Noob getting started!

[Keko21]

Hello All!

I'm new to the forum but have been watching from a far for a few months now. I have been in the hobby for about a year now and have been working with my office mate on our 100gal fish only tank. The experience has been incredibly educational for me, and now I feel like I'm ready to take the next step and set up my own tank at home. My game plan is to have a fish and LPS coral only tank. Below is my starting out wish list- before buying anything I'd figured I'd post here to see if any one has any suggestions (stuff to stick with or stay away from). Let me know your thoughts and I look forward to posting more on the progress of my tank!

Tank: Red Sea Reefer 300 G2 (65gal/15gal sump)
Lights: Red Sea Reef LED 90 x 2
Filter: Red Sea Reef mat 500
Skimmer: Reef Octopus Classic 110
Return pump: Sicce Syncra Silent 3.0 (714GPH- Is that enough?)
Powerhead: Red Sea wave 25- I've seen mixed reviews as to whether one is ok or if 2 are really necessary with the power this puts out?
Heater: Hygger 500Watt
Reef Dosing: Red Sea reef dose 4
RO/DI Filter: Aquaticlife 4 stage reverse osmosis 100GPD
Base rock (80lbs) - wanting to start everything clean and culture the bacteria myself to avoid any pests. Thoughts?
Could also use some recommendations on a good (and cost effective) UV sanitizer.
Recommendations on brands for salt, bacteria, and ammonia for start up would be appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[shakacuz]

welcome aboard the r2r board! based off the information you provided you’re definitely on the right track! the red sea gyre you have is ample enough but you may get away with some more flow if you decide on SPS later on.

 

[SPS2020]

Welcome to Reef2Reef! Lots of good folks and information here!

 

[Brucealmighty]

Welcome to R2R

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

As far as bacteria for startup goes, Dr. Reef did a study on bottle-bac for insta-cycling a tank a while back. They found Fritz Turbo Start 900 was the best, and Biospira and Dr. Tim’s were runners up.

Few years ago I conducted a massive study here on r2r. It's called bacteria in bottle myth or fact.
We studied 9 or 10 different brands.
Fritz turbostart 900 wins in every way possible.
Bio Spira and Dr Tim one and only are runner ups.
Rest I found might be hetrotrophic ammonia sludge removers.
We use instant cycles in our qt tanks in between bleaching tanks.
Never had any issues. I use fritz turbstart 900.
Bleach the tank. Air dry for 24 hrs rinse and reset. Fill up the tank and use 2 to 3 times the amount recommended and release fish.
Algae is normal phase of every tank cycle that likely can't be avoided.

 

[Mschmidt]

welcome.

as to your questions, the sicce return should be big enough. BRS has a video tanking about the 10x plow rate thing, basically they said with the rest of the flow provided by powerheads, realistically you can be fine with 3x.

The wavemaker should be fine too. a quick search shows me it has almost 2k gph which at max is many for your tank.

per bacteria colonies and live vs base rock; it seems to be from my perusing that more diversity is better, even if it does come with the stray pest or bad actor. but more clarity should be provided by someone with more experience with SW. I can say starter bacteria works well enough and can get you up and running in days rather than weeks, but that doesn't mean it's the "best" way.

 

[oceancowboy]

For a UV...suggest the coralife turbotwist. I used the large one on my 400 gallon for years....worked just fine.

 

[Uncle99]

Reef mat and doser you will only require months down the road.

Need an ATO right away.

Heater seems to big at 500watts. I’d do 2-100 (or 150) set one degree apart, on an Inkbird controller. The 306-WiFi is fabulous for this as it will both shut heat off if out of range, and send you a notification on your phone advising this action.

This creates a “double redundancy” as a temp failure is usually catastrophic and happens frequently.

in addition, all outlets running your system must be GFCI interrupt to ensure you, or your fish, do not get electrocuted.

Welcome to R2R, enjoy and have fun

 

[tharbin]

Welcome to R2R! The Sicce is more than enough, as mentioned before turnovers of between 3-10 per hour is the sweet spot. I personally aim for 4-5 turnovers. The 500 watt heater is not only overkill but a potential hazard for the tank. You need more like 300-400 for your tank volume. One oversized heater can cook a tank pretty quickly if it fails on. Get two smaller heaters of 150-200 watts each. I can't help with the UV as I haven't used one in years. Dr. Tim's of Fritz Turbo Start 900 are both good starter bacteria.