I need your help with equipment for 130 gallon tank

[Andrew Stevens]

Hello,

I'm brand new to reefing and will be setting up my 130 gallon Waterbox Peninsula 5526, and have no idea what equipment I should buy! I already purchased two Kessil AP9X lights, but don't have any other equipment that didn't come from Waterbox.

Here is what I have been recommended, what are your thoughts:

BRS 600W Titanium Heater with Controller (or should I get two heaters instead of one)
Reef Octopus Regal 200SSS Protein Skimmer
EcoTech Vectra M2 Main Pump
2 x EcoTech MP40 Circulation Pump
Apex Controller System - Gold or Silver
Apex Leak Detection Module (for floods/spills/leaks and will shut entire tank down when needed)
Rock and sand: not equipment but would love feedback

If it helps, I am setting up a mixed reef tank full of colorful moving fish and a wide assortment of corals: torches, hammers, clams, zoanthids, acros, acans, brains, bubble, plate coral etc.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

[Bleigh]

@ReefSquad and #reefsquad

 

[Reef - Tripp]

Skimmer regal or elite 150, the 200 they are inconsistent in your volumen

 

[Ron Reefman]

You have a good list of hardware... expensive, but good.

Be very careful about how quickly you get into some of the more difficult corals you have expressed an interest in. The biggest reason for aquarium failures and people getting out of the hobby are, 1) they rush too fast, 2) they find it involves more work and more money than the expected.

Good luck.

 

[sp1187]

options....
skip the skimmer, add algae scrubber
skip the rock, fabricate the scape
skip the APEX, be more "hands on"
welcome to the show.

 

[rkpetersen]

Additional equipment you may need:

A lid. Many fish like to jump and a lid is a good way to avoid expensive tragedies, especially with known jumpers like wrasses. ClearView lids are great, custom made to fit perfectly, with a mesh that blocks almost no incoming light and allows for air circulation.

A laminar flow pump. MP40s are great but I've found many corals really like laminar flow, especially if you can get it to go back and forth as is possible with the Gyres.

Lights, obviously. My recommendation is a hybrid fixture combining quality LED fixtures with T5 bulbs. This has given me better survival and growth than just LEDs alone. Also don't forget about a light (or even two lights) for the sump if you plan on having an algae refugium there.

A reactor. For running filter media as needed, such as activated carbon, GFO, etc.

An automatic topoff system. In my opinion, mandatory for a serious reefkeeper. The one offered by Neptune that integrates with Apex is fine, but there are many other options.

A dosing system, especially for calcium and alkalinity. Here again, the Neptune DOS system does the job well, but there are other equally good options. The Neptune DOS does integrate with the Trident testing device, adjusting your dosing (to a degree) on the fly.

Leak detectors are a good idea, especially if you have the tank in a nice location. You can use as many of these as you want and don't be afraid of overkill. I have 6 detectors on the floor under the edges of the cabinet, and another 4 of them in the sump compartment, taped to the walls where they'll get wet if a plumbing leak develops. They have given me early notification of a leak a couple of times, allowing me to fix them before they got severe.

A UPS. Especially if your utility power is at all unreliable. The Apex really doesn't like dirty power and doesn't always respond well to a total power failure. It's also possible to have the Apex tell you a power failure has happened while you're away, but only if it has its own backup power supply (and your internet router does too.)

There's more. So much more. Practically endless options you'll be exploring as you get more into it.

 

[Andrew Stevens]

Thank you all for your great responses. Ron Reefman, I appreciate you saying "go slow". This is the approach we will definitely take, in fact we have had our Waterbox Aquarium since January and still haven't set it up for a variety of reasons. If you don't mind me asking, which are the more difficult corals that I mentioned?

rkpetersen, thank you so much for your brilliant feedback. I will be buying a Clearview lid in the next week or so, absolutely love the design of the Pisces EXO. Regarding the pump, you mentioned the Gyres can go back and forth. As it's a Peninsula tank, I really like this idea. Can you point me in the direction of a pump that could provide enough flow for my 130 gallon tank? Reason I ask is I would prefer the pump on one side of the aquarium only, if this is advisable. I will also use an automatic top off, dosing and numerous leak detectors (the tank will sit on a hardwood floor). Any recommendation for a UPS as well?

Thank you all for your feedback!

 

[Jon Fishman]

UV 90W or larger

 

[rkpetersen]

I haven't looked at the new Gyres and knockoffs in a couple of years. I use two Gyre XF250s mounted vertically in one 5' anemone tank. I use 1 XF250 horizontally at one end of my other 5' tank. If I had a peninsula at that size, I'd go one size higher for a Gyre at only one end. You can set the forward flow (through the tank) much higher than the reverse flow (down).

After using only APC UPSes for years, I converted to CyberPower about 5 years ago. Really like their equipment. Here are a couple types that I have.

 

[rkpetersen]

I'd also recommend two (or three) heaters rather than one, with proper Apex coding to use them in tandem.
But that's something you can add later.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Two Finnnex 300 watt heaters and a Ranco controller or Apex.

 

[sacutshall]

Nothing about this hobby is cheap except advise and or sand. Definitely think it through. Ask lots of question. Slow and steady once your all set up. Slow and steady.