Reef tanks can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. If you are planning on corals then alk, Mg and cal test kits are a must......everything else can be done by hand or as fancy shmancy as you want to make it
I don't use an automated topoff, dosing pumps or even a calcium reactor anymore, I just dump the required alk and cal into the tanks by the cupful every morning and top off with the required fresh water every night.....but that is kind of labor intensive, luckily I enjoy it
*edit* Oh and I have a 175g bowfront packed with sps, a 120g with clams, some sps, mushrooms and zoas and a 60g cube in the process