New in reef tech: What technologies are poised to make the biggest improvements this next year?

[theatrus]

My focus lately has been backup power. Maybe a solar or auto transfer battery bank built specifically for reef aquariums. Something that will switch from grid to battery, in a power outage, but also run the entire system more efficiently, during off peak.

Not for backup for me, but a low-voltage (48V) DC-only peak load shedding system is pretty compelling. I run a solar system, but didn't do a whole-house battery due to ROI and complications, but the ROI on a tank-only system for lights/pumps would actually make sense.

 

[Koigula]

I think GHL is dead and has been moving in the wrong direction on multiple fronts for a long time now.

Hydros and Apex can make big gains. I’d like to see an “Apex Pro” series that is built with higher-quality hardware. At this point all the controllers do what I want, so I’m only concerned with quality, reliability, and software ease of use.

I stick with old eb8 8 outlet on a new apex brain. A risk analysis of equipment on eeef tanks shows dc sump pumps, heater, and controllers as high risk.

The controllers have 10 cent ICs that can take down a 10k reef.

 

[elysics]

Honestly, I think Red Sea is on to something with their automatic skimmer adjustment probe coming out this year. Keeping the skimmer at the correct setting without having to dial it it all the time is another hand-off approach kind of like their Reefmat rollers.

Here's what I want to see in the no to distant future (in no particular order of importance):

1) A skimmer that is modular with a small footpirnt as those made by Ultra-Reef, has the easy take off collection cup of an Aquamaxx, the self-setting probe of the new Red Sea, and has a gate valve and the dual inlet of a Maxspect air-aqua duo. I also want to see a skimmer that actually has a wider collection cup big enough to last more than a few days wihtout needing to buy a separate skimmate container.

2) A Neptune DOS system that has three, yes that's right 3, containers and pumps for the big three--ALK, Ca, and Mg. It would also be nice if was able to be mounted vertically so it didn't take up so much room in your equipment cabinet.

3) A refugium light that can be mounted lengthwise along the top of a glass separator in the sump. Lind of like a florescent tube that shines downward, but can be mounted above the glass separator of the refugium and twisted lengthwise to adjust the direction of the light.

4) Red Sea ReefLED's that actually stay connected to WiFi and the internet.

5) A floating feed ring with a funnel inside. This would keep the food pellets inside the ring longer, and ensure "sinking" pellets actually have time to sink.

6) Tank cabinets that have integrated low-power LED lighting.

7) A powered siphon with filter to be able to vacuum detritus out of the bottom of the sump without having to do a water change and then use a shop-vac.

8) Color changing CO2 absorbing media that isn't in itty-bitty-teeny-tiny pellet form. Some sort of balls or cubes would be nice.

9) A refugium wall screen that doesn't allow chaeto to make it's way through and into the rest of the sump, skimmer needle wheel, return pump, reactors, etc.

10) Apex probes that can measure Ca and alkalinity without reagent; yes it would be a miracle, but I can hope.

3 I think tunze has something like that, no idea whether it's good though

7 exists, in multiple forms, has been a thing for a very long time. Battery and air powered versions. Look up "aquarium vacuum" and similar keywords. I like the basic one from Sera, costs almost nothing if you've already got an air pump, no metal parts or batteries in the tank, and you can choose your own filter material. Eheim has got a small electric one.

You could also straight up use a small canister filter for that purpose, more
power but more cumbersome.

As for 10, look at the headache that is the ion director and walk away from that idea

 

[Koigula]

I started off my journey going tech crazy and trying to get stuff with all the bells and whistles. That was until I came across Lifereef. After reading through everything I could find and speaking with Jeff for hours, I decided to take the plunge and build a custom sump for my new 155g corner tank. Jeff kept me in the loop every step of the way and has been coaching me through the entire setup and install. I ditched the fleece roller. I ditched the fancy needle wheel dc skimmer. Got rid of the algae scrubber. Now I have a compact berlin sump with a true venturi skimmer... no needle wheel crap. Within days it's broken in and I'm brewing coffee in there. Very nice integrated media reactors and my new favorite thing, a separate dedicated refugium. Took a little time, reading and tweaking but everything is working very well, quiet and honestly just looks awesome. I wanted to paint my cabinet floor to protect it and Jeff said why not try to do some waterproof floor paint or epoxy and do some color flakes. Well I did and it looks ******* awesome. Now I'm not gonna say I've gone completely tech free as I'd like to automate all I can and have plenty of failsafes and backups in place. So I have a apex, 2x neptune skys, kessil tuna blue, 2x MP40s, Cor20 return pump, Gro light for the fuge, ranco controllers for my 2x 800w finnex titanium heaters. Probes, trident and DOS units. Ecotech and APC battery backups. I spent half of 2022 building my dream tank. I used superglue, crushed marco rock and/or baking soda to build my aquascape and been watching my coral frags grow into amazing ****.

