New young reefer

[Cbnovencido]

I have just purchased a 75gal drilled aqurium with a 30 gallon sump. Is there any suggestions for cheap but good lights, protein skimmer, return pump, and power heads? Because im not sure about what works good or whats just a name brand purchase.

[Sniperhank]

In general, cheap doesn’t go hand in hand with good in the hobby.
There are black box lights you can find from amazon to eBay that are strong enough to keep anything photosynthetic under them for around 100 bucks. They cover 2ft of tank. So you’d need 2 if you want corals.
People rave over jeabo pumps. Never owned any myself.
Skimmers will work as well as you pay for. Reef octopus are some of the best bang for your buck imo.

[Autumnsky]

What do you want to keep in the tank?

Fish only, or corals, and what kinds of corals?

[melosu58]

Any lighting will be OK for a FOWLR tank. If you are going to have a reef then you`ll need good lighting.