Ohio Reef
Reef Discussion => Equipment => Topic started by: SEttinger on August 30, 2020, 20:46:19
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Hello reefers,
I started to get into the hobby a couple years ago but a new addition to the family slowed the process. I am now currently motivated and buying equipment to get my first reef tank up and running. I am purchasing everything for the first time and trying to do it in stages so as not to have such a sticker shock lol.
I currently have a 125 gallon tank thats drilled in the back.
I have two Kessil a360we with digital controller and arm mounts. I will purchase a third one in the future.
I have on order a bashea 48x18x16 sump.
I have also ordered a icecap 4k gyre flow pump with dual pump wifi controller. I will be buying another flow pump to go with it in the near future. Plus other ones as money permits.
Of course I have a return pump, heaters, sand and rock already. I also have a 75 gallon that I would like to set up off the system in the future for frags and such but more worried about getting the display tank up. I know that I will eventually need a skimmer. I think I can get the tank cycled and running before purchasing one, just keep the bio load down until I can purchase a big enough one for the tank.
Any suggestions on what I should buy first before others? The sump should be plenty big enough for whatever ill need and have a big refugium. I'd like to get an apex at some point. Is the classic enough for the beginning reefer or should I just suck it up and buy the newest one, when I decide to purchase.
Any and all tips and tricks for the first time reefer is greatly appreciated. Look forward to hearing from you all and hopefully starting a build thread soon!
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I think the protein skimmer as your next purchase is not a bad idea. I smaller ticket item you should probably look into is an Auto Top Off. I find these to be almost necessary in keeping water levels correct in the sump and ensuring it does not run dry. Another somewhat controversial item you could look into is an algae turf scrubber(ATS) as a replacement for the protein skimmer. An ATS can be made pretty cheaply and a decent number of people swear by them, but others disagree, could perhaps be worth looking into. Goodluck!
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I fully agree with the ato!! That was probably the best thing I bought for my tank to make the tank easier to maintain. As for the apex I like my classic and you can pick them up pretty cheap now used. Unless you think you might want to use add the trident tester in the future I dont see a lot of benefit in the new one.
Are you Eddie's buddy Steven? If so we worked together on that big barn door job he did.
Jeff
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That's me! Hope all is well Jeff! I'm finally really getting rolling with this whole fish tank thing. Might have to grab Eddie and come up and check out your set up for some ideas!
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ATO would be top of my list. I’ve done tanks with and without protein skimmers. Until you get a higher bioload in your tank you’ll be fine without one - but missing out on the aeration factor.
Edit: A second gyre pump would likely be second on my list after ATO. Helps with many possible problems in tank like detritus buildup and nuisance algae.
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As far as an ATO..I was going to place two 55 gallon barrels in my fish room. One with RO/DI water and one with mixed salt water for water changes. The one with rodi water would have a pump and a float valve for an ato.
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If you haven’t already got them, I find Hanna alkalinity and phosphate ppm checkers to be a very worthwhile investment if you are planning on having any LPS or SPS corals.
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I would also second the suggestion to get some kind of quality testing equipment. I attached a survey I did of around 39 mostly local reefers for what brands of test equipment they have. For phosphate Hanna checkers are the clear winner. For most other parameters people tend to like RedSea and Salifert Tests. I also attached the costs of each of the different tests, which might also be helpful. I also know that Todd the owner at Reefsystems strongly recommends Salifert tests, and he has a TON of experience in this hobby.