New tank build advice

[drino]

Hi folks,

I'm new to R2R, and planning my tank build. There are so many options on EVERYTHING, I thought you folks can steer me in the right direction and maybe save me from making a spendy, rookie mistake. My goal is a reef tank with easy, beginner soft corals. Advice, alternatives and opinions appreciated!

• DT - 75 G - 18 x 48 x 21
• Sump - Undecided - I may build my own from 20-30 G tank. Refugium is a must.
• Return pump
  • Jebao DCT-6000 (1585GPH)
  • Jebao DCP sine Wave Return pump (1450 GPH)
  • Sicce Syncra Silent 5.0 pump (1321GPH)
• Protein skimmer
  • Bubble Margus Curve 5
  • AquaMaxx ConeS
  • Reef Octopus Classic 110
• Lights - will full spectrum LED be enough, or do I also need T5/T8?
  • MICMOL smart marine full spectrum lights, $198, or
  • AquaMaxx NemoLight LED $159
• Wavemakers
  • Jebao PP-15 (315-3950 GPH) x 2
  • Hydor Koralia 3rd Gen 2450 x 2

I have a 5-stage RO/DI system coming from BRS, and lots of the other little things like thermometers, hydrometer, etc. I was thinking of using Instant Ocean and Bio-spira for my startup with LR either from my LFS or BRS.

Anything you'd steer me toward or away from? Alternatives I haven't considered? Thanks!

 

[PDR]

I added my thoughts to the quote.

Hi folks,

I'm new to R2R, and planning my tank build. There are so many options on EVERYTHING, I thought you folks can steer me in the right direction and maybe save me from making a spendy, rookie mistake. My goal is a reef tank with easy, beginner soft corals. Advice, alternatives and opinions appreciated!

• DT - 75 G - 18 x 48 x 21
• Sump - Undecided - I may build my own from 20-30 G tank. Refugium is a must.
• Return pump
  • Jebao DCT-6000 (1585GPH)
  • Jebao DCP sine Wave Return pump (1450 GPH)
  • Sicce Syncra Silent 5.0 pump (1321GPH) - I have two of these pumps and really like them. Just make sure to get the one that will work best with your overflow.
• Protein skimmer
  • Bubble Margus Curve 5
  • AquaMaxx ConeS
  • Reef Octopus Classic 110 - I don't run a skimmer, but if I were to get one it would probably be a reef octopus.
• Lights - will full spectrum LED be enough, or do I also need T5/T8?
  • MICMOL smart marine full spectrum lights, $198, or
  • AquaMaxx NemoLight LED $159
  • I don't know much about these light. I really like T5's, T5 and led's are even better. IMO I would budget more for lighting up front as opposed to having to change it out later on. There are many LED lighting options, but you can't really go wrong with any of the mainstream manufacturers (AI, Ecotech, Kessil, Orphek, etc)

• Wavemakers
  • Jebao PP-15 (315-3950 GPH) x 2 - I have been happy with my OW-10 series Jebao pumps. I have 4 in a similar sized tank.
  • Hydor Koralia 3rd Gen 2450 x 2

I have a 5-stage RO/DI system coming from BRS, and lots of the other little things like thermometers, hydrometer, etc. I was thinking of using Instant Ocean and Bio-spira for my startup with LR either from my LFS or BRS.
I love my BRS RO/DI system, good choice! I would highly recommend a refractometer over a hydrometer. Instant ocean is a good salt, but for similar (or less) money, the Live Aquaria salt from Dr foster and smith is really good. Bio-spira is good but I have heard issues from people who have purchased it from Amazon. Dr. Tims seems to be a favorite bottled bacteria. I really like the dry rock from reefcleaner.org. good price, and I have not had any issues with them leaching anything like I did from the BRS rock.

 

[Dennis McGrath]

I would go for a refractometer as opposed to a swingarm hydrometer

 

[gcarroll]

I'll also butt my comments.

