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paddyob
02-07-2012, 07:59 PM
OK... I hear all too often from people that "I should run this or I should run that" and "you are going to have problems if you dont"... so on and so on.

So I am wondering, who has a "deluxe" system or who likes to keep it simple?

Deluxe meaning.... Zeo, RO, calcium reactors and so on.

Simple meaning... In my case... treated tap water, carbon, dosing on a schedule... so on and so forth. No fancy gadgets or expensive doodads.

The poll includes RO or treated water for BOTH options, as I know some people use RO but no other fancy stuff.



I love my tank. It has no nuisance algaes or other nutrient issues. Fantastic coral growth. Healthy (as I can see) fish.


I have be doing the same things for the past 6 years or so and all these troubles people keep telling me I am going to have, well, I don't and never have. AND I only water change every 4-8 weeks.

I have always been a booster of keeping things simple, as...

1) Maintenance is easy
2) less technical issue.. meaning NO technical issues.
3) less money on techy stuff means more money for the stuff that goes in the tank.

For people who can, please post a FTS. I would actually like to see what, if any, differences can be seen. A statement that "my tank is on zeo so its better", is not good enough.. and visa versa. A picture is worth a thousand words.


Really just curious. I have no intention of changing something that works very well for me, but I would like to SEE the difference between others simple systems vs deluxe.

Everybody has a different tank, and what is working for me, may obviously not work for others.

Sorry for the ramble, If I may have missed something, or have something wrong (not with my tank) with my definition of deluxe, please correct me.

ALSO... please comment on whether or not you have any issues with your system and what they are.

Thanks very much!

Note... please do not post negative feedback on other's tanks. Everyone, again, has a system that may work for them, and we are not to say what that is. Critique your system and let us know about your own!

Thanks.

christyf5
02-07-2012, 08:17 PM
My tank is deeeeluxe. LOL, none of the super high end stuff but I grew algae like crazy with the simple version as well as the simple version with RO. Then got into SPS and had to add all the bells and whistles.

goby1
02-07-2012, 08:18 PM
http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr246/lebuc/fish%20tank/IMG_1999.jpg

Doesn't get any easier than this one - but I don't keep anything too fancy either. Started this tank in 2004 and (knock on wood) haven't had too many issues so far. I do a 10g water change every two weeks which is tap water filtered through an aquarium pharmaceutical filter, I have a remora skimmer, 96w 50/50 PCs and 50 lbs of live rock. I had a battle with ich and my centre brace broke a couple of years back but all in all it's been pretty good. My tank may not compare to the fancier set ups but I enjoy it just the same and have had it for the long haul.

paddyob
02-07-2012, 08:21 PM
My tank is deeeeluxe. LOL, none of the super high end stuff but I grew algae like crazy with the simple version as well as the simple version with RO. Then got into SPS and had to add all the bells and whistles.

Bells and whistles meaning?


I do not research this stuff as I do not PLAN to buy it, so Please elaborate if you can Miss Deeeeluxe. :wink:

Also.... Are you saying with your past system SPS did not do well?

My tank is full mixed reef and I have SPS in my tank that are growing quite well. Quite well indeed.

ScubaSteve
02-07-2012, 08:30 PM
I try to make it as simple and hands off as possible. I'm pretty busy with my PhD, so I don't always have time to be messing with the tank. No FTS right now but it's:

50G rimless with beananimal overflow (I consider the overflow the fanciest part of my tank), 15G sump
RO/DI (I cheat. I get to use the $10K Millipore RO system in my lab that gets water to the ppb levels. Score!)
Vodka/MB7 dosing
carbon
Rowaphos reactor (not needed but a safegaurd)
Vertex IN-80 skimmer
Tunze ATO with kalk in the top off water (Number one item that reduced my maintenance)
90% SPS, some LPS and softies

I admittedly have some algae right now because I have been feeding the tank 4 times a day (cyclopeeze, mysis, live brine, pellets) while getting the new anthias to eat. It's eating like a champ, so I'll start scaling feeding down now.

reefwars
02-07-2012, 08:31 PM
ill post a pic in a bit but im as simple as it gets.


