Hello! I'm getting into the hobby, help me find my first tank

[jbsengineer]

Hello! I'm going to jump right into this hobby. I'm one not to start necessarily small and work my way up. For example, I was quick to jump into home brewing and built a $15k electric home brewery in my basement as a beginner and won many awards for my beer. I study study study before jumping into the hobby and learn very quick.

So far I have read a couple books, and have watched countless YouTube videos. Money is not necessarily a road block for me, but I primarily like to have the best of breed setups and not all-in-one. However, I like to lean on all-in-one setups to get my up and running with upgrades available later on.

Let me point out, from my research I understand how intense this hobby can be.

I'm looking to buy my first tank, and I'd like to get something that will be sizable by not excessively big. I want to get a refugium right off. Dry rock. Get the system cycling. Add some coral and fish. Primarily a reef system with mostly coral and a few fish. I'm thinking between 75-125 gallon to start. Feel free to tell me I am crazy!

I guess what I came to ask is what system might help me get into that size without having to devote so much manual work in pluming pieces and parts? I want to incorporate an Apex controller into whatever I get into. I'll also be getting a quarantine tank setup before adding coral and fish. I have looked into the CAD Lights systems and Red Sea. But feel I might be able to couple together the components far cheaper by doing the work myself....

Thought? Thanks so much!

 

[Scurvy Dawg]

Can't go wrong with the Red Sea Reefer series. Solid as a rock and alot of sizes to choose from.

 

[jbsengineer]

Can't go wrong with the Red Sea Reefer series. Solid as a rock and alot of sizes to choose from.

So when you say "solid as a rock" what are you referring to? The tank quality, frame quality, etc? Or the parts that make up the "package"?

Thanks!

 

[Jon0807]

I often hear that a 120 gallon (the 48x24x24) is a perfect beginner size. I tried starting off converting a freshwater tank into salt and for me it didn't work out very well. Wasted a ton of money when could've just went with an all in one. I ended up moving everything to a 40 gallon breeder and built my own sump, but always wished I just started off with a 120 and would have been content with the set up for a while. I JUST set this up about 4 weeks ago and I'm already trying to figure out how to make a 120 gallon work in this house lol

 

[MuShu]

I have heard great things about the reefers. I would get the largest you can get that you have space for.

Reefer owners tend to be very happy with the tanks and you rarely see them for resale. You also never hear horror stories of tanks leaking or busting.

 

[Scurvy Dawg]

So when you say "solid as a rock" what are you referring to? The tank quality, frame quality, etc? Or the parts that make up the "package"?

Thanks!

Pretty much everything. Some people don't really care for the built-in ATO that comes with them but it's a simple fix. A lot of people use the ATO as is and are happy with it. Some people convert the ATO into a refugium.

The tank is is low-iron glass and the build quality is almost perfect. The stand is high quality and the sump is all glass and is great. If you go with the deluxe series it comes with AI Hydra HD's with Red Sea Reefers own light mounting arm. I like the arm because it hides the wiring and has a built in hinge to move the light out the way for tank maintenance. Doesn't come with a return pump, but that is by design because most people want to choose their own return pump any way.


You are going to pay for the quality though.

I don't have much room for a tank so I went with the 170 Deluxe and love it. My sump has room for a skimmer and algea reactor. I could still squeeze another out of tank reactor in there if I wanted to. Upgraded from a Biocube 32. Nice enough tank, but really got tired of trying to squeeze everything in the built-in sump. It makes a nice QT now!

 

[jbsengineer]

Pretty much everything. Some people don't really care for the built-in ATO that comes with them but it's a simple fix. A lot of people use the ATO as is and are happy with it. Some people convert the ATO into a refugium.

The tank is is low-iron glass and the build quality is almost perfect. The stand is high quality and the sump is all glass and is great. If you go with the deluxe series it comes with AI Hydra HD's with Red Sea Reefers own light mounting arm. I like the arm because it hides the wiring and has a built in hinge to move the light out the way for tank maintenance. Doesn't come with a return pump, but that is by design because most people want to choose their own return pump any way.


You are going to pay for the quality though.

I don't have much room for a tank so I went with the 170 Deluxe and love it. My sump has room for a skimmer and algea reactor. I could still squeeze another out of tank reactor in there if I wanted to. Upgraded from a Biocube 32. Nice enough tank, but really got tired of trying to squeeze everything in the built-in sump. It makes a nice QT now!

Good points. I'm definitely eyeing a Red Sea tank, but could go small or large. At this point, maybe small and upgrading later. I prefer to spend top dollar on quality in the core components (tank, sump, stand etc).

 

[jbsengineer]

Still doing research and reading everyday. I'm actually leaning towards jumping into a larger tank, a Reefer 750 XXL (160g display).

For rock I was thinking Pukani dry rock. 100lbs? I'm planning for a 2 month curing process before entering the display tank.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[devildog999]

Personally, I'd move away from the redsea stuff and look towards SC Aquariums. They make a great product but meh. SC Aquariums you can get a 120g tank with stand and sump. Comes with skimmer, pump for return, and some filtration stuff (pads and ceramic stones). All you really need to buy is light and extras you want. 120g goes for $1,899.00 shipped! If you wanna go bigger, you can go with their 240g for $4,599.00. Quality is amazing and price for what you get is fantastic. This way you can start out with the basics and have plenty of room to expand both in the tank and under the tank.

