Cali Kid Corals

Thinking for starting new tank ---- plz stop me haha

Prince Shah

Prince Shah

Supporting Member
BARcard
Hey Guys,

Finally we moved into new house and we r set and missing our reef tank. This time my wify is onbard willing to go bigger and better than last time. We had 50 gallon SCA build.

I am reaching out to BAR members to suggest some builds.

I am planning to follow KISS (keep it simple shhhh) atleast few tangs and pair of nemo. I would love to have Anemone only build and some easy corals. Not much into SPS or difficult stuff.

I was thinking of getting 110 with 75 or similar for sump. In sump just keep Skimmer (biggest I could affoard) and vortex DC pump. And rest refigum. I really like the setup of Neptune Aquatics (San Jose).

Other option is to buy out of the box system 425 XL https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/r...xUDukqL3nd24s3hWfvqQLcLGTivcHjz0aAidfEALw_wcB

Let me know your thoughts.
 
That RSR 425 would be a great tank.

I feel there is a sweet spot in reefing around 100 gallons.
Above that, and flow/lighting/etc start to get complicated and more expensive.
Below that, and you cannot add all the fish you want, and water is less stable.

You could probably do better or cheaper if you picked all the components yourself.
But you need to know what you are doing.

Something to consider though - do you really want rimless?
There are pros and cons. I prefer eurobrace myself. Thinner glass, less spillage.

"Bigger" is not always the better with skimmers.
If the neck is too large for your bio-load, it will not develop a head, and not skim properly.
But getting a bit better quality skimmer definitely makes a big difference.

Going used saves a TON of money, but be VERY careful checking out the tank first.
 
Going to go tang police here, so please excuse :)

If you're wanting a "couple tangs" unless these are very small tangs (and I mean as adults not the size in the fish store, so as a tomini tang as an example) I would set a minimum tank size at 6 feet OR 4 feet that's deep (30-36" front to back). That RSR 425 is a very nice tank but I wouldn't call it a "couple of tangs" type of tank.

</end T.Police>

As to the actual tank you end up with
1: Where's it going to go, how much physical space will you have for it? Will it be all contained (i.e. everything under the tank in stand or similar)?
2: What's your realistic budget? I see you looking at the RSR, those are not cheap but it's an "All in one" solution (tank, stand, sump?, plumbing). Only things you need are skimmer, lights and pumps (does it come with a return pump?).
3: If you go sump, unless you're very DIY handy I'd say spend money on an actual sump, one that is designed as a sump not just a regular tank and you glue baffles. While there is nothing wrong with doing this you wanted KISS approach, and going DIY tends to deviate from that plan.
4: How do you want the top to look? Do you want the clean open look that the RSR has? Or are you going to have some sort of canopy hiding stuff on top? This will dictate your lighting choice, and IMO with a non-SPS tank I would keep it simple, no need to get too fancy with high end LED lighting (Unless your budget calls for it, then by all means).

Ok, sorry didn't exactly help you not go big...
 
I really like the Reefer tanks, if you are looking for simple it takes the guesswork out of plumbing but be prepared for an IKEA session on the cabinet assembly :)
 
Finally, I decided to go for 80.4 shallow reef from waterbox. I will start the build thread hope you guys will enjoy it and guide me :). Feels good to be back.
 
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