125 gal equipment list help

[Psiber_Syn]

I have finished resealing the tank getting ready to start filling it up looking for the best choices for hardware.

Already have
2 jabeo rw14 powerheads
Asm g2 skimmer
4 bulb 6ft vhos with some leds

Need advice
What size heater and how many?
A good entry level controller and doser.
Whats the thoughts on reactors?
Anything else im missing?

 

[Duke4Life]

Return pump?

 

[Psiber_Syn]

Good call i have a quietone 2200 return i think is the name of it

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Well, I assume you meant Jebao RW15s, not 14s since there is no such thing to my knowledge. You may find that the 15s are almost too much for your tank if you have sand. I run about 350 watts of heater on my 125. 400 watts was too much, but 350 does a good job on a tank that size with a 55 gallon sump. what size sump are you planning? Have you given consideration to a dosing pump?

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

My bad. I missed the part in your post about the doser. IMO, you're better off biting the bullet on a full blown controller up front instead of an entry level that you will immediately be displeased with.

 

[Psiber_Syn]

Yep meant the rw15
Had contact with another user in a different post who said the rw15s was what they used just dialed it back do you have a different suggestion yes with sand but not a deep sand bed bout 40 or 60 pounds of sand
The sump is 18" h 12" w 30" l give or take half inch or so not sure what size tank that is though gonna redo it to a 3 compartment sump/refug once i figure out how high to make baffles

Also the apex is just out of range right now is there a cheaper one that is as good?

The doser i seen at lfs is like 250 bucks again too pricey right now

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

First of all, try the Jebao DP-4 doser. It's about half the price of the one you quoted.

You could try a Reefkeeper Elite without the network. It will be less costly than the Apex (I'm assuming that's the one you're looking at). How much out of your range is the controller you want? Can you get the Jebao dosing pump and put the savings toward the controller you really want?

You may want a larger sump than that for a 125 gallon. A 40 gallon breeder would be a good size.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Not sure how much the sump pump you mentioned costs, but the Jebao DCT-6000 is super quite and quite a good deal for the performance.

 

[Psiber_Syn]

It was a used tank that was set up for years with that sump it came with it so saves a ton of money the return pump came with the tank also what would be added benifit of larger sump? This one fits snuggly under the tank i assume its why they chose this one

will check out the jebao doser

id like the apex controller with all the bells and whistles but yeah too much right now may hold off a few weeks and save for it

I really thank u for your help

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

It was a used tank that was set up for years with that sump it came with it so saves a ton of money the return pump came with the tank also what would be added benifit of larger sump? This one fits snuggly under the tank i assume its why they chose this one

will check out the jebao doser

id like the apex controller with all the bells and whistles but yeah too much right now may hold off a few weeks and save for it

I really thank u for your help

Hopefully it really was a help to you

The nice thing about the Jebao return pump is that it is variable speed. You can speed it up or slow it down as needed.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Also, you may find that that skimmer is a little undersized. I personally went larger with the Reef Octopus 200INT and I couldn't be happier. Always better to have too much skimmer than not enough, in my experience.

 

[Psiber_Syn]

The jebao 4 port doser on amazon 70 bux good looking out on that

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I have the DP-4 set up for about two weeks now with no issues (other than the kinked hose I failed to see ). It's a good starter pump, and if you get an Apex, you can put in some safeguards to shut the pump down if needed.

 

[Psiber_Syn]

Yes you have been a lot of help so far when i first started my 65 gal reef had to buy the same hardware multiple times as was not big enough etc the first time went through 2 skimmers a box full of powerheads countless lights etc etc trying to get it right the first time lol

 

[Psiber_Syn]

Can i ask what heater u chose looking at the jager but dont come in 350 should i look for one with a controller or something that could hook to the apex in the future

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I use the Eheim Jaeger heaters. I have a 200W and a 100W, but I could really use a 150. I go by the thought process that if you have two smaller heaters, it's unlikely that a failure in one will nuke your tank.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Twin 200W heaters were too much for my tank, btw.

 

[Psiber_Syn]

They in the dt or the sump?

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I had one in the DT for a while, but they're both in the sump now.

 

[Psiber_Syn]

So better to use 2 rather than 1 larger one as kind of a safe guard?