120 - http://www.scaquariums.com/product-p/sca-120gpnp.htm
240 - http://www.scaquariums.com/product-p/sca-240gpnp.htm

 

[Rilelen]

I'll second what others have said and go for the large end of your range. I have a 72 bowfront; the 120 gives you some nice extra room for additional fish, coral, and - most importantly - stability, without increasing costs drastically. I wish I had that additional ~ 50 gallons to play with, and am planning a much larger system after my next move in about a year.

If you're looking for good research consolidated in a couple places, I love reading through the back-issues (available online) of Reefkeeping and Advanced Aquarist.

 

[Papermonkeys]

Personally, I'd move away from the redsea stuff and look towards SC Aquariums. They make a great product but meh.

Just curious why you would stray away from Redsea?

 

[premilove]

I saw the Red Sea reefer 650 penisula in action last weekend and man it is a beautiful tank. All the Red Sea reefer series are great but I wouldn't go with the equipment they give. If I were you, I'd get the largest one you can afford, but just get the tank, stand, and sump. Piece out the equipment afterwards. Ecotech Radion Gen 4's, Reef octopus skimmer, and a couple of ecotech vortech wave makers.

 

[Sk8r]

Bigger is easier than smaller up to about 150---then water changes get onerous. In tanks over 30 gallons, 5/8ths inch glass is the thing, but it makes the tanks real heavy. I have a corner bow 102 that with stand and canopy weighs about 800 lbs empty. So floor location is a consideration. With a coral reef, lighting is critical; ditto a good skimmer. And a sump is where the ugly equipment lives, out of sight. Re acrylic---harder to keep clean, but way lighter; glass can be razor-scraped and doesn't scratch nearly as easily.

 

[devildog999]

Just curious why you would stray away from Redsea?

Because you can do much more and pay much less. Redsea makes a great product and for a long while, I was really thinking about buying one. But a lot of the stuff it comes with, at least for me, becomes pointless. Built in timers for example; if you ever move on to a controller, which many do, those timers become useless. The ATO reserve really limits you to what you can do because if you wanna upgrade to a higher capacity, you now have this other space wasted by the built in ato resevoir.

Good product, great company, and they do great things. But you can buy MUCH more for MUCH less.

 

[nereefpat]

75,90,120,125 gallon tanks are all standard sizes.

I would just decide on the tank size you want and buy a standard one, instead of an all-in-one system. It's cheaper, and you can decide exactly what equipment you want.

Example: buy a 120. build a sump with a 40 breeder. pick your skimmer, overflow, lights, wavemakers, etc.

 

[Xandernfs]

Because you can do much more and pay much less. Redsea makes a great product and for a long while, I was really thinking about buying one. But a lot of the stuff it comes with, at least for me, becomes pointless. Built in timers for example; if you ever move on to a controller, which many do, those timers become useless. The ATO reserve really limits you to what you can do because if you wanna upgrade to a higher capacity, you now have this other space wasted by the built in ato resevoir.

Good product, great company, and they do great things. But you can buy MUCH more for MUCH less.

I'd disagree on the the Reefer series. The Red Sea Max series is the only one with the built in timers and what not. I'm going with a 250 and don't have to worry about the timers since they are not a component.

I will agree with you on the ATO situation. I plan on just removing the ATO and making one in the space next to the sump. This also allows me to put my ATS on top of my ATO reservoir with no issues.

 

[mako61]

Im very happy with my red sea 525xl. I did ditch the bulit in ATO. I wanted more capacity and removing it made the sump feel less crowded.

It is not a cheap option, but im very happy with quality vs price. The cost of what i didnt use ( ATO tank ) was negligible. You can see it in action on my homepage link.

 

[Scurvy Dawg]

Because you can do much more and pay much less. Redsea makes a great product and for a long while, I was really thinking about buying one. But a lot of the stuff it comes with, at least for me, becomes pointless. Built in timers for example; if you ever move on to a controller, which many do, those timers become useless. The ATO reserve really limits you to what you can do because if you wanna upgrade to a higher capacity, you now have this other space wasted by the built in ato resevoir.

Good product, great company, and they do great things. But you can buy MUCH more for MUCH less.

Reefer series has no timers. The ATO tank is not built in, it is a separate tank that can be easily removed so it really is not wasting any space.

I am sure there are tanks out there that are cheaper, but in this case you really do get what you pay for. The tanks themselves are very well made and look very nice. This is the first tank I have ever owned that the wife actually approves of in the house.

For the budget conscience reefer, I agree you can do alright with a cheaper route.

 

[Papermonkeys]

I agree with some points. I personally bought a reefer 250 as my first SW tank, I've run different sizes/brands with FW but I've mostly done HOB filters so over flows and plumbing weren't really a thing.

I can say that I love my Reefer even though I've only had it for a little over a month. The sump is big enough to fit a skimmer, heater and probably a reactor no problem. I like that the plumbing is all there and done. I just had to buy/hook-up a return pump and I was more or less good to go. The only sound I hear is some trickling from where the return drops into the filter socks but that's probably because I might have oversized my return pump a little and flowing a ton of water.

I do agree the ATO is kinda small, I only get 3ish days out of it. But like Scurvy Dawg said it's not attached and you can remove it and use your own custom setup. I've seen a lot of people turn their ATO's into a refugium without much effort. There is still a ton of room in the cabinet even with the sump in there. I've seen another 250 owner (pelphrey) have a ATO tank custom build to fill the gap between the sump and the right side of the cabinet.

I was initially going to get a normal 65g tank and then figure out the plumbing and sump situation myself, but I'm super glad dude at my LFS showed me some solutions that were more ready to go.

My only regret is not just getting the deluxe, because I'm just going to buy 2 Hydra 26s anyways and it will cost more than just buying the deluxe in the first place.