Chryda
New Member
I am looking at building my first reef tank, and I've been down the rabbit hole of gear for the past two months or so. I initially looked at the Red Sea MAX options for the ease of setting something up out of the box with tank, sump, filtration, lights, pumps, powerheads, and ato. However, as I did more research, I could see the advantage of having a controller system that was centralized so everything could be controlled from one controller or app. This would be hard with Red Sea as they don't offer options for heaters, sensors, etc. that have the customizability of something like Hydros or a Profilux controller. As I conducted further research, however, I realized that trying to assemble a system that incorporates components from multiple manufacturers can become complicated due to compatibility issues.
Is there a resource for build guides or lists from others that may help with building something comparable to the Red Sea MAX line of tanks? I've put some example lists I've put together for an idea of what I'm going for. The bummer thing about the Waterbox option is that it doesn't come with an ATO so it's a little more expensive than the Red Sea MAX, but if something like this is better value overall, then I may go with custom spec'd over the MAX tanks. Any opinions? Am I missing anything about spec'ing these tanks?
Is there a resource for build guides or lists from others that may help with building something comparable to the Red Sea MAX line of tanks? I've put some example lists I've put together for an idea of what I'm going for. The bummer thing about the Waterbox option is that it doesn't come with an ATO so it's a little more expensive than the Red Sea MAX, but if something like this is better value overall, then I may go with custom spec'd over the MAX tanks. Any opinions? Am I missing anything about spec'ing these tanks?
| Components (Waterbox Option) | Qty | UoM | Unit Price | Total |
| Waterbox Infinia Reef 150.4 (100gal) | 1 | EA | $ 3,399.00 | $ 3,399.00 |
| Sump (included) | 1 | EA | $ - | $ - |
| 300 W Heater | 2 | EA | $ 75.99 | $ 151.98 |
| Versia Pump Controller | 1 | EA | $ 69.90 | $ 69.90 |
| Versia 7 (Return Pump) | 1 | EA | $ 389.90 | $ 389.90 |
| Profilux 4 Set (1 powerbar and Profilux 4) | 1 | EA | $ 949.90 | $ 949.90 |
| Power bar | 1 | EA | $ 269.00 | $ 269.00 |
| Versia stream starter set (2 powerheads) | 1 | EA | $ 279.90 | $ 279.90 |
| Skimmer (Curve 5 Elite) | 1 | EA | $ 249.99 | $ 249.99 |
| Mitras lights | 2 | EA | $ 579.90 | $ 1,159.80 |
| TOTAL | $ 6,919.37 |
| Components (Red Sea Option) | Qty | UoM | Unit Price | Total |
| Reefer MAX 425 G2+ 91 GAL | 1 | EA | $ 6,399.00 | $ 6,399.00 |
| Reef Run G2 6000 | 1 | EA | incl | $ - |
| 300 W Heater | 2 | EA | $ 75.99 | $ 151.98 |
| Heater controller (Helio) | 1 | EA | $ 96.00 | $ 96.00 |
| Power strip | 1 | EA | $ 60.00 | $ 60.00 |
| Reef Wave 45 | 2 | EA | incl | $ - |
| Reefmat 500 | 1 | EA | incl | $ - |
| RSK 300 Reefer Protein Skimmer | 1 | EA | incl | $ - |
| ReefLED G2 115 | 2 | EA | incl | $ - |
| ATO | 1 | EA | incl | $ - |
| TOTAL | $ 6,706.98 |
