New reefer needs help!!!!!

[Laywood20]

I recently aquired a 90 gallon tank and stand with no extras. I want to start a new reef and need to know what i need as far as skimmers lights sumps and other things.And what good choices for the products listed above are. If anyone would like to help me I would appreciate it.Thank you

[weez1959]

I have a Aqua C Remora pro in my 75 gallon that works like gangbusters,
AquaC - Protein Skimmers!
I'm also very satisfied with my lights,
Coralife 48 Inch Aqualight Pro, 2x250W HQI Lamp + 2x96W CF Lamps Sq. Pin + 4x1W LED - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store

My 2 cents

[returnofsid]

Well, what type of reef tank do you want to set up? That will determine your lighting needs. If you want to go mainly soft corals or LPS, you could get a Compact Fluorescent fixture that would work great. If you're wanting to go more towards SPS or wanting clams in your tank, you'll need to go with metal halides or T5HO.

I've recently been doing a lot of research into T5s. After doing research, I purchased a Sunlight Supply Tek5 fixture. It's 48" X 6 bulbs. This fixture is on my 75 and I feel confident that I can keep just about any SPS or clams in this tank. From the research I did, it seems that with tanks 28" deep or less, T5s are very comparible with 250 watt Halide lighting. Once you get over 28" deep, you definitely need that MH lighting to penetrate deeper. One advantage of T5s is that they run MUCH cooler. Another advantage is the ability to mix and match bulbs to get the colors you want. With a 90 gallon tank, I think I'd recommend the same fixture but in an 8 bulb unit. Here's a great link to where I purchased mine. They have awesome customer service and Greg is very knowledgable.

ReefGeek > Aquarium Supplies for Marine, Reef, and Saltwater Aquariums

If you do go T5s, one thing to keep in mind is the reflector. That's the heart of the T5 units. Some brands have a single reflector above all the lights....garbage!! Other units have either individual reflectors for each bulb or a single reflector that's molded around each bulb in a "gull wing" shape. These are the way to go. They're 98% more efficient!!

[dibenni]

WELCOME TO REEFLAND!

i second returnofsid - i love my t5 fixture. mine is from aquactinics and it has 5 bulbs with individual reflectors. i have a 55 - so 5 bulbs is enough, as also mentioned by returnofsid - i would recommend an 8 bulb unit for your 90 and i am not sure if aquactinics makes a 48" 8 bulb unit - i did not see one on their website: Aquactinics LLC | Marine Aquarium Lighting Specialists

as for skimmers - i have read great things about the aqua c remora on this site. unfortunately for me - i purchased my tank and set-up prior to joining this site. i use a red sea prizm on my 55. it is not the greatest but it does an adequate job on my 55 as long as i monitor it daily. it would definitely not work for a 90 - so the only advice i can give is to read what others have already said on this site.

good luck!

nick

[returnofsid]

An Aqua C Remora won't be enough of a skimmer for a 90. They're rated for 75 gallons. You always want a skimmer rated for a larger tank than what you're putting it on. A great skimmer would be a Aqua C Remora Pro, if you're looking for a hang on unit. For a sump, the Aqua C Urchin Pro.

[Reefland]

For a 90, I think I would even go more powerful than that. For AquaC, you would need to go with an EV series skimmer.

[CSeaSee]

I agree with Scott. You'd need either a more powerful skimmer, or two highly efficient smaller skimmers. Two AquaC's, or and AquaC and a BakPak, or something similar. Actually, having two skimmers is recommended by a few different notables, the idea being that the different skimmer designs remove different compositions of dissolved organics.