So a lot of things in this hobby depend on what budget you have in mind.
For tanks, you can be successful with just about any size or type of tank. Generally the larger the tank the more overall stability from harmful “events” you have. For example a large snail dying in a little 1 gallon pico tank could crash the tank, where as a large snail dying in a 75 gallon tank would likely be unnoticeable. I generally recommend something like either an all in one (like a Biocube, Fluval Flex) or a system with a sump, that way a lot of equipment is concealed.
As for necessary equipment, Controllers, skimmers, algae turf scrubbers, reactors, things of that nature aren’t necessary but can help a tank run better and/or make things easier for you.
Lighting again depends on budget, however any will work. It ultimately falls what look you want.
Many of us here run metal halide still. Others run led.
From a personal perspective, I run 250w 10k halides with LED 450/470nm light bars on my main tank.
On my wife’s tank I run a SmatFarm LED set up. It works just as well but being a cheaper fixture, it lacks in spectrum in my opinion.
Metal halide gear is harder to come by nowadays and T5 is becoming harder as well.
With regards to LED, most lighting used nowadays is LED. Many of the LED reef lights will be sufficient for what you want.
At the top price end: Radion, Neptune, AI Hydra
Mid Range Price: Reefi Uno 2.0
Low End: Viparspectra, SmatFarm, NiCrew, Noopsyche or similar would work.
In the end it boils down to price, features, warranty and related support (or lack thereof), and ultimately coverage. In the low price point I didn’t specify models (some models will have better coverage, features, etc than others).
For example, the Viparspectra is 2 channel control and does not have an app last I knew. SmatFarm is 6 channel control but no app and as I have one of the G5 models, quite frankly the spectrum leaves a bit to be desired to really get that color “pop,” but it grows coral and anemones just fine. NiCrew, I personally wouldn’t buy another NiCrew product unless significant advancements have been made but that’s just my personal experience with the lack of control in the one light I’ve purchased. Reefi Uno has a great reputation but the app and UI can be a bit dated looking.
Heaters: no exact recommendation, however I would encourage you to get a separate temperature controller (Inkbird is very popular though I’ve seen some failures, higher in price is the Ranco but can be harder to find).
From a personal perspective, I always try to start my tanks with sand and live rock from the ocean. Nowadays there’s primarily aquacultured live rock from the Carribean such as Tampa Bay Saltwater, KP Aquatics, Gulf Live Rock, and others. Australian live rock is also available at a premium (generally $25/lb or more). There are many tanks that start with dry rock, and that’s perfectly fine too, however I always recommend adding at least one or two pieces of live rock just for the bacterial diversity.
Hope this helps!
