Equipment recommendations for 150 gallon tank

[Jruss54]

Protein skimmer?
Sump?
Pumps?
Doser?
Easy coral?
Wave maker?
Lights?

 

[cvrle1]

Very open ended question with 100s of different answers. What are some of the manufacturers and/or models that you were thinking about. Providing a small list for each will give you much better feedback. Also, what are dimensions of the tank, as that can make a difference for some items (ex: lighting)

Protein skimmer? - Lifereef SVS3-24
Sump? - IceCap 36XL
Pumps? - Many different options. AC/DC?Internal/External?
Doser? - No idea
Easy coral? - lot of different ones. Mushrooms, zoas, a lot of softies, some LPS.
Wave maker? - Not really needed. can get really good powerheads or gyres instead.
Lights? - Many different options from cheap CBBs to top of the line LED/T5 fixtures.

 

[lapin]

German is very good quality / China not so good
Protein skimmer? Big one
Sump? Big one

I-Supra C+ Sump 200i

Vertex I-Supra C+ Sumps are drop ship items only. Vertex is a firm believer that your filtration system should look just as good as your tank and with this all-inclusive sump they hit the nail on the head. At first glance, it may look like any ordinary sump with nice equipment but the I-Supra...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Pumps? a few good ones

CoralVue | Abyzz - BRANDS

CoralVue is a manufacturer of OEM products and exclusive distributor representing a wide range of industry-leading brands for freshwater and marine aquaria including Reef Octopus, Maxspect, Abyzz, Waveline, RLSS, Giesemann, ELOS, AutoAqua, IceCap, Radium and many more! CoralVue excels at...

www.coralvue.com

Doser? not needed
Easy coral? no such thing as easy corals
Wave maker? expensive is better

VorTech MP60wQD QuietDrive Propeller Pump (RETIRED)

In a reef aquarium, having the perfect amount of flow and water movement is crucial to the health of your animals, as well as the overall success of the tank. With the VorTech Quiet Drive, choosing the proper water circulation equipment has never been more simple. VorTech pumps are designed by...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Lights? expensive led t5 combo

Giesemann Aurora-Hybrid LED/T5 Fixture (Iridium)

The Ultimate Lighting Fixture for Reef Aquariums The Giesemann Aurora is a T5/LED Hybrid Fixture that provides UNRIVALLED LIGHT DISTRIBUTION and CONTROL.

www.coralvue.com

 

[AZMSGT]

Budget?
Just for simplicity sake. Get Ecotech for lights and all pumps.
Sump: the biggest that will fit in your space for the sump.
Skimmer the biggest that will fit in your skimmer section of the sump.

Everything else long after you have cycled and have fish.

 

[Mikeht11]

Obviously some people have different budgets. As i can tell.......some have no budget. Haha.
Lights... low price-ocean revive, mid- Aqua illumination, high- ecotech.
Simmer... low-aquamax or eshopps, mid to high nyos
Sumps. Trigger, bashsea, geosump
Pumps. Jabeo, simplicity, ecotech
Powerheads. Ecotech, maxspect gyre, ai nero

 

[Jruss54]

Low-mid budget

 

[Jekyl]

Sump you can make yourself. A few YouTube videos, a 40g breeder, some plexi and silicone. Otherwise premade will run a few hundred. Lights don't skimp. If you can't afford LED's of good quality then go T5. Hybrid fixture if you can and add the LEDs later. Wavemakers for cheap get 2 jebao ow40s. More expensive I'd get gyre or mp 40. Heard good things about both.

 

[Jekyl]

Focus on the things you need and get the system cycled and established before worrying about getting the skimmer, dose, ato.... will ease on the upfront costs. Better to run a marathon then sprint

 

[NY_Sea]

Totally agree with post above. As with everything budget matters! Some stuff is worth spending more on. For Skimmers look at the great white Dalau or bubble magus. Larger models of course. Sump I like the icecap series. Return pump I like bullet proof danner mag drives although they suck energy. Get a Jager heater or 2. Then get cheaper powerheads like 2 of the h2 pro wave makers 1320 gph. Then get a cheap blue led light until tank is cycled and you are ready to stock corals. Then upgrade. But in my opinion some easy softies should be ok with a cheap light for a year until the bug gets you bad and you want the best equip5ment. Good luck

 

[Mikeht11]

Fijicube makes a pretty sweet diy fit for a 40g breeder sump. Ive had really good luck with aquamaxx skimmers. I have no personal experience with ocean revive led lights (black boxes) but i know people that swear by them and ive seen many of corals grown under them in other reefers tanks. Jabao dc pumps are pretty hard to beat for the price.