90g tank
90g sump

asm skimmer
mh/t5/led combo
tlf reactor for gfo

tap water for top up
weekly water changes of 20g every sunday with IO


45g fuge with halimeda,red macro,dragon macro(?),mangroves,cheato,dsb

recently added a ATS


i have absolutely no algae in the display i run a mixed reef but mostly lps i am getting the best growth ive ever had with a mixed reef, my sand is white, my glass is algae free and my rocks are sptless.

im getting huge pod growth and lots of growth from my macro.


i stopped testing for phosphate because im running gfo so im not gonna do anymore than that regardless of what the tests say.

i have high nitrates( -40ppm) but my corals dont seem to mind.

i have a low bio load of less than a dozen small fish and dont plan on getting anymore anytime soon.


if the algae scrubber does not work i may consider carbon dosing but right now its a last resort method as the ATS seems like its gonna do what its supposed to:)

ill post a pic or vid later:)



oh and i tell everyone i help start new tanks that simple has success and is the better way to go with a new tank, add the bells and whistles after the tank gets loaded with fish and corals.

christyf5
02-07-2012, 08:34 PM
oh sorry :biggrin: bells and whistles meaning more "complex (read $$)" equipment. Like metal halides and waveboxes and controllers and dosing pumps/calcium reactors (have had both, currently using doser).

I dunno, I tend to think of the simple as also inexpensive (but not cheap, lets say like, thrifty). Like running a maxijet vs a tunze, or running a lower end skimmer rather than a bubbleking. I applaud those that can get by using tapwater (actually it just amazes me because if I even look at my tank wrong using RO, algae grows). And dosing daily, well thats not my thing. Some days I don't even remember my own name let alone remembering to dose my tank.

My first tank (no SPS, mostly softies and a couple LPS, maybe a frogspawn or something like that) was an algae fest but it was the most lush, vibrant green hair algae you'll ever see. It was quite lovely but was choking out the corals so I ended up finally getting an RO unit. Then I upgraded to a larger tank and wanted to try SPS and clams so I upgraded to metal halides. Dosing would have been ridiculously expensive (locally it was available from one store that charged an arm and a leg) so I bought a calcium reactor. Then various timers failed so I bought a controller. Then my calcium reactor failed so I bought a doser to go with the controller. Ad infintum. My system certainly isn't simple but I don't think its all that complex either (not like some of the systems I've seen that just blow my mind). Besides, I just like saying deeeeluxe :razz:

Ooohhhh-eeee, my system is deeeeeluxe! :wink:

paddyob
02-07-2012, 08:35 PM
Denny... you gotta be drunk! Look at these sentences. HA HA HA!

Just buggin yah Denny!


QUOTE=reefwars;679755]



i stopped testing for phs because im running gfo so im not gnna d anymre than that regardless of what the tests say.



i have a low bi load f less than a dozen small fish and dont plan on getting anymore anytime soon.

[/QUOTE]

paddyob
02-07-2012, 08:37 PM
Besides, I just like saying deeeeluxe :razz:

Ooohhhh-eeee, my system is deeeeeluxe! :wink:


LOL.

reefwars
02-07-2012, 08:38 PM
Denny... you gotta be drunk! Look at these sentences. HA HA HA!

Just buggin yah Denny!


QUOTE=reefwars;679755]



i stopped testing for phs because im running gfo so im not gnna d anymre than that regardless of what the tests say.



i have a low bi load f less than a dozen small fish and dont plan on getting anymore anytime soon.

[/quote]



haha i know damn smart phone aint that smart obviously is it lol for some reason the letter " o " on my phone needs to be pressed harder then the others .....yuuuuuuup!!!!!!!!!! lol

paddyob
02-07-2012, 08:39 PM
haha i know damn smart phone aint that smart obviously is it lol for some reason the letter " o " on my phone needs to be pressed harder then the others .....yuuuuuuup!!!!!!!!!! lol[/QUOTE]

Or you're drunk. LOL!

reefwars
02-07-2012, 08:43 PM
haha i know damn smart phone aint that smart obviously is it lol for some reason the letter " o " on my phone needs to be pressed harder then the others .....yuuuuuuup!!!!!!!!!! lol

Or you're drunk. LOL![/quote]



you know me too well bud lol:p

SeaHorse_Fanatic
02-07-2012, 08:47 PM
My systems have usually been quite KISS.

