Does someone in your life love reef tanks? Picking out some accessories for the reef tank enthusiast in your life could be a perfect gift idea for the holidays. Of course, figuring out exactly what accessories do and what they’re used for can be a challenge if you’re a novice in the world of aquariums. While it may seem like you need a degree in marine biology just to understand what it is your loved one is doing with all those tools and gadgets every time they tend to their tank, it's actually fairly easy to pick out amazing gifts for reefers and I'll help you today! Great Christmas gifts for die-hard reefers should do three things. They should make life easier for your loved one, they should create a healthy, thriving environment for fish, corals and other forms of sea life and they should make caring for a tank feel fun. This holiday gift guide will show you the hottest aquarium-related gifts!
Author:
As a lifelong aquarist, Yuliya has an endless curiosity about our underwater universe. After graduating with a bachelor’s in Environmental Engineering, she transformed her passion into a successful career. While working at the Institute of Environmental Protection in Moscow, her passion for saltwater and reef aquariums only increased. Moving to the United States in 2013, Yuliya embarked on another impactful journey by sharing her unprecedented experience for all aquarium hobbyists ... Read More.
Oceanbox Designs CoralOne™ - Magnetic Solo Frag Rack.
Everyone who lives with a tank enthusiast has probably heard them complaining that they’ve run out of spots to glue new frags in their tank. Want to end the grumblings once and for all this year? The Oceanbox Designs CoralOne™ - Magnetic Solo Frag Rack nips the problem in the bud ! The best part is that it can easily be moved around inside the tank without disrupting the existing frags or disturbing existing rockscapes. I love them!
Tunze Osmolator Auto Top Off - ATO.
Are you getting tired of seeing the reef lover in your life pouring water into their tank daily with a deep, lingering sigh? The reality is that having to add water to a tank daily simply isn’t practical or sustainable. Evaporation is one of the biggest issues regarding tank maintenance that reef lovers face. Luckily, the Tunze Osmolator Nano 3152 Auto Top Off ATO and the Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 Auto Top Off ATO offer an auto top-off system that can leave your loved one with a lot more free time. This gift idea comes in a version for small nano tanks and one for larger tanks. Your loved one won’t have to always feel like the task of checking the water level in the aquarium is looming over their shoulder. This device uses a sensor and automatically adds in fresh water to compensate for the evaporation that occurs. Tunze website.
ATI Lab Test Kit for ICP-OES Complete Water Analysis.
You’ve probably already observed that the tank enthusiast in your life has to play the role of a scientist just to keep conditions at optimal levels inside their tank. The reality is that reef tanks are extremely sensitive ecosystems. It is essential to test water conditions regularly to ensure that everything is in balance. ATI Lab has created a product that makes it possible to conduct a test that measures 43 different water parameters all at once. The ATI Lab Test Kit for ICP-OES Complete Water Analysis can be extremely helpful at providing a comprehensive snapshot of what’s happening inside a tank. This kit contains test tubes that can be used to sample both aquarium water and RO water. The best part about this kit is that the results of the analysis are posted online once they are checked by a high-tech German laboratory. Who knew that having an aquarium could be such a high-tech hobby? ATI Website.
Hanna Ultra Low Range Phosphorus Checker and Salifert Test Kits.
There is simply no guessing when it comes to keeping a healthy, vibrant reef tank. You may sometimes think that the reef enthusiast in your life seems a little bit obsessive about checking their tank. However, the truth is that being the master of such a delicate ecosystem is a big responsibility. Everyone should know the water parameters inside their tank. I can tell you from experience that some of the best ways to do that at home are with the Hanna Ultra Low Range Phosphorus Checker and the wide variety of test kits offered by Salifert. A product like the Hanna Ultra Low Range Phosphorus Checker is essential because letting levels go unchecked can result in an explosion of algae growth and alter the calcification process in SPS corals. Very accurate ( Read our article about accuracy of these test kits here ) and It’s also extremely quick and simple to use. The many tests offered by Salifert allow a tank keeper to check a tank's environment based on a specific parameter that they are concerned about. Picking out which test would make an ideal option for the tank enthusiast in your life can take a little bit of investigating. Do you routinely hear your loved one pondering out loud about alkalinity? Have you seen your loved one searching online about nitrate levels in a tank? How about overhearing murmurs regarding calcium and magnesium levels? All of the tests someone could ever dream of are available from Salifert. There’s even a combination pack with 12 kits.
Flipper Regular Aquarium Algae Magnet Cleaner.
There isn’t a tank owner alive who wouldn’t appreciate a really great glass cleaner. Of course, there is a selfish element to buying the Flipper Regular Aquarium Algae Magnet Cleaner. You won’t have to worry ever again about staring at a murky, dirty glass tank in your home once you wrap this up and put it under the Christmas tree. This tool is so easy to use that you may just get in the habit of cleaning the tank in your home before your reefer gets a chance to! You’ve probably seen your loved one go through dozens of tank cleaners that either don’t do what they claim or fall apart after a few uses. Don’t even get me started on all of the cleaners that end up making an even bigger mess because they require you to get deep inside the tank. The Flipper Regular Aquarium Algae Magnet Cleaner keeps your tank shiny and clear without the need to reach inside the tank, I'm using the Flipper everyday even when my glass is clean so much I like it! It features a soft cleaning pad on one end. This is perfect for getting rid of dirt and streaks. You then flip it over to use the side with a stainless-steel blade. This blade is a dream when it comes to removing the hard algae like coralline that never ceases to attach to a tank’s glass. This cleaning tool is made using the strongest rare-earth magnets you can find. It’s designed specially for both fresh and saltwater aquariums in mind. It can be used on glass or acrylic tanks up to 12 millimeters in thickness. It’s important to make sure the cleaning tool you purchase is the right size because a tool that is too small can make the process of cleaning a tank last forever.
