Recommendations for Equipment Purchases and the order that I buy them in.

[makai531]

I'm looking for some advice and opinions on future purchases of equipment, in particular what I should buy first. I have an aquarium budget that I am trying to stick to in which I could spend $400 -$500 every 4 months for equipment. I believe in buying quality, but also want to get the most bang for my buck. I'm willing to save up for what I need.

 

I set up my 29 gal tank 7 weeks ago. It has LR, two maroon clowns, blue damsel, humbug damsel, coral beauty angel, skunk cleaner shrimp, and a green LTA. I plan to add a few Green Chromis and a bottom fish (not yet determined) in the future. I foresee trying have corals when the time, tank, and equipment are right.

 

I have an Aqueon modular LED with 2 day white and 1 blue lamp, a Penguin 330 filter, Reef Octopus BH100 skimmer, and 2 Koralia PH's. I have an empty 75 gallon tank/stand for future expansion. I've been doing a 5 gallon water change every 1 1/2 weeks. I've been checking parameters using test kits every two days. Everything has kept steady from the get-go.

 

Here are the equipment that I want/think I need:

 

1. Controller- I like the idea of having a feeding mode, ph and temp monitoring, alarms to my phone if something like temp goes awry. Been reading up on Apex/Apex Jr so far. Haven't had time to research other brands.

 

2. LED light that is more appropriate for a future tank and programmable/controllable. The idea of the lights automatically changing makes me happy.

 

3. ATO- for convenience and vacations.

 

4. Automatic feeder - for convenience and vacations.

 

5. RO/DI filter- my local fish store (House of Tropicals) is 25 minutes away. It's not a problem to get RO/DI from there and gives me an excuse to look around. I've been using IO.

 

6. Refractometer. Using a hydrometer so far with no issues.

 

So if you were me, what order would you purchase in? Anything else need to be added? Also if you have any particular recommendations on brands, please let me know. I'd like to make sure that what I get will be appropriate for the possible 75 gallon upgrade, meaning it can upgraded or added onto. I know one size doesn't fit all.

 

 

 

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[JR-Tanked150]

I would make a refractometer and ro/di on your top to buy list.

[cbashaw]

I would start with the refractometer and ato first.

 

1. Hydrometers can be off and you won't know unless you compare it to a refractometer from time to time.

 

2. An ato is more than just a convenience it will help avoid salinity swings which can be Stressful for the fish and corals.

 

3. Rodi I've bought or water and found some stores are not too good at replacing ther ro membranes and the water is not as good as you think. Be sure to one with a tds meter.

 

 

I would just start buying everything else in any order when you find good deals. Just try to have everything before you move to the 75.

 

 

I'm not a big fan of feeders personally and wouldn't use one daily and wouldn't even use it for vacation unless I had no choice. Feed a variety of frozen foods. They are much better than flakes. If you are only going out of town for a weekend feed before you leave and when you get back. Anything longer and you will want to get someone to tank sit. The exception would be if you keep sea horses or fish that need constant feeding.

[cbashaw]

I just noticed your aqueon led is most likely not enough light for your anemone. Keep an eye on it, you need a good light first. Look into the evergrows.

 

A few other pieces of advice for your success.

 

1. Take your time. Nothing good in this hobby happens fast. At 7 weeks your tank is very new and needs time to stabilize. I would only have 2 small fish in there at the most at this point.

 

2. I wouldn't add any more fish to the 29, you are already pretty we'll stocked & if you plan on keeping corals i would think twice about keeping the coral beauty or any other angels. Not all of them will eat corals but it's a big gamble not to mention he needs a bigger tank.

 

2. Before you buy any fish or coral research it's care requirements (lighting flow, feeding, etc...) and make sure it's compatible with your other inhabitants.

 

3. Don't take fish stores advice without double checking.

 

I'm embarrassed to admit this but 15 years ago when I started in this hobby I had a 20 gallon with sps and a clam under less light than you have along with 2 triggers an eel and a puffer. I bought all this stuff because the kid lfs that sold it to me said it was fine.

This was my old 20g tank before it went to H-E-double hockey sticks, and the triggers went in and dropped sand all over my corals and I lost everything over the next few months.

[OldReefer]

Move the controller up high on your list. The money you can avoid spending on timers, dosing equipment, and ATO, can add up pretty quickly.

[Tracy G]

Move the controller up high on your list. The money you can avoid spending on timers, dosing equipment, and ATO, can add up pretty quickly.

