Purchasing New Tank

[ReneeF]

Hello All,

I've had FW planted tanks mostly in the past and converted one to SW. Ended up getting rid of the tank as it was constantly over run with algae. I'm in love with the hobby and am ready to get back into it. I would like to do it right this time. Previously I never used RO/DI water which I will be doing this time.

I have been thinking about getting the JBL 28pro, but after all the modifications I would like to do, I think I might be better off piecing it together. I'm thinking 50 gal max and would love advice on good ref/sumps, lights, and protein skimmers. It's hard to know what to go with. I'm going to go tank shopping tomorrow and have just recently steered away from the all in one equipment purchase.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Looking to grow some beautiful LPS as I don't want to kill off any SPS. I would like to to eventually have a few reef friendly fish in the mix, but my primary focus is getting the corals going. Cheers!

[Browncoat]

These are very general recommendations so take them for what it's worth. There are lots of choices so my suggestions based on what you're looking for are:
Sump: Lots of people use good old regular glass aquariums. Anything that will fit below in your stand and is large enough to hold your skimmer and return pump etc should be good.
You can silicone in some baffles to disperse micro bubbles. You can often find good deals on acrylic sumps on the local forums. Most will work fine.
A refugium for that size tank may help a little but will not work miracles on water quality. It just won't be large enough. If you get a large enough sump you can incorporate one there with a DSB with sugar fine sand and some Chaeto. A simple dome clamp lamp with a cheap bulb for light.
My suggestion for a skimmer would be a Bubble Magus. They're cheap, quiet and skim well. Get the largest model you can afford and that will fit in your sump.
On lighting, I still like T5 Ho. A six bulb fixture will give you enough light to keep any corals you'd like including SPS. If you can afford a chiller, Metal Halide, either Phoenix 14k or Radium 20k like very nice. IMO nothing grows corals as well as Halides. If you're tank is shallow you can run 2x 150 watts or if deeper 2 x 250 watts. LEDS...meh.
Good luck!

[ReneeF]

Thanks for the response! I was out looking at tanks today and found a rimless Marineland 60 gal cube drilled w/overflow and stand for $500 which I am thinking about. Although I found a pretty sweet deal on eBay too. It's $750 for tank, stand, chambered sump, skimmer and pump. Link here (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-SC-Aquariums-50-Gallon-Starfire-Glass-Tank-24x24x20-10mm-Saltwater-Ready-/190981109190?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c775c75c6)

Has anyone ever bought from this seller? I'm very tempted to give it a try...

[maddmaxx]

i would suggest putting a tank together rather then an all in one type of aquarium.

the sump will add water volume which in saltwater world, is a good addition. keeps params in check and gives you more time to figure out and fix a potential problem...

lighting i would suggest a reefbreeders LED light. they work great. no bulb changes, mucho less electricity, and fully programmable.. T5 are great and work well on shallow tanks, and halides are the top of the line when it comes to reef lighting. a chiller isnt always needed if the canopy if vented properly...

sump i would get the biggest that can fit under the main tank inside the stand. as far as a fuge goes, anything is better then nothing. i would suggest miracle mud and some chaeto, but any type of sand will do the same thing, miracle mud just is the better option.

skimmer there are many, bubble magus is a good choice, an aquamaxx is a good choice and an octopus skimmer is a good choice. just keep in mind when you purchase a skimmer, purchase one for the over all total water volume. meaning the tank and sump combined..

for flow i would suggest looking at the jabeo wp pumps either a couple wp25s or a single wp40...

would also suggest a TLF reactor to run carbon or gfo or both..

for your main display, i would suggest something that is longer then it is high. fish like to swim and not have to turn around and swim the other direction to turn around to swim in the other direction etc etc...

[ReneeF]

Great info! Thanks for the reply. I'll be piecing it together over the next few months.