I use tapwater (untreated), IO salt, a decent protein skimmer (SWC Extreme 200 - soon to be upgraded to Deltec Recirc), and lots of live rock (excess in sump/refugium along with chaeto).

Never did the Zeo route. To complicated and precise dosing. Have a couple of Calcium reactors but never hooked them up (my bad).

Supplements:

Add Mg with my top up water using an DIY Auto Top Off and 5 gallon salt bucket.

Added Kalkwasser with 2L juice jug but now started using a very simple Kent 5g doser for Kalk.

I'm mostly into LPS with a few SPS, clams, and softies. Probably 80% LPS right now, which is where I like it.

My lights I just upgraded to DIY LEDs (built locally, not by moi) and this mainly because I love the blue LED look of the corals and so I don't have to change bulbs in the future as much as anything. I do appreciate the lower hydro bill when that happens (although I run my lights longer with LEDs than with MH).

paddyob
02-07-2012, 09:08 PM
Sorry....

My simple...

Euroreef RS100
2 x tlf reactors (one carbon, one bio pellets)
Live rock fuge.

Treated tap water

Dose only when doing water top ups. (Ca 1xweek, Kh 2xweek)

Filtration seems MORE than adequate for my 100G of water as no nutrients ever detectable.

reefwars
02-07-2012, 09:22 PM
the problem i have with the deeeeluxe system is simply the amount of variables involved, if you cant afford the mercedes of dosers or super high tech controllers then the cheaper the equipment and the more variables of problems you could encounter.


right now worse case scenario for me is if my skimmer dies(happened 2 weeks ago) still not a big deal as my tank can run without a skimmer for a while:)

paddyob
02-07-2012, 09:33 PM
the problem i have with the deeeeluxe system is simply the amount of variables involved, if you cant afford the mercedes of dosers or super high tech controllers then the cheaper the equipment and the more variables of problems you could encounter.


right now worse case scenario for me is if my skimmer dies(happened 2 weeks ago) still not a big deal as my tank can run without a skimmer for a while:)

Same. I can deal with pretty much any issue without headache or breaking the bank.

That's how I like it.

reefwars
02-07-2012, 09:36 PM
im surprised though that the simple is killing the deeeeeluxe in votes lol guess alot of us are on the same page and here i thought i was one of the few running the basics and having success with it lol:) awesome possum:)

paddyob
02-07-2012, 09:39 PM
im surprised though that the simple is killing the deeeeeluxe in votes lol guess alot of us are on the same page and here i thought i was one of the few running the basics and having success with it lol:) awesome possum:)

Us here simple folk are speaking up. Lol.


It is early.

whatcaneyedo
02-07-2012, 10:54 PM
Deluxe with RO I guess.

Typhoon RO/DI
Apex
PM Bullet 3 Skimmer
PM 622 Ca Reactor with Effluent Chamber
DIY Kalkwasser Reactor
Two Tunze Turbelle 6105 Streams
OM 4 Way
BRS Media Reactor with Carbon
Three Lumenmax 3s with Magnetic Ballasts
and some pumps

No carbon dosing, zeo, prodibio, ultra lith... whatever. Just frozen food, pellets, and mostly IO salt.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh109/whatcaneyedo/IMG_8602.jpg

paddyob
02-07-2012, 11:11 PM
Sorry for the lack of better terms ... Deluxe/simple

If you are super deluxe or somewhere else please comment.

