new in a month 125 tank build.

[motorzrcook]

Well my wife told me today that she is giving me a budget of 1,000 us dollars to buy what i need for the new tank. I was gonna just stick the money in to my 75 gallon and upgrade that but i called foster and smith today and they can sell me a brandnew marineland 125 gallon tank drilled with overflows for 279.00. It will take 2 to 3 weeks they said to get it in stock though but i cant start buying stuff til the end of january. Can someone suggest what names and models i should go with. heres a list of what im gonna need. i can probably go over the budget by 178.00.

1. tank 125 gallons drilled over flows.
2. sump pump. been looking at the reef octopus diablo dc pumps.
3. sump
4.ro di system
5. power heads.- been looking at ebay at the jebao wp 40. how many i need?
6. refractometer
7. electric level checkers, hannah instrument etc.
8.heater
9. live rock. i want some live rock that is covered with coraline.
10. dry base rock.
11. sand.
12.protein skimmer. which brand and size, and where should i order from?
13. tank top, glass or screen?
14. lights, i want to be able to grow and be able to provide the necessary lighting requirements for anemones and all sorts of corals.
15. plumbing, should i use regular pvc or flex pvc?

If i missed anything , please somebody mention it.
I would like to know the best place to order all this stuff. Thank you for taking your time to read my post and comment. happy holidays.

 

[Terrance]

Dc diablo is good. Perhaps you should look at the speedwave pumps since its also a dc pump. Both are likely the same pump according to a LFS that supplies both pumps. Consider getting waveline dc. Get screen top, no glass top.

 

[bribo12]

It's going to be tough if not impossible to get all this stuff for $1000-1200 for a 125 tank. You can save some money by getting almost all base rock and a couple pieces of live rock to seed t with. You will want a 1-2" sandbed. Marinedepot, bulkreefsupply have all the stuff but I'd look on Craigslist too that will make it easier to find things for cheaper.

 

[Jmkb02]

Well my wife told me today that she is giving me a budget of 1,000 us dollars to buy what i need for the new tank. I was gonna just stick the money in to my 75 gallon and upgrade that but i called foster and smith today and they can sell me a brandnew marineland 125 gallon tank drilled with overflows for 279.00. It will take 2 to 3 weeks they said to get it in stock though but i cant start buying stuff til the end of january. Can someone suggest what names and models i should go with. heres a list of what im gonna need. i can probably go over the budget by 178.00. 1. tank 125 gallons drilled over flows. 2. sump pump. been looking at the reef octopus diablo dc pumps. 3. sump 4.ro di system 5. power heads.- been looking at ebay at the jebao wp 40. how many i need? 6. refractometer 7. electric level checkers, hannah instrument etc. 8.heater 9. live rock. i want some live rock that is covered with coraline. 10. dry base rock. 11. sand. 12.protein skimmer. which brand and size, and where should i order from? 13. tank top, glass or screen? 14. lights, i want to be able to grow and be able to provide the necessary lighting requirements for anemones and all sorts of corals. 15. plumbing, should i use regular pvc or flex pvc? If i missed anything , please somebody mention it. I would like to know the best place to order all this stuff. Thank you for taking your time to read my post and comment. happy holidays.

If your wife is gonna be crazy strict to the budget, I would try to eliminate a few things. Build your own sump with an old tank and some new pieces of glass with silicone. I would also see about waiting on the rodi unit. It will save you prob around 100 bucks. Start with fish only and add coral later. Go with base rock and pool sand, then let them cycle and add a few pieces of coraline covered rock later to allow it to spread if you so desire. I would focus on a good pump, skimmer, and lights with a good heater or heaters as well. Power heads are upgradable and can be very expensive. Do you have a stand? Also is she gonna want a canopy? These are things they think of later that helped my wife to continue to let me add things as time does on. Keep in mind, starting right, there is always birthdays and Christmas that you can upgrade or add things later.

 

[Jmkb02]

Hope that helps bro

 

[Airgoose2222]

I would disagree on waiting for the RODI unit. I made that mistake and dealt with algae/diatoms for months. Once I got the RODI unit, I haven't had a problem since. Up to you, but I would read a lot and determine what you really need for your setup at the start. Live rock is important, but you can add later if your budget doesn't allow you to purchase it all right away. The items you need depend on what kind of tank you'll have. Reef, FOWL, etc. Making that decision will make a big difference in what you requirements will be. For example, if you go the reef route, RODI unit is a must. As well as powerful lights and circulation pumps, etc. Tough to get all that for under $1000. Craigslist is your friend though, so it may be possible. I got a 50 gallon sump for $50 and 48" VHO T5 four bulb lights for $60. Etc, etc.. Good luck, but definitely research what you want to have in your tank and look at how others setup similar tanks then go from there.

