Hey folks. Well I’m at it again. I dipped my toe back in saltwater reefing and I’m in too deep. After a roughly 10 year hiatus, I got back into reefing with my 2 gallon cookie jar build. Then my wife pushed me further by egging me on “you love aquariums, why don’t you get a bigger tank for your home office?”
Well you know where this is headed. I immediately got out the measuring tape and got to researching. Comfortably the spot I have for the tank would fit a 24” cube. I’ve been looking at the Waterbox Marine X 60.2 and the Red Sea Reefer XL200. Long ago I had a 12 gallon bio cube and actually really loved the square shape. I know people say it’s harder to scape, but I actually think most come out really nice.
Anyhow, I’m not planning on getting the tank anytime soon, probably a year or so out, so I’m really just in planning mode. I’ll go ahead and pose some questions here to get a flavor.
The Tank
I can comfortably fit about 30 inches wide and 24 inches deep without the thing looking really awkward in the space I have. I’m leaning towards the Red Sea over the Waterbox given the slightly larger display volume in the Red Sea, the age of the companies, and I’ve heard some horror stories of WB servicing. Thoughts on other options. I’m not super restricted on budget, I want this to be at least a 5 year tank, but I’m also a cheap a**.
Lighting
Given that it’s going to be an SPS tank, lights are going to be important. From most of the PAR ratings I’ve seen others post on similar tanks, even a single xr15 probably won’t be enough. I’m leaning towards 2 ai primes about 12 inches apart evenly spaced. I’m sure I’m not going to be running them at 100% but I feel like just one light isn’t going to cut it. Thoughts?
Well you know where this is headed. I immediately got out the measuring tape and got to researching. Comfortably the spot I have for the tank would fit a 24” cube. I’ve been looking at the Waterbox Marine X 60.2 and the Red Sea Reefer XL200. Long ago I had a 12 gallon bio cube and actually really loved the square shape. I know people say it’s harder to scape, but I actually think most come out really nice.
Anyhow, I’m not planning on getting the tank anytime soon, probably a year or so out, so I’m really just in planning mode. I’ll go ahead and pose some questions here to get a flavor.
The Tank
I can comfortably fit about 30 inches wide and 24 inches deep without the thing looking really awkward in the space I have. I’m leaning towards the Red Sea over the Waterbox given the slightly larger display volume in the Red Sea, the age of the companies, and I’ve heard some horror stories of WB servicing. Thoughts on other options. I’m not super restricted on budget, I want this to be at least a 5 year tank, but I’m also a cheap a**.
Lighting
Given that it’s going to be an SPS tank, lights are going to be important. From most of the PAR ratings I’ve seen others post on similar tanks, even a single xr15 probably won’t be enough. I’m leaning towards 2 ai primes about 12 inches apart evenly spaced. I’m sure I’m not going to be running them at 100% but I feel like just one light isn’t going to cut it. Thoughts?