New and just getting started - good setup?

JTwinning · Jan 29, 2018

Red Sea Reefer XXL 625 Deluxe with the 3 Hydra 26 LED fixtures
Vectra L1 return Pump
Eshopps Pro series 200 protein skimmer
2 each Vortech MP40 circ pumps
500x titanium heater with digital controller
Apex Wifi controller
DOS dual pump doing system
DOS dual reservoir
120 lbs of live sand
120 lbs of live rock

Any better suggestions on equipment or does all look good? I am new to the hobby and wanted to get started off right.

thank you in advance for the help and suggestions.

Crabs McJones · Jan 30, 2018

JTwinning said:
Red Sea Reefer XXL 625 Deluxe with the 3 Hydra 26 LED fixtures
Vectra L1 return Pump
Eshopps Pro series 200 protein skimmer
2 each Vortech MP40 circ pumps
500x titanium heater with digital controller
Apex Wifi controller
DOS dual pump doing system
DOS dual reservoir
120 lbs of live sand
120 lbs of live rock

Any better suggestions on equipment or does all look good? I am new to the hobby and wanted to get started off right.

thank you in advance for the help and suggestions.

Sounds like a really good start to me

I would highly recommend getting an RO/DI unit if you already haven't. Long term it saves you money and you know where your source water is coming from

mjlash22 · Jan 30, 2018

crabs_mcjones said:
Sounds like a really good start to me I would highly recommend getting an RO/DI unit if you already haven't. Long term it saves you money and you know where your source water is coming from

+1 on the RO/DI, everything else looks like you're heading in the right direction!

Only thing I would consider adding is a carbon reactor, possibly even a GFO reactor.

Crabs McJones · Jan 30, 2018

JTwinning said:
Red Sea Reefer XXL 625 Deluxe with the 3 Hydra 26 LED fixtures
Vectra L1 return Pump
Eshopps Pro series 200 protein skimmer
2 each Vortech MP40 circ pumps
500x titanium heater with digital controller
Apex Wifi controller
DOS dual pump doing system
DOS dual reservoir
120 lbs of live sand
120 lbs of live rock

Any better suggestions on equipment or does all look good? I am new to the hobby and wanted to get started off right.

thank you in advance for the help and suggestions.

mjlash22 said:
+1 on the RO/DI, everything else looks like you're heading in the right direction!

also pick up a quarantine tank...trust me you'll thank me later

it can be something as simple as a pet smart 20 gallon kit with a hang on back filter and a power head. Just something that you can quarantine new fish in before putting them in the display. Because trust me it's a pain in the rear end to try to catch the fish later on should something make it's way into your display tank.

JTwinning · Jan 30, 2018

What RO/DI unit is recommended? Which reactors are recommended, carbon and GFO, is usually one or the other installed or both? I started reading through some of the threads last night and came across the quarantine tank. I was going to review the setup thread on this..... Thank you.

JTwinning · Jan 30, 2018

Sorry for double post...

don_chuwish · Jan 30, 2018

Just the one 500W heater? You might consider using 2 x 300W instead. I find that on my 120G a single 300W Finnex keeps the temp just fine and having two adds many options for redundancy and safety.
Lots of threads about heater safety but this one you may find interesting:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-2-half-size-heaters-experiment.350282/

mjlash22 · Jan 30, 2018

JTwinning said:
What RO/DI unit is recommended? Which reactors are recommended, carbon and GFO, is usually one or the other installed or both? I started reading through some of the threads last night and came across the quarantine tank. I was going to review the setup thread on this..... Thank you.

Check these out for RO/DI units. I personally have the 4 stage water saver plus model. My municipal water is fairly clean, TDS wise, so I didn't get the larger models. If you live in an area that has a lot of stuff in your water, you may want to consider the 5 or even 6 stage unit. 5 stage adds an additional carbon filter, 6 stage adds the additional carbon and an additional DI filter. Have had my unit for 2+ years, and its definitely built to last and I've had 0 issues with it.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-reverse-osmosis-filters-systems/reverse-osmosis-systems.html

For reactors, my personal recommendation is at least a carbon reactor. GFO is a great phosphate reducer, but there are other alternatives/additives you can use instead of adding a 2nd reactor. Some people who are limited on sump space have to choose. I decided to use a carbon reactor and dose NoPox from Red Sea for phosphate/nitrate reduction.

rockstarta78 · Jan 30, 2018

JTwinning said:
What RO/DI unit is recommended? Which reactors are recommended, carbon and GFO, is usually one or the other installed or both? I started reading through some of the threads last night and came across the quarantine tank. I was going to review the setup thread on this..... Thank you.

