Whats up fish nerds!?

[BlennyBene's]

My name is matt and I'm lookin to get back into the hobby after a few failed attempts years ago. Right now I'm looking for recommendations for local fish shops in the philly and South jersey area. Also I'm thinking about going with glasscages or Mr.Aqua for the tank itself. I'll probably build a stand and hood if needed. I'm looking for recommendations on lighting systems for nano or smaller reef tanks( at the moment i plan to start with lps but in the future I'll probably upgrade volume and would like to try my hand at lps. So i would like to use the same light on that system in addition to a second purchase due to larger tank footprint) . Looks like I'm going with a bulk reef supply titanium heater, Auto aqua smart ato micro, and aqualogic digital temp controller. If anyone has experience with these I'd like to hear about it good or bad; or suggestions for newer/better products. Thanks in advance!

 

[Misled]

Welcome back!!!

 

[BlennyBene's]

I should mention I still have a bunch of equipment from years ago that I could still use depending on the size of aquarium I choose. That list includes a small 10 gallon sump, return pump, power heads, skimmer and a 4ft. Light fixture: 2x 175watt mh's and 2x 40 watt florescents. Oh and the completely useless uv sterilizer lol . . . .

 

[Reefing102]

Welcome back! Many people nowadays actually use the UV sterilizer (just have to manage the flow through it to get proper use). The light you can definitely still use. May be hard to find replacement bulbs as 175W metal halide aren’t that common anymore (that I’m aware of) and if it’s PC bulbs, I haven’t seen those in a while

 

[JohnL]

Welcome back Matt.

 

[kharmaguru]

Looks like I'm going with a bulk reef supply titanium heater

I've had a 200w one in my system for about a year. It heats the water fast and hasn't blown up, lol. They are actually Schego rebranded which is a reputable German brand. I use an industrial controller (johnson controls) though, as I'm not a fan of inkbirds.

 

[BlennyBene's]

Thanks for the input and responses. I agree that the Germans make good stuff for the most part in all industries. Not sure what inkbirds are though ..? Maybe you can clarify.

 

[kharmaguru]

Thanks for the input and responses. I agree that the Germans make good stuff for the most part in all industries. Not sure what inkbirds are though ..? Maybe you can clarify.

It's a heater controller. The titanium heaters have no on off control, they just heat, therefore you need an external controller like an Apex or BRS combines them with an Inkbird controller like so:

200W Titanium Aquarium Heater System - WiFi - Bulk Reef Supply

 

[BlennyBene's]

Ahh ok that makes sense.