Trying to piece together my new setup

[ThatOneCanoe]

Alright I need some advice. I am coming over from the world of freshwater and I have a decommissioned 55 gallon tank and a 55/75 gallon stand. I was planning on buying and drilling a 75 gallon tank and plumbing in a 10 gallon sump(the biggest my current stand can fit) into the system. I have already purchased the lights, a return pump, a skimmer, wavemakers, and an overflow, but I am now realizing how much of a pain the plumbing is going to be. I also think I would like a bigger sump and possible refugium. So I've been thinking about picking up a red sea reefer(most likely a 350) and putting my equipment in that. Another possibility has just come up in the classifieds and I'm looking at purchasing a used Red Sea Reefer 450 for $800 tomorrow if it's still available. What would you do? Is my current equipment adequate for these tanks? Thanks.

Equipment List:
2x Ai Hydra 32 LEDs
2x Ai Nero 5 Wavemakers
Aquamaxx DFC-120 Controllable Protein Skimmer
Sicce Syncra Silent 3.0 Return Pump(714gph)

 

[davidcalgary29]

Welcome! It all comes down to what you want in your system. What type of livestock do you want to keep?

Red Sea tanks are good, and $800 is a probably a good price for a Reefer 450 where you are (I bought my 350 for $800 CAD), but they do have their quirks. The sump system can be...quixotic, and I'd make sure to do a water test before you even think about buying it. Does the vendor have any recent videos of it running? Does it come with the original cabinet? Is the cabinet sound?

You can also try to do an AIO sump in your existing tank. I think it'd be much easier to drill holes to your specs in a piece of acrylic, silicone it into a side of your tank, divide it into compartments (if you like) and put your pumps in there. It'll reduce your overall available water volume, but you can still have a great 45g reef system. It'll be cheaper, too.