+1.

 

Wish I would have done this waisted a ton of money only to end up at a controller.

 

 

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[jimlin]

I would first work on the sump/plumbing/skimmer, lights, flow.

[Rosco's Reefs]

I would make a refractometer and ro/di on your top to buy list.

 

Water quality beats all.  What you are paying for water can go back in the kitty.  Take a look at the RD102 from Water General https://filterdirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=29 .  An absolute steal at $135, includes all filters and everything, free shipping.  Had mine three years and love it.

[lutz123]

When are you thinking of upgrading? Maybe the light if the anemone has positioned itself trying to reach for more. The refractometer is probably a good first investment. Honestly I would just leave it be for awhile. An ato will help during vacations, but I still depend on someone looking at it every couple of days myself. I prefer to top off manually because it keeps me from being lazy. Same with the controller. Don't add gadgets until you find a need for them. Everyone does things differently in this hobby and the biggest waste of money is buying things because everyone else has them. Good for you learning what you need for the 29 gallon before setting up the 75.

 

As for stock, I wouldn't add anything else. That's high for a 29 gallons and especially one so young. You are more at risk for things going wrong than if you were slightly understocked. Four fish is more my preference for that size tank.

 

Welcome to WAMAS!

[makai531]

First thanks to all for taking the time to reply and provide the advice. I plan to take it, so here's my plan...

 

Water 1st - going to make a RO/DI, refractometer, and ATO (after a little research on brands) my first purchases.  A controllable LED is on my longer range list - so many choices with different specs., quality differences, and high cost make it tough to pin down what I want/need and I fear making the wrong choice. I am planning to buy an APEX controller in the longer range future, so any equipment that I buy, I will shoot for it to be compatible.

 

A couple of clarifications and questions -

Automatic feeder - I feed flake very sparingly twice a day. I was under the possible misconception that the fish need more small multiple feedings daily and thats one of the reasons I thought I needed one. Not true? *** I do feed the fish shavings of the frozen cubes in lieu of flakes every two to three days as well as the shrimp (aka Merlot) and anemone. 

 

Ah the anemone (aka Brut) - My second mistake in this learning process. I thought I was so good at being patient, curing the dry rock for nine weeks with no fish and a few live rocks (a fishless cycle). It really killed me seeing the empty tank. So it was time to stock and yes, impulse and temptation got to me. After I got him home and started researching what he needed, I realized that he was purchased too soon. I was panicked, stressed, and felt very guilty about getting into this situation. The exact opposite of how fish tanks usually make me feel.  He had some moments - stretching, shriveling, moving around. Despite my initial poor planning, he is now doing really well. I have been feeding him lightly about a 1/3 of a cube via a turkey baster every 4-6 days. He really looks great and his color is getting better and better. I think the Aqueon LED is only 10 watts total, but it seems to be okay for him right now. He also keeps me very dilligent on the tank maintenance/testing.

 

Onto a question about the lights. I have a 48 in 4 tube T5 light fixture that currently has 2 tubes that are 54 watts and 2 tubes that I cant find a stamp on. Its housed in heavy aluminum. It is bright! When I bought it used with my 75g, I was told it was a Catalina. Could this be a good light for my 75?*** (I still want LEDS though in the long run)   And as far as the question on when I am going to upgrade, it is pending on me painting the room its going in. It's not a drilled tank either, and I believe that is one of the things I need to do before its put into place. Also would have to venture into the realm of a sump/refugium then and I just haven't researched that much yet.  So being realistic, it would be several months from now.  

 

Finally, I am heeding the advice on holding off on more fish, however wouldn't it would be a good idea to get something to pick at the bottom? CUC? Suggestions? ***

[JR-Tanked150]

If you are interested in led lights, you might want to check out a one of the group buys for evergrow. Contact ERC or Monkiboy for more information.

[smallreef]

And yes, using the t5's would be better...all bulbs are probably 54 watts as the watts are based on the length of the bulbs...

You may want to look into replacing the bulbs if they are old though...you could do 1bulb a month so as to not shock the anemone after you put it on depending on how old they are...

[makai531]

I saw the group did three large buys of them. Figured I'd watch to see if they did another one in the future. If I got one, I'd need the 2060 (30*12*18 tank)? Also it would be controlled independently of an Apex because the timer is built in, right?