• DT - 75 G - 18 x 48 x 21
• Sump - Undecided - I may build my own from 20-30 G tank. Refugium is a must. (if you want to rely on a refugium embrace it fully. Lit properly, it can easily take care of all your filtration needs)
• Return pump (personally I think all of those options are way more than enough for your tank. I might consider a quality AC pump like a Tunze 1073.020 or 1073.040, Fluval SP2, or Sicce)
  • Jebao DCT-6000 (1585GPH)
  • Jebao DCP sine Wave Return pump (1450 GPH)
  • Sicce Syncra Silent 5.0 pump (1321GPH)
• Protein skimmer (with softies, I don't see why a skimmer is even needed. just adds more maintenance and if refugium is done right, is not necessary Use the extra space for a larger refugium)
  • Bubble Margus Curve 5
  • AquaMaxx ConeS
  • Reef Octopus Classic 110
• Lights - will full spectrum LED be enough, or do I also need T5/T8? (I would use the money saved from choosing no skimmer to go with a quality light choice such as the AI nano, Maybe 3 of them. I think you will be really happy with their performance)
  • MICMOL smart marine full spectrum lights, $198, or
  • AquaMaxx NemoLight LED $159
• Wavemakers (look into the Reef Breeders RP - 26) They don't stick out much into the tank and the flow is very wide. Start with one and add another if you find it necessary. It can provide great wave action that will make those softies happy)
  • Jebao PP-15 (315-3950 GPH) x 2
  • Hydor Koralia 3rd Gen 2450 x 2

 

[starypotter]

• DT - 75 G - 18 x 48 x 21
• Sump - Undecided - I may build my own from 20-30 G tank. Refugium is a must.
• I have same size DT and my sump is a 40 breeder, got it at the $/gallon sale and it fits quite nicely, I've got the whole front half as a refugium and the back half are my chambers. Just a few bits of glass, it's really easy to cut yourself just get the things from a home depot/lowes and look up a video or two online on how to cut glass. All you need is regular sandpaper to sand the edges and it's a lot cheaper than acrylic. I tried to cut acrylic and failed miserably, glass was no problem.
• Return pump
• All I can say on this is that my QuietOne Pro 4000 (1020 GPH) is fairly under powered if you want your returns to have a decent flow. I also think I need to add a cheap powerhead to my sump.
  • Jebao DCT-6000 (1585GPH)
  • Jebao DCP sine Wave Return pump (1450 GPH)
  • Sicce Syncra Silent 5.0 pump (1321GPH)
• Protein skimmer
• I have a Curve 5, I was also going between the Reef Octopus and the Curve 5. In the end the Curve 5 had slightly better reviews, and I also believe a slightly better warrantee. Mine works quite well if I say so myself but I haven't had anything else to compare.
  • Bubble Margus Curve 5
  • AquaMaxx ConeS
  • Reef Octopus Classic 110
• Lights - will full spectrum LED be enough, or do I also need T5/T8?
• I have two black box LEDs, Viparspectra. Total was about 240 I think? They're on Amazon. Like the others have said go big with this. I only wanted softies at first too but my fish aren't even in my tank yet and I've already started LPS.
  • MICMOL smart marine full spectrum lights, $198, or
  • AquaMaxx NemoLight LED $159
• Wavemakers
• Again can't really recommend much here as I'm trying to ask the same questions, but i can say that the super budget Sun Sun ones are not really the best. Also that in my thread someone said that a lot of people get the Jebao with the assumption that they're going to only last a short while and that they're 'cheap enough' to replace. To me a $50+ wave maker isn't something I'd consider to be cheap enough to replace every couple years. I'm also looking at the Gyre 3k and the EFlux 2100. Not that I can recommend them, but with the same size tank that's what I'm researching.
  • Jebao PP-15 (315-3950 GPH) x 2
  • Hydor Koralia 3rd Gen 2450 x 2

I have a 5-stage RO/DI system coming from BRS, and lots of the other little things like thermometers, hydrometer, etc. I was thinking of using Instant Ocean and Bio-spira for my startup with LR either from my LFS or BRS.

Personally I would suggest dry rock from ReeefCleaners, I got an order from them and it was great, great service all of that. All of the LFS by me have manmade limerick. And to be quite honest and it's my own opinion, but I think it's absolutely hideous. The artificial purple they paint it with is just absurd. I had gotten some rubble to start out my system and it's all in my sump now, I can't even pretend to want something like that in my DT. It looks too much like concrete slabs to me. As everyone else said, refractometer for sure. I use IO salt I think it's just fine. I've used BioSpira to cycle a QT and it worked great.

 

[Simplicity Aquatics]

I'd love for you to check out our products, they would fit the bill for many of your needs and we offer service unrivaled by any of the brands you mentioned. Give our site a quick review!

