125G - Looking for some suggestions/advice!

[mbemount]

First Saltwater tank, looking for some opinions/advice/suggestions!

Equipment
Display - 125G Marineland Corner-Flo (dual overflows) - 72x18x22 - Just arrived today!
Sump - 40G Breeder (will be picked up this weekend during Petco $1/gal sale)
Skimmer - Reef Octopus Classic 150INT - haven't bought yet, suggestions?
Circulation - Hydor Koralia Evolution 1150 x 3? - Haven't purchased yet, looking for the best bang for the buck. Will pry throw the deflectors on them.
Heater - ViaAqua Titanium Aquarium Heater 2x200W? - not 100% on it yet
Return Pump - ???? - I have a mag 7 on my main Cichlid tank and its a tad noisy at times. Suggestions?
Rock - BRS Pukani - Already ordered 70lbs, will be ordering another 50-70lbs in the near future. I will be cleaning them in acid and then testing to see if they are leaching phosphates.
Sand - ???? - No preference yet, don't want anything too fine.
Lighting - Torn, not sure what I'm stocking 100% yet and that'll determine it. I'm sure initially I'll do something cheaper until I start moving into corals (if the fish I choose are reef safe).
RODI Unit - MaxCap 2:1 Manual Flush 90-GPD RO/DI System - Bought this a few weeks ago, it's being installed this weekend. Might need to pickup a booster.
Test Kit - Seems API is a pretty mediocre kit for saltwater but I don't want to break my budget buying all Hannah checkers yet. Red Sea the best bet?
Quarantine - Will be using a 20G Long for quarantine.

Am I missing a key piece of equipment?

Fish
I'm extremely torn. There's no 'must have' fish so far. My favorite fish by far is Niger or Indian Black Triggerfish. Howevever, I understand their downfalls and the limits they will put on my tank. I have a full stock list for a community tank but don't want to regret not getting my favorite fish. I didn't buy a 125G tank for just one fish though.. What would be some good tank mates with a Niger or Indian Black Triggerfish?

I don't think I'll start cycling until late October at the very earliest and won't be adding my first fish until mid to late December/January so I have some time to decide, not in any rush.

Any other suggestions are appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[Titans_Reef]

I also have a marineland 125g tank. For the sump I went with a aqueon proflex sump model 4 which I got for free since it arrived broken but they refunded me my money so I can order a new one so I just fixed it. The skimmer, I ran a eshops psk-150 for over a year and loved it, im running a bubble magus NAC6 and love it. For circulation though, I use hydors 1500. I had 3 but it was way too much and just run 2 with a wavemaker. For the heater, I have a Ehiem Jager 250w. 1 is fine and if you want to have an extra one for that just incase it goes out its fine, its what I did. I run 2 return pumps for when one is out for cleaning or one died, I still have circulation inside the tank and its filtering. I run 2 quiet ones 991 and I love them, they have been running for almost 2 years now with no issues. The rock I got 120lbs of dry and just rinsed it out with the water hose and got 20lbs of LR to seed it. I ran a biopellet reactor to remove the phosphates. Sand is your preference. Lighting I would get LED lights. I have 3 OceanRevive T247 on my 125g and they are dimmable from 1% increments. Even at 1%, they light up the tank for a FOWLR and if you go reef down the road, then you dont need to buy lights. They are $200 a piece. Quarantine tank, I honestly never set one up. I have never quarantined any livestock ever but then again I never had any issues since my LFS does it because they hate to sell a fish and it died on the way home or something. It is good to have 1 but from my experience I havent had a fish die other then having a jumper and I havent had any issues with infections or diseases. My cleaner shrimps take care of the fish.

Invest in a ATO. I have a JBJ ATO but im using a Rio 90 pump and I turned down the flow with the ball valuve it comes with since the aqualifter pump sucks. If you are doing a FOWLR you can run your salinity low around 1.018-1.020 since fish will be fine and saves a little on salt. If you want colorful fish, look into getting a naso, Hoveen wrasse, yellow tangs, foxfaces, yellow belly hippo, powder blue tang, a snowflake eel, flame angle, coral beauty... There is a lot of fish you can add but its just up to you. Get a brute trash can with wheels, you can mix 40g and its not that hard to move it around, even on carpet, just get an extra pump, heater and thermometer. Get a refractometer also, a hydrometer is useful but a refractometer is better. I have both to make sure 1 isnt off a lot.

 

[Titans_Reef]

Oh and for FOWLR, do not bother measuing your alk, mag, and cal. Its not nessessary unless you want coraline algae. When you do a WC, it will add whatever was depleted but since you wont have corals in the beginning, it doesnt matter. Once you do start adding corals, test all your levels prior to introducing them. Just trying to save you money from buying test kits you dont need and additives.

