phosphate reactor/wave maker

[adalius]

My wife gets mad at me because I re-read my 10 reef books almost nightly

[Tom@HaslettMI]

Every reef tank is different and therefore the equipment necessary to run it is different. Specifically...

Phosphate reactors - Necessary in some instances but not all. You would want one if you 1) feed your tank too much 2) keep corals (mainly SPS) that require low phosphates to have brighter colors or 3) both 1 and 2. You could also use one for activated carbon but I prefer to use carbon passively (in a bag or mesh container in a high flow area of the sump). I like to use carbon passively because it means one less pump to run and maintain.

Wave makers - For a tank your size... a wise investment.

Tom

[XSiVE]

IMO a phosphate reactor is a pretty good investment. I actually have two right now that have been used for different things and I'd be willing to part with one.

A "wavemaker" is quite a subjective term, you've got a bunch of different ways to "make waves" in an aquarium. You can do it with two power heads, one on each side of the tank cycling on and off.. you can do it with what's called a wave box as well, you can also have a surge device to create waves. A wavemaker is a nice to have, but definitely not necessary.. I've never had one and I've had some very nice results. Also, having waves constantly going back and forth in a tank tends to have a negative effect on the lifespan of your aquarium if it's glass.. not huge, but constant back and forth will put extra stress on the silicone adhesive.

I think before you ask all these questions about what you need, you should be asking yourself "what types of marinelife do I want to keep?"