Planning a 125g - Equipment recommendations?

[WinnipegDragon]

Okay, I've started planning. Here is what I have selected for my gear so far:

125g All-Glass w/ Dual Overflows (72x18x22)
140lbs CaribSea Agar-Alive Oolite Live Sand
200lbs Tonga/Fiji Live Rock
6x96w AH Supply Bright Kits (4x10K, 2x Actinic Bulbs)
Sump - 40ish gallon Aquarium w/ Baffles
Deltec AP-600 Skimmer
2 x 300w Visitherm Heaters
Eheim 1262 Return Pump
Iwaki 20RXT Closed Loop on second overflow
Coralife 20" 50/50 PC light on Refugium in sump
Kent Marine Maxxima 60GPD RO/DI
4x Coralife 1w LED Moon Lights

This will be installed in-wall, as we are finishing the basement this year, so I'll have a little fish room to house the RO/DI and all the ugly gear. I'm also not sure if I should be looking at a calcium reactor or if I really even need one. It's an expense I would like to avoid if I could, since this is about $4KCDN in gear so far.

Can anyone make an suggestions on great I might be able to scale back on? I'd like to be a heck of a lot closer to $3K if possible.

Thanks!

[drummereef]

Nice list. I would look into the Spectrapure MaxCap RO/DI. It's second to none, imo. Don't forget your controller either.

[WinnipegDragon]

Is that enough lighting? I would like to do it cheaper, and since it is behind a wall I don't need the pretty clip-on stuff. What's the least expensive way to get MHs over a tank?

Also, the Deltec skimmer looks nice, but I'd prefer a less expensive option there too. It's about $800CDN...

[old salty]

In all honesty, as an owner of a 125g tank, go bigger. A 180 is the same width across, but has 6 more inches front to back. This goes a LONG way in how your aquascaping will look. The equipment that you are planning will probably not need to change too much (OK, skimmer would be over it's limit.) Also, 200lbs of LR in a 125 is a lot (just an observation that just so happened to cost me about a hundred bucks.)


I have AH lighting over my FW planted tank. That is a nice setup you are looking at, however it will certainly have it's limitations. Reefs of the world generally thrive in areas with lots of light.

You can probably save some money by ditching the moonlights, getting a flood light from Dummy Depot will probably be cheaper (and better) for lighting your fuge, using less LR, and maybe scrap the idea of a closed loop on the second overflow (only because the AGA overflows really don't move a lot of water.) A second Eheim may be an easier (and cheaper) way.

I own a Deltec skimmer; the aggravation that this thing saves me makes it worth every single penny I paid for it.

[drummereef]

I'm not familiar with those lights. Are they PC or T5? For lighting, I would come up with a list of coral types that you want to keep. If you are doing SPS then I'd say T5 or Halides would be the way to go. At least you won't be limited down the road.

[120reeferman]

i have a 125aga tank. this is my setup....mind you im barebottom


50# live rock and 20 more # still cooking.

8x96w tec t5

2 mag 9s for return

stock aga 600gph overflows

sequence DART for closed loop.... (currently broken loking for new pump, if anyone has one hit me up)

kent nautalus TE skimmer....i hated this skimmer when i had sand cause it diddnt skimm well and gave me really wet skimmate...now i love it cause i need wet skimmate

oh and no sand....lol


that pretty much sums it up

im lookin into a deltec CA reactor...dosing gets old.

[WinnipegDragon]

Originally posted by drummereef
In all honesty, as an owner of a 125g tank, go bigger.

I don't think that's going to be possible, I am already pushing the limits of my sanity looking at this price point

Although if I can get away 200lbs or LR in the 180g that helps the price quite a bit.

Also I thought the AP-600 was rated up to 200g? Would it be overwhelmed in a 180g?

Originally posted by drummereef
I'm not familiar with those lights. Are they PC or T5? For lighting, I would come up with a list of coral types that you want to keep. If you are doing SPS then I'd say T5 or Halides would be the way to go. At least you won't be limited down the road.

They are T5, but they use a very very high quality MIRO4 reflector (one per bulb) and they basically guarantee to get more light directed into the water than other T5s.

Honestly, I don't want to limit myself on coral selection too much, so SPS compatibility would be nice. And at 576w with a 22" deep tank, I think that should be enough?

