snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
I'd go with buying just a 125g reef ready aquarium from a local fish store - not *****. But, those big box stores can also order tanks that are reef ready. That's the route I would go with. A 125 gives you a longer swimming room for larger fish that are very pretty. A 125g also has more room on the side so that you can add an ATO reservoir and any additional equipment you see fit to add to your tank.
I'd build my own stand outta 2x4's and plywood as well - or if I couldn't do it, I would definitely have someone paid to do a professional job of it. I don't trust stands from retail stores to be strong enough over time. Certain materials, such as MDF and particle board are horrible materials to make an aquarium stand out of - and they do it all the time! I don't feel like the wooden ones that are made are strong enough to hold the weight of a tank over time either.
As far as lighting goes, a 6ft tank isn't hard to light anymore. Everyone is going the LED route right now - which is where I am going next. I was (and still kinda am) a big T5HO kinda guy but I am greatly warming up to LEDs due to how cool they run, how much light they put out per watt, and that their bulb life is much longer than a T5 or Metal Halide bulb life. (maintenance is less expensive.) CCLEDs work pretty well, but if you want an American warranty, I'd go with two Photon 32 units from Reefbreeders.
Keep us posted and keep on posting pictures of the build!
I'd build my own stand outta 2x4's and plywood as well - or if I couldn't do it, I would definitely have someone paid to do a professional job of it. I don't trust stands from retail stores to be strong enough over time. Certain materials, such as MDF and particle board are horrible materials to make an aquarium stand out of - and they do it all the time! I don't feel like the wooden ones that are made are strong enough to hold the weight of a tank over time either.
As far as lighting goes, a 6ft tank isn't hard to light anymore. Everyone is going the LED route right now - which is where I am going next. I was (and still kinda am) a big T5HO kinda guy but I am greatly warming up to LEDs due to how cool they run, how much light they put out per watt, and that their bulb life is much longer than a T5 or Metal Halide bulb life. (maintenance is less expensive.) CCLEDs work pretty well, but if you want an American warranty, I'd go with two Photon 32 units from Reefbreeders.
Keep us posted and keep on posting pictures of the build!