Top 5..or 10... MUST haves for a reef tank

[kam]

For those that don't know the abbreviations... ATO?

This isnt so much for me as for people who are just getting into Reef keeping.
So even if you guys could give some info about why these are important aspects to reef keeping

[RedCoralEdmonton]

ATO..... auto top off

Steve

[ponokareefer]

Lighting depends on what you are thinking of keeping for corals. If you want SPS, you need good lighting. If not, you could get away with a lower quality lighting system. A good skimmer is a must. I was extremely happy with my system after I installed a tunze auto top off system. What are you considering for corals?

[Cal_stir]

RODI, skimmer, controller, doser, lighting.
one thing I have found is that if you skimp out in the beginning, you will end up paying double in the end, so, get what you want, not what you need to get by!

[Parker]

For me it's been my ATO and my controller!

[Lance]

A fat wallet!

[christyf5]

Originally Posted by Lance

A fat wallet!

oh and that too, even with buying everything used I have spent a ridiculous amount on this hobby

[christyf5]

reverse osmosis unit
skimmer
auto topoff
easyblade (algae scraper attachment for mag float, keeps the glass crystal clear and powers off coralline algae)
good lighting (figure out what corals you're interested in or plan for the future and get the best lighting you can afford ie. halides for sps/clams)

not necessarily "MUST haves" but certainly nice to have:

phosban reactor - one for phosban (phosphate remover) and one for carbon
dosing pump for calcium, alkalinity and magnesium (as your corals get larger there will be a larger demand for these and manual dosing can get tedious and expensive
controller - eventually your $10 canadian tire timer will give out and it may be at the expense of your livestock. I really like my controller, it handles everything and I can check the status of my tank remotely (temperature, pH and status of various equipment)
"fancy/pricey" powerheads - depending on the size of your tank you can get away with maxi-jets in a smaller tank but if you have the cash, spend it on a good tunze or vortech, you can often get away with one or two as they're pretty powerful and don't have to end up stuffing the tank with lots of powerheads to get the job done

[spawn]

Originally Posted by Cal_stir

RODI, skimmer, controller, doser, lighting.
one thing I have found is that if you skimp out in the beginning, you will end up paying double in the end, so, get what you want, not what you need to get by!

+1 & ato

[Milad]

1. ATO
2. Controller
3. overized skimmer
4. LEDs
5. ROX carbon