Hoping to start marine set up

[fish freak]

Hi folks, My name is Chris, and I have kept tropical fish, and have had ponds with fish and newts, I am retired now and looking to set up a marine tank and have a reef with a few fish etc. I will start the set up in July in the mean time I hope to learn all I can, and look at different set ups, I have a good place in the living room to put a tank of about four foot max, I have been looking at the red sea max c250 tank the only thing that worries me is the lights would I be better off making a set up with LEDs.
I have looked at some of the threads on hear and have gained a lot of input.
Hope too join in on the treads when I get more confident.
I will start a thread once I buy equipment.
Bye for now

 

[PSU4ME]

Welcome! And thanks for saying your time frame was July.....gives you lots of time to "figure it out".
I run a 120 which is 4' so i'm going to vote for that with LED's......I've had some success.

Ask away with the questions!

 

[fish freak]

Thanks I have not seen a 120 have you got just LED, I have read it keeps the running cost down and its better for reefs and soft, hard corals.

 

[fish freak]

Sorry it shows I am new I have found out how to look at your set up, I realise I need a lot more studying.

 

[PSU4ME]

A 120 is 4'x2'x2' which is a great footprint. You can follow my build thread from my signature - it should have all my steps!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

 

Start a new tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along - we love pics

LEDS are very nice ! ... the 6 39watt T5's in the RSM 250 will grow lots of corals too - RS is full of lovely T5 tanks

Doing your homework & looking at all your options is smart

 

[Snid]

Welcome Aboard, Matey!

I'm just starting out as well. Getting my first fish very soon, tank has been up and running for a month now. I have LED lights myself, and love the way they operate. I have Current Orbit LEDs, which have both the white and blue lights needed for a reef tank and that is all. What I like most about my lights is that they are easily programmable, ramp up and down, and have a sleek design. Plus you can program the white and blue lights separately on different schedules and intensity.

I plan to add corals at some point, so I hope they will be enough. I won't have to worry about them being too much because as I mentioned, I can program the time and intensity very easily.

Good Luck!!!

 

[goma]

Hi and welcome to RS!!! Friendly bunch of helpful folks here, feel free to ask any questions you may have! :swmfish:

 

[BigAl07]

Hello and welcome to RS!

Kudos to you for planning ahead. Your tank will benefit greatly from your patience and devotion before the first purchase.

I have to agree with Bryan on the 120 footprint. In my own personal opinion that is one of the most eye pleasing footprints on the market second only to a 48" x 48" x 24" tank (huge CUBE).

Re: RSM250 - That's a rock solid system for sure. The good news is it comes ready to go and if you decide you'd like LED it's not too difficult to add an LED fixture or even do a DIY retrofit.

Re: LED - They are awesome no doubt about it but don't be fooled into thinking they are the end-all for reef lighting (I can't believe I'm saying this). Metal Halide and T5 are both strong contenders and will growth anything you would ever want with ease. The Red Sea lighting system is top-notch and I don't think you could ever go wrong sticking with it long-term. Please understand I'm very much PRO LED but it's only fair that you understand the Red Sea lighting isn't shabby in the least.

I'm running LED on both of my tanks (kit built system) but my next tank will be "Illuminated" with GHL Mitras LED pendants. Actually I'm considering the RS250 as my next tank as well. We'll see what is available when the time comes.

Again welcome to Reef Sanctuary

 

[fish freak]

Thanks for your comments gets you thinking, which hopefully will help with a good start.