 

[Jekyl]

I had the black box lighting. It will grow coral. It also washes everything out. Like you need glasses

 

[Bruce60]

Welcome to R2R!

I recently started a 150 gallon reef tank. I see your list of items and your desire for low-mid budget. Not sure of your previous experiences. A few pieces of advice:
1. Decide what you want in the tank. Fish and live rock? Corals (what types)? How many living things in the tank? Have a vision of the tank in your head. This will help you determine specs for the equipment.
2. Get real. What is your budget in a dollar range? How much space do you have available?
3. What are you able/willing to do yourself? One personal already posted about building your own sump. You can save significant $'s but put that up against the value of your time and how handy you are.
In planning this latest tank, I spent months planning all this out - comparing different sumps, skimmers and other equipment and figuring out how they would fit under the stand. I actually drew it out. I also read reviews all over the place. I went through multiple iterations until I was satisfied. This was time extremely well spent.
I have had tanks for nearly 50 years now. One comment of caution regarding very inexpensive equipment. It may work for you and it may not. The quality of materials, quality control of the manufacturing process, and customer service is what you have paid for. I have found spending a bit more money up front may save you larger costs down the road. That's where suggestions like the one made above regarding spacing of purchases can help.

Best wishes and look forward to hearing more as you travel this journey. Don't hesitate to reach out to our community for more assistance.

 

[cvrle1]

In regards to DIY sump. My plan was always to go down this route. I was going to use 40B as few mentioned already, buy a kit from one of the few places and do it myself. 40B is $60 during PetCo gallon sale, baffle kit is about $130, plus silicone, tape and other misc items, I figred I was looking at $200 for a sump. I stumbled on IceCap 36XL that Coralvue was selling for $275 on ebay. It was brand new, but during manufacturing they used yellow glue, so it looked wrong. I figured time and effort that it would take me to make my own is worth more than $75, so I bought it.

I did build a sump before long time ago where I cut my own baffles out of glass, but it didnt work out well, so didnt want to go down that route again. It would have saved me $, but if I failed in making it, it would have been money wasted.

Long story short, look for deals, take your time, know what you are looking for, and jump on a deal when you see it.

 

[S2G]

Protein skimmer? - reef octo classic 110int or 150int. If you need cheaper look at simplicity skimmers.

Sump? Petco $1 per gallon sale. Baffles are not necessary if you use an ato or stay on top of your water level

Pumps? Fluval sp4 (good price bullet proof quality) or jebao dc8000 (cheaper decent quality)

Doser? May or may not be needed

Easy coral? Soft - leathers, mushrooms, green star polyps / lps - acans, candy canes, hammers, frogspawn. Find a good local shop or please find local reefers. Prices are insane for made up names

Wave maker? AC powerhead bounce the flow off the glass. Tunze 6045 or 6065 (bullet proof quality for a good price)

Lights? Viparspectra or Marsaqua 165w

 

[cvrle1]

Sump? Petco $1 per gallon sale. Baffles are not necessary if you use an ato or stay on top of your water level

Not to derail this thread, but what is a point of sump without baffles? Sure, it will give you extra 40G of water, and place where you can put your skimmer, heaters and other equipment, but no place for macro algae, any extra filtration and so on. Not really sure how reactors would work, and since water will be rushing through, how are you controlling micro bubbles from not being returned into DT? Also, how do you know what your water level should be at for ATO, as water is moving all over the place. I honestly cant say I ever saw a baffles sump before.

 

[Jruss54]

Update. Just scored a 125 gallon tank that I pick this weekend

 

[S2G]

Not to derail this thread, but what is a point of sump without baffles? Sure, it will give you extra 40G of water, and place where you can put your skimmer, heaters and other equipment, but no place for macro algae, any extra filtration and so on. Not really sure how reactors would work, and since water will be rushing through, how are you controlling micro bubbles from not being returned into DT? Also, how do you know what your water level should be at for ATO, as water is moving all over the place. I honestly cant say I ever saw a baffles sump before.

