10 Years and starting over.

Hello all, I came to reef sanctuary 10 years ago...at that time I had a 300 gallon tank which I ended up selling 8 years ago after a divorce...


WELL, I am going to start this 150 Gallon build...it will be delivered on Friday 10/12/2018. I have seen similar threads that I have read over the years. It would be cool to have a good following.

After some research, I have noticed that everything has changed LED lights, REALLY!!!. Well I am excited.
 
So a little context...I know the owner of one of the LFS here in Virginia. I told him I was looking to get a larger tank. He told me today he is breaking down a 150G from another customer and The guy only want $400. it is a 72x18 so it is sorta tall as it is wide. but the $400 I get.

  • Stand
  • Canopy
  • Tank...its drilled with 2 over flows
  • all of the piping
  • sump w/return pump
  • protein skimmer
  • all of his supplies
  • refractometer
  • uv sterilizer
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
For the price you can't go wrong. However, go over all the equipment carefully looking for things that need repair or replacement.

As an example, not too long ago I found I had a couple of cracked parts in my skimmer. That wasn't too bad, but then I found my heater went bad, and the pump I used for my closed loop, and then my sump started to leak. By the time I was all done fixing or replacing things, I had just about redone the entire filtration system, little by little.
 
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Uncle99

Well-Known Member
Can't see how you can go to far wrong with that price, although seems a bit overly cheap. When you start going over 100g, weight starts to be a consideration, the stand must be on a solid surface, the stand itself must be a solid structure, any warp or play may lead to a crack.
 
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I actually saw the tank running. So I don't have any worries. I have 2 other smaller tanks currently running.
So once I get everything running in the 150 I will move everything in it.
 
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SPR

Well-Known Member
I’ve got 4 of the Hydra 26 on my Red Sea tank and there very good, easy to use etc.
 

Uncle99

Well-Known Member
Depends on what you like, or going to do. If you want to have enough light to do up to SPS and Maxima Clams then the following are options at two different price points.

If you want intense light and tons of programming controls by smartphone then Radions or AI prime, but cost for each is 500 ( in Canada anyways) and you need three.

If you want intense light and simple two channel ( blue/white) control then Visparspectra 165w, now the cost for each is 160 Canadian, so substantial savings

I have two Visparspectra on my 70g, 2 years now, only run at 20% white and 60% blue, grows softies, LPS, SPS, Anenome, clams, well made units.

While I love MH and T5 combos, the bulbs have to be changed every 9 months and the heat from MH has to be controlled, so to expensive, too much trouble, LED is the way to go.
 
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Uncle99

Well-Known Member
48", each one does 24" cube well so I have 2.
While cost was a factor, for me, the ones with full control software did not provide any benefits to my set up. My corals want light, the correct spectrum, nothing fancy.
Another excellent light is the Kessels......
 
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saintsreturn

Well-Known Member
Sexy tank Uncle!

Thomas, lights are a point that can bring an end to the internet! I have seen very successful tanks run with most lights out there. I have seen some struggle too, with lights like the "current" model.

I ran AI primes (2 on a 48") and had great growth and success. They looked sharp and I loved them. For... reasons... I upgraded to the XR15s. I am in love with these lights. If i could do it all again, i would probably do T5's or a combination of the two. I like spectrum control as the par readings have been very close with any of the color channels i have chosen.

Budget will most likely drive the decision, but dont go crazy budget here either. My tank changed dramatically when i left some "cheap" marineland lights and went to AI/Ecotech.

Some other food for thought, if you want simple and independent, bulbs have been performing for decades. If you want a controllable setup, think of the long term ecosystem you want to create. Much like Apple Vs Google, it gets annoying having to log into different apps or controls to make changes in your system. If you like Vortech pumps, go with ecotech lights so they are on one app. Same for AI and their new wavemakers.

If you are planning on a controller, such as Apex, check out their "Apex Ready" setups so you can use one source.

Personally i do not run a true controller and only have one for my heater. I wanted to reduce the amount of wires in my tank so i went with Vortechs. This drove me to Ecotech lights.

Hopefully this makes sense and adds some insight :D
 
I am considering running the AIs I purchased but wanted to check if there are less expensive versions or combo lights. I will likely keep it as a mushroom garden. Maybe a few stony things in the future.


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