 

[thegrun]

Skimmer - Reef Octopus Classic 150INT - haven't bought yet, suggestions?
I'm in the process of setting up a 120, I'm going to use the AquaMaxx EM 200
Circulation - Hydor Koralia Evolution 1150 x 3? - Haven't purchased yet, looking for the best bang for the buck. Will pry throw the deflectors on them.
For a fish only system the three Hydors would be good.
Heater - ViaAqua Titanium Aquarium Heater 2x200W? - not 100% on it yet
Years ago I used the ViaAqua Titanium heaters and I never had issues with them. I now use Eheim Jagger heaters, but the ViaAqua heaters should be fine. I would use two-250 watt heaters (or 1-200 watt and 1-300 watt).
Return Pump - ???? - I have a mag 7 on my main Cichlid tank and its a tad noisy at times. Suggestions?
Eheim 1262 is a great pump. They run quiet, last forever and are efficent.
Sand - ???? - No preference yet, don't want anything too fine.
CaribSea Special Grade Reef Sand (dry, not live).
RODI Unit - MaxCap 2:1 Manual Flush 90-GPD RO/DI System - Bought this a few weeks ago, it's being installed this weekend. Might need to pickup a booster.
Test Kit - Seems API is a pretty mediocre kit for saltwater but I don't want to break my budget buying all Hannah checkers yet. Red Sea the best bet?
The API test kits do not test to the accuracy of either Salifert, Red Sea Pro or Elos, but for a fish only system they would be fine. The Red Sea Pro series is the least expensive of the upper end test kits. I use Salifert because I find them a little easier to use.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Skimmer: I used that one for several years without a problem. It is now my backup which I may need soon......
Heaters: Like thegrun, I use a pair of Eheim Jagger heaters. You may want to consider an independent controller (Like a Ranch) which will ensure they don't get stuck on.
Return Pump: I liked my Mag7 but upgraded to an RLSS DC6000 (not one of the knockoffs) to get increased turnover.
Sand:Stick with dry sand. The bagged wet stuff just makes you pay for the weight of the water with only sales hype for proof it does anything being wet.
Lighting: For a FOWLR you don't need much in the way of lights. I tried LEDs but found they created deep shadows. I went back to T5s and currently use 4X80W over my 125g.
Test Kits: I like Salifert as they are very easy to use and give a clear indication of the levels.

Good Luck,

 

[mbemount]

I also have a marineland 125g tank. For the sump I went with a aqueon proflex sump model 4 which I got for free since it arrived broken but they refunded me my money so I can order a new one so I just fixed it. The skimmer, I ran a eshops psk-150 for over a year and loved it, im running a bubble magus NAC6 and love it. For circulation though, I use hydors 1500. I had 3 but it was way too much and just run 2 with a wavemaker. For the heater, I have a Ehiem Jager 250w. 1 is fine and if you want to have an extra one for that just incase it goes out its fine, its what I did. I run 2 return pumps for when one is out for cleaning or one died, I still have circulation inside the tank and its filtering. I run 2 quiet ones 991 and I love them, they have been running for almost 2 years now with no issues. The rock I got 120lbs of dry and just rinsed it out with the water hose and got 20lbs of LR to seed it. I ran a biopellet reactor to remove the phosphates. Sand is your preference. Lighting I would get LED lights. I have 3 OceanRevive T247 on my 125g and they are dimmable from 1% increments. Even at 1%, they light up the tank for a FOWLR and if you go reef down the road, then you dont need to buy lights. They are $200 a piece. Quarantine tank, I honestly never set one up. I have never quarantined any livestock ever but then again I never had any issues since my LFS does it because they hate to sell a fish and it died on the way home or something. It is good to have 1 but from my experience I havent had a fish die other then having a jumper and I havent had any issues with infections or diseases. My cleaner shrimps take care of the fish.

Invest in a ATO. I have a JBJ ATO but im using a Rio 90 pump and I turned down the flow with the ball valuve it comes with since the aqualifter pump sucks. If you are doing a FOWLR you can run your salinity low around 1.018-1.020 since fish will be fine and saves a little on salt. If you want colorful fish, look into getting a naso, Hoveen wrasse, yellow tangs, foxfaces, yellow belly hippo, powder blue tang, a snowflake eel, flame angle, coral beauty... There is a lot of fish you can add but its just up to you. Get a brute trash can with wheels, you can mix 40g and its not that hard to move it around, even on carpet, just get an extra pump, heater and thermometer. Get a refractometer also, a hydrometer is useful but a refractometer is better. I have both to make sure 1 isnt off a lot.

Yeah the ATO was what I forgot on the list, definitely a must for me. Thanks for the advice!

