My First Project!

[the_hadleys]

So one saltwater tank is not enough! We pulled our 72 gallon bow front out of storage, cleaned it up, and placed it where its going to be. It used to be a fresh water so I am converting it to salt. Few questions...
1. should I go sump or refugium?
2. If sump I was looking at a ADHI Model 20 Berlin Sump is this enough for 72 gallons?
3. Is LED the "NEW" lighting standard or are they sub-par?
If you have had a similar build or ran into a problem any info or advise is great!!!
Going to start researching some products.
Thanks.

 

[novahobbies]

Personally, I'm a fan of DIY sump/fuge setups. Mechanical, Chemical and skimmer filtration in the first chamber, fuge with chaeto and DSB in second chamber, return pump in the third. Try to fit the heater in the first chamber if you can; the water level won't ever drop in that chamber.
LED lighting is still in its infancy. the big player in the group right now is Solaris IIRC, and there have been a few problems with their systems if you read up on it. As of right now I'm not sure the cost justifies the return, as far as an investment is concerned. I like the idea of LED lighting, but I'm waiting to see if the cost goes down in a year or two.