My first build advice requested

[USMA36]

As the title says I'd like some advice on what I have come up with for my first build. Thanks in advance for bearing with my long post. I'm trying to do this on as much of a budget as possible. In your opinions what parts can I hold off on until the tank cycles? This will help spread the cost out a bit.

90 gallon tank 150.00 with a corner overflow to be used as a reef and fish aquarium
Reef octopus classic 200INT 8" Skimmer 300 any better options same price range or less?
Trigger Ruby Sump 30 with 13.5x9.5 refugium 325. Thoughts?
live rock from Billy's Reef Connection 90lbs 320.00 shipped any experience with this business? Quality of the rock? I could go dry rock to for a little less. Any thoughts on dry vs wet for me as a new guy in the hobby without causing a crap load of debate?
Carib sea ocean direct live sand 80lbs 90.00 shipped
2 eheim Jager 200w heaters 1 as a backup 32. Each
BRS 4 value RO/DI 75GPD 150.00
Either an eheim 1321gph pump for 168 or or a Vectra 2000gph for 350 is there a noticible benefit for the difference in price?
Vortech MP10wQD is their a major benefit for this over cheaper power Heads?
2 Mars Aqua dimmable 165watt lights 185 total
Assorted plumbing 50.00 or so. Thoughts on pvc vs flexible?
I'm also looking at getting controller the reef-keeper lite plus 279.00 thoughts?
Refract-metro from BRS 40.00
Stand home made for about 200.00
Lastly all the assorted testers any recommendations on what brand is there a good all in one?

 

[Roy 9121]

You probably could have waited on the rodi if you can buy water at your LFS, that's what i do. But they are very nice to have.

 

[USMA36]

I haven't bought any of it yet. Working on building the stand now. As far as the rodi it's cheaper to buy that. The lfs charges 1.50 a gallon for saltwater and 1.00 for rodi. Lfs is also 40 min away and I'd need a crap ton of 5 gallon buckets.

 

[Roy 9121]

I haven't bought any of it yet. Working on building the stand now. As far as the rodi it's cheaper to buy that. The lfs charges 1.50 a gallon for saltwater and 1.00 for rodi. Lfs is also 40 min away and I'd need a crap ton of 5 gallon buckets.

That's pretty high for water, i pay $2.85 for 5 gallons of fresh water and about $4 for 5 gallons of saltwater. And my LFS is only 5 minutes away. But your right, if you can afford it, they're nice to have. I was just saying that is something you could wait on if you have to.

 

[Preme]

I love the live rock from TBS ( Tampa Bay Saltwater).
It's 5 bucks a pound which is kinda pricey but I think it's worth it. You don't have to use 90 pounds of rock unless you want. I'd say you could get away with 70-80! Also TBS live rock is awesome because it comes with a lot cool stuff ( most of the time). Such as live sponges covering the rock, crabs, urchin and shrimp! Some of these creatures can be not good for your tank such as a mantis shrimp. So you would probably want to figure out what the creature is before allowing it in to your tank!

 

[Scurvy]

The MP-10's are nice but with your tank size/dimensions I'm not sure a single powerhead will cut it. I would consider multiple power heads. Check out the Rossmonts or Hydor to save a few bucks. Or look at an MP-40 or Gyre if your set on having just 1.

 

[dragon99]

Protein skimmer can wait at least until you have more than 1-2 fish in the tank
Dry rock is absolutely fine, and if the priority is price, then go with whatever is cheapest.
2nd heater can wait
Eheim or Sicce are perfectly fine for return pumps. I have a Vectra and it's great, but definitely not a budget pump.
Vortech can wait until you are ready for corals. There are many cheaper options, but I personally like what I get for the money with Vortechs
Go with PVC if you are at all handy, but again if cost is priority tubing works just fine.
Controllers are great, but certainly not necessary so put that on the down the line list.
Buy some calibration fluid with the refractometer
I like Red Sea and Salifert kits

 

[Preme]

The MP-10's are nice but with your tank size/dimensions I'm not sure a single powerhead will cut it. I would consider multiple power heads. Check out the Rossmonts or Hydor to save a few bucks. Or look at an MP-40 or Gyre if your set on having just 1.

Very true, 1 power head usually isn't the best idea( at least in bigger tanks). because it still can create some "dead spots" so instead of having 1 MP10 or 1 MP40 I'd suggest 2 MP10s (1 on each side). If your not wanting to spend the money on 2 more expensive power heads go with 1 mp10 and 1-2 of the Tunze! Check some of these out...
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/pumps-plumbing/aquarium-powerhead-pumps/tunze.html

 

[jaws789832]

