Complex Setups: What gives?

[Snappy]

Originally Posted by Moogled

Hey guys, I've noticed that reef setups with plumbing/sumps and electronic hoodickeys seem to yield better results than tanks with HOB skimmers and other misc. items inside the tank.

What are your guys' reasons for a more complex setup and what differences have you experienced using such methods?

I think much depends on what kind of reef you want to keep. I find with my own setup the more equipment I add the better it seems to get, but I have a very crowded sps dominated reef. Now that said, I think one of my better additions lately was adding a refugium and it's very uncomplicated. However, in my limited experience softies & lps are a lot less demanding so require less equipment. So as mentioned it depends a lot on what kind of reef you want to maintain. Below is a photo of the top half of my tank and there is no way I can keep it healthy without a sump and skimmer.