Thanks.

fishytime
02-07-2012, 11:12 PM
deeeeluxe with RO/DI



V1:

Aqua controller JR
BK mini 180 skimmer
RO/DI
2x TLF reactors 1 carbon, 1 rowaphos
LR fuge
profilux SA 2 doser
13 different KZ products


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/JDigital/IMG_04582.jpg






V2: a little less deeeeluxe

Aqua controller JR
BK mini 180 skimmer
RO/DI
2x TLF reactors 1 carbon, 1 rowaphos
LR fuge
prodibio
no dosing ca/mg/dkh



http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o19/fishytime/Fishytime%202/IMG_0001-5.jpg

lockrookie
02-07-2012, 11:15 PM
right now i do the simplr with ro at this time. my 50 does well thisway infacti find wheni do water changes the water coming out is clearer than the water going back in i have to look in to that maybe change my ro filters lol.

my 90 always also is simple i used to run ozone on it till my orp probe crapped out but even still im like you dump a few things in on a water change and forget it.

but.. i may get a lil more deluxe on my 180. i plan on a controller mainly for temp/lights/skimmer. and have purchased parts for a calcium reactor setup (if it fails ill just make my own soda and be done with it). may also concider a doser still unsure.

i really dont need the ability to have my controller system send me a text that a fish took a dump or issues here and there the only major addition will be to my home alarm system. i will be installing a water bug inside the tank stand as well as bottom edge in case of water leaks so that my home alarm will notify me that there is a major issue go home asap. concidering tank will be on main floor lol

i have crabs
02-07-2012, 11:19 PM
im running no skimmer, tap water with no prime, no powerheads and i havnt changed water in 6 monthes and my sps are doing better than they have in the last 2 years in a high tech system, so spend money on things that make your life easier not cause its the new trend

mike31154
02-07-2012, 11:53 PM
Consider my system simple although I have three rather costly MP40WES gadgets moving the water. Other than that, sumpless & DIY almost everything. I even purchased the system used from a lady in Richmond & transported the whole works back to Vernon in the middle of winter (early January). The skimmer that came with it is an old school, wooden air diffuser driven counter current which certainly looks like someone's DIY project. I added a few of my own mods to the skimmer & it works great. Also cobbled together the light fixture consisting of two MH 250 watt lamps in DIY Lumenarc reflectors & 2 retrofit T5 tubes overdriven by a Workhorse 8 ballast. Currently in the process of building a LED fixture using 10 watt LEDs. My ATO is a glass wine carboy pressurized by an air pump on a timer. No controller, just timers for the ATO & lights.

Livestock includes two sizeable BTAs hosting a spawning Maroon Clownfish pair, Yellow Tang, Mandarin Dragonet, Yellowtail Damsel & Singapore Angelfish. Then there are the miscellaneous critters like snails, hermits & a Tuxedo Urchin. Coral is mostly soft & LPS with a couple of small SPS frags. Everything's doing well. I'd love to keep a Lawnmower Blenny but I've lost 3 of them now, all due to different circumstances, so I'm giving them a break from my system. Dosing is sporadic. Whenever I do a water change, I'll usually test & if something's a little too far off, I add what's needed to the ATO without a lot of precise measuring. Despite this apparent lack of precision with regard to dosing, LPS such as my Hammer & a Chalice appear to be getting plenty of calcium, since they are among the fast growers in my system. Even the two little SPS frags are growing. Not sure what they even are, they're brown and are branching profusely. So my theory on that is, even if calcium levels drop to half of what they should be (I've never measured that low), it's likely that certain corals will find a way to extract enough of it to build. So unless you're farming coral for sale (or really have a ton of SPS), do you really need to dose like a madman & keep levels over 400 or are water changes at regular intervals sufficient?

I tend to feed heavily relative to the low fish bioload since I like the critters to be fat & the Maroons spawning. Consequently, I have a bit of an algae scrubber in certain areas of my display (read hair algae). I don't sweat it too much unless it starts crowding the coral & prefer to look at it as free nitrate export. After all I'm paying good money for all that light shining down into the tank, so that in combination with plenty of food fuels the process. Some day I'll have a sump and try to eliminate the stuff from the display. Being a previously owned system with very little flow when I picked it up, this could be contributing to the algae growth. I'm seeing a steady improvement with each water change, but looks like I have a ways to go on that front. Not sure any deluxe gadgets are going to help with that.