It's a sump not class 5 rapids lol you'll have roughly 5-10x turnover going through it some even lower

It's very very simple. Buy a cheap filter sock holder off Ebay or Amazon...or you can diy PVC pipe stuffed with filter floss for $10.

Next toss in your skimmer. It has a certain height so you'll probably build an egg crate stand unless it's a big skimmer. Your sump water height will be determined by how high you want your water level after it drains from the display upon power shutoff. Then adjust your skimmer height to match that. Your ato will do what it always does maintains the water level

Next toss in your return pump. I've never seen micro bubbles people talk about unless im running a wooden air stone. If thats a concern toss black course sponge by your intake. Boom simple easy to clean sump.

Want extra media? Grab a big bag of pumice off Amazon for cheap( underpriced seachem matrix but don't tell anyone). Throw it in mesh bags toss it by your pump. Want rumble? Toss it by your filter socks.

Reactors are usually ran off a return manifold or similar so that's a non issue.

A refugium will require a little thought but is an easy fix. Egg crate with thin black foam to block out light. I personally recommend a remote refuge that gravity drains back into your sump. That way you can hang these powerful fuge lights that aren't adjustable above your sump without light spilling over into your skimmer area.

You know what baffles are good for? Trapping hard to reach nitrate raising crude. It's just a way to separate your different areas probably invented by someone that doesnt like their food touching.

 

[cvrle1]

It's a sump not class 5 rapids lol you'll have roughly 5-10x turnover going through it some even lower

It's very very simple. Buy a cheap filter sock holder off Ebay or Amazon...or you can diy PVC pipe stuffed with filter floss for $10.

Next toss in your skimmer. It has a certain height so you'll probably build an egg crate stand unless it's a big skimmer. Your sump water height will be determined by how high you want your water level after it drains from the display upon power shutoff. Then adjust your skimmer height to match that. Your ato will do what it always does maintains the water level

Next toss in your return pump. I've never seen micro bubbles people talk about unless im running a wooden air stone. If thats a concern toss black course sponge by your intake. Boom simple easy to clean sump.

Want extra media? Grab a big bag of pumice off Amazon for cheap( underpriced seachem matrix but don't tell anyone). Throw it in mesh bags toss it by your pump. Want rumble? Toss it by your filter socks.

Reactors are usually ran off a return manifold or similar so that's a non issue.

A refugium will require a little thought but is an easy fix. Egg crate with thin black foam to block out light. I personally recommend a remote refuge that gravity drains back into your sump. That way you can hang these powerful fuge lights that aren't adjustable above your sump without light spilling over into your skimmer area.

You know what baffles are good for? Trapping hard to reach nitrate raising crude. It's just a way to separate your different areas probably invented by someone that doesnt like their food touching.

Thanks for that info. As I mentioned Inever saw, nor would I think about doing baffles sump before. The more you know....

 

[Colin_S]

ATO - Auto top off, my first bit of "extra" equipment, u will need one.. RODI station, or r u buying water from lfs?
Welcome btw, have fun, enjoy, get learning and have deep pockets lol

 

[Jon Fishman]

It is going to be hard...... BELIEVE ME, I know...... but you gotta stop and think all of this out:

1) Water. Where ya gonna get it from? Not just to fill, but whenever you need some, and you are gonna need a lot

2) Cycle. Got a plan for how to achieve it?

3) The gear (which is the reason you started this!)

4) the methodologies you want to use to run the tank..... Ultra Low Nutrients? Triton? Fuge? Mechanical filtration? Quarantine or not? Sand or not?

All of this, and we haven’t looked into what livestock you want.........


If you get it all thrown together and start your own noah’s ark in a box...... it is very likely you will hit big bumps in the road, and some bumps might completely ruin the hobby for you..... so go slow, and USE THIS SITE to ask a lot of questions........ I have asked some of the most ridiculous questions, but every time I didn’t ask a ridiculous question I made a ridiculous mistake


Welcome, and congratulations on the new tank! 125 is a nice one!