Help with building new reef tank

[reb]

I started in the hobby 15 years ago. I had a 125 reef, 29 gallon sea horse, and a 180 aggressive. When we moved 4 years ago I got out totally. Last year I finally got back in with a nano tank. Jbj 28 gallon led. I have had very good luck and have softies, zoos, and some lps. I have decided to make my nano a sea horse tank and make a little larger new reef tank. I so far really like the 38 gallon nuvo for an all in one tank system which works best for my lifestyle. I would like to try some sps and clams with the other corals I transfer. I am shocked at the cost of led fixtures but that is what I definitely want. How many watts do I need? What do you recommend for a brand or fixture? I would rather use one fixture instead of 2. Seems cleaner and a little cheaper. Also I have normally done a live sand bed with a larger size sand. I see a lot of reefs with a real fine sand. Which is better?

 

[drewsta]

In my opinion I would go with a Aqua illumination Nano. Great color and nice spectrum of light and you can keep sps without breaking the bank! About $300 bucks around here and you can keep your sps as well!

 

[snakeblitz33]

Welcome back Reb!
LED's, well, I don't have a unit yet, but I plan to upgrade here pretty soon. I can only tell you from the experience of others that some of the higher end CCLEDs (Cheap Chinese LEDs) are worth looking into. One prominent brand that is gaining a lot of attention is Reefbreeders. They have a fully controllable unit called the photon 32 with all the bells and whistles. Over a 38g (Which, correct me if I am wrong, is 36" long, it would be a perfect fit over the top of the tank. Unlike other brands, these reefbreeder units are completely customizable before you order.
I also prefer a courser grain of sand. I know a lot of people use oolite, but that just blows everywhere in an SPS dominate tank. You also don't want your clams getting disturbed by the smaller grain sand either.
Again, welcome back to the forums! I hope you stick around this time! lol