Ok I'm going to do my best....1. Good Calcium Reactor (since I will have alot of SPS)
I'm doing the same research and purchasing you are for a 180, and the reactor I've settled on is the MRC CR-1 reactor. It's a decent price, expandable, and will handle your current load just fine. Don't buy the crapo Pan-World pump they try to bundle... get a mag drive of similar rating.
2. some sort of mag drive or little giant pump for returns
I'd go with an Iwaki or a sequence for this. A Iwaki 70RLT or a Sequence Wahoo will be a great return pump. A Mag 12 or Mag 18 would be suitable as well, but they are physically large, not as efficient, and throw a lot of heat into the water.
3. sump+fuge
Absolutely necessary. You can build one out of an aquarium, have one custom made, build them yourself if you have a decent table saw at your disposal, etc. What you do here is largely dictated by what type of skimmer you use. Decide on your skimmer FIRST, then look at it's footprint, whether it needs to operate sitting in water (and how much water), etc.
I'd plan for at least a 20 gallon return section and at least 20 gallons of fuge space.
4. lighting (what type do you suggest for te corals I want?)
I'm a halide fan, but T5s are another choice. Given the amount of SPS you are planning, I'd tend to lean towards halides. Plan for at least 600-800 watts of light.
5. overflow
BUILT IN. Don't skimp on this. Every other piece of equipment you can upgrade down the road if you are short on funds. They are safer (from a flooding perspective), allow you to place the tank closer to the wall, and frankly just look nicer. I will never make the mistake of using another hang-on overflow box. I've never had a flood, but built-ins just work so much better!
Beware that unless your tank is acrylic, it will almost certainly have a tempered bottom, so forget about drilling the tank yourself. Invest in the right tank the first time.
6. lots of pvc, ball valves, 45s, 90s
Get fond of unions. Use them on both sides of your pump, on all of your tank connections, sump connections, and skimmer connection. It allows you to take everything apart for maintenance. Don't forget to use valves where appropriate so you can shut off the water flow, loosen unions, and remove equipment (such as the skimmer) without shutting down the main return loop.
7. auto top off
A very nice to have.
8. powerheads (or will the return make it so I don't need them?)
NO. Use powerheads. There are a couple good reasons for this.
First, the two big players, AGA and Oceanic, both use "Megaflow" overflows, which I do not believe is a fitting name. You get 600gph per, so you can only flow 1200gph on your main return loop. For a 125g reef stocked with SPS, you want at least THREE TIMES that amount.
Second, they provide redundancy in case your main pump fails.
Third, they allow flexibility to direct flow to areas where the main return lines do not reach.
Propeller powerheads, such as the Tunze Nanostream, Tunze Turbelle, or Hydor Koralia are all great choices and produce enormous amounts of flow. If you can't afford that, Maxi Jets are a great choice.
9. RO unit
Not necessary, but given the size of your tank and the big pain in the butt that hauling RODI water from the LFS will be (particularly since I'm imagining you'll need a ride at least at first... ??? ) I'd recommend it. With the amount of water you'll go through it will be worth it. Just cycling this system you'll go through over $100 worth of RODI water (not including salt) if the LFS charges $0.50/gallon... You can get an RODI unit for that.
10. Aqua C skimmer (looking at the EV series out of that series what do you suggest?)
Those are very nice skimmers and I definitely put them on my "top 10" list. Also look at skimmers that use a real Beckett or Downdraft design, such as the MRC or the ETSS. For less money, you'll get a better skimmer.
Also consider recirculators with meshwheel pumps, such as the Euro-Reef -- models.
11. what else do you guys think I should need?
You've done a lot of research. Most of your bases are covered. Consider investing in a controller. Also consider an ozonizer to help keep your tank disease free, and a chiller, only because you have a lot to lose if the tank accidentally gets too warm one day.
Oh, and by the way...
Originally Posted by reefboy12's Mom
You need to to get a feel for saving and learn some responsibility.
Dude listen to your mom. Money management and learning how to save is probably the most important skill you'll want down the road. It's not something useless like Trig. It will also help you afford bigger tanks.
Oh, and I'm assuming she's helping you pay for this. Lucky!
