Jumping back into the hobby

[Windirmere]

Hello, Looking for some opinions or suggestions,

I currently just ordered a Redsea reefer nano! It has almost been 10 years since I have kept a 65g Sps dominated tank. I used to run dual 1st gen Ai Hydra's and was really happy with their performance.

Upcoming build goal is RedSea Reefer 20g, 1-3 acro colonies and a mixture of zoa's, acans and mushrooms down below. Tank will most likely be just Inverts and coral.

Equipment questions
-Ai Prime16hd, This seems from what I can find to sufficient? Mounting 10" above the 18x18 cube? Or would I be better off spending a lil more now for the hydra or maybe a Radion?
-Return pump, I was thinking about going with the Eheim 1250 320gph ( will be supplementing that flow with a mp10)
-Skimmer, If Im only looking at maybe 1-2 sps colonies would a macro refugium be sufficient with water changes? or should I look for a nano skimmer?

Ill keep searching but any info helps, Seems like a lot has changed!

 

[blaxsun]

The AI Prime 16HD is more than enough for the Red Sea Reefer Nano. If you have the flex mount it provides a nice height for the LED. I'm not familiar with the Eheim line, but it sounds like it would be comparable to the Sicce Silent 1.5 (357Gph). Note that you'll lose approximately 1/3 due to head height.

Since you have an external sump the sky is literally the limit when it comes to skimmers - so you don't need to limit yourself to a nano skimmer. Look at brands like Nyos, Bubble Magus, Reef Octopus, Maxspect, etc.

 

[Windirmere]

ty, I just found a video by Nathan Willard on youtube using a Ai prime 16 on a RSM nano and hes pretty much doing what I envisioned! Im so excited to start cycling!