Sorry for going on and on. I just love sharing stories of my progress. I hope to see better automated testing from Neptune and better probes. I also hope to fund any new gear by continuing to sell off my old gear so if anyone is in need of anything at all... check out my other threads. I would most like to find a home for a Lifereef setup I bought from another fellow reefer that just didn't fit my cabinet. It's like new and would be a dream for anyone who wants a new sump, skimmer, media and biopellet reactors and, of course, a dedicated fuge for a fraction of the cost. Jeff at lifereef has also given the sale his blessing and his promise to continue to support the products for the new user.

I still use Lifereef. I do not promote them specifically but have rock solid performance with 36" mazzei skimmer and 2400 gph danner mag and calcium reactor with overstocked old school TLF rubble.

Skimmer is subtle in that it over aerates and is consistently pulling out organics mildly. Danner mag is energy hog but takes winter demand off shuran heater. It is reliable combo. Chewy discounts pumps for fraction of dc pumps failing in a year. Look at threads of 500 usd l1 being chuncked!

I also use the lifereef calcium reactor. In this area the consistency is from the newer technology. Komer continuous dosing pump and the new carbon doser electronic co2 regulator. They are so consistent ph can be used as emergency cut off only.

I really use carx to suppliment after kalk was maxd out.

 

[brettonw]

For once I'm going to be skeptical...

I know, Right? Beacon of positiivity I usually am, I don't actually expect anything out of the industry this year.

Lighting? Hasn't changed much. Users and companies are just learning how to be more effective with what's already there.

Controllers? Testing? Automation? Two companies have this one, and both of them are coming out with new toys and tweaks all the time, the problem is nothing talks to anything else. Incompatible Ecosystems. I want my toys to play nice.

Pumps? They still move water, I'm still waiting for pico powerheads... my 1.2g cube wants water movement.

Monitoring/Dosing... Kamoer just came out with their monitoring platform. Too new, and the existing units have issues with consistency and accuracy. I'll keep dosing and testing myself for now.

Microbiome testing... There's not much to say on this one, is there. You either have bacteria in certain proportions, or you don't. The trick is figuring out your imbalance and then FIXING it. Why your bacterial population is at an imbalance is as important as that initial census.

I use Home Assistant to try to make my Neptune controller talk to everything (with a very cool integration by another user), and so far it's pretty successful except for my Red Sea lights. If you're a control geek, take a look: https://github.com/itchannel/apex-ha

 

[Devaji]

I would like to see more info/ makers of Ozone units. maybe a few sizes nano, mid and large units with ORP probs.

i think true innovation is harder to come by these days. most is a small change here and there with a lots of hype.

in my mind i think we need more real ocean aquaculture stuff ( rock,sand, media) have thought about for over a decade but I live in the mountains.

 

[Ranjib]

Filtering.. the self adjusting skimmers or roller mats. Nutrient export is a bigger challenge, control and monitor are very over hyped , they are already doing a pretty good job and our biggest challenges are not there … nutrient export and maintenance challenges with skimmer etc, remained a big problem area to be solved.

 

[nallured]

I am going to go out there and say that the microbiome testing is a gimmick. I am in the field of bacterial genomics, and we know very little about the human microbiome and its relationship to human health, despite countless studies on the topic. There are some clear examples where select bacteria become more dominant and cause issues, but in terms of what people label as "dysbiosis", we really don't have a clue. And even if we did, identifying the problem is the easiest part. We know very little about how to shift the composition of the gut microbiome. Taking pro-biotics barely moves the needle. So, trying to translate that to understanding reef health is just silly. The best way to replicate the ocean is not by adding some hodgepodge of bacteria to the tank, it's by taking sand and rock out of the ocean and putting them into the tank. So if we want to talk innovation, then there should be some discussion on how we replicate that microbial diversity without having to destroy a reef and without introducing all the nasties into our tanks. Just my .02

I find this both intriguing and plausibly solvable. A lot of opportunity here.

 

[AJsReef]

It seems innovation has really flattened out over the past few years. The most recent "big frontier" seems to be automated testing which has quite a few players these years. Just before that the tech craze seemed to be automated roller mats. I really can't think of anything new tech wise that I "need" for my tank... Happy to be proven wrong though.