Finally Did it

[Djmike]

Ive had freshwater tanks my whole life an have always said one day.... Well the one day has finally arrived. Ive been lurking reading and reading and oh did I mention reading.... Lol
I purchased a Sea Max Reefer 170 and have started purchasing other items. So far I've got:

Live sand
Sicce 2.0 return pump
Reef Octopus 110 Protein Skimmer
Ro/Di 50g system
Tds meter
Red Sea Salt
Kessil 160 light

I'm now looking for a heater, Power head and some live rock. Not sure which heater so any suggestions would help.
Its going to be a slow start but I'm in no rush. I've waited this long so time is not a problem.
Excited to be starting this from the ground up.
Mike

 

[4FordFamily]

Welcome home, you will love it here!

Ceramic heaters IME are best and I look at Amazon reviews. I'm pretty useless as far as suggestions aside from that.

Post pics of your build, we are glad to have you and believe me - taking it slow and doing research first comes with great reward in this hobby

 

[Mike_J]

Congrats on diving into the saltwater pool! Nice build so far. 2 thumbs up for research and patience. You're off to a great start. Welcome!

 

[Tahoe61]

Welcome Mike.

 

[PJS]

Welcome to R2R!
I really like the 170, trying to convince my Mrs. that one would look real good in our bedroom.
Looking forward to seeing your build!

 

[120reefkeeper]

 

[domination2580]

Welcome! I cant say enough good things about titanium heaters. I love them. But as a little info for you id invest in a ground probe. I have experienced an electrical shock from my tank before and caused the entire tank to fall on top of me. Not a pleasant experience. It will make all he difference

 

[Salty1962]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[vipertaj]

Cannot wait to see your build. I am just starting mine also. And as you have been doing tons of research is the key. What i have gained a TON of knowldege was from the BRS 160 tank build series. Check out specifically week 8 where they go over the different heaters and test them all out. You for sure do not want to go cheap on a heater they are one of the most important parts as a bad one can cause huge problems. I ended up getting the HMO Finex Heaters because of reliability and accuracy.

As far as powerheads it all depends on your budget. The Maxspect Gyre 130 is suppose to be amazing as far as just needing one and getting flow all around. It is pretty much the only of its kind that can do what it can do. Can easily get the flow of just one compared to needing 4 of many of the other more expensive brands, although with just 34 gallons you will just need 1 of a ton of the ones out there. Also for price I will most likely be getting a couple Jabeo PP15's as the flow is amazing and the price cannot be beat. I will be good with just 2 for my entire 125 gallon. You would be good with just one Jabeo PP-8. For the Powerhead BRS tank build check out episode 9 which goes over the different powerheads.

For the Live Rock be careful to not introduce unwanted critters as many live rocks can. I am curing some dry/live rock then will seed with a 5lb good piece of live rock.

 

[Steve Tobias]

Welcome!

I am a new to the forum, but I started with power heads and was never really happy with the flow. I moved to a Gyre 150 and I love it! It is fully controllable and allows you to create changes in the flow of your tank. It is a lot more money, but well worth the investment.