Hey All,
Before I start with questions, allow me to (re)introduce myself. I am a pretty well seasoned reef keeper, I have had 3 different reef tanks in my life with the largest being 100 gallon mixed reef with mostly SPS. I got out of the hobby a few years ago because in the process of buying a new house we had to move twice in the span of 3 months and moving my aquarium around and risking killing everything in it seemed like an irresponsible decision.
Now that my living situation is stable, I want to get back into it. My house is not quite as large as where I was living before so a tank of 100 gallons or larger is pretty much out of the question...
Anyhow, I have a starting hardware budget of about $3000-4000 and as it has been about 5 years since I have been into the hobby, a lot has changed. I have spent the last 3-4 weeks heavily researching things and I think I have a pretty good setup picked out but I wanted some feedback before I go ahead and pull the trigger. I am starting literally 100% from scratch. When I got out of the hobby I got rid of everything down to the last test kit and net.
Most of my questions surround the initial starting platform (tank/stand/sump) setup. I was originally looking at smaller "nano" AIO tanks like the Red Sea C-series, JBJ, etc. in the 29-34 gallon range, but I have since decided that I would be a lot happier with something in the 65-90 gallon range with a full size sump.
What I have nearly settled on is a the CAD Lights Artisan II, 70 Gallon[1] system as well as their bio reactor and protein skimmer. The main reason I have not pulled the trigger yet is twofold. One, I have read just as many highly negative reviews about CAD Lights as I have good ones, so I am a little nervous about their brand quality. Two, I am hesitant to try to buy things as a package vs. buying "best of breed" parts for each area (in this case the sump, skimmer and reactor). Other systems that have caught my eye are the Red Sea REEFER, the Red Sea Max S-series, and the Elos System 100, but each one of those has several little things about it that makes me not want it. For example, I don't like the sump on the REEFER, I don't like having to pay for lights on the Max S-series, and the Elos is simply too expensive.
Anyhow, I suppose my question to you guys is, if you were in my position to start 100% fresh on a tank in the 65-90 gallon range and had $3-4k to spend on everything (INCLUDING lights, live rock, sand, salt, RO/DI unit, refractometer, etc. but EXCLUDING any livestock) what would be your "dream" system? Keep in mind my goal is a mixed reef with predominantly SPS and Zoanthids. I can't help but feeling like I can stretch my money further and get better equipment if I stop looking at packages.
If you are curious, here is one the configurations I have put together that I am on the edge of buying:
Google Docs Link
Before I start with questions, allow me to (re)introduce myself. I am a pretty well seasoned reef keeper, I have had 3 different reef tanks in my life with the largest being 100 gallon mixed reef with mostly SPS. I got out of the hobby a few years ago because in the process of buying a new house we had to move twice in the span of 3 months and moving my aquarium around and risking killing everything in it seemed like an irresponsible decision.
Now that my living situation is stable, I want to get back into it. My house is not quite as large as where I was living before so a tank of 100 gallons or larger is pretty much out of the question...
Anyhow, I have a starting hardware budget of about $3000-4000 and as it has been about 5 years since I have been into the hobby, a lot has changed. I have spent the last 3-4 weeks heavily researching things and I think I have a pretty good setup picked out but I wanted some feedback before I go ahead and pull the trigger. I am starting literally 100% from scratch. When I got out of the hobby I got rid of everything down to the last test kit and net.
Most of my questions surround the initial starting platform (tank/stand/sump) setup. I was originally looking at smaller "nano" AIO tanks like the Red Sea C-series, JBJ, etc. in the 29-34 gallon range, but I have since decided that I would be a lot happier with something in the 65-90 gallon range with a full size sump.
What I have nearly settled on is a the CAD Lights Artisan II, 70 Gallon[1] system as well as their bio reactor and protein skimmer. The main reason I have not pulled the trigger yet is twofold. One, I have read just as many highly negative reviews about CAD Lights as I have good ones, so I am a little nervous about their brand quality. Two, I am hesitant to try to buy things as a package vs. buying "best of breed" parts for each area (in this case the sump, skimmer and reactor). Other systems that have caught my eye are the Red Sea REEFER, the Red Sea Max S-series, and the Elos System 100, but each one of those has several little things about it that makes me not want it. For example, I don't like the sump on the REEFER, I don't like having to pay for lights on the Max S-series, and the Elos is simply too expensive.
Anyhow, I suppose my question to you guys is, if you were in my position to start 100% fresh on a tank in the 65-90 gallon range and had $3-4k to spend on everything (INCLUDING lights, live rock, sand, salt, RO/DI unit, refractometer, etc. but EXCLUDING any livestock) what would be your "dream" system? Keep in mind my goal is a mixed reef with predominantly SPS and Zoanthids. I can't help but feeling like I can stretch my money further and get better equipment if I stop looking at packages.
If you are curious, here is one the configurations I have put together that I am on the edge of buying:
Google Docs Link
