Start a small reef tank...

[Tucho777]

So I am starting a small reef tank to get the hang of it. Eventually, I am going to switch to a much larger tank.

1. I bought a Fluval HOB filter, I want to use this to start my tank while I am building a sump on the side.
2. I bought a regular 40 gallon tank
3. CaribSea sand (40lbs)
4. heater
5. a couple of pieces of marcorock. I am going around trying to find the right ones
6. salt to make saltwater
7. water tester
8. Salinity tester
9. one power head, thinking of getting another one

I am having an issue picking the right light. Like most new people who are getting into this hobby, they don't want to spend a lot of money right now.

Does anyone have any suggestions???

 

[Phildago]

Black box leds. Get 2 or 3 fixtures and space them evenly over the tank. It won't cost more than 400 and will be far superior to anything else you could get for under $700.

Trust me that it's better to get more lights then turn them down and have excellent coverage without shading than it is to skimp on lighting and run them full blast. I've found that doing this causes hot spots where some corals burn and others don't have enough light in the same tank.

I personally would get 3 of this light because of the size of the fixture. Your could put three of them and have a nice blanket of light over every inch of the tank.

 

[Tucho777]

Black box leds. Get 2 or 3 fixtures and space them evenly over the tank. It won't cost more than 400 and will be far superior to anything else you could get for under $700.

Trust me that it's better to get more lights then turn them down and have excellent coverage without shading than it is to skimp on lighting and run them full blast. I've found that doing this causes hot spots where some corals burn and others don't have enough light in the same tank.

I personally would get 3 of this light because of the size of the fixture. Your could put three of them and have a nice blanket of light over every inch of the tank.

Is there one specifically you would recommend? I seen a couple on amazon.

 

[WIReefer]

Congrats on joining the salty side and welcome to R2R!!! The AI primes hd are great little lights and don’t cost too much.

 

[K7BMG]

I have not looked at the dimensions of the black box lights but a 40G is fairly small.
But yes they will work for this tank.
The money you save could get you a DIY sump that I highly recommend you do.

I am on the side of the fence that feels small Nano tanks are so much harder to keep stable. So the more water volume the better.
To Nano or not to Nano has been a heated discussion here on R2R.

Do your self a favor and research as much as you can before you buy any more gear.
Educated purchases will save you money big time. I have several items that just sit on the shelf now and collect dust.

Nitrogen Cycle
Quarantining
Stocking plan. You need to know what will be compatible, and also what will outgrow the tank quickly.

Welcome to R2R

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Welcome! I feel like I was exactly in the same mindset when I jumped in a few months back. Finally starting my upgrade to a larger tank project. I wound up finding an amazing deal on a light I could use when I upgraded on BRS open box deals. It is way overkill on my small tank, but then I can continue to use it as I progress.

 

[Here we go again..]

Welcome!!! The folks on here have copious amounts of knowledge and are always willing to help!!

 

[Phildago]

Is there one specifically you would recommend? I seen a couple on amazon.

The one I posted the link to there. I think those are great because of the dimensions

 

[old salt reefer]

Welcome to R2R. Please read threads on here about washing the gravel first(I know the bag says not to). If it was me I'd go barebottom(harder when tank is new, but much easier in the long run).