Just my 2 cents.
90 gallon is a great tank to start with.
Skimmer is something you can hold off on. There is nothing in the water in the beginning to ski, buts it is nice to get it up and running to break it in.
The triggers are nice sumps so you cant go wrong there.
I personally prefer dry rock. All rock becomes live over time which in the beginning is something you have a lot of.
Sand is your choice. Couple of things to keep in mind, small stuff looks great but blows around, and larger stuff stays put but doesnt have that Caribbean beach look. Remember certain critters do have different substrate requirements so keep a stocking list in mind.
Heaters are fine but think about some sort of heater failure backup ( controller just for heater).
RO/DI I think should be a high priority. If its a hassle to do a water change ( driving to store to get water ) it will be easier just ti put it off.
If money is an issue get the cheaper return pump. You can always buy a better one down the road and then you will have a backup( which is always a good idea)
Power heads is another one of those things you can upgrade as needed imo. If course those are one of those things that you get what you pay for, but you can get a cheaper PH for now then as money permits buy what you want and use the other for mixing salt and what not.
Never had those lights but have heard pretty good things about them

So basically thats my opinions in a nut shell. Remember no matter what you buy now 2 years (or 2 days) from now there is probably going to be something better or something that you wish you had.

 

[pdt7361]

If you're looking to save money, why a Trigger sump? They are quite expensive compared to others...especially building your own out of a 40b.
For powerheads, I use 2 Jebao RW8's and love them...they've been performing wonderfully for 8 months and are far cheaper than the Vortechs.

 

[spiraling]

For the powerhead it may depend on what you are planning to keep in the way of corals. I would definitely get two though. I had the cheap hydor koralias and they work well enough for softies and LPS. One broke after a year or so. I have an MP10 on my nano and it is much stronger, and I like that you can program different wave patterns. Overall a much better unit, but you could probably get away with cheap ones for quite a while then upgrade later if your coral needs it. The only downside to the mp10 is you can't aim it anywhere, just straight ahead. If you are planning SPS then you will eventually want to go a little higher end. You wont need any of the powerheads until you get corals, the return flow will be enough.

On the return pump what are you looking for? You can get much less expensive (and noisier) ones. DC pumps are more adjustable. There are less expensive DC pumps compared to the vectra as well. I haven't tried any.

I don't like the API test kits. The color is difficult to determine. I have Red Sea and they are harder to use but seem easier to read. I haven't tried Salifert. You will need at least the cheap api ammonia / nitirite / nitrate for the cycle. Then maybe get better kits down the road. Don't get strips. They are useless. Later you will need tests for phosphate, calcium, alkilinty, magnesium.

The BRS dry pukani is a good price point. You will need to cure it for a couple of weeks, and then your cycle will also be longer. Biospiria can help with the cycle. You may be able to go the dry route and get some 'seed' rock from a fellow reefer or your lfs instead of all live rock. Its a much cheaper route that the live. You also probably don't need a full 90 pounds depending on how you want your rocks to look. The live is cool and has lots of fun critters. I got some nice live rock off craigslist, but I also have two bad hitchhikers I've been battling for years. That's the downside to any live rock. I'm setting up a new tank and I will be using dry, and then getting some of the cool critters (sponges, brittle stars) from my current tank and hopefully leaving the pests out.

If you keep you house cold (ie 60 in winter) then you will need both heaters in the tank. You will also need a spare for mixing water. And a couple of 5 gallon buckets. And a bunch of salt.

I did the flexible tubing with barbs for several years. If you are OK with plumbing PVC is probably better, but you could start with flexible and upgrade later too.

Can you get any used equipment in your area? If its in good condition you can get the parts clean with vinegar and save some cash. Getting a whole tank with inhabitants off craigslist can be a much less expensive way to get into the hobby too. There are some really nice tanks people don't want to take when they move.

 

[USMA36]

What can you recommend for a decent sump that has a refugium. I love the looks and options of the trigger but I wouldn't mind spending less money for something comparable. How do those jebao power heads compare to the way more expensive vortech or even the tunze?

If you're looking to save money, why a Trigger sump? They are quite expensive compared to others...especially building your own out of a 40b.
For powerheads, I use 2 Jebao RW8's and love them...they've been performing wonderfully for 8 months and are far cheaper than the Vortechs.

 

[cbutkos]

I did what you're trying to do a year or so ago, 90 gallon, spread it out a bit, budget stuff to begin with and upgrade as I go. I waited till Petco had the dollar per gallon sale and bought a 40 breeder for a sump. Made baffles from plexiglass, some people say you shouldn't mix plexiglass and glass, but it's been holding great, though in hindsight the extra $40 for glass would look nicer. All in all I'm very happy with it I have a nice fuge section, big equipment section and good return section. If you go 40B you do have to consider the size of the stand you build because the sump will be the same width (front to back) as your 90. I have pictures of how I built my stand and set up my sump if you need let me know.

 

[pdt7361]

I agree with others that the 40B makes a great sump - it is a great size with lots of space for sump & refug in one. As for the powerheads, I can't really compare them to anything else since I've only ever had them. On my next build I plan on doing some vortechs, but that build won't be on a budget - I plan on spending a lot for that one and am planning accordingly.