Hello. Just wanted to start a thread for the new reef tank I plan to build very soon. This is my first reef tank, but I have had a couple of FOWLR and dozens of freshwater tanks over the years. I have wanted a reef tank for 25+ years and I have decided to finally jump in head first. Below is my planned build for a mixed reef tank. Please feel free to give me any and all advice, especially any advice on my equipment choices. Thanks for your time.
- Aquarium
- 65 gallons - 36"L x 22.6"W x 22"H with 1/2" glass – This is the largest tank and stand I can fit in my available space.
- Sump
- 15 gallons - 18.7"L x 18.5"W x 13.5"H
- Filtration
- Red Sea ReefMat 500
- Return Pump
- Sicce Syncra 7.0 – I like the IoTa connectivity with the Apex.
- Powerheads
- Sicce XStream SDC x2 – Again, I like that these use IoTa to talk to the Apex.
- Lighting
- Neptune SKY – I like the idea of a single fixture, instead of multiple.
- Skimmer
- Simplicity 240 DC – I chose this because it has good reviews and is reported to be quiet. Is this too much skimmer, given that I will also be using a ReefMat?
- UV
- Aqua Ultraviolet UV Sterilizer – 25W
- ATO
- Neptune ATK V2 ATO
- Dosing Pump
- Neptune DOS – Planning to dose A4R once I start adding corals.
- ATO Reservoir
- Innovative Marine Auqa Gadget 15 Gallon Hydrofill Reservoir – Needed a 10-15 gallon reservoir, due to regularly being out of town and I didn't want to worry about the ATO reservoir running dry with something smaller. Will have to sit next to the stand, so I wanted a reservoir that looked good.
- Heater
- BRS Titanium 100W x2 w/ Inkbird ITC-306a Wi-Fi Aquarium Temperature Controller
- Controller
- Apex Pro A3 w/ Temp, PH, ORP, Salinity, Liquid Level, and Leak Detection probes, Display, and Return Flow Meter
- Organization
- Red Sea 60cm Slide-Out Control Panel
- RODI
- BRS "8" Stage w/ 200 GPD water saver - Started with a BRS 4-stage and found I have lots of sediment and chlorine (but no chloramines, thankfully) in my city water, so I added two more stages (1 sediment and 1 carbon). I also found my city water comes from wells, so am burning through DI resin quickly (a cartridge lasts only about 300 gallons - I am getting a 7 TDS out of the RO), so I also added two more DI stages. Currently set up as: 5m sediment --> 1m sediment --> 1m carbon block --> 1m Chloroguard block --> RO membrane --> 3 stages mixed DI resin.
- Salt
- Red Sea blue bucket
- Tank Cover
- Top Lids custom screen lid
- Rock
- MarcoRocks dry rock – 80lbs
- Sand
- CaribSea AragAlive Special Grade – 40lbs
- CaribSea Ocean Direct Original Grade - 20lbs
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, following along
