Hi all,
I got into fish keeping about a year ago or so, started with freshwater planted tanks. I am a renter, so I've been somewhat limited in the size of tanks I can keep. Roughly 6 months ago I set up my first reef tank, a Waterbox Cube 25 Peninsula with a pair of gorgeous clowns, a gaggle of sexy shrimp, some easy corals, and an ultra rock flower anemone.
Just last week, my partner and I closed on our first home together, and there is a very nice spot in the basement that looks like it was specifically crafted for a tank to be there. I went back and forth on a bunch of tanks, and ultimately just found myself trying to find something that would make me stop thinking about the Infinia. I pulled the trigger on the 165.4 2 days ago; unfortunately this particular model is backordered, so it won't ship for another 6-8 weeks.
In the mean time, we're moving, finishing up the fall semester (both of us work full time and are in grad school), and doing holiday stuff, so unfortunately it'll probably be a while before this thing gets wet...
So far, the build is not well defined, but here it is.
Creatures:
Equipment
I am open to any suggestions/insights y'all have on the equipment - plenty of time to stew and research!
I don't have pictures of anything other than the space right now, so here it is. I taped off the dimensions of the 125 gallon model and 165 gallon model. My mom and partner both agreed that the 125 felt a little small for the space, so it was actually pretty easy to get approval for the 165
I got into fish keeping about a year ago or so, started with freshwater planted tanks. I am a renter, so I've been somewhat limited in the size of tanks I can keep. Roughly 6 months ago I set up my first reef tank, a Waterbox Cube 25 Peninsula with a pair of gorgeous clowns, a gaggle of sexy shrimp, some easy corals, and an ultra rock flower anemone.
Just last week, my partner and I closed on our first home together, and there is a very nice spot in the basement that looks like it was specifically crafted for a tank to be there. I went back and forth on a bunch of tanks, and ultimately just found myself trying to find something that would make me stop thinking about the Infinia. I pulled the trigger on the 165.4 2 days ago; unfortunately this particular model is backordered, so it won't ship for another 6-8 weeks.
In the mean time, we're moving, finishing up the fall semester (both of us work full time and are in grad school), and doing holiday stuff, so unfortunately it'll probably be a while before this thing gets wet...
So far, the build is not well defined, but here it is.
Creatures:
- Mixed reef, probably starting with softies/easy LPS first and maybe dabbling in SPS down the road. Ultimately the goal is for this system to be one that I grow into as I advance.
- A pair of clowns, either the pair I have now in my peninsula 25 or a different pair, but clowns are my favorite fish so they will definitely be present
- Longer term goal is to be able to support mandarin(s) - we friggin love em
Equipment
- Lights - A pair of Apex Neptune Sky's. They were on a fairly steep discount at BRS for black November save-a-thon, so I jumped on them while I had the chance. Not sure if I'll end up sticking with these long term, but based on community feedback and various reviews they seem like well-liked lights. Luckily BRS has a 1-year return policy for store credit, so I can always swap them out down the line if they aren't working for me
- Return pump - Not sure on this one yet. Thinking DC so I can control with an app, but not sure. I also need to figure out the flow rate I need.
- Skimmer - I will probably not run a skimmer off the bat. I plan to just watch my nutrients and overall ecosystem health and go from there
- Powerheads - Not sure on this one either. Kind of conflicted because I've read some not-so-great things about the MP40s, but they also seem to be the benchmark against which others are measured.
- Heater(s) - I run an Aquael heater on my nano reef so they fit nicely into my return pump chamber, but they are pretty pricy for the size/number I'll need for a tank of this size. Since I don't really have to see them in the display or fit them anywhere tight, I am open to some of the, erm, uglier options on the market.
I am open to any suggestions/insights y'all have on the equipment - plenty of time to stew and research!
I don't have pictures of anything other than the space right now, so here it is. I taped off the dimensions of the 125 gallon model and 165 gallon model. My mom and partner both agreed that the 125 felt a little small for the space, so it was actually pretty easy to get approval for the 165