SpectraPure® MaxCap RO/DI System w/ Manual Flush - 90 GPD.
There are many trials that the loved one of a reef enthusiast endures. You probably already know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen the reef lover in your life driving back and forth to the local fish store with huge buckets of fresh water in the back of your car. There’s a way that you can be a huge hero this Christmas and spare your car from this very inconvenient ritual. SpectraPure® has created an RO/DI system that allows you to make your water at home. We’re talking about 90 gallons per day! The process is extremely easy and efficient. SpectraPure® is really the only brand that you’re going to want to trust when it comes to a purchase like this. I’ve seen from experience that no other brand puts as much effort into specially treating all of their membranes and testing individual batches by hand. The brand also creates custom blends of resins to ensure extreme quality and performance inside your tank. The SpectraPure® MaxCap RO/DI System w/ Manual Flush - 90 GPD can definitely make your home a happier place for the holidays and the rest of the year. Best part? At our home we are also using it to produce drinking water ! 2 in 1 !
Milwaukee Seawater Digital Refractometer.
Is your loved one still using one of those small plastic testers to measure the salinity in their tank? You may not realize that the funny-looking, tube-shaped thing that your loved one is straining to peer through is actually an analog refractometer. This type of refractometer can be extremely cumbersome to use because you need to look through it as though you’re peering through a spyglass just to get a reading. That’s why most reef enthusiasts have upgraded to digital refractometers by now. The Milwaukee Seawater Digital Refractometer is enjoyable to use because it encompasses three different user-selected scales to use when measuring seawater. Measurements show up within seconds and are displayed on a dual-level LCD screen. The device runs on batteries and turns off after three minutes of inactivity.
Neptune Systems APEX Bundle.
You’ve probably figured out by now that people who are enthusiasts for reef tanks tend to be control freaks when it comes to keeping their tanks in top shape. This is why any reefer you ask will tell you that the Neptune Systems APEX Bundle is just about the best gift you could give for Christmas. This gift is probably going to seem like some sort of high-tech security system when you start looking into it. You can rest assured that there simply is no overreacting when it comes to detecting and neutralizing disruptions inside a tank’s ecosystem. This bundle is comprised of the Neptune Systems APEX Wi-Fi Controller System and the Neptune Systems APEX Display Module. It’s not an overstatement to say that this system does everything. It monitors temperature, pH levels, ORP and salinity. Its cloud service means that you can check on the status of your aquarium from virtually anywhere. You will receive a text message if something is going wrong with your tank and have the help of a support team at your fingertips. This is the only tool that allows you to prevent catastrophes and take corrective actions even if you’re thousands of miles away from your tank. It also comes with a sleek silver module casing and orange backlit screen. This gift will essentially make your loved one the James Bond of reef tanks. It is by far the coolest gift out there for tank enthusiasts. It’s also the one that’s going to earn you the most brownie points this Christmas if you wrap it up and put it under the tree. Neptune Systems Website.
Reef Tank Additives.
You can’t talk about reef tanks without talking about additives. There’s no doubt that whipping up the perfect recipe that consists of just the right measurements and types of additives is something that’s always on your loved one’s mind. Of course, additives should only be used by truly experienced tanks hobbyists. This means that the person dosing a tank understands exactly what they’re doing and has some experience with what additives are intended to do. How can you know which additives are good for your loved one’s tank? Here’s a curated list of products that corals love. What’s more, you don’t have to worry about these products affecting your water parameters. This means you won’t be met with a frown on Christmas morning when your loved one opens up a carefully wrapped box of tank-friendly goodies. Here’s a look at some great stocking stuffers for your reefer:
• Korallen-Zucht ZEOvit Coral Snow neutralizes undesirable acids and promotes water clarity overnight.
• Korallen-Zucht ZEOvit Sponge Power accelerates growth, encourages healing of damaged colors and intensifies the color of corals.
• Polyplab Reef-Roids Coral Food acts like a supercharged protein shake for the filter-feeding corals that you want to beef up.
• Coral Frenzy is an all-in-one food source that eliminates the need to keep dozens of jars of food around just to keep your filter-feeding coral happy.
• Coral RX Coral Dip Pro acts like a powerful prescription medicine that treats corals suffering with parasites and promotes coral health to fight off parasites and bacterial infections before they grow. Do not add Coral Rx directly into aquarium!
• AlgaGen PhycoPure Reef Blend is like a nutritious superfood for filter feeders that’s comprised of live microalgae.
These supplements can easily be arranged inside a nice gift basket or stuffed inside a stocking to create a thoughtful holiday gift for your loved one. You can purchase one to add to one of the larger gifts mentioned above or simply bundle several supplements together to create the care package of an aquarium lover’s dreams. There's no doubt that your special someone will appreciate all the research and care you put into finding the perfect holiday gift to maintain a lively, fun aquarium all year long! Happy Holidays!
by Yuliya for ReefHacks.