New Reef Tank

[ilott]

Hello,

I have been in the hobby for almost a year now and with my Fluval EVO 13.5 surviving my amateur reef skills, I think it's almost time for an upgrade, only I want BIG!

I just feel as though these HUGE tanks look amazing and whilst they are extremely pricey, I would like some expert opinion on the tanks around the 65 - 80 gallon mark (not huge for some of you guys),

I've seen the Waterbox 85.3, EA ProReef 900 and the Red Sea Reefers XL 300 and 350, they all have built in sumps, pipework etc. as you all know, which seems extremely easy compared to my built in sump where filtration is poor, no room for a refugium or even proper filter media, I literally run this system with the sponge and a filter floss.

I would like to add that I have an AI Prime 16HD running on my Fluval EVO 13.5, will two of these be enough for such a large tank? or should I upgrade the lighting aswell? maybe two AI Hydra32's or even the ReefLED90's as recommended by Red Sea?

But what would be the best for someone in my position and should I maybe look smaller as this will only be my second tank.

Olivia.

 

[Billldg]

I would definitely upgrade to 2 32's for better coverage on the tank. It really depends on what you want to keep. Down the road you could add a hybrid setup to get even more light it you want.

 

[Ippyroy]

If you are getting rid of the Fluval, I'd just add more 16s. And adding one more to a T5 hybrid would probably be good for most corals.

 

[ilott]

If you are getting rid of the Fluval, I'd just add more 16s. And adding one more to a T5 hybrid would probably be good for most corals.

I was thinking of doing this as my AI Prime 16HD is only a couple of months old, so i'm glad it'll be okay to have a few of these, as for the T5 Hybrid, I live in an old tudor house so we have wooden beams in the ceilings and i'm not sure how they'd measure up for the fixing. But thank you for your help!

 

[ilott]

I would definitely upgrade to 2 32's for better coverage on the tank. It really depends on what you want to keep. Down the road you could add a hybrid setup to get even more light it you want.

Would it all depend on the rockscape aswell? as my AI Prime 16HD is only a few months old. But thank you for your help!

 

[Ippyroy]

I was thinking of doing this as my AI Prime 16HD is only a couple of months old, so i'm glad it'll be okay to have a few of these, as for the T5 Hybrid, I live in an old tudor house so we have wooden beams in the ceilings and i'm not sure how they'd measure up for the fixing. But thank you for your help!

They make mounts for the stand or on the wall to hold Hybrid light fixtures. Much better than hanging from the ceiling. Look on BRS. THey even have a set in the open box section.

Universal & Hybrid Light Hanging Fixture - Black (OPEN BOX)

Adjustable and Secure Mounting For Black Aquatic Life Hybrid Light Fixtures Aquatic Life's Universal & Hybrid Light Hanging System is perfect for light fixtures that do not have a tank mounting option or aquariums that cannot accept a tank mount. Securely attaching to the backside to most...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Billldg]

Would it all depend on the rockscape aswell? as my AI Prime 16HD is only a few months old. But thank you for your help!

It can, but the reason I recommend going with the 32's is because they have more light pucks thus have a more even spread. When possible I will always recommend going with more than you may need now to keep you from having to upgrade down the road. On a RS300 you could get away with 2 16's as its only a 3ft tank, but on the 350 I would recommend 2 32's.

 

[Funston07]

Hello,

I have been in the hobby for almost a year now and with my Fluval EVO 13.5 surviving my amateur reef skills, I think it's almost time for an upgrade, only I want BIG!

I just feel as though these HUGE tanks look amazing and whilst they are extremely pricey, I would like some expert opinion on the tanks around the 65 - 80 gallon mark (not huge for some of you guys),

I've seen the Waterbox 85.3, EA ProReef 900 and the Red Sea Reefers XL 300 and 350, they all have built in sumps, pipework etc. as you all know, which seems extremely easy compared to my built in sump where filtration is poor, no room for a refugium or even proper filter media, I literally run this system with the sponge and a filter floss.

I would like to add that I have an AI Prime 16HD running on my Fluval EVO 13.5, will two of these be enough for such a large tank? or should I upgrade the lighting aswell? maybe two AI Hydra32's or even the ReefLED90's as recommended by Red Sea?

But what would be the best for someone in my position and should I maybe look smaller as this will only be my second tank.

Olivia.

I run 2 AI prime 16 on my 65gal tank and its more than enough. Have all softies and lps but have the lights cut down to maybe 50% of their full potential

 

[ilott]

They make mounts for the stand or on the wall to hold Hybrid light fixtures. Much better than hanging from the ceiling. Look on BRS. THey even have a set in the open box section.

Universal & Hybrid Light Hanging Fixture - Black (OPEN BOX)

Adjustable and Secure Mounting For Black Aquatic Life Hybrid Light Fixtures Aquatic Life's Universal & Hybrid Light Hanging System is perfect for light fixtures that do not have a tank mounting option or aquariums that cannot accept a tank mount. Securely attaching to the backside to most...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Thank you very much! I'll be sure to check out their store!

 

[ilott]

It can, but the reason I recommend going with the 32's is because they have more light pucks thus have a more even spread. When possible I will always recommend going with more than you may need now to keep you from having to upgrade down the road. On a RS300 you could get away with 2 16's as its only a 3ft tank, but on the 350 I would recommend 2 32's.

Thank you very much, more food for thought, I was just looking again at the 300/350 and I feel the 300 is the one for me, would you recommend Red Sea over other brands?

 

[Billldg]

Thank you very much, more food for thought, I was just looking again at the 300/350 and I feel the 300 is the one for me, would you recommend Red Sea over other brands?

I can't recommend any over the other as I have none of them. I do like the dimensions of the RS300 though and Red Sea has a great reputation.

 

[Spare time]

I would do 2 or 3 more ai primes. You will get a better spread than with the hydra

 

[ilott]

I run 2 AI prime 16 on my 65gal tank and its more than enough. Have all softies and lps but have the lights cut down to maybe 50% of their full potential

Thank you so much! I'll get another one on the shopping list!

 

[ilott]

I can't recommend any over the other as I have none of them. I do like the dimensions of the RS300 though and Red Sea has a great reputation.

Thank you for your opinion and I agree their reputation is impeccable

 

[ilott]

I would do 2 or 3 more ai primes. You will get a better spread than with the hydra

One for each foot of tank?

 

[Robertellis30]

I currently have 3 hydra 32 over my 300xl. But I’m also working towards heavy sps. Since you already have the 16prime hd I would say keep add another one. Then down the road upgrade to hybrid set up.

 

[Mr marine]

I have 2 hydra 32 on a 4 ft and it’s fine

 

[Ippyroy]

An AI 16 is half of a 32. Same pucks, so 2 16s will equal a 32, but you can spread them out more, at least that is my understanding.

 

[ilott]

I currently have 3 hydra 32 over my 300xl. But I’m also working towards heavy sps. Since you already have the 16prime hd I would say keep add another one. Then down the road upgrade to hybrid set up.

What do you think of the smaller Red Sea units as apposed to an XL 300, maybe the 170 or XL 200 as I'm still indecisive as to where I should place the tank.

 

[Jimbo662]

What types of corals are you planning to keep? I recently set up a Waterbox Frag 105.4 as an LPS / softie tank. Previous tank was a 130g Planet Aquarium. I love the dimensions of the 105.4. It's 4'x2' and only 16" deep so it's very easy to reach into for maintenance. I've always had black stands. This time I went with the white. Everything is very sleek and clean looking.