 

[Holygral]

Rodi unit has to be your first piece of equipment, with tank, rodi, lights, lr, pumps, sand and ph, you looking at $5000 not 1 grand. I have a 125, that is a real number, tank and stand $7-800, lighting (eBay Chinese ) $400, good lighting $900, RODI $150, lr $500-$1000, sand $150, skimmer $200, power heads ect, $400, corals and fish $800 +

 

[Airgoose2222]

Rodi unit has to be your first piece of equipment, with tank, rodi, lights, lr, pumps, sand and ph, you looking at $5000 not 1 grand. I have a 125, that is a real number, tank and stand $7-800, lighting (eBay Chinese ) $400, good lighting $900, RODI $150, lr $500-$1000, sand $150, skimmer $200, power heads ect, $400, corals and fish $800 +

That being said, you can go cheaper. I got a six stage RODI unit for $60 on Craigslist. Built my own stand. 2x6's, plywood, and stain ($50). Lighting gets expensive for a reef tank. If its not, I bought LED rope lighting for $30. The pic is below. I was just checking if they'd work and not aimed down or setup properly. On and on it goes, but you can go to any extreme you want.. High or low. Start slow, figure out what you want to do, and have at it.

 

[Holygral]

That being said, you can go cheaper. I got a six stage RODI unit for $60 on Craigslist. Built my own stand. 2x6's, plywood, and stain ($50). Lighting gets expensive for a reef tank. If its not, I bought LED rope lighting for $30. The pic is below. I was just checking if they'd work and not aimed down or setup properly. On and on it goes, but you can go to any extreme you want.. High or low. Start slow, figure out what you want to do, and have at it.

View attachment 210887

A $60 rodi unit will not give you the water quality to keep nems and other corals, rope lighting is designed for your pouch not a reef, sorry but you simply can not run a 125 gal reef on a shoestring.

 

[Airgoose2222]

It's a six stage unit. Cost of it new would be $240. I built a 150 gallon tank with DIY sump(refugium) and DIY protein skimmer. You can search my thread on that. I got a lot of live rock for free. All I had to do was cure it. Like I said, there are many options if you search around and wan to do it that way. Or you can buy expensive top of the line stuff.

 

[Airgoose2222]

Also, I never said you could use rope lighting on a reef. I'm using it on a FOWLR and it works great. I haven't read if the OP is running a reef or a FOWLR, so just giving ideas. Rough crowd today.

 

[MarinaClown]

Rough crowd today.

That made me laugh. Haha. A a lot of people spend more time and money on their reefs than they should. No joke.

 

[Mebbid]

I would disagree on waiting for the RODI unit. I made that mistake and dealt with algae/diatoms for months. Once I got the RODI unit, I haven't had a problem since. Up to you, but I would read a lot and determine what you really need for your setup at the start. Live rock is important, but you can add later if your budget doesn't allow you to purchase it all right away. The items you need depend on what kind of tank you'll have. Reef, FOWL, etc. Making that decision will make a big difference in what you requirements will be. For example, if you go the reef route, RODI unit is a must. As well as powerful lights and circulation pumps, etc. Tough to get all that for under $1000. Craigslist is your friend though, so it may be possible. I got a 50 gallon sump for $50 and 48" VHO T5 four bulb lights for $60. Etc, etc.. Good luck, but definitely research what you want to have in your tank and look at how others setup similar tanks then go from there.

Every tank goes through diatom / algae cycles. It's a natural part of starting a tank. My reef has been up for 9 months on tap water and no issues whatsoever. Tap is fine short term but it isn't something I would suggest you rely on for more than a month or two.

A $60 rodi unit will not give you the water quality to keep nems and other corals, rope lighting is designed for your pouch not a reef, sorry but you simply can not run a 125 gal reef on a shoestring.

Ro/Di is the same thing regardless of price. It all passes through a deionizing membrane. The price difference is in extra bells and whistles that tanks have.

Also, I never said you could use rope lighting on a reef. I'm using it on a FOWLR and it works great. I haven't read if the OP is running a reef or a FOWLR, so just giving ideas. Rough crowd today.

No doubt on the rough crowd part.