 

[Oldreefer44]

Like with Houses, boats, cars etc. etc. etc. what seems enough now soon may not be. Many a reefer started out with simple goals of a few fish and a few soft corals. Before long they start wanting to try sps or lps corals and find that they need new equipment. If you are confident that beginner soft corals are all you are ever going to want then I think that gcarrol is correct because the requirements are simple and fairly easy to achieve. However, what about when you are no longer a "beginner" and like most of us, want more? Suggest at least giving some thought as to what kind of tank you want 2 or 3 years from now and invest accordingly. Otherwise you will find, that like many of us, you will have a lot of old equipment that you spent good money on that no longer meets your needs.

 

[siggy]

Hey @drino , I take it you passed on the 100G used ? GOOD that was a basket case. All good advice from ^^^^^^^^ Ill just say Lighting is the single most important and costly thing on the list as far as wasting good money, all the other stuff works as priced, meaning if its cheap its cheap so plan accordingly, MY 2 cents on lights to start would be Aquatic life hybrid to start and add LED'S later when needed that way you are starting with a light that will grow with you. The 4 t5 bulbs will be plenty for anything short of SPS and you can ask for LED'S for your B-day or Christmas GL

 

[drino]

I'll also *** my comments.

• DT - 75 G - 18 x 48 x 21
• Sump - Undecided - I may build my own from 20-30 G tank. Refugium is a must. (if you want to rely on a refugium embrace it fully. Lit properly, it can easily take care of all your filtration needs)
• Return pump (personally I think all of those options are way more than enough for your tank. I might consider a quality AC pump like a Tunze 1073.020 or 1073.040, Fluval SP2, or Sicce)
  • Jebao DCT-6000 (1585GPH)
  • Jebao DCP sine Wave Return pump (1450 GPH)
  • Sicce Syncra Silent 5.0 pump (1321GPH)
• Protein skimmer (with softies, I don't see why a skimmer is even needed. just adds more maintenance and if refugium is done right, is not necessary Use the extra space for a larger refugium)
  • Bubble Margus Curve 5
  • AquaMaxx ConeS
  • Reef Octopus Classic 110
• Lights - will full spectrum LED be enough, or do I also need T5/T8? (I would use the money saved from choosing no skimmer to go with a quality light choice such as the AI nano, Maybe 3 of them. I think you will be really happy with their performance)
  • MICMOL smart marine full spectrum lights, $198, or
  • AquaMaxx NemoLight LED $159
• Wavemakers (look into the Reef Breeders RP - 26) They don't stick out much into the tank and the flow is very wide. Start with one and add another if you find it necessary. It can provide great wave action that will make those softies happy)
  • Jebao PP-15 (315-3950 GPH) x 2
  • Hydor Koralia 3rd Gen 2450 x 2

Fantastic advice, thank you! So I can add a protein pump if needed later, cool. I want the biggest refugium I can get for sure. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and advise. Appreciate it!!

 

[drino]

Hey @drino , I take it you passed on the 100G used ? GOOD that was a basket case. All good advice from ^^^^^^^^ Ill just say Lighting is the single most important and costly thing on the list as far as wasting good money, all the other stuff works as priced, meaning if its cheap its cheap so plan accordingly, MY 2 cents on lights to start would be Aquatic life hybrid to start and add LED'S later when needed that way you are starting with a light that will grow with you. The 4 t5 bulbs will be plenty for anything short of SPS and you can ask for LED'S for your B-day or Christmas GL

Great advice! Yes I passed on the 100G - it looked like a hot mess. Eyeballing a new tank and stand at a good price. Thanks for the advice on lights, I’ll go T5 and start a Christmas list. LOL I better be a good girl now! Thanks for taking the time to read and respond!

 

[drino]

Like with Houses, boats, cars etc. etc. etc. what seems enough now soon may not be. Many a reefer started out with simple goals of a few fish and a few soft corals. Before long they start wanting to try sps or lps corals and find that they need new equipment. If you are confident that beginner soft corals are all you are ever going to want then I think that gcarrol is correct because the requirements are simple and fairly easy to achieve. However, what about when you are no longer a "beginner" and like most of us, want more? Suggest at least giving some thought as to what kind of tank you want 2 or 3 years from now and invest accordingly. Otherwise you will find, that like many of us, you will have a lot of old equipment that you spent good money on that no longer meets your needs.