[WinnipegDragon]

Would the Tunze 9010 work on either the 125g or 180g? It seems like Tunze products are much-beloved and it's about half the price of the Deltec...

The Coralife Needlewheel skimmers are also suspiciously inexpensive for their rated capacity...

[old salty]

Originally posted by WinnipegDragon
I don't think that's going to be possible, I am already pushing the limits of my sanity looking at this price point

Oh, you've only just begun!!!

[WinnipegDragon]

Originally posted by old salty
Oh, you've only just begun!!!

Yeah I know. Just now, I've really started to realize that once I add a controller, MH lighting, fish, meters, supplements, that this tank is more like $7K-$10K.

I've hit the 'what the hell am I doing' stage. I want to do this tank, but I don't know if I '$10,000-want' it. I could build a hell of a home theatre system for that price instead

[Deacon]

I second the notion that a place to save serious money is the liverock. Get 150 pounds base rock (like at marcorocks.com) and then use 30 to 50 pounds of fiji or tonga live rock to seed it. It works great and is much less expensive.

[WinnipegDragon]

Yeah a local store here does 'Aquacultured' rock. It's base rock (Calcium Carbonate, not cement) that they leave in their holding tanks when they land their shipments of live rock. He sells it for $2.50CDN/lb.

[Shooter7]

Yep, I'd suggest using up to half base rock and just regular sand to save money there. The base rock and sand will become live pretty quickly from the live rock, mine did. I got my base rock from reeferrocks, great rock.

[WinnipegDragon]

I might need to downsize this project looking at the costs. A 75g built into a wall would still look nice I suppose.

[Shooter7]

I would still encourage you to look into a 120g then. The equipment for both is not going to vary all that much, same wall length, you can hold costs down with base rock and non-live sand. Don't be too hasty with your decision. One of the worst parts of this disease is the iwannagobiggeritis you get right after you get your tank set up and running for a bit.

[WinnipegDragon]

The 75g is 4' long, and then 120 is 6' long... The downsize lets me go to 2 MH pendants, less rock, small skimmer... It's about half the price when I look at it.

[Shooter7]

Nope, 120g is 4x2x2. I know, I've got one.

[plummike]

I built a 125 into my gameroom wall, so I had a room for my equipment also.
I ran a mag flow pump from my sump to an elevated 20 gallon tank (fuge). I drilled both sides to have a gravity return.
I used a Metal Halide Hood-can't see it.
I ran a pipe for my skimmer to the drain so I don't have to worry about skimmer overflowing.
For electric I ran conduit with outdoor covers and GFI's along the back of the stand, which I built from 2x4's

[plummike]

I built a 125 into my gameroom wall, so I had a room for my equipment also.
I ran a mag flow pump from my sump to an elevated 20 gallon tank (fuge). I drilled both sides to have a gravity return.
I used a Metal Halide Hood-can't see it.
I ran a pipe for my skimmer to the drain so I don't have to worry about skimmer overflowing.
For electric I ran conduit with outdoor covers and GFI's along the back of the stand, which I built from 2x4's

[plummike]

My Coralife does a good job. I run a little wet so I ran a pipe to the drain.

Originally posted by WinnipegDragon
Would the Tunze 9010 work on either the 125g or 180g? It seems like Tunze products are much-beloved and it's about half the price of the Deltec...

The Coralife Needlewheel skimmers are also suspiciously inexpensive for their rated capacity...

[Deacon]

Originally posted by Shooter7
I would still encourage you to look into a 120g then. ...

I agree, that extra 6 inches of aquascaping space can make a huge difference. ...and, yes, the 120 is 4 ft long (2ft wide)....its the 125 that's 6ft long (1.5 ft wide).

[WinnipegDragon]

Gah, all this time, I've been talking about the 125g, not the 120g. Man, my head is swimming in numbers today, mostly preceeded by "$" unfortunately.

I was looking 6' long for better swimming space...

[Shooter7]

Now I'm confused. You said you were going to settle for the 4' long 75g tank. My suggestion was to go for the 4' 120g instead of the 4' 75g. Yeah, going to six foot adds some stuff.

[WinnipegDragon]

Okay, make sense, I got it. Honestly, for real this time.