Getting back in the game!

[kcochran0010]

Hello everyone! Thanks to permission from my wife I am getting back into the hobby. I have been tankless for about 4-5 years and I must say I'm super excited at the thought of being back.

I'm sure in my absence there has been all kinds of new technology out there so I need a little help building my next system.

Now I KNOW reef tanks are not cheap. I just don't want to break the bank account and make my wife mad. Lol.

My plans are so far

Tank size - 75-90 gallon
Flow - maxspect gyre
Sump- yes. But not sure of make or model
Skimmer - reef octopus
Return pump - mag drive

Now what I really need help on is the best led lights for the money for a 4ft tank. I would appreciate any help and advice I can get. Thank you very much.

 

[CStrickland]

I have a pair of these on my 4' 55g and I'm optimistic that they'll do the trick on my 4' 120 upgrade. Each light covers about a 2' square. http://m.ebay.com/itm/2PCS-MarsAqua...ull-Spectrum-Reef-Coral-SPS-LPS-/251512919399
Here's a long thread from the lighting section of the forum about the lights
http://m.ebay.com/itm/2PCS-MarsAqua...ull-Spectrum-Reef-Coral-SPS-LPS-/251512919399

IMO at $90 a pop they are the best bang for your buck. More expensive lights have flair like timers and remote controls and can dim on and off. These have two sets of lights inside: the blueish ones and the white/yellow/green/red. Each set has a dimmer knob and a plug.
I have my two lights set up with both blue plugs into one timer, and both whites into another. I set the dimmer to the brightness I want, and have the blues come on a couple hours before the whites so that's kind of like a sunrise/sunset.
My timers are the $12 ones from a hardware store, like you plug a lamp into when you go on vacation.
Once you get the timers plugged in and the brightness where you want, you don't need to do anything more.

For the sump, the easiest thing is to wait for a sale on fish tanks and just buy whatever fits in your stand. Petco does a $1 per gallon sale a few times a year. You can silicon glass panes inside to separate the areas for skimmer etc.

 

[kcochran0010]

Awesome. Thanks. Do you have and pictures of your set up with the lights

 

[CStrickland]

No sorry. It's all tore up cause I'm moving (slowly) into a 120 right now. There should be some pics in that big thread I linked tho. I have mine hanging from invisible picture wire from chandelier hooks in the ceiling. Was happy that they are light enough you don't need to find a joist to screw into, but my ceiling is a strong plaster kind.

Other people make little leg things to sit on the top of the tank, or braces that come up the back of the stand, or hang a shelf above the tank and hang the lights off that. I like having them hang from above cause you can swing them back and reach into the tank easy.