OK I am not wanting this to come accross the wrong way

[SoConfused]

BUT lol.... I am so determined to get my tank to be the healthiest tank and the most beautiful tank EVER! LOL I do not know a complete total amount of knowledge... obviously from the first thread that I have on here... but while I am sitting and looking at my fishless tank over the next few weeks, I figured I would get the stuff that I wasn't sure about and make sure the tank is set up the best it can be.

It is a 120 tank. I already have about 300 lbs of live rock. I have a sump that my store owner came over and made when mine busted... but I was wanting to know what the best sump out there on the market is. One that has a set up that does as much as possible... other than a skimmer that doesn't have a removable cup lol. I am very content with cleaning up my skimmer cup everyday.

Also, I will come back and edit this to the exact info on my lights I have, but, I have 1 MH not sure if it is 200 or 400, and then the two blue lights, not sure on wattage, and then the moonlights of COURSE!!!! I am not sure if it is enough, as I can tell a definate line of sight of where that heavy light is hitting. Having a long tank, I wasn't sure if I should have two or not being that one side of the tank seems to have a different pattern of algea growth. So.. what is the rule of thumb for MH's for a 120 gallon reef tank.

What else could I possibly get to make the tank as healthy as possible out there on the market. I will pump money into this tank, that is not an issue. I really am pretty obsessed with it actually now.

And how do I attach my pic so that it shows up within the post

 

[melosu58]

And how do I attach my pic so that it shows up within the post

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f10/forums-101-posting-accounts-basics-107597.html

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

...
What else could I possibly get to make the tank as healthy as possible out there on the market. I will pump money into this tank, that is not an issue. I really am pretty obsessed with it actually now. ...

Money is a funny thing with SW tanks. Without it, or by using low quality (cheap) equipment/products, it makes it tougher to keep a good tank with minimal work. Not saying tanks can't be done on the cheap, just that as with most stuff in life... you get what you pay for. What you save in money you'll most likely invest in manhours or redoing things.

HOWEVER... pouring a bunch of money into a tank does NOT guarantee a better tank. It increases your odds... but it's not the silver bullet.

In my opinion, the best investment you can make in your tank is time. Time in researching and understanding the chemistry and feedback loops within our tanks, and time in maintaining, testing, and observing.

 

[gzeiger]

I don't think anybody's going to be able to help you figure out if you have enough light until you figure out how much light you have. Just saying.

 

[asudavew]

I don't think anybody's going to be able to help you figure out if you have enough light until you figure out how much light you have. Just saying.

I was thinking the same thing........

 

[SoConfused]

Money is a funny thing with SW tanks. Without it, or by using low quality (cheap) equipment/products, it makes it tougher to keep a good tank with minimal work. Not saying tanks can't be done on the cheap, just that as with most stuff in life... you get what you pay for. What you save in money you'll most likely invest in manhours or redoing things.

HOWEVER... pouring a bunch of money into a tank does NOT guarantee a better tank. It increases your odds... but it's not the silver bullet.

In my opinion, the best investment you can make in your tank is time. Time in researching and understanding the chemistry and feedback loops within our tanks, and time in maintaining, testing, and observing.

Kurt, you are just becoming my best friend!!! lol j/k I completely get what you are saying... deal is I want to get a new sump, through reading and such, I am realizing that the refugium sounds like the way to go. So, I have been trying to research the best ones out there. There is nothing like an experienced persons feedback though. Having said that, I am willing to pump in the money to a good sump, and I need a cooler, and then I need to really read up on refugiums. I don't get them completely yet. Also, what would be your suggestion on the best kits to use for checking your water quality.

Also, the MH I have is a 400 wat with a reflector above it... blue light, still trying to find out.

 

[Gomer4378]

Not saying that its good or bad or wrong or right but I have a 120 long tank and I went with 3 250W mh, tank is 6 ft long and each light covers 2ft.
works well for me. With my tank only 20in tall I didnt want to overheat with 400W.