Hello Reef2Reef community, this is my first time posting but I've been following some of the threads on here for a few months now.
I've been keeping fish (freshwater community and cichlids) for about the past 15 or so years and I'm about to dive into saltwater and reef keeping for the first time. When I first wanted to start this endeavor 5 years ago, I started reading a number of books (Robert Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist for one) and recently have looked through revhtree's The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium. My problem comes with even though I have the basic "set up" knowledge as described by these resources, many of these previous articles and resources seem to be outdated with technology and previous brands that may have been "top of the line" may not be so anymore.
Right now, all I have is a 75 gallon tank (not drilled) and stand. I know I'd like to keep some soft corals and possibly LPS corals (I figure STS would be too advanced right now). With this in mind, I'm looking for recommendations on the equipment I'd need and some recommendations on brands/models for them?
Starting off with the filtration, I know I'll need a HOB Overflow due to my tank being tempered glass (I can't drill it). Any recommendations on brands here? I'd like to have a sump/refugium below the stand. What is your take on creating your own from an old tank vs. buying one (like a Trigger Systems Sump - http://www.marinedepot.com/Trigger_...-Trigger_Systems_LLC-6E81644-FIFRBSCU-vi.html) .
Next would be a protein skimmer. I've heard that Reef Octopus is solid for the amount of money you spend, but I've also heard that the Vertex Alpha is the absolute best (again, through opinions on the message boards). Money wise, I think the Alpha is a bit out of my range, but would the Vertex Omega be better than a Reef Octopus since they seem to be around the same price? I'm not married to either of these brands, they just seemed to be the most talked about recently.
Since I have to send the water back from the sump somehow, I'll need a pump. How would I figure out how much GPH flow is enough for a sump? Does anyone have any good brands here?
Lighting is something I've been incredibly confused about. When I first started researching saltwater tanks years ago metal halides were the standard and T5 lighting seemed to be an up an coming option. Now I see LEDs are available and I would probably prefer them due to their configuration options. However I can't just follow the X watts per gallon rule for corals with these. Realizing that there's a whole discussion board on LED lighting alone, this may be a topic for that thread, but any help in this department to keep LPS corals and the fish happy would be great (as well as brands and where to find them).
In terms of flow inside the tank, what should be the recommended flow for power heads inside of the tank? How many should I have?
Lastly, I know I'll need heaters and a chiller due to the temperature fluctuations within my home. I'm very unfamiliar with chillers and what to look for, but I had heard Eheim heaters were good so I was thinking about going with them unless that's changed over the past few years?
I understand that this is a lengthy post and I've asked a bunch of questions that normally a broken out into a number of threads and discussion boards. If anyone has a thread or resources where any of these questions are answered, I'm more than happy to read them instead of repeating questions to things that are already out there. If I'm forgetting anything that you might need to help you (or I've completely forgotten about a piece of necessary equipment) let me know and I'll be sure to fill in the gaps. Eventually, I'd like to connect everything to an aquarium controller, maybe even right from the start, so if the items are able to be controlled with one, even better.
I know price is always a deciding factor for many of the choices. While I don't want to break the bank and spend thousands on one piece of equipment, I also don't want to skimp. I'd rather pay a bit extra to get a quality piece of gear that will ultimately make the reef a safer and more stable environment for the fish and corals.
Thanks again and happy to finally be posting!
I've been keeping fish (freshwater community and cichlids) for about the past 15 or so years and I'm about to dive into saltwater and reef keeping for the first time. When I first wanted to start this endeavor 5 years ago, I started reading a number of books (Robert Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist for one) and recently have looked through revhtree's The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium. My problem comes with even though I have the basic "set up" knowledge as described by these resources, many of these previous articles and resources seem to be outdated with technology and previous brands that may have been "top of the line" may not be so anymore.
Right now, all I have is a 75 gallon tank (not drilled) and stand. I know I'd like to keep some soft corals and possibly LPS corals (I figure STS would be too advanced right now). With this in mind, I'm looking for recommendations on the equipment I'd need and some recommendations on brands/models for them?
Starting off with the filtration, I know I'll need a HOB Overflow due to my tank being tempered glass (I can't drill it). Any recommendations on brands here? I'd like to have a sump/refugium below the stand. What is your take on creating your own from an old tank vs. buying one (like a Trigger Systems Sump - http://www.marinedepot.com/Trigger_...-Trigger_Systems_LLC-6E81644-FIFRBSCU-vi.html) .
Next would be a protein skimmer. I've heard that Reef Octopus is solid for the amount of money you spend, but I've also heard that the Vertex Alpha is the absolute best (again, through opinions on the message boards). Money wise, I think the Alpha is a bit out of my range, but would the Vertex Omega be better than a Reef Octopus since they seem to be around the same price? I'm not married to either of these brands, they just seemed to be the most talked about recently.
Since I have to send the water back from the sump somehow, I'll need a pump. How would I figure out how much GPH flow is enough for a sump? Does anyone have any good brands here?
Lighting is something I've been incredibly confused about. When I first started researching saltwater tanks years ago metal halides were the standard and T5 lighting seemed to be an up an coming option. Now I see LEDs are available and I would probably prefer them due to their configuration options. However I can't just follow the X watts per gallon rule for corals with these. Realizing that there's a whole discussion board on LED lighting alone, this may be a topic for that thread, but any help in this department to keep LPS corals and the fish happy would be great (as well as brands and where to find them).
In terms of flow inside the tank, what should be the recommended flow for power heads inside of the tank? How many should I have?
Lastly, I know I'll need heaters and a chiller due to the temperature fluctuations within my home. I'm very unfamiliar with chillers and what to look for, but I had heard Eheim heaters were good so I was thinking about going with them unless that's changed over the past few years?
I understand that this is a lengthy post and I've asked a bunch of questions that normally a broken out into a number of threads and discussion boards. If anyone has a thread or resources where any of these questions are answered, I'm more than happy to read them instead of repeating questions to things that are already out there. If I'm forgetting anything that you might need to help you (or I've completely forgotten about a piece of necessary equipment) let me know and I'll be sure to fill in the gaps. Eventually, I'd like to connect everything to an aquarium controller, maybe even right from the start, so if the items are able to be controlled with one, even better.
I know price is always a deciding factor for many of the choices. While I don't want to break the bank and spend thousands on one piece of equipment, I also don't want to skimp. I'd rather pay a bit extra to get a quality piece of gear that will ultimately make the reef a safer and more stable environment for the fish and corals.
Thanks again and happy to finally be posting!
