New 140 Gallon Aquarium - Equipment

[flyguyscott]

Hi All, I just moved into a brand new office and think an aquarium would be a stunning addition. I've been a scuba diver for over a decade and would love to bring the marine life indoors. I've done a ton of research and I'm ready to make the plunge - with the assistance of a local expert

My initial set of major equipment is:

Tank - Miracles 135 Gallon with euro-brace (72" x 24" x 18")
Lights - 3 x Ecotech Radion XR30w Pro
Sump / Refugium - Trigger Ruby Elite 36
Skimmer - Vertex Omega 200i
Powerheads - 2 x Ecotech MP40s
Pump - Ecotech Vectra M1
Alert / Automation - Neptune Apex System

My questions are:
1. Radion vs Raion Pro. There's $150 (Canadian) difference per light. Will it really make a difference in a tank 18" deep? What about 20"... I may go with a 150 gallon at 20" deep tank.

2. The skimmer is rated for 225 gallons lightly stocked and 155 gallons heavily stocked. Practically I don't know the difference between lightly and heavily stocked. I've also read it's a good idea to size your skimmer at 1.5x total volume.


Thanks in advance and I'm open to any other recommendations.

 

[roberthu526]

No idea on the light but on heavy or light stock, I think you will be fine with this skimmer. It is recommended to start slow so I think you probably should have a list of live stock first then you will have a general idea of if it's heavily or lightly stocked. One important thing is try to take fish that use different level of water column.