To be honest, Evergrow wasn't on my radar as it wasn't carried by the online retailers I have been using for research. Essentially was only aware oh Kessil, vertex, and ecotech, and DIY led kits. Another nice thing about this group- expanding my horizons

 

 

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[YHSublime]

To me your budget seems more than reasonable, you can spend less than that and get great equipment, IMO.

 

If you have sand, I would get a goby or something of that type, and call it a day on fish, JMO.

 

For your dilema with the lights, an evergrow d2040 would be great for your needs, and certainly nicer than the Aqueon that you have now. Like it was mentioned above, get in touch with Monkiboy or Exotic Reef Creations, something tells me they are always right around the corner from doing another buy.

Congratulations on keeping your parameters steady since the beginning, I always have to remind myself, even a tank that is a year old is still a very young tank!

1. Controller- I like the idea of having a feeding mode, ph and temp monitoring, alarms to my phone if something like temp goes awry. Been reading up on Apex/Apex Jr so far. Haven't had time to research other brands.

 

You can find yourself a DJ strip for about $20 that can turn off your powerheads and pumps and skimmer while you feed. Controllers are nice, but I've found there is a very tight learning curve. If you can afford one early, an Apex Jr. would suffice for your 29, and you could get an 8 bar attachment if needed for the 75 if you decide to move that way. This would also get you time to familiarize yourself with how it works and getting it setup so you could be a jedi master by the time you move up. I agree, you're doing the right thing by starting small and learning everything, sometimes I think it should be mandatory, but some days I think you should go as big as you can.

2. LED light that is more appropriate for a future tank and programmable/controllable. The idea of the lights automatically changing makes me happy.

 

Don't quote me on this, but I believe the Evergrows D2040 has a built in controller, with 2 channels that can be programed at half hour steps to an hour steps. I have two of the Photon 32s (IT2080's) above my 6' tank, and I run them separate from my Apex. I have seen the intergration that Apex does with the Vortechs and the Radions, and I really like the concept, it's just out of my personal budget, but it might fit yours. Others can chime in on this, but I know that some of our members like FSCBishop and Sharkey (and I'm sure many more, these are just the ones I know off hand) have their Apex controlling both.

 

3. ATO- for convenience and vacations.

 

It took me 6 months of being in this hobby until I got an ATO. It was the most daunting thing to me, until I started playing with my Apex. I don't know why, it's such a simple idea that is easily executed. Like Lutz, I enjoyed being hands on and "not lazy." The novelty of that will wear off quick, and at some stage you will really just want to be able to enjoy your tank instead of working on it (hand in hand.) Please note that I said you will want that, I have not gotten it yet. An ATO is a great investment.

4. Automatic feeder - for convenience and vacations.

 

I think many members use them. I have one, just not set it up, I am a bad example of moving projects quickly. I would say this is nice, but it would be last on my list... after the controller.

5. RO/DI filter- my local fish store (House of Tropicals) is 25 minutes away. It's not a problem to get RO/DI from there and gives me an excuse to look around. I've been using IO.

 

Get an RO/DI. I started on a 14 gallon biocube, and even buying water from my LFS became a chore after a while. If you plan on moving up into the 75, just start planning ahead now. I recomend checking out one of our supporting vendors Air Water & Ice. They held my hand through every question I had, with the most fantastic customer service I have ever experienced, great people, and GREAT product. You can thank me later for saying this should be number 1 on your list

6. Refractometer. Using a hydrometer so far with no issues.

 

Hydromoeters have a bad rep. I don't know why. I guess it's because it's harder to get an accurate reading. I know many seasoned aquarists that still use the old swing arms. I know the refracto is simple and takes hardly any time, not that the hydromoeters do either. I would encourage you to buy a refractometer, I think the bulk reef supply one sells for about $40, and it's worth every penny.

In order, I would suggest:

Lights

RO/DI

Refractometer

ATO

Apex

 

I would also add that you should look into a decent testing kit. Also, remember you are what you eat. I would suggest getting some varied frozen foods for your fish vs flakes. Of course the frozen will dirty your water up quicker, but feed less more often until you figure out what works. I am terrible to talk to about feeding, I over feed and have a problem with it that I'm trying to work on! Even if you can get some pellets. Also, if your LFS sells live black worms, my fish now all go crazy for them! If you like the idea of a controller, I would encourage you to look into the radions and vortechs like I mentioned above, a lot of that will depend what you want to grow down the line as well, so do research and ask questions! And welcome to the club!