Does this look like a good setup?

[Potatohead]

I am setting up a small reef tank, a 36 gallon. I have kept freshwater fish for many years but this will be my first salt setup. Will be mostly softies and lps but probably a couple fish and I'd like to be able to try sps likely down the road.

Eshopps RS-75 sump
Either Eshopps PSK-75 or PSK-100 skimmer
I'll have to drill and plumb an overflow but that's no big deal, probably herbie.
Lighting I haven't decided but I am going to have to cycle the tank first anyway
Return pump about 200 gph at 4' head which is tank height.

I was looking at Bubba Magus skimmers but the new Eshopps come with a Sicce pump which is hard to ignore. Also Reef Octopus 110 looks nice but it's just big enough it won't fit in the compartment in the sump very easily, if at all.

Am I missing anything?

 

[randomfishguy85]

Auto top off, controller, powerheads

 

[Tooboot]

I am setting up a small reef tank, a 36 gallon. I have kept freshwater fish for many years but this will be my first salt setup. Will be mostly softies and lps but probably a couple fish and I'd like to be able to try sps likely down the road.

Eshopps RS-75 sump
Either Eshopps PSK-75 or PSK-100 skimmer
I'll have to drill and plumb an overflow but that's no big deal, probably herbie.
Lighting I haven't decided but I am going to have to cycle the tank first anyway
Return pump about 200 gph at 4' head which is tank height.

I was looking at Bubba Magus skimmers but the new Eshopps come with a Sicce pump which is hard to ignore. Also Reef Octopus 110 looks nice but it's just big enough it won't fit in the compartment in the sump very easily, if at all.

Am I missing anything?

only thing I would suggest from my research is err on the side of caution and go for the PSK-100 for the skimmer, this is where bigger would be better. what kind of return pump are you considering, there are some with auto shut offs when the water level is low which I considered to avoid burning out the pump and potential water issues, and does the 200gph consider the loss of flow due to the 4' head, may want to use RCs calculator for this.
as randomfishguy mentioned you will need powerheads, lots of options out there. consider your future plans, something with variable/controllable flow may be best, and if you are like me may want something that can hook up to a controller in the future. you'll want to look into what kind of coral you will want to keep to determine the flow levels, understanding that coral placement can play a part in this too.

what kind of rock will you be using, live sand/crushed coral, powerbar(s),

good luck.

 

[Potatohead]

I have a couple Koralia 425's I'll put in, not sure if I will need more than that, I can always add to them or get bigger ones.

Return pump I haven't decided yet, I currently have a Quiet One 4000 and a Mag7 in other applications and I much prefer the QO, it's much quieter. The QO 1200 is 175 gph at 4' head, so that could work.

I will be using Caribsea live sand and the local LFS has the rock thats made on land but then put in the ocean for a period of time, not sure the proper term.

 

[heathlindner25]

425's imo ,will not be enough.

 

[Potatohead]

425's imo ,will not be enough.

What would you put in there? I can use the 425's for mixing or whatever so I don't mind upgrading. Two 425's plus 200 gph (after head) pump is turning the tank over 30 times an hour, call it 25 to be safe? I need more than that?

 

[GimpyFin]

The 425s are nice because of their size, but they really don't move much water. I had a couple on a smaller tank (27 cube) and eventually changed them out. If you like the Koralias, 1 or 2 of the 3rd gen 1350s would work.

 

[Potatohead]

Ok, I have the big Koralia Gen 3's (2350 I think) in my 210g fresh tank, so maybe I'll try those. My only complaint is the magnet is kinda weak but this glass on this small tank is much thinner.

I'm having second thoughts on skimmers - I'd like a Reef Octopus but the NWB110 is too big for the sump, the slim version is like 60% more money than the Eshopps so probably not worth it. The Coralbox DC300 seems nice but I can't find many reviews on it at all.

Also trying to decide on Hydor or Tunze ATO, they're probably both good enough.

 

[GimpyFin]

Not sure if you've looked at them, but the Eshopps cone skimmers are really nice. The S-120 would work well and fit perfectly in your RS-75 Sump (I'm assuming it's one of the new 3rd gen ones.)

 

[oseymour]

I am setting up a small reef tank, a 36 gallon. I have kept freshwater fish for many years but this will be my first salt setup. Will be mostly softies and lps but probably a couple fish and I'd like to be able to try sps likely down the road.

Eshopps RS-75 sump
Either Eshopps PSK-75 or PSK-100 skimmer
I'll have to drill and plumb an overflow but that's no big deal, probably herbie.
Lighting I haven't decided but I am going to have to cycle the tank first anyway
Return pump about 200 gph at 4' head which is tank height.

I was looking at Bubba Magus skimmers but the new Eshopps come with a Sicce pump which is hard to ignore. Also Reef Octopus 110 looks nice but it's just big enough it won't fit in the compartment in the sump very easily, if at all.

Am I missing anything?

If you can go bigger with the tank. I started with a 37, then went to 50 then 75. I should have just started with the 75.

I think you'll need a stronger return pump, if the 200gph rating is the manufacturer rating then you can probably expect less depending on the plumbing you are doing.
I would go with a Skimmer that is easy to service so that takes out the Reef Octopus. If it's hard to remove, it's probably going to get less maintenance and shorten it's useful life.

I would go with Pukani rock although it will need to be cured without use. I at first went with the BRS reef saver rock because it was cheaper but it's so dense that you need more to aquascape. I used 50lbs of Pukani to aquascape my 75.