getting a 125g need help

[travis99]

Ok so I figured before I waste alot of money on a new tank I am going to ask the advice of some people with a little more knowledge than me. I am looking to invest in a 125 gallon reef tank, and I want to do it right the first time. I currently have a 30 gallon saltwater tank that I love. I would like to transfer my live rock from that tank to my new one.
So basically I am asking, if you could go back and do it perfect the first time, what would you do?
Travis

 

[teen]

im saying this as if you plan on having a mixed reef.
i would have at least a 6" sand bed.
over sized protein skimmer
definetley MH lighting
definetley a sump.
i did all of this besides the 6" sand bed, but those are a lot of the things i feel most people do wrong. HTH.

 

[maxalmon]

Skip the DSB and go for a barebottom tank with a Euroreef skimmer

A DSB will take up 25% of your tank or go with a 2" LSB
For a 125, they are usually 72" long you'll need 3x250 w or 3x150 MH with some actinic, like a 4x96w. With this combo you can keep anything and never have to worry about upgrading the lights.
.
Shopping list
200-300lbs of LR
100+Lbs of LS for a 2" bed
3x250 MH with 4x96w actinic
Euroreef skimmer
Neptune Jr controller with outlets
Seio variable PH's with controller (half the cost of tunze)
Maybe 2 or 3 maxi-jet 900's to place behind LR, flushes out detritus
AutoTop off system
Salifert Test kits
B-Ionic 2 part Calcium and Alakalinity additives
Sump with a 2x9w 6500k freshwater light fixture for the chaeto
Prodibio additives
Digital thermometer
Tropic Marin PRO salt
RO system for water
That should be enought to get you started...

 

[teen]

it helps to know what he wants to keep. if hes going for softies, a DSB would be a better choice than a BB. if hes gonig for sps, then BB with a euroreef skimmer would be nice.

 

[travis99]

basically I would like to do a nice mixed reef tank. I do want some exotic fish, I kind of like a sand bottom, I also want some really cool coral.
Travis

 

[shrimpi]

I would do a compromise on the sandbed.
Shoot for 4".. its not too much, and if you go less then you may be seeing the bottom of the tank if you get a goby or something.. the way they move the sand is merciless.

At 4" you can really dig in there to stabilize your rocks and bury your tubeworms etc. Then maybe you could get some jawfish or something- they are small and very cute to watch in the sand. Depending on starfish, they bury themselves too. 2" isnt quite enough. but 6" is ALOT of sand.
I have about 4", but my goby moves the sand so much that some places in the tank are at 6" and others as low as 1" depending on his 'housecleaning' that day. JMO

 

[ridomart]

I,ve got a 120 60 inches long X 18 wide X 24 high. I wish I had gotten bigger. The 18 wide cuts down on sand bed & swimming room, once you put LR in. Go with 4 inch sand bed. Go as big as you can!!!!!

 

[tboy]

Originally Posted by travis99
Ok so I figured before I waste alot of money on a new tank I am going to ask the advice of some people with a little more knowledge than me. I am looking to invest in a 125 gallon reef tank, and I want to do it right the first time. I currently have a 30 gallon saltwater tank that I love. I would like to transfer my live rock from that tank to my new one.
So basically I am asking, if you could go back and do it perfect the first time, what would you do?
Travis
If I were you, since you goning with 72" long. I would go with 220, 72" x 24"
you won't regret in the future.
Just some thought

 

[teen]

i still say 6" sand bed. if you ever get a burrowing fish or a pistol shrimp, they reach the bottom of a 3-4" sand bed in no time. plus, with a 6", you wont have to replace it for a few years. its your tank though, thats just something i would have done.
also, get enough rock so you have room for corals, but dont buy huge pieces that look like bricks. get nice branching pieces and odd shaped pieces. also, when aquascaping, leave room on your sand bed. you'll come across lots of corals and items like clams that you wish you had room for on your sand bed, but its too late because your rockwork is covered in corals and you cant re-aquascape.

 

[farslayer]

My 125 has about a 2" sand bed and it's been fine for several years now. I have a HOB skimmer, an 18W UV sterilizer, two SEIO powerheads (one is 1500gph and the other is 2600gph), two maxijet 1200s to make the surface of the water move, and a Fluval FX5 canister. I have no sump and maintain 0 nitrates, phosphates, etc. I have rock piled up on both ends, but with ledges for corals. In the middle, the rock is mostly against the back of the tank so that the center has a lot of exposed sand, kind've like a semi-circle in the center. I have clams, plates, and other bottom-dwellers hanging out there. I also have 4 250W 14K MH HQI with 4 39W T5 actinics. I'm very happy with my tank.

 

[teen]

not saying a 2" or 3" sand bed wont last years (my tank has a 3" sand bed), but if i could do it over again, i would have gone with at least 5".