equipment help and suggestions

[ajolie30]

Hi everyone just looking for a little help and info everyone here has been really great and I,m greatful.... I just got a new 125 gallon reef ready tank looking for some good equipment at a decent price I am new to this hobby and realize its expensive but I have seen some people get some good deals on equipment for there set ups.... theses are the things I,m looking for
in sump skimmer
a ro/di unit
a sump itself
lighting for corals
thanks.............

[Playa-1]

Your best bet for good deals is to get it ,used, locally. You can check the buy/sell forums on Reef Central, Ebay and Craigslist. Try and find local clubs and forums as they are also excellent places to locate good deals.

For the skimmers I would be looking for a new or used Octopus, ASM or Euro-Reef rated for your tank capacity. Keep in mind that some skimmers are not plug and play and will require mods or additional equipment such as pumps in order to function properly.

For RO/DI unit I'm using the OCEAN REEF + 2 SIX STAGE 75 GPD RO/DI from the Filter Guys. Check out this link:
www.thefilterguys.biz

For the Sump I would suggest that you find yourself a used tank from one of the sources listed above. Then after careful measurement have some baffles cut to the proper size and glue them into place. You will find that you can have a very functional sump/fuge for about the cost of the raw materials if you play your cards right. obviously I've over simplified the process a little and you should do a little research before you get started. A good place to start is the DIY forums on Reef Central and also check out the DIY section of www.melevsreef.com

Lighting is determined by the depth of the tank and what types of corals your planning to keep. You can go with with one of the plug n play style light bars or if you have a canopy you might want to go with a retro kit. I like the ICECap retro kits from www.reefgeeks.com and for light bars there are lots of different options out there to choose from.

As with all equipment keep in mind what the energy usage and noise levels will be with the different brands and models.

[ajolie30]

thanks playa1 for your help

[crvz]

I agree that used is probably the best way to go, but I've bought all my lighting stuff from reefgeek.com. They're superb. I also get most of my RO/DI filters and equipment from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com, and I'd recommend them as well.