Advice needed on new tank

[stars_bright]

I have had an Orca 450TL for a year but due to a problem with the lid I am looking at replacing it. As with most people, cost is an issue, I have been looking at getting a Fluval 200 L and which comes with a heather, a canister filer and 2 lights. Then I would get an internal protein skimmer and change the lights. I am not planning on having a sump. I am just a bit worried about how much live rock and sand I would then need - and the cost of that! I am wondering whether it might be better to go for the Red Dea Max tank which is smaller and more expesive initially but might cost less in the long run because it has more built in and would need less LR and sand than the 200 litre. I am also a bit worried about building my own incase I miss something out or choose the wrong thing. But having experienced problems in getting spare lights for the Orca I am thinking that at least if I build my own I can use standard lights which won't be a problem to replace. My head is spinning! Any ideas or suggestions, especially from anyone who has ether a Red Sea Max or a Fluval 200 L

 

[Sk8r]

We could give better advice if we knew the type of tank: I'm assuming fish-only? Live rock?
You can start a tank with base rock and just a little live rock---takes longer to be ready for occupants, but in the long run, it's much the same as if you were all live from the start. If you plan to keep a coral reef, you need a skimmer, but you won't need a cannister filter. If you're keeping larger fish, you need the cannister. If you get an all-in-one like the Aquapod, etc, you have all equipment and lights included in the price...I'm gathering that the Orca TL is somewhat similar? Liters? Gallons?

 

[stars_bright]

The Orca 450 is 60 litres, the Red Sea Max is 130 litres and the Fluval is 200 litres. At the moment I have a cleaner shrimp. peppermint shrimp and fire shrimp, a sift shifting starfish, an octopus stafish, a fwe blue legged crabs, a few different snails and a pair of common clowns. I also have a few corals. I would plan to move most of the livestock, except the sand and live rock to the new tank. I don't want to use the sand and live rock because I initially started the Orca with tap water and I now have hight levels of phospates in the water, despite a lot of water changes with my using my RO unit and also phophate remover. I suspect that phosphate has leached into the live rock and sand so I fon;t want to contaminte my new tank with it. I do plan to move the few bits of live rock that has coral growing on it though and gope that it won't take too much phospahte with it.
nce I have set up and moved my existing livestock in I would just like a bit more of the same really. I want a bigger tank for stability and to allow maybe a few more fish. The Red Sea Max would be twice as big as what I have now so would be a lot better whereas the 200 litre would be over 3 times bigger but I don't want to get too carried away with size and then have problems affording to stock it.