I now belong to a new area of reef keeping and need help

[buddah001]

I am picking up my brand new 180gal reef ready tank in the morning so now the fun starts. This going to take some time to finish but I need your help. I want to do most of this my stuff my self. Build my own sump. What size tank for this, Build my own canopy and use mainly retrofit kits for this since I already have my ballasts. I have 2 fixtures now on 2 seperate tanks but I am going to use mogul base lights with spider reflectors 2-250w and 2-150w 20k or radiums or 14k phoenix, and 4 72' URI actinic bulbs. What is the best skimmer for the money for this size tank? What return pump would you guys recommend? I need as puch help figuring this stuff out everyone!!!

[Condiman]

Sump depends on what you have room for. Go a big as you can go. On mine I have a 50 gallon. I always like the Aqua C or the ASM G3

[waynem]

Deltec APF 600

Sump, I agree with Condiman, big as you can.

[buddah001]

The stand is 72 long 22deep and 24 tall inside measurements. I have an aqua c skimmer on one small tank and am very happy with its performance. I can't afford deltec. I know there are plenty of lower costing skimmers that are just as effective. I am going to incorporate all of my equipment in into this big tank and sell of all of the small tanks I have. What kind of return pump would be suitable. I would rather go external to keep heat to a min. I see that some pumps are swimming pool style and those are fairly inexpensive. Can I pick up a small one from my local pool supplier and use this or is this not recommended. Is it easier to just buy a premade acrylic sump?

[mflamb]

Figure out how much space you have available for a sump and look around at premade ones that fit your space.
Look at the Reeflo Dart for a return pump. I am currently using 4 of those on my system.
Buy the best skimmer that you can afford. Very few skimmers are just as effective as a Deltec, over the long haul.