago in the hobby I do have equipment I solely believe is "œgo to" when it comes to durability.
1. ATB protein skimmers. I purchased an ATB 1050 used some 10 years back that has worked flawlessly through numerous tank builds. Works just like the day I purchased it. Awesome!
2. Tunze powerheads. I have used a good number of wave making devices over the 20 plus years and I continue to sell "œnew wave making devices" and go back to Tunze. They are quiet, reliable workhorses! Never once have I had an issue with a single unit.
3. Royal Exclusive Red Dragon pumps used as returns. Another area where I have tried more pumps than I can remember. External, internal, DC ect and far and away Red Dragon pumps have smoked them all! They are pricey but if you are looking for a one and done pump that will let you sleep at night with zero worries...this the pump for you! Once you get your hands one of these, you will instantly see the difference! On top of that Slief here on RC is second to none for the USA Royal Exclusive rep!!
3. Ecotech Radions. Although I have not used these lights for an extended period of time, I feel they are a solid product that have some nice features. Another area I have tried numerous products. VHO's, Halides, T5's, combos of each of these, various early on LEDS and I have settled on Radions. I still like halides and feel they are still a top contender for growing corals as good as anything but Radions can match up just as well without bulb changes ect. I think a solid product.
4. Lifetime Aquariums. Not many people consider the actual display in these threads but I really like this company. They are based only a couple hours from my home and driving distance when I need to pick the tank up. However they do ship to your door and are easy to work with, give sound advice, finish the work when promised and have some nice service oriented tools to help move the display into place (rental glass suction cups that really do make a difference!). I'm on my second display from them and they are solid tanks with removable top frame rails for aquascaping that make getting large rocks into the display a breeze ! I'd personally recommend them for any future builds anyone has!
5. Spectrapure ro units. First ro unit I ever purchased was a spectrapure and has been my top choice since! Never had an issue and continues to work flawlessly.
6. Flipper magnet cleaner. Hasn't been the market for years like some other products but this is a nice product that works well and makes cleaning glass a lot easier than the old days when you had a razor blade with your arm in the tank.
I'm sure there are other products I can't remember but these are ones that come to mind
 
Funny The ASM skimmers get passed over for being not sexy, but I knows some online frag stores that people love and they use ASM skimmers. A lot of LFS do as well, having to replace the impeller once in 15 years is a head slapper though WOW.
My contribution to the 15 years class is my brown Tunze 6100 with the correct puck.
 
Funny The ASM skimmers get passed over for being not sexy, but I knows some online frag stores that people love and they use ASM skimmers. A lot of LFS do as well, having to replace the impeller once in 15 years is a head slapper though WOW.
My contribution to the 15 years class is my brown Tunze 6100 with the correct puck.


LOL it's true, the ASM is not all that sexy but it removes probably as much crap as the newer bubble plate fancy diffusing designs. The one thing it does have for certain is a record for just working and working with nothing breaking or going wrong.


Tunze 6100 and most of the other items they make are just first rate. I think my brother has some old Tunze pumps that are over 30 years old and are still operational. He keeps them as emergency backups for doing odd jobs.
 
3. Royal Exclusive Red Dragon pumps used as returns. Another area where I have tried more pumps than I can remember. External, internal, DC ect and far and away Red Dragon pumps have smoked them all! They are pricey but if you are looking for a one and done pump that will let you sleep at night with zero worries...this the pump for you! Once you get your hands one of these, you will instantly see the difference! On top of that Slief here on RC is second to none for the USA Royal Exclusive rep!!
Red Dragon is a company I have never tried but everyone who I know on this forum as an old salt says they are fantastic and bullet proof. I would have loved to have gone DC and replaced my Reeflo with a Red Dragon but the price is just a bit too much for me. I envy you my friend.

3. Ecotech Radions. Although I have not used these lights for an extended period of time, I feel they are a solid product that have some nice features. Another area I have tried numerous products. VHO’s, Halides, T5’s, combos of each of these, various early on LEDS and I have settled on Radions. I still like halides and feel they are still a top contender for growing corals as good as anything but Radions can match up just as well without bulb changes ect. I think a solid product.
Has Ecotech gotten the fan problem fixed? I was going to buy their lights years ago but the horror stories of the fans dying turned me off. I was convinced this problem could not be fixed because I have a Muffin fan in my sump that use to die every years due to salt erosion. I even tried a $50 chemical extraction fan and that died in 2 years.


