Tank/Equipment Decisions

[gobmcdeeusa]

Is it true that the Red Sea ReefBeat app is terrible and basically inoperable on Android but perfectly fine on iPhone (IOS). I know some have success using it and getting it to connect but most seem not to. Should this influence my decision to buy or use Red Sea equipment - lights, pumps, etc.? Are Planet Aquarium tanks just as good or better than Waterbox and Red Sea?

 

[billyocean]

What size are you looking for? The possibilities are endless on a setup...adding a controller..plumbing, corner overflows/coast to coast/rimless, eurobraced,..blah blah

 

[timeconsumer]

Wait, you guys have apps for your lights and pumps?

 

[billyocean]

Wait, you guys have apps for your lights and pumps?

I dont..

 

[hiimsean]

I use my apex to pretty much control everything. It’s kind of annoying that I have to have 4 different apps to control things. I have a gyre that has its own app and my dosing pumps have their own app. I find it easier to be able to control everything in one spot. For my gyre I have my program set and just turn it on/off with my apex app.

I use to have to use a different app for my leds but now I run T5s so again I use my apex. My dc pump isn’t WiFi nor is my mp10 and my other gyre

 

[jcook54]

I do not have a lot of answers to your questions but I would not hesitate to buy Red Sea equipment. Heck, I don't even know what Reefbeat is but Red Sea has been making good stuff for a while now. They did have some seam issues on larger tanks that someone else may be able to speak to but everyone I know that had an issue was taken care of by Red Sea. (Not to say it wasn't a giant problem).

When I evaluate equipment, I'm looking for 2 things. First, good quality. By good I really mean good. i.e. it works and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. There are better options for nearly every piece of equipment I own but there are a whole lot worse options too. I'm a middle of the road on quality, or the most part. Second, I look at how popular the specific brand/model is. If a lot of people own it that usually means there's a lot of information available and repair/upgrade parts are available.

With that in mind, I look at Red Sea as a great option. Very popular, lots of repair/replacement parts available and tons of aftermarket upgrades that you can find on the internet. I apply the same criteria to a controller like Apex. It's by far and away the most popular and there are a LOT of folks on here that know tons about them. If I need help, there are probably forum posts about my exact issue.

 

[gobmcdeeusa]

I'm leaning toward a no larger than 2 foot square 40ish gallon tank. I wouldn't go smaller than 20 gallon. I might go AIO for cost savings even though I know having a sump allows for more equipment options (skimmers, etc.). Anyone know of and have experience with good nano or small protein skimmers? I have been looking at lights and flow pumps today. OMG! This stuff is expensive. I don't have to do SPS so maybe I don't need the fanciest of lights. I might be able to get away with just one flow pump maybe in a small aquarium. Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

[billyocean]

The aquamaxx hob is an excellent skimmer if you don't have a sump. I use an apex as well. It's more of a redundancy/fail safe/peace of mind thing for me. If something is wrong I have alerts set up that will notify me. It's nice to be able to just shut an outlet down from my phone if something goes haywire. I still test parameters once or twice a week. The more redundancy you can set up, the better a failure can be prevented. That is until 2,3,4 failsafes fail all at once...which I've read about. Point is, something will fail at some point..do the most you can to try and catch it.

 

[Adam]

I would not buy a used Red Sea tank. New maybe. The rest of there equipment is good.
An app from them would not be a deciding factor for me when buying their equipment.

 

[DiefsReef]

Is it true that the Red Sea ReefBeat app is terrible and basically inoperable on Android but perfectly fine on iPhone (IOS). I know some have success using it and getting it to connect but most seem not to. Should this influence my decision to buy or use Red Sea equipment - lights, pumps, etc.? Are Planet Aquarium tanks just as good or better than Waterbox and Red Sea?

I have 3 RedSea LED's using ReefBeats on Android and it is true that they are sometimes difficult to get configured on your network but once connected, I have had no issues. That being said, I have an AI Hydra on my frag tank and I really like the controlability of the led's over the RedSea's.

 

[gobmcdeeusa]

I guess Red Sea can't be good at everything. I think I'll keep perusing the site for good used tanks and equipment. I appreciate any and all comments. Thanks!

 

[56cbr600rr]

I'm leaning toward a no larger than 2 foot square 40ish gallon tank. I wouldn't go smaller than 20 gallon. I might go AIO for cost savings even though I know having a sump allows for more equipment options (skimmers, etc.). Anyone know of and have experience with good nano or small protein skimmers? I have been looking at lights and flow pumps today. OMG! This stuff is expensive. I don't have to do SPS so maybe I don't need the fanciest of lights. I might be able to get away with just one flow pump maybe in a small aquarium. Thanks again for everyone's input.

Check out the Innovative Marine Lagoon 25. It's not a square, or a Red Sea, but has a great "footprint".

 

[gobmcdeeusa]

I think I would like having a sump since it's easier to get to socks, skimmers, etc., but I give up the space inside the stand for junk. I have lots of junk inside the cabinet of my freshwater aquarium. And, I have more junk in a bedroom closet. I'm inundated with junk. lol! If I go AIO, I'm leaning toward Waterbox 35.2. The Waterbox Cube 20 might be a tad too small and I may not be able to manage water parameters in such a small water volume. I can't go beyond 24 inch length. I think the Waterbox Marine X 60.2 is a little too big. I could go Red Sea Reefer G2 170 or 200, but 170 had a little smaller footprint which I need. The Red Sea does give you options for equipment where AIO is limited. Decisions...decisions.