For RODI unit you could go spectrapure rodi or BRS rodi system. They are both equally good. Depending on how your state/county treats water you may need 4/5 or 6 stage RODI unit. If you start with RODI water, you will have lot less algae issue. And you can thank us later.

JTwinning · Jan 30, 2018

Thank you for all of the suggestions, much appreciated.

[Cameron] · Jan 30, 2018

Some of this is mentioned above:

RO/DI - Buckeye or BRS are top choices
Backup heater same model with separate temperature controller (Inkbird) in case the Apex goes offline
Backup battery for wave pump - Will keep your tank going for hours during a power outage (Icecap or EcoTech)
Auto top off system - Tunze and Icecap both make a nice unit
Testing - I like a refractometer for salinity, Hanna Alk/Phosphat Test, Salifert Calcium/Mag/Nitrate Test, Red Sea Ammonia Test
Glass cleaner - I am partial to the Flipper

I would also consider a refugium, chaeto reactor or algae scrubber in this setup. I dislike GFO reactors, ozone and UV. I prefer carbon reactors run intermittently. The BRS reactor is an inexpensive one that is easy to use. You may want to keep a backup return pump laying around. Something simple and relatively small such as a Jebao DCS9000. You will likely only use it while getting your main pump repaired/replaced so it doesn't need to be high end just functional. Heaters and return pumps have a tendency to go out at the worst possible times.

JTwinning · Jan 30, 2018

Thank you.

JTwinning · Jan 30, 2018

What about a UV sterilizer, should I add one of these to my setup? If so, which one is recommended?

Where does everyone setup their QT tank? I would kind of like it out of the way as I want the main aquarium on display and do not want an empty tank out.

What about testing my domestic water coming in, what kit is recommended?

mjlash22 · Jan 30, 2018

JTwinning said:
What about a UV sterilizer, should I add one of these to my setup? If so, which one is recommended?

Where does everyone setup their QT tank? I would kind of like it out of the way as I want the main aquarium on display and do not want an empty tank out.

What about testing my domestic water coming in, what kit is recommended?

My personal opinion is that a UV is not required, and a lot of people that have them don't even run them all the time. I don't think it would be a necessity for your start up but maybe something to consider down the line.

My QT is in my basement, didn't like the look/want it next to my DT.

You can reach out to your local municipality and they should be able to give you a read out of your local water readings/levels. Some RO/DI units comes with TDS meters, which is a measure of the impurities in the water. The higher the reading, the more your RO/DI unit is going to have to work/the more you will have the change out your filters. Other than that, I don't really know of a test for your tap water.

JTwinning · Jan 31, 2018

My goal is to limit the maintenance as much as possible, I am aware it is very involved, but would the UV help, GAC and GFO? What all can I add to limit maintenance, help the system run as stress free as possible? Thank you.

mjlash22 · Jan 31, 2018

JTwinning said:
My goal is to limit the maintenance as much as possible, I am aware it is very involved, but would the UV help, GAC and GFO? What all can I add to limit maintenance, help the system run as stress free as possible? Thank you.

That's almost a trick question, because the more equipment you add, the more maintenance you will end up doing to clean/change stuff out.

UV's will help remove diseases such as ich from the water column but it can also remove beneficial bacteria from the water as well. That's why a lot of people who do run one, do not run it consistently.

GFO is your phosphate remover. There are liquid alternatives that you could set up with a doser, minimizing your maintenance.

JTwinning · Feb 6, 2018

Tank came today, partially setup, trying to figure out a rack system/organization for the cabinet on the right hand side where the Apex controllers/equipment will be mounted. Going to add a couple of rocks on the sides to make the rock structure taller.