If you are wanting to go budget with this go entirely dry rock, no substrate, Chinese LEDs, and buy any used equipment you can get your hands on. You won't have any fish for the first month at minimum so a skimmer can be put on the back burner as well. While its easier to set up a refugium / sump when the tank is empty that is yet another thing you can wait on.

 

[Rmckoy]

Well my wife told me today that she is giving me a budget of 1,000 us dollars to buy what i need for the new tank. I was gonna just stick the money in to my 75 gallon and upgrade that but i called foster and smith today and they can sell me a brandnew marineland 125 gallon tank drilled with overflows for 279.00. It will take 2 to 3 weeks they said to get it in stock though but i cant start buying stuff til the end of january. Can someone suggest what names and models i should go with. heres a list of what im gonna need. i can probably go over the budget by 178.00. 1. tank 125 gallons drilled over flows. 2. sump pump. been looking at the reef octopus diablo dc pumps. 3. sump 4.ro di system 5. power heads.- been looking at ebay at the jebao wp 40. how many i need? 6. refractometer 7. electric level checkers, hannah instrument etc. 8.heater 9. live rock. i want some live rock that is covered with coraline. 10. dry base rock. 11. sand. 12.protein skimmer. which brand and size, and where should i order from? 13. tank top, glass or screen? 14. lights, i want to be able to grow and be able to provide the necessary lighting requirements for anemones and all sorts of corals. 15. plumbing, should i use regular pvc or flex pvc? If i missed anything , please somebody mention it. I would like to know the best place to order all this stuff. Thank you for taking your time to read my post and comment. happy holidays.

Instead of buying live rock covered in coraline algae
To saga a little money just but all base rock and cycle everything together .
You can get coralline scrapings from your LFS that will help speed up it's growth .
Base rock will become live in a short period of time

 

[Jmkb02]

I still recommend not going with an rodi as that is an initial cost and ongoing that will help with your budget. You can save the most with a DIY sump or Fuge. Once you decide the route you want to go, then you can determine what all you need. There are more things obviously for a reef that add up very fast which is why I recommend figuring out what you wanna do and going from there.

 

[Mebbid]

Looking at this again I don't think it's feasible to stick to the budget. To do so you would have to skip out on A LOT of important equipment. The return pump, lights, powerheads, stand and about 50lbs of rock alone will cost you around $1000.

This leaves heaters, ro / di, skimmer, testing equipment, salt, and a half a dozen other minor odds and ends.

I have no clue on your financial situation but if you want to set this tank up right away you will have to dump another grand into the tank over the next month or two.

 

[Jmkb02]

Looking at this again I don't think it's feasible to stick to the budget. To do so you would have to skip out on A LOT of important equipment. The return pump, lights, powerheads, stand and about 50lbs of rock alone will cost you around $1000. This leaves heaters, ro / di, skimmer, testing equipment, salt, and a half a dozen other minor odds and ends. I have no clue on your financial situation but if you want to set this tank up right away you will have to dump another grand into the tank over the next month or two.

I'm gonna have to agree with the additional money, at least another grand. For my 135 I have around 2500 not including any fish, corals, or anemones. That includes deals I came across as well. For a thousand dollar budget your looking around a 55-60 gallon tank prob close to max.

 

[Holygral]

"Ro/Di is the same thing regardless of price. It all passes through a deionizing membrane. The price difference is in extra bells and whistles that tanks have."

Must disagree here, it's not the bells and whistles, it is the quality of the filters and membrane which is a direct result of the quality of your water. A $60 unit that news $60 worth of new filters every 6 months isn't a good deal, and that is without replacing the membrane, to only have back all the money I spent on cheap stuff trying to saving a buck, only to have to buy it again months later.

 

[Airgoose2222]

Okay. To clear this up, the links to the RODI UNO i have a below. Made by water general mfg and the add on is from filter direct.

RD 102 is the main filter
http://www.watergeneral.com/product01.aspx

DI 210 add on for marine and reef aquariums
https://filterdirect.com/index.php?cPath=21

Also has a TDS meter that reads 80 in, 0 out. There are deals out there.









Hope this clears it up for you.

 

[Jmkb02]

My unit reads 308 in and 2 out, we all don't have perfect water which is why our units have to have the "bells and whistles." I run a 6 stage to get it there bc a 5 just won't cut it. Unit ran me around 250 with initial filters and replacements run me around 80-100 a year. That comes out to 25% of his budget.

What does the op want to do and where does he want to try and save is what it comes down to.