Tank upgrade and equipment

dgagvgeg

dgagvgeg

Member
So I am getting a part time job so I can afford to upgrade my tank, thinking about getting a 120g 48x24x24. I am going to take this build super slow and get the stuff I really want. Right now I am trying to plan a parts list. In everyone's opinion what is the best lighting set up. Thinking I will need 2 fixtures to properly cover the entire tank. Really want Ecotech Radion XR30wPro's, but they are pretty darn expensive. So if I could cut corners a little bit on the lights (but don't know if I want to) what other LEDs are comparable for cheaper? Still haven't decided if I want to go glass or acrylic, (have acrylic tank now). Glass would save me money but want a rimless one. As far as a protein skimmer goes, there are so many options, they are pretty expensive so I would want the one I buy to be the one I use. Looking for advice so I can price this out and figure out how long I will have to have this part time job to get what I want. I am also really interested in the maxspect Gyre, will only 1 of those cover my entire tank with those dimensions? Any feedback from some people that have used products and really liked them would be great, also if you have advice to stay away from something that would be awesome as well. Haven't decided on a sump yet, but I will once I figure out what skimmer to get. Thanks again.
 
congrats on the future upgrade , i have older generations of radions and love them . the features are nice and i bought so many other fixtures trying to avoid the cost and should have just got them originally. with that said my honest opinion is all the fancy options are not a must and will rarely be used once you dial it in.(havnt reprogrammed mine in over a year). lights with dimming and timers built in are all that is really needed . when it comes to glass or acrylic id always pick glass since u want rimless tank may be built custom so i would not go with corner or internal overflow but with the bean animal external . the fail safes and its quiet when dont rite ! never flood the tank . skimmer there are plenty of options and prices vary alot, i have had reef octopus skimmers for years now and i really like them. JUST MAKE SURE YOU KEEP RECIEPT FOR WARRANTY ENROLLMENT . as far as the maxspect gyre mone will be good for the 120 and can be set up a few different ways. i still have mine @40-50% on mu 210 and im loving it . sry for long response and good luck !
 
Thanks for the reply, I figured the same with the lights, just get the ones I really want so wont have to do future upgrades. Will have to do research on the bean animal external, really have no idea what that is, but no flood sounds good to me lol.
 
The hydra 52s are cheaper than the radions and pack just as much punch. I use 3 ai sols but I'm looking to upgrade to the hydra 52s my tank is 125 standard 72×18×21" so I have about the same water volume as you.
 
Congrats on the new tank build, and having the patience to do it right. IF it were me, I'd go starfire glass, a coast to coast bean animal overflow and a maxspect gyre. All great choices. My prime piece of equipment would be an Apex or other brand of controller. Life is so much easier and better since I have the Apex and Fusion. I've tried almost all brands of leds, You couldn't pay me to put another Radion over my corals. If you are set on leds, Reefbreeders makes a nice fixture, and the hydra52 makes a nicely colored light to my eyes.
 
I saw a post here or on rc about a guy selling a beautiful 120 tank stand canopy for $600, might even be a sump. It was a custom stand and hood fro Matt at Sho tank, look and check it out. His wife wants it gone so he's very motivated about selling, hopefully it's not already gone.
 
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