[fishguy_8]

Well Im going to try and keep this short...as I finish my undergraduate degree, my parents are very much against me bringing my reef back home since im going to be in Michigan working with lake sturgeon again until september sometime. So I'm selling my entire system to my fraternity and i've coached a protege of mine on the finer aspects of reef keeping and he's ready i do believe. So, what I want to do is this...I'm putting the money off to the side and keeping my hardware (lights/sump/skimmer/heater) and what i want to do is buy a brand new tank. I've made some errors in the past on things because i was broke and now im not so broke. So I'm looking to start compiling stuff for my reef in progress so when I get back home and move out I can have something to work on. I would like a minimuim 125g tank. Now what I'm asking you guys is to give me give me your opinions on what you would do as far as circulation and lighting are concerned. I currently have 2X55w VHO and a Metal halid pendant but the wattage i dont recall at the moment. So what else would you recommend i get to beef up my lighting. Now to answer your next question...what do i want....I'd like enough lighting to care for T. maxima and a variety of sps. I want to go all out. If you think a refugium is in order let me know. Thanks folks.
Jon

[BubbaWPB]

You'll need more light than one metal halide and 2-55 watt VHO's. Even if the one MH is 1000 W, it will not cover area you'll want it to with a 125 gallon tank.

Any ideas on what the demensions of the 125 will be? The depth (top to bottom) would determine what wattage of MH you would need (assuming you want your clams on or near the bottom). The surface area will decide how many lights - one MH will nicely cover a 2 foot X 2 foot area. Generally, a 4 foot long tank needs 2 MH lights, and 6 foot tanks need 3. MH are all you really need, but many people like to add lower watt actinics (MH, VHO, T5) for dusk/dawn effect.

Circulation - you can't get too much. Tunze's are nice in big tanks and create lots of laminar flow, but there are also many other options - closed loop, other powerheads/pumps. The key word with circulation is "MORE". Also, the more lighting you have, the more flow you need to keep your critters from getting "sunburned" - so you'll need very good ciruculation if you're planning on keeping organisms that have high light requirements (such as tridacnid clams and SPS).

The more you tell us, the more specific advice you'll get back.

Good luck!

Refugiums are nice, but not essential. I think if you can afford one, and you have the space - go for it.

[optical]

wheres the best place to get a good deal on a tunze powerhead? i need two of them.