Other than that I love Ecotech Lights. Aquatronica got around the problem by just using about 15lbs of aluminum as a heatsink. No fans but it's heavier and bulkier.

Your ATB 1050 skimmer, I am going to do some research on it. Always good to know of equipment that lasts.
Newbies never get it that equipment failure is the Tank Killer, they need to stop looking at what is fancy and go with what it bullet proof.





Rob
 
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I still have my original Euro Reef / Reef Dynamics RS80. Due to space constraints, it serves as my backup should my Deltec go on the fritz. It’s too bad that Reef Dynamics finally shuttered its doors this past year. :( If I remember correctly, the ASM skinners where the cheaper extruded acrylic clones of the sturdier cell cast acrylic Euro Reef skimmers.

I also have an almost 20 year old Mag 7 that still serves as my mixing pump. While they are quite noisy, Danner Mag Drives run for a long long time.
 
My first iwaki pump lasted me 20 years. It's replacement, a panworld, is now 11! Every piece of MTC gear I’ve bought lasted me at least 10 years. ProCal lasted 20 before I retired it for something bigger.
 
I have two Tunze 6105 running 24/7 for 12 yrs and I can count the time I clean them with 1 hand. They are silent work horses. I did replace the power supplies once.
 
eheim pumps, old school tunze wavemakers, ecotech mp40 gen1.

All still working for 8+ years and some I got used.
 
Eheim 1262 that I got used. It had been the circulation pump for a LFS's feeder goldfish tank until they sold the tank (Oceanic 120) and pump to me. Them pump has run continuously since them except for occasional cleanings and a impeller replacement about 20 years ago. I got the tank and pump in 1987, they were at least a decade old then. So 42 years?

The tank is still fine as well. Never resealed. Built like, well, a tank.
 
E.T.S.S. Skimmer.
Iwaki/Panworld pumps
Original Geo CaRx
MJ/Cobalt powerheads
Hamilton VHO
APEX Classic
Aquatec booster pump

NOT ANY brand of heater!
 
All current equipment:
Kent RO/DI and float valve, 30 years. Replaced the RO membrane twice (once when going for chlorinated to well) and the DI dozens of times.
Clean vinyl tubing for water returns, barb fittings 22 years. My PVC OTOH clogged up, had to replace it after 15.
Hamilton 400w MH fixture 22.
Pulsatron pumps (for kalk and evap makeup) seem to last 15 years.
Rubbermade stock tank 22.
My ASM is on it's third impeller.
Korallin 1502 18. Regulator 12.
 
Pan World 40PX at 10+ years and my oldest BML Led fixture was purchased in 2012 and still set at 80% working great.
 
Pan World 40PX at 10+ years and my oldest BML Led fixture was purchased in 2012 and still set at 80% working great.


Out of curiosity have you checked those LEDs with a PAR meter?
I am wondering how much dimmer they are after seven years.
I suspect at 8=10 hours per day of running time you are probably about 20% dimmer than at the start. I am going to soon have to evaluate mine as they are probably about 15% dimmer and I might need to up my settings.
 
JBJ ATO and aqualifter pump running faithfully without a single cleaning since 2012


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Out of curiosity have you checked those LEDs with a PAR meter?
I am wondering how much dimmer they are after seven years.
I suspect at 8=10 hours per day of running time you are probably about 20% dimmer than at the start. I am going to soon have to evaluate mine as they are probably about 15% dimmer and I might need to up my settings.

I check them once a year. The first four years I used them with MH pendants, and then when I downsized I added two more BML XB's. I guess I need to check the Par level again since it has been a while. I tried a Mars Aqua 165 w Led and it dropped 50% the first year on another tank. I started it at 50% and in a year I had it up to 100% to maintain the original Par Levels
 
I check them once a year. The first four years I used them with MH pendants, and then when I downsized I added two more BML XB's. I guess I need to check the Par level again since it has been a while. I tried a Mars Aqua 165 w Led and it dropped 50% the first year on another tank. I started it at 50% and in a year I had it up to 100% to maintain the original Par Levels


50% in the first year :confused::confused:
You should see less than a 10% drop each year unless you run them 24/7.








Rob
 
JBJ ATO and aqualifter pump running faithfully without a single cleaning since 2012


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Glad yours lasted. My JBJ ATO died after 8 months. Contacted them, they said sorry only has a 6 month warranty and they don't repair them. That's what you get with orient made junk.
 
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