What to get for a 120 Gallon

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clgaston24

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 28, 2008
18
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Spokane, WA
I was planning on getting a 120 gallon Saltwater in a couple of years but I want to start saving and slowly buying all of the equipment before I start cycling it. So I was hoping that I could get some ideas on what products to buy.
I am just in the planning phase but I know I want to use a canister filter, I also want to have soft corals and some fish like a clown fish and a Pacific Blue Tang or at least some sