What do you guys think?

[calvindo]

All,
After a month of reading all your posts. I'm in the process of putting together my first reef tank. Below is what i've purchased so far. Do i need anything else? Is this a good start?
-125G acrylic w/ 2 overflow box ( 1 on each corner)
-birdseye maple wood stand and canopy
-euroreef cs8-1 protein skimmer
-4 powerheads
-double outlet wet/dry system
-dual 250w MH and dual VHO 110w
thanks

 

[escape2thewater]

Looks good so far IMHO, you want to make sure between your return pump(s) & PH's you have 10-20% trunover per hour. If its a reef it should be closer to 20%. Make sure you get good quality return pump(s) too! like mag drives, etc.
Kyle

ps - how do you plan on plumbing that bad boy?

 

[calvindo]

hmmm, plumbing... I will probably get someone from the lfs to do it... i'm new to this and would hate to screw things up.
quick question... i live in california, my average room temperture is about 74 degrees, 84 in the summer (but not for long, i turn on the AC when home)... do i need to get a water chiller?

 

[naturelover]

don't forget ro/di unit unless you are going to buy water. it will avoid a lot of headache.

 

[dzones]

i keep an internal house temp of 70 degrees constantly. I have heaters on my system just as backup..they never actually kick in but my tank stays at a balmy 82. i do have a 4" fan that blows over the surface of the water when my metal halides are on.
I doubt you need a chiller unless your lights are real close to the water and/or running for long periods. I understand those are pretty big $$$

 

[calvindo]

my halides will probably about 6 inches from the top of the tank. I will definitely put atlest two fans to suck the hot air out of the canopy. I'll probably go without the chiller and see how it goes...

 

[jjetjock]

Sounds good. I would spend the $500 and get the chiller just to keep the tank at a constant temp. Good luck!