New Reef Tank build input request

[carlsj2012]

Hi everyone,

In case you missed my introduction in the lounge, I am new to reef tanks and am currently in a position to start from a clean slate. I have spent some time in freshwater planted tanks, and will be making the plunge into reef tanks. I will be relocating to a new home soon, and wanted to have two identical tanks: One reef, and one planted. I felt the contrast in the room would be pretty neat. I am juggling four kids (oldest is 5), so spending time reading, researching, and typing posts such as these have been....challenging. I'm hoping my little ones will be as fascinated with reef tanks as they have with freshwater. Soon, they will be my aquarium controllers.

I have in my mind two Red Sea Reefer 250s, but seeing as I'm not even in the new house yet, or in possession of any tanks, I would ask for your input on the Rea Sea vs a slightly more budget friendly Waterbox aquarium of similar size. From what I can tell, there isn't much difference until you get into the sump. I have read that Red Sea has more room for extras under the cabinet but otherwise are basically identical. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Some future visions for this tank: We (SO and I) really enjoy the look of corals, and knowing as little as I know now, will aim for a mixed reef tank. The inhabitants are not going to be the stars of the show in this tank...at least, that's not the plan at this point. My spouse has expressed an adoration for sea horses though, so I imagine they will make an appearance at some point in the life of this tank.

Anyway, figured I would start with this simple input on the two different "almost reef ready tanks" and go from there.

 

[zukihara]

For me it was better to go the SCA route and order what I needed besides tank and stand elsewhere so I had exactly what I wanted. I am not a huge fan of SCA but in your case it is affordable and I think you will end up with much better hardware customizing it yourself. SCA sent me 3d printed bulkheads that were garbage for example and the stand was the wrong color.

There is a build thread somewhere around here where a guy (I believe he is in Asia) has a setup similar to what you are planning and he has created a very beautiful, modern looking display. Sorry I do not have a link.

You could also use one stand to hold both tanks and that would give you more room for a sump for the reef.

 

[carlsj2012]

Oh my goodness, @zukihara! I can't believe I left you hanging like that! I had a look at SCA, but it looks like maybe they are having issues with their site? Couldn't make use of the custom tank page, but they're stock tanks are pretty reasonably priced.

I had a look at your journal, and it never occurred to me what the pros and cons of having the overflow through the back wall vs the bottom.

The only issue I have with SCA, is there does not appear to be any vendors in my area. Shipping and duty will be something to consider.