[josesod]

Hello All, I have been a member on this forum for about a month and I have been doing lots of research..reading all of these posts and getting a few aquarium books for some guides. I have come up with a setup that I think will work great so let me know your opinions and if you thing I should add/change anything.

1) 120gal Glass Reef ready tank with Stand and Hood
2) 48 Inch Current USA SunPod with 2 X 150W 14k HQI w/ 18 Lunar LED's. (Might update the MH's to 175W 20k bulbs after I start the tank) Also going to include some Actinic Lights so that the MH's are only running about 6-8 hours per day.
3) WMD40RLT Iwaki American Pump (750 GPH) I am thinking I might need to up this to about 1200gph..any thoughts?
4) Kent Marine RO/DI System
5) 2 x Fish Cue TI-Heater 150W. (I was thinking I might need qty 2 200W heaters..)
6) qty 4 Hydor Korlaia 3 Power heards Supplemented by a back and side spray bar utilizing a SCWD to change direction of water return.
7) Coralife Super 220 Skimmer (Needle Wheel)
8) 200lbs or live Fiji Rock
9) 100lbs of Live Sand for Sand bed as well as DSB for Refugium
10) 30 - 50Gal SUMP / Refugium
11) 10Gal Top-off tank w/ Ultralife float Switch

As soon as I Finalize my List, I will begin to purchase the equipment Next Week. I will then post pictures of my progress as I go. Thanks again!

Joe

[Br14n55reef]

Hi Joe

Well it looks like you did your home work .....
I would go with 2 heaters also keep it at 78-79d..
Buy your self some test kits salifert is a killer but good test kits.(refugiums) The bigger the better if you ask me just make sure your turning the refugium over
atlest 2-3 times per hour...Turn your aquarium over atleast 12 times per hour
and every thing should go good for you....

Good luck with your new tank and hurry with them pics!!!! j/k
Remember PATIENCE is the key to a perfect reef tank
Brian

[josesod]

The one thing that I have not put much thought into is what type of Corals and fish I will put into the tank. I would like a diverse set of animals but most importantly, I want them to get along..lol. I have heard a lot of people talk about getting tangs as their first fish. On top of that, was is a good mixture of reef cleaning fish? I saw this list online but I think it might be a bit much..any Ideas?

Gty - Type
30 - Cerith Snails
25 - Nassarius Snails
25 - Nerite Snails
20 - Mexican Turbo Snails
04 - Queen Conch
02 - Sand Sifting Starfish
01 - Serpent Sea Star
20 - Blue Leg Hermit Crab
30 - Mexican Red Leg Hermits
02 - Cleaner Shrimp
01 - Lawnmower Blenny

Any advice you have would be great. Thanks!

[Br14n55reef]

looks like wayyyyy to much if you ask me .. BUT
if it were my tank id as follow....

Gty - Type
30 - Cerith Snails= 15
25 - Nassarius Snails
25 - Nerite Snails
20 - Mexican Turbo Snails= 10
04 - Queen Conch= 1 or 2
02 - Sand Sifting Starfish = just 1 in 125 gallon tank
01 - Serpent Sea Star = Caution they eat anything but very good cleaner
20 - Blue Leg Hermit Crab = tend to be agressive tords other hermits
30 - Mexican Red Leg Hermits
02 - Cleaner Shrimp
01 - Lawnmower Blenny =0 worthless cleaner but a cool fish..
good luck

[pogodzib]

I like the revised quantity list that Br14n55reef listed with the exception of:

10 Mexican Turbo Snails - they can be bull dozer. I prefer Astrea snails instead due to their size and longevity. My Astreas always seem to survive virtually any tank mishap.

Queen conch - they can outgrow you tank and get up to about 12". I'd suggest getting a fighting conch instead

Hermit crabs - they can/will eat snails. Granted the species of crabs listed are not as bad at eating snails as most of the other hermit species are, but just so you know, they will eat some snails. Esp. if they don't have larger shells inside of the tank to switch into as they grow. Alot of people are trying to stick with either hermits or snails only, and not mixing the two types anymore.

EDIT: Regarding your equipment, 150w HQI MH ballasts are different than 175w MH ballasts so you can't just swap out the bulbs in the future. You're going to need to decide before you purchase your equipment which one you want to go with. If you're going to try your hand at SPS corals, you may want to consider 250w MH since the tank is 24" tall. For pump selection, if noise will be an issue, there are much quieter pumps out there than the American Iwaki pump.