Starting from scratch

Thought I would say hello to everyone and see what advice everybody has for me. This isn't my first tank SW tank but being out of the hobby for 7 years I see there have been a great many changes.
I am planning on setting up a 125 reef ready tank (fowlr (for now)). I have been reading as much as I can on equipment and live stock. Picked out what i want to swim just working on the means to sustain it. I would like to hear your opinion's on what equipment has been successful for you. My main questions are what are the best lights, skimmers, and sumps for the money(I understand not to pinch pennies sacrificing quality but there is a reasonable medium). Any input is greatly appreciated and I'll keep you updated to which path I follow,
Keegan

 

It seems like the best lighting choice to keep your power bill down will be LED. I would suggest really doing your research since there are so many to choose from. You might still be better off foing with Metal Hallides depending on how deep your tank will be. If I was at home and had access to my compiter, I would able to suggest some good skimmers for you. I hope this helps out though.

I would look at BoostLED or Rapid LED. I think that I will personally end up going with BoostLED myself
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I almost forgot, welsome to 3reef! This is a great place to ask questions.
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Thanks appreciate the reply I'll look into the leds, they are defiantly new to me for aquariums . MH are a lot of heat and power not to mention id like to be able to put lights under a hood. Skimmers I have been looking into a reef octopus sx 160.

 

Welcome to 3reef! Glad to see you getting back into the hobby again. I will try to answer some of your questions.

For lighting, it depends on if you want to stay FOWLR or if you want to upgrade to reef later. This will make a HUGE difference. For FOWLR only lighting, I would just run some T8 shop lights mounted in your canopy. If you are going to be upgrading to reef then I definitely recommend going LED. It's low heat, doesnt require bulb replacement, and gives amazing shimmer. A post in the LED lighting section will help you get started in the right direction should you choose LED.

As far as skimmers go, I cant offer advice. I do however recommend you look into Algae Turf Scrubbers. They can eliminate the need for a skimmer if done properly, and I believe they are the future as far as filtration goes. They can be built for practically nothing as far as cost goes. Here is an excellent thread that will get you some basic understanding of how they work.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/algae-scrubber-basics-117137.html

As far as a sump, I would recommend just picking out a size tank that will fit in your stand, and just install dividers in it yourself.

 

and if the cost of leds is to much run t-5. I do not like leds:
A:cost
B:still need accent lighting
car dose drop off over time.
D:there so new i dont feel they have had time to develop enough

and the power thing is a joke to me when you spend 3 grand for a light fixture you just payed all the power bills up front. my tank raised my power bill 1$. my brothers reptiles 8$ i run 6 36" t-5 and a 250 w heater. power should not be a big deal. bulbs thats a different story every 6 months 100 buxs dose sux but then u can change the colors and what not but i am here to help you make the best choice for you. btw reef octopus skimmers are amazing i wish i had one!!!
:grinthumbs:

 

A: Cost is nothing if you get a DIY kit from RapidLED or Aquastyle
B: What are you talking about needing accent lighting?
C: Ya, PAR does drop, but not for 10 years.
D: What is it that you feel needs to develop further?

When you spend 200 bucks a year on bulbs for your T5 fixture, it doesnt take long for an LED fixture to pay for itself. Plus T5's have ZERO shimmer. Upgrading my tank from a 4 bulb T5 fixture to my RapidLED kit was the best thing I have ever done. My wallet and my tank are both thanking me.

 

This is what I am saying is they are still developing!! My Lfs 8 months ago when I got a new fixture said u needed LEDs and still need 1-2 t-5 because u can only run the leds for 7-8 hours. I run my antics for 10.5 hours and my day lights for 7hrs. LEDs you can't do that. 2 grand for led most can't do that. If I had the money I would probably try the new Eco marine ones

 

All of your information is incorrect. You can run leds for however long or short of a lighting period as you want. You do not need to supplement leds with T5s at all. And I don't know where you keep getting this 2 grand initial cost from. You can do a diy kit that will support sps on a 4 foot tank for 500 bucks. You can buy 2 AI sols for 800 bucks if you aren't a diy person. That's not expensive at all when you start thinking about what ATI T5 bulbs cost to replace.

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I would have to agree that LED's are the way to go. Especially if you get a DIY kit. It's not hard at all to solder them and there are many, many options as far as overall layout and color choices. Plus, if you get a dimmable kit you can tailor the intensity of each color to your tank. Also, when introducing new corals, and acclimating them to the light you can gradually bring up the intensity. With just about any other lighting setup, its either on or off. Is the initial expense greater? yes, yes it is. Will it pay for itself within 2 years? Absolutely. I may not have a tnak setup yet, and I have only been researching. but to me, LED's seem to have no cons.