[guitarherowanab]

i would start by reading the thread linked in my signature. it is a long read, but it explains a ton of things you will need to know. after you read through it, you will get a good idea of more specific questions to ask. :thumbup:

when i was first researching, i looked at the red sea maxes, as well. they seemed like a nice, neat, easy package. as i researched more, though, i discovered some shortcomings of these systems. the biggest being that they dont have a sump. granted, there are reefers out there keeping grat tanks without sumps, but imho it takes more effort. a sump is a tank that is usually placed in the stand below the display and it holds all the equipment like heaters and skimmers or any other things yo may want to add, but most importantly, provides additional water volume to the system.

i think as recently as a year or so ago, most recommendations wer that a 75g was a great beginner tank, but i have read a few threads recently where peole are loving a 40g breeder. that is what im starting with.

a ro/di unit is the first purchase you should budget for. (www.spectrapure.com is the gold standard. the maxpure 90gpd is the one ya want) this is gonna ensure you are starting with pure watr and not adding any nitrates, chloramines, phosphates, or other nasties to your water.

i know it is a lot to take in, but just keep askin questions and eventually itll sink in. it is definately good that your here asking questions before buying and setting up anything.

 

[guitarherowanab]

ok, read a few descriptions of the system. couple things jumped out.

1. the only circulation seems like the return pump so you will probably want a powerhead or two. hydor koralias are good.

2. you probably dont want to use any filter media in the sump. the only thing you need down there for filtering is the skimmer.


i did a quick search and pulled up some threads on a few different forums talking about these tanks and some setup issues. didnt appear as if there were any major issues.
other than that, i havent heard of them before(there is probably a lot of stuff i havent heard of before......lol). it seems like its only available in the UK?

good luck and post some more questions when ya get it and see what ya have!

 

[guitarherowanab]

live rock in the sump .

you can do this, but remember it will be one more thing to keep clean. it will just make the sump harder to siphon out than if it was empty or just had the skimmer and heater. you really dont need all that much rock. about 1lb per gallon. then more if you want purely for aesthetics.

if you are really patient, id see if there were anywhere to get dry base rock. thats what im using to start my tank. some pros are that you will not get any bad hitchhikers such as aptasia, mantis shrimp, or fireworms. you can take your time aquascaping and really get it right before you put any water in.

cons would be that itll take longer to get the bacteria colonies established and to cycle your tank. you wont get any cool hitchhikers.

most of the cool things that come on live rock can be added later though. www.ipsf.com has a bunch of cool things, along with the coralline booster plates to get that going.

 

[guitarherowanab]

Not sure about fish yet! My Lfs is great and have a wide variety. But I'm hoping you guys can point me in right directions too!

check out www.liveaquaria.com they have good descriptions of a wide variety of fish and inverts with a compatibility chart. they list the min tank size, care level, aggressiveness, and the degree to which an animal is reef safe. itll give ya a general idea of what will be compatible.