125 Tank for Fathers Day

[iDad]

My wife is planning on getting me a 125 tank for Fathers Day coming up. Now, I know I will be a long way before setting it up. I am getting the tank first, and then piecing together the equipment next. I was wondering if you guys can give me tips on the types of equipment I should get for a 125 gallon tank, What kind of things I should look into, etc..etc..

I look up protein skimmers, RO/DI units, sumps and refugiums. But I don't know what would be adequate for the tank I will be having, so....Please Help.....Again.

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

A 75g sump is not out of order. I hate to say it, but the tank is by far the cheapest part. With this much volumn your going to need to dosing pumps, amazing lights, and some crazy deep pockets! Welcome to the big leagues and the broke!

 

[iDad]

Yeah I am completely aware that the tank is the cheapest part. But once I get the tank, it's easier for me to justify my other purchases and the wife agreeing to it, bwahahahaha!

I am wanting to do it right, that's why I created the thread to get advice from other members as to what I should look into and how to select the right prices of equipment

 

[d2mini]

The best thing to do is to start browsing all the build threads (here, reefcentral, etc) with tanks in the 90-200g range. This will give you some great ideas and start to help narrow things down. Then once you're starting to wrap your head around things a little better, we can help you one item at a time and you'll need to provide a budget for each item. There is always a "best" and a "best within my budget". ;)

You'll also want to look at controllers.
Most people go Apex because the price is right, has good support and functions pretty well, some might say best in its price range. I prefer GHL Profilux because of the build quality, capability, build quality, available components, build quality, ease of programming, and it has good support as well. But the price is a bit loftier.

 

[Cathic]

When I look at your tank d2 I think, "there's a man with no budget" =D also "He's got a lot of patience"

Back to OP, his advice was a good idea, there are lots of brands that most people would recommend (skimmers and lighting especially). Finding your price point helps since you could eliminate brands based off price before you do any hefty research on something you can't afford.

 

[iDad]

I think my budget for a skimmer would be between $400-$600. That my be my budget for most of the equipment. But, that is always negotiable.

While I am thinking about it, I was browsing Bulk Reef Supply and Buckeye at there RO/DI systems. As much research as I have done I think I am learning and coming around to the different types of equipments (as to what they are for and how they perform and such). But what is the difference between 4 Stage RO/DI Unit (which is what I THINK is what I would need) and a 5 or 6 Stage RO/DI Unit. I know the 5 or 6 Stages filter out more, but what would be the reason for that, what would you have in your tank to need that, etc..etc..

I hope I asked that correctly.

 

[emmett0122]

i have a 6 stage RO/DI it has 3 filters before the membrane and 2 di filters after the membrane the thing to look at IMO is you water in your house type of water lines the more stuff that could be in your water the more filtering you would want. and IMO the RO/DI is more for the corals then the fish but its more of a personal preference i think. i look at it the more filtering the better for the tank and everything in it

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

For lighting on a tank that size, I'd recommend you go with LEDs. But, the prices on them are going to take you too the cleaners. So, check around for metal halides. Also, people forget this a lot, but, you should check your local Craigslist for used lights. If you can get a metal halide for your tank for 250$ because of a bad ballast, and it retails for 700$... well, the Ballast sure as hell doesn't cost 450$ :p. That's how I got my 6 bulb t5 fixture. 150$ and I had to get bulbs for it. <3 CL. :)

 

[iDad]

Yeah I have been looking at craigslist the past couple of days. I did find a 125 gallon tank WITH a protein skimmer for $450. But the protein skimmer is sold already. Comes with a stand and everything so I think I may be going that route. I am waiting to hear back from someone else that is selling his LED's that he had on his 125 gallon tank as well.

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

Smart man. I'm in the process of looking for a 180 or 200 to upgrade too. Only problem is people are crazy with prices sometimes. They want like 1200$ just for the tank. I should of jumped on the 180 I saw a few months ago that was up for 300$. It was just the tank, but heck, for that kind of money I would of just built a stand for it lol

 

[iDad]

After some research I have found that I may be getting the Reef Octopus Diablo DCS 200 In-Sump Protein Skimmer. Does anyone have anything to say about this line of pumps? Good or bad?