Great advice. You’re so right. When I started riding motorcycles in 2007 I thought 650cc would be all I needed. I was so wrong. Sounds like investing in the high-end lights and good refugium is a must. So you’re saying this is addictive and I’ll want more and more? LOL I can see that happening. Thanks for advising! Appreciate the direction.

 

[drino]

• DT - 75 G - 18 x 48 x 21
• Sump - Undecided - I may build my own from 20-30 G tank. Refugium is a must.
• I have same size DT and my sump is a 40 breeder, got it at the $/gallon sale and it fits quite nicely, I've got the whole front half as a refugium and the back half are my chambers. Just a few bits of glass, it's really easy to cut yourself just get the things from a home depot/lowes and look up a video or two online on how to cut glass. All you need is regular sandpaper to sand the edges and it's a lot cheaper than acrylic. I tried to cut acrylic and failed miserably, glass was no problem.
• Return pump
• All I can say on this is that my QuietOne Pro 4000 (1020 GPH) is fairly under powered if you want your returns to have a decent flow. I also think I need to add a cheap powerhead to my sump.
  • Jebao DCT-6000 (1585GPH)
  • Jebao DCP sine Wave Return pump (1450 GPH)
  • Sicce Syncra Silent 5.0 pump (1321GPH)
• Protein skimmer
• I have a Curve 5, I was also going between the Reef Octopus and the Curve 5. In the end the Curve 5 had slightly better reviews, and I also believe a slightly better warrantee. Mine works quite well if I say so myself but I haven't had anything else to compare.
  • Bubble Margus Curve 5
  • AquaMaxx ConeS
  • Reef Octopus Classic 110
• Lights - will full spectrum LED be enough, or do I also need T5/T8?
• I have two black box LEDs, Viparspectra. Total was about 240 I think? They're on Amazon. Like the others have said go big with this. I only wanted softies at first too but my fish aren't even in my tank yet and I've already started LPS.
  • MICMOL smart marine full spectrum lights, $198, or
  • AquaMaxx NemoLight LED $159
• Wavemakers
• Again can't really recommend much here as I'm trying to ask the same questions, but i can say that the super budget Sun Sun ones are not really the best. Also that in my thread someone said that a lot of people get the Jebao with the assumption that they're going to only last a short while and that they're 'cheap enough' to replace. To me a $50+ wave maker isn't something I'd consider to be cheap enough to replace every couple years. I'm also looking at the Gyre 3k and the EFlux 2100. Not that I can recommend them, but with the same size tank that's what I'm researching.
  • Jebao PP-15 (315-3950 GPH) x 2
  • Hydor Koralia 3rd Gen 2450 x 2

I have a 5-stage RO/DI system coming from BRS, and lots of the other little things like thermometers, hydrometer, etc. I was thinking of using Instant Ocean and Bio-spira for my startup with LR either from my LFS or BRS.

Personally I would suggest dry rock from ReeefCleaners, I got an order from them and it was great, great service all of that. All of the LFS by me have manmade limerick. And to be quite honest and it's my own opinion, but I think it's absolutely hideous. The artificial purple they paint it with is just absurd. I had gotten some rubble to start out my system and it's all in my sump now, I can't even pretend to want something like that in my DT. It looks too much like concrete slabs to me. As everyone else said, refractometer for sure. I use IO salt I think it's just fine. I've used BioSpira to cycle a QT and it worked great.

Great tip on the LR, I’ll look into that. I’ve been worried about what some looks like, concrete slabs are a big pass! I’ll check dimensions on my cabinet to see how big a sump I can fit. Love the idea of glass baffles - was thinking I could get it cut at our local glass shop. I think it’d be too think for me to cut. I can score and snap window glass - did a lot of stained glasses projects so have the tools. Also have a wet tile saw. Thanks for tips on lights and pumps. I think investing there is where it’s at. Appreciate your thoughts!!

 

[drino]

I would go for a refractometer as opposed to a swingarm hydrometer

You’re right, newbie mixed up her terminology. I got a refractometer and the fluid. Just need to learn to read it!!

 

[starypotter]

Great tip on the LR, I’ll look into that. I’ve been worried about what some looks like, concrete slabs are a big pass! I’ll check dimensions on my cabinet to see how big a sump I can fit. Love the idea of glass baffles - was thinking I could get it cut at our local glass shop. I think it’d be too think for me to cut. I can score and snap window glass - did a lot of stained glasses projects so have the tools. Also have a wet tile saw. Thanks for tips on lights and pumps. I think investing there is where it’s at. Appreciate your thoughts!!

Oh if you already know how to cut window glass you're there! I made my first sump with regular window sort of glass, I think it's 3/32 at Home Depot. It held up just fine, made my second sump with the same and no problems with that either. Granted they haven't been up long, but they hold quite well and you shouldn't have super crazy speed flow through your sump anyway or it won't be as good for your refugium.
This is what my breeder looks like, the chamber to the left is where I plan to put the pump and things for if I ever end up needing a reactor, water comes down into the second chamber, I can put mechanical media in there, I've put filter floss between the baffles, then the skimmer, my Curve 5, and then the return. Water comes in at the second chamber, then flows out into the front where I have a DSB and macro algae. It's got some higher flow areas and some lower flow areas. Then the water must go through the skimmer chamber to get into the return chamber! I've got a cheap powerhead in that empty first chamber just so the water doesn't sit there without any movement. As you can see, it's really really worth it to plan out your wires. so you don't end up with a mess like this.

 

[drino]

Oh if you already know how to cut window glass you're there! I made my first sump with regular window sort of glass, I think it's 3/32 at Home Depot. It held up just fine, made my second sump with the same and no problems with that either. Granted they haven't been up long, but they hold quite well and you shouldn't have super crazy speed flow through your sump anyway or it won't be as good for your refugium.
This is what my breeder looks like, the chamber to the left is where I plan to put the pump and things for if I ever end up needing a reactor, water comes down into the second chamber, I can put mechanical media in there, I've put filter floss between the baffles, then the skimmer, my Curve 5, and then the return. Water comes in at the second chamber, then flows out into the front where I have a DSB and macro algae. It's got some higher flow areas and some lower flow areas. Then the water must go through the skimmer chamber to get into the return chamber! I've got a cheap powerhead in that empty first chamber just so the water doesn't sit there without any movement. As you can see, it's really really worth it to plan out your wires. so you don't end up with a mess like this.

I have serious sump envy, great setup! You’ve inspired me to tackle it myself. I’d rather invest the extra $$ in lights. Thank you for sharing! (I may steal some of your good ideas!).

 

[starypotter]

I have serious sump envy, great setup! You’ve inspired me to tackle it myself. I’d rather invest the extra $$ in lights. Thank you for sharing! (I may steal some of your good ideas!).

Glad to hear it!! And even my sump light is just a uh... light used by the other reefers I believe. Macro does well with red lights so that one only cost 20-30 on amazon, there's a ton and it grows hair algae like there's no tomorrow, I don't have cheato yet but I'm sure it'll get the job done. Luckily the sump light doesn't need to be expensive.

 

[Oshengems]

I had the bubble magus and currently running the reef octopus 110-sss in my setup 75g with a 20g Sump they both worked great I downgraded for the space saver because the bubble magus was stripping too much out of my water I felt and on that note I run my skimmer 12 hours, I have a ton of rocks in my sump also a “cryptic zone”( bunch of LR fill with sponges.

But if space will be an issue the reef octopus are solid skimmers and quiet the SSS line are also space savers since it’s a big cylinder

But like a few said here Bigger is better since I’m this hobby scaling up is always the next step

 

[gcarroll]

Great advice! Yes I passed on the 100G - it looked like a hot mess. Eyeballing a new tank and stand at a good price. Thanks for the advice on lights, I’ll go T5 and start a Christmas list. LOL I better be a good girl now! Thanks for taking the time to read and respond!

This video show exactly why the quality and intensity of the light matter so much! Imo, the benefits are too significant to overlook.

 

[drino]

I had the bubble magus and currently running the reef octopus 110-sss in my setup 75g with a 20g Sump they both worked great I downgraded for the space saver because the bubble magus was stripping too much out of my water I felt and on that note I run my skimmer 12 hours, I have a ton of rocks in my sump also a “cryptic zone”( bunch of LR fill with sponges.

But if space will be an issue the reef octopus are solid skimmers and quiet the SSS line are also space savers since it’s a big cylinder

But like a few said here Bigger is better since I’m this hobby scaling up is always the next step

I definitely want as much space as possible, so that’s good advice. I didn’t realize skimmers don’t need to run all the time. Thanks for the tips!

 

[drino]

This video show exactly why the quality and intensity of the light matter so much! Imo, the benefits are too significant to overlook.

Well THAT is a very interesting video! Totally makes sense! Thank you for sharing it.