Hello to all,
I am completely new here and new to saltwater tanks in general. I have several years of freshwater experience, but I am still feverishly researching posts here and elsewhere out on the net to identify the parts I need now and the parts that are cool but not necessary. Some of the initial 101 posts on here are a tremendous help for listing and defining all of the parts. Not all of the aquarium listings are great about telling you what things you will still need to get after you buy a system from them. Looking to build a FOWLR for now. I don't much like the idea of putting in corals until I'm a bit better educated.
I have been looking at IM and RedSea, but I think ultimately I will go with a RedSea. I'm on a 2nd floor apartment so my current plans are to put together a Reefer XL300 because I'm not sure about weight past about 80 gallons. It's a newer apartment complex, but I figure I should be a bit cautious unless someone has thoughts on it. I had seen a post on the net somewhere stating up to 150 gallons, but that seems awfully heavy.
I had been looking at the RedSea E260, but I will likely want an in cabinet sump once I get a bit more educated on the layout and upkeep of the aquarium. It seemed a bit pointless to me to get a system with a rear unit only to upgrade to an in-cabinet unit. Plus, it will give me more options for options and additional devices as it progresses.
I figure at this point, my must haves in addition to a tank are:
I am completely new here and new to saltwater tanks in general. I have several years of freshwater experience, but I am still feverishly researching posts here and elsewhere out on the net to identify the parts I need now and the parts that are cool but not necessary. Some of the initial 101 posts on here are a tremendous help for listing and defining all of the parts. Not all of the aquarium listings are great about telling you what things you will still need to get after you buy a system from them. Looking to build a FOWLR for now. I don't much like the idea of putting in corals until I'm a bit better educated.
I have been looking at IM and RedSea, but I think ultimately I will go with a RedSea. I'm on a 2nd floor apartment so my current plans are to put together a Reefer XL300 because I'm not sure about weight past about 80 gallons. It's a newer apartment complex, but I figure I should be a bit cautious unless someone has thoughts on it. I had seen a post on the net somewhere stating up to 150 gallons, but that seems awfully heavy.
I had been looking at the RedSea E260, but I will likely want an in cabinet sump once I get a bit more educated on the layout and upkeep of the aquarium. It seemed a bit pointless to me to get a system with a rear unit only to upgrade to an in-cabinet unit. Plus, it will give me more options for options and additional devices as it progresses.
I figure at this point, my must haves in addition to a tank are:
- Return pump - No idea which one to get or how to calculate the flow I will need yet.
- Skimmer - Likely to go with a RS300 or 600 unit for the tank.
- ATO - Some of the systems have an ATO included, but I have seen mixed reviews about the units from RS, so I have been researching other systems.
- Lighting (RS ReefLED 90 x 2)
- ReefWave25 - RS suggests 2 of them for a 65 gallon tank, but not sure if that is overdoing it or not.