Crap, I wrote another freakin novel. Oh well.

paddyob
02-08-2012, 04:20 AM
spend money on things that make your life easier not cause its the new trend

Agree!

Something always " gets better " .

kien
02-08-2012, 04:28 AM
I'm running a very simple deluxe system. Or maybe it is a deluxe simple system.

marie
02-08-2012, 04:36 AM
I have no idea if mine is deluxe or not. Bubbleking skimmer and vortech pumps, metal halide lights, RO.......but add top off water and cal/alk by hand

bignose
02-08-2012, 05:24 AM
I chose deluxe with ro water.

vertex RO/DI
2 mp40
vertex in180
3 channel doser
ecobak biopellets in deltec reactor
brs dual reator one empty one carbon

Paddy has seen my tank many times and says it's deluxe and I somewhat agree. I still have many many problems with my tank and believe deluxe isn't always better. I'll figure this salty thing out sometime.

e46er
04-08-2012, 03:03 AM
Im not sure where mine would fall probably in the middle

untreated tap water( i have a perfectly good newish100GPD RODI system but its so slow I dont bother using it might produce just over 1 GPH)
decent skimmer, MH, dosing pumps, carbon, biopellets, GFO in reactors ran off return pump, im running a closed loop and dose 3 zeo products (pohls xtra, coral snow, amino acids) use cheep korilia K4 powerheads

could be much more basic but also much more complex with full zeo ca reactors kalk reactors tunze or vortech powerheads to randomize flow patterns high end controllers

subman
04-08-2012, 05:07 AM
deeeeeeeluxe.

Vortechs
Radions
bubbleking skimmer
profilux controller
Calcium reactor
Bio pellets in vertex reactor
ro water
looking to add a new doser and subtract the reactor



I like the gadgets, I'm a tech junkie so the latest and greatest things are what I like and as soon as something new comes out I'll be looking for it. I'm working on a wireless controller for the radions and love checking params via my phone.

(still working on a rain shower with thunder to coincide with the radion lightning :mrgreen:)

shootingstar
04-08-2012, 04:26 PM
I think the beauty of this hobby is that a person can be successful (with work and research) in any given "morph" they decide they are comfortable with. Comfort equating to money and time.

And I don't know if I am like others but have found that once you get into multiple tanks then you can have more than one type of system and that is probably what I enjoy the most.

The big tank is as Deeeelux as I could afford, toys galore and all about SPS. I travel quite a bit for work and since that is where most of the $$$$$ goes It just made sense to me to try and protect it. Not doing so equates, in my mind at least, to buying a brand new car and never doing an oil change.

The mandarin cube is lower scale because that is what I set out to create from the beginning. Tank, open sump, no skimmer, no dosing, softies & LPS etc.

QT is simple and as basic as can be and the frag tank is plumbed into the big SPS so piggy-backs off that.

The hubby is the "design-build" department and he simply needs to over build, to consider it properly built, so I sometimes have a hard time keeping things simple. There are a few "rules" however i won't compromise on. These are just my personal rules and help me sleep at night &/or concentrate when at work or out of town.

It will be Bean Animal
It will have an internal C2C
It will be B.B.
No equipment purchased can start with HOB:lol:

But that's just me:lol:

Proteus
04-08-2012, 04:41 PM
I think I'm simple w RO. Lol

Tank, sump, skimmer (nac),4 korilla power head, 2 reactors (mr1) one for carbon one for gfo) Metal halides, and i use prodibio which I love, I still check the big three weekly and water change RO biweekly

I keep 8 clams and 93 pieces of coral. 80% of them being Sps

I was using tap water up until this spring and to be honest I'm glad I switched. I've noticed less algea on glass. Though it was minimal before and tap water p04 was at .24

I get fantastic growth from coral. But do plan on mp40s and ca reactor in near future. I can't ever see me running a controller though.

But who knows.

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd400/titus991/1444e5dd.jpg