Skimmer - Reef Octopus Classic 150INT - haven't bought yet, suggestions?
I'm in the process of setting up a 120, I'm going to use the AquaMaxx EM 200
Circulation - Hydor Koralia Evolution 1150 x 3? - Haven't purchased yet, looking for the best bang for the buck. Will pry throw the deflectors on them.
For a fish only system the three Hydors would be good.
Heater - ViaAqua Titanium Aquarium Heater 2x200W? - not 100% on it yet
Years ago I used the ViaAqua Titanium heaters and I never had issues with them. I now use Eheim Jagger heaters, but the ViaAqua heaters should be fine. I would use two-250 watt heaters (or 1-200 watt and 1-300 watt).
Return Pump - ???? - I have a mag 7 on my main Cichlid tank and its a tad noisy at times. Suggestions?
Eheim 1262 is a great pump. They run quiet, last forever and are efficent.
Sand - ???? - No preference yet, don't want anything too fine.
CaribSea Special Grade Reef Sand (dry, not live).
RODI Unit - MaxCap 2:1 Manual Flush 90-GPD RO/DI System - Bought this a few weeks ago, it's being installed this weekend. Might need to pickup a booster.
Test Kit - Seems API is a pretty mediocre kit for saltwater but I don't want to break my budget buying all Hannah checkers yet. Red Sea the best bet?
The API test kits do not test to the accuracy of either Salifert, Red Sea Pro or Elos, but for a fish only system they would be fine. The Red Sea Pro series is the least expensive of the upper end test kits. I use Salifert because I find them a little easier to use.

I already have 2 brand new 300 Watt Eheim Jaggesr that I was going to use for my garage tanks during the winter but I could always use them for this and purchase new ones. I've heard great things about the 1262, it's definitely one of my first choices. Thanks for the tips!

Skimmer: I used that one for several years without a problem. It is now my backup which I may need soon......
Heaters: Like thegrun, I use a pair of Eheim Jagger heaters. You may want to consider an independent controller (Like a Ranch) which will ensure they don't get stuck on.
Return Pump: I liked my Mag7 but upgraded to an RLSS DC6000 (not one of the knockoffs) to get increased turnover.
Sand:Stick with dry sand. The bagged wet stuff just makes you pay for the weight of the water with only sales hype for proof it does anything being wet.
Lighting: For a FOWLR you don't need much in the way of lights. I tried LEDs but found they created deep shadows. I went back to T5s and currently use 4X80W over my 125g.
Test Kits: I like Salifert as they are very easy to use and give a clear indication of the levels.

Good Luck,

Yeah I will definitely be going with dry sand, I'm not in any rush and have no reason to buy live sand. I'm patient and I'm willing to have a longer cycle. What brand of T5's do you use? I have some aquaticlife T5 HO's for my planted tanks (fresh) and they've done a good job. Thanks!

 

[mbemount]

Here's an update with the ATO.

First Saltwater tank, looking for some opinions/advice/suggestions!

Equipment
Display - 125G Marineland Corner-Flo (dual overflows) - 72x18x22 - Just arrived today!
Sump - 40G Breeder (will be picked up this weekend during Petco $1/gal sale)
Skimmer - Reef Octopus Classic 150INT - haven't bought yet, suggestions?
Circulation - Hydor Koralia Evolution 1150 x 3? - Haven't purchased yet, looking for the best bang for the buck. Will pry throw the deflectors on them.
Heater - ViaAqua Titanium Aquarium Heater 2x200W? - not 100% on it yet
Return Pump - ???? - I have a mag 7 on my main Cichlid tank and its a tad noisy at times. Suggestions? 1262?
Rock - BRS Pukani - Already ordered 70lbs, will be ordering another 50-70lbs in the near future. I will be cleaning them in acid and then testing to see if they are leaching phosphates.
Sand - ???? - No preference yet, don't want anything too fine.
Lighting - Torn, not sure what I'm stocking 100% yet and that'll determine it. I'm sure initially I'll do something cheaper until I start moving into corals (if the fish I choose are reef safe).
RODI Unit - MaxCap 2:1 Manual Flush 90-GPD RO/DI System - Bought this a few weeks ago, it's being installed this weekend. Might need to pickup a booster.
Test Kit - Seems API is a pretty mediocre kit for saltwater but I don't want to break my budget buying all Hannah checkers yet. Red Sea the best bet?
Quarantine - Will be using a 20G Long for quarantine.
ATO - Hydor Smart Level Control ATO System

Am I missing a key piece of equipment?

Fish
I'm extremely torn. There's no 'must have' fish so far. My favorite fish by far is Niger or Indian Black Triggerfish. Howevever, I understand their downfalls and the limits they will put on my tank. I have a full stock list for a community tank but don't want to regret not getting my favorite fish. I didn't buy a 125G tank for just one fish though.. What would be some good tank mates with a Niger or Indian Black Triggerfish?

I don't think I'll start cycling until late October at the very earliest and won't be adding my first fish until mid to late December/January so I have some time to decide, not in any rush.

Any other suggestions are appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[RocketEngineer]

I'm really into DIY so a bunch of my equipment is assembled kits. My lighting is a LET Miro-5 T5 Retrofit Kit. I went with 4X80W which seems to be working well.

If I were able, I would consider buying an ATI fixture. To me they are one of the best T5 fixtures available. They are a little pricy but sometimes you can find good deals on used ones.

 

[mbemount]

Ah neat, I'll have to look into something like that. I've been pretty interested with some of the DIY LED kits, especially if I'm not doing corals.

 

[JoelA7]

I also love the Niger Trigger. Great fish and very personable. Maroon Clown is great. Bicolor Angel. Some wrasse and a blenny. Sunrise Dottyback or other pseudo Chromis. Awesome group.