is this all i need to start a succesful reef aquarium?

Ro Bow

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Hi, i'm planning a reef aquarium, probably 125 gallons. So i have been planning this for a long while now, since last September to be exact, and i think i did enough research on the equipment, how to use it, and what i need to start a reef tank. I think im almost done learning what i want to know, so before i go and make any rash decisions, i want to post an overview of what equipment i will be using and my substrates, live rock brand, etc. If there is anything wrong with what equipment i chose, please tell me and i will try to find a different piece of equipment. I have only 1 question: if i have high ph, low ph, high alk, low alk, or high or low of anything else, how do i make it get higher or lower? Do i buy a commercial substance? Anyway, heres my "shopping list" so far:

125 gallon petsmart marine tank with stand

500W AQQA heater for marine tanks 100-135

525GPH Polar Aurora filter for marine tanks up to 200 gallons

HFFFEER external protien skimmer for marine tanks up to 280L

Aquatic life 100GPD reverse osmosis bundle

3 Nicrew 150W lights

Nature's Oceans 120lb of bio-live sand

16 oz instant ocean epoxy

3 50G instant ocean reef mix

5g bucket for water changes

fish net

Hydrometer and refractometer

Salifert Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, Alk, PH, calcium, phosphate, copper, and magnesium

battery powered air pump for emergency power outages (where i live we have a few every year - we have a generator but if it breaks this is what i will use to save the fish and corals)

3500 gph powerhead - pretty sure this will be ok for sps and lps, it is right? I will have mostly lps dominated reef

veggie clips for nori

algae scraper

Aqueon water changer - 25 feet

Ph increase liquid

Ph decrease liquid

Fritz time turbo start



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20 gallon quarantine tank - petco

Will quarantine for a week and a half if none of the fish seem sick, if they do i will try to treat them and keep them in the qt tank

plastic decor from amazon

aqueon quiet flow 20 gallon filter

Orlushy 100W heater

Aquaneat powerhead

Nikou protien skimmer

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I will feed the fish rod's original, but will feed the vegetarian fish also nori



Ok, thats my list - let me know if theres anything wrong with it. Thanks!
 

Cell

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500W heater is probably too much. And I wouldn't trust an off brand heater, given name brands can barely be trusted. If I were you I'd go with 2x Eheim Jager 150W's or bump one or both up to 200W if your tank will be in a cooler temp, like basement perhaps.

I'd also plan on 2 powerheads, not just one big one.
 

Cell

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Flow is tough to determine, it will depend greatly on your aquascape as well as planned livestock/coral.
 

youngfish23

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You also might want to look into using larger containers such as brute trash cans for mixing saltwater as 5g buckets for a 125g tank are quite small. From my understanding most people don't use any liquid product to raise/lower pH, but there are several options for increasing alkalinity. Check out online stores dedicated to reefing products and you should be able to find what you need.
 

Cell

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Yes, definitely invest in a 32 Gallon Brute garbage if you aren't building a more permanent water change station, and you are going to want at least a couple 5 gallon buckets as well.
 

dbowman5

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the thing that jumped out at me was the protein skimmer rated at 280L, 74 gallons?
what rock are you getting? theoretically the pH will be ok without adjustment
 

dedragon

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500W heater is probably too much. And I wouldn't trust an off brand heater, given name brands can barely be trusted. If I were you I'd go with 2x Eheim Jager 150W's or bump one or both up to 200W if your tank will be in a cooler temp, like basement perhaps.

I'd also plan on 2 powerheads, not just one big one.
+1 eheim heaters with an inkbird temp controller ($30 or less) on amazon)
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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Can’t miss the step that determines how many of your original fish will be alive by month 8:



from a decent read in this forum below if you can answer these questions you’ll be able to keep most/ all of your fish by month 8 after cycling

1. what methods are stickies in that forum
what methods aren’t

2. what can be the inferred outcome from taking zero fish disease preps, do you have a low medium or very high chance of all your fish dying not long after setup based on work above if you skip preparation steps?

3. how long does it take for diseases and parasites to show up after cycling, just going off the first few pages of help threads? (Click into the posters, they have date descriptions for their reef etc)

4. can you find any sticky, or any thread being ran there that uses a bottled medication to prevent fish disease, put into a display? (Meaning dosers like Melafix, anything you dose into the main reef)


if you had to summarize today’s best fish control practices based on a thirty minute dedicated read in that forum, what would that practice be
 

dedragon

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also i will have no sump
I would make and aio compartment for the filter floss over using a cannister filter. Or just using hob filters. Drilling for a sump is always an option to with a 40 breeder sump from petco.
Cannister filters are a pita IMO because you need to clean them at least weekly and (at least the one i had) always dumped water everywhere whenever i tried to clean it
 
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Ro Bow

Ro Bow

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I would make and aio compartment for the filter floss over using a cannister filter. Or just using hob filters. Drilling for a sump is always an option to with a 40 breeder sump from petco.
Cannister filters are a pita IMO because you need to clean them at least weekly and (at least the one i had) always dumped water everywhere whenever i tried to clean it
could u use a sump as a qt tank?
 

dedragon

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there are options to buy already qt'd fish from places like tsmaquatics and marinecollectors as well, just you are paying the extra money so they qt it for you
 
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Ro Bow

Ro Bow

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there are options to buy already qt'd fish from places like tsmaquatics and marinecollectors as well, just you are paying the extra money so they qt it for you
so eeverything from tsm aquatics is qt'd? Thats a good deal considering that its only $5 more than the price i would buy it for before
 
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