Newbie equipment question.

Badvegas · Jul 20, 2020

Morning reefers. I am almost ready to start cycling my RedSea reefer 250 53 gallon saltwater tank. Next purchase will be lights and a power head or 2. Ultimate goal of tank is to be a basic mixed reef ..nothing too crazy. Mostly fish and some ‘beginner’ coral. I’m looking at the Maxspect Razor LED lights. They have a 150watt and 200watt. Is 200watt too much for this tank? Tank length is 36inches and 53 gallons

falls right in the middle of their recommendations according to tank size/length so I guess I could go either way. Next question is power heads. Is one Eco Tech MP40 enough? Or do I need two? Or 1 MP60? So many options! I appreciate any and all feedback!!!! Oh and what about a battery back up system? I’m out of my home 12-15 hours a day and really think I need some protection. Thank you and enjoy your day.

WIReefer · Jul 20, 2020

I think a mp60 would be two much, I would suggest two mp10 instead of one mp40

Bfragale · Jul 20, 2020

Badvegas said:
Morning reefers. I am almost ready to start cycling my RedSea reefer 250 53 gallon saltwater tank. Next purchase will be lights and a power head or 2. Ultimate goal of tank is to be a basic mixed reef ..nothing too crazy. Mostly fish and some ‘beginner’ coral. I’m looking at the Maxspect Razor LED lights. They have a 150watt and 200watt. Is 200watt too much for this tank? Tank length is 36inches and 53 gallons

falls right in the middle of their recommendations according to tank size/length so I guess I could go either way. Next question is power heads. Is one Eco Tech MP40 enough? Or do I need two? Or 1 MP60? So many options! I appreciate any and all feedback!!!! Oh and what about a battery back up system? I’m out of my home 12-15 hours a day and really think I need some protection. Thank you and enjoy your day.

Hello there fellow reefer,

first off welcome to the hobby (addiction)!

I would for sure invest in a battery back up. I personally have a computer back up that will run my MP40’s for about 18 hours.

in regards to if one MP40 will provide enough flow: personally I think it should, but when you have two or more you can utilize some of the wave functions and get more of a cross flow back and fourth. Flow is important but also need to keep in mind what corals you plan to keep. Some like high flow, some moderate flow and some like low flow. Try to create this in the tank by using the landscape and power head location.
For me it was a trial and error phase when I upgraded to 2-mp40’s. The MP40’s push a lot of water and at first I thought it was too much flow. But in reality the tank and corals love it and seem to have improved since I added them and got rid of the cheap power heads. Plus they are easier to clean and a cleaner look without wires in the water.

Im excited to see your build. Take care my friend.

Reef. · Jul 20, 2020

You can always turn the light down if you go for the 200w.

I agree, either 2 mp10 or 2 mp40, again either option works but If you go for the 40s, two benefits, they can be run at a lower setting than the 10s and pumps tend to be quieter at the lower settings, the echotech mp’s may say they are quiet drive, but turn them up and you can hear them., and if you ever upgrade you can use them for a bigger tank.

Bfragale · Jul 20, 2020

One more suggestion: START TOUR CYCLE! Lol.
No need to wait for lights to start cycling. If you have everything else I would start it sooner then later.
Good luck! And have fun!

Badvegas · Jul 20, 2020

Bfragale said:
One more suggestion: START TOUR CYCLE! Lol.
No need to wait for lights to start cycling. If you have everything else I would start it sooner then later.
Good luck! And have fun!

Thank you!! I hope to start the cycle this week. Is it necessary or recommended to run my skimmer during the initial cycle? I’ve read pros and cons regarding both running it and not running it. Ty

PatW · Jul 20, 2020

Two MP10 maxed out will give you a 60X water flow. But my MP40 run a bit hot at 100% so I back em off to 80% or so. That would give you a 50X water flow, I would favor 2 pumps of 1 for the fact that having 2 sources of flow is better than one. If you get the SPS bug, you might want more flow. But you could have 3 pumps.

If you are gone most of the day, you might consider a controller also.

Badvegas · Jul 20, 2020

Thank you! I think I will go with a 40 up high and a 10 opposite side down lower. That’s the plan for now....I’m sure it will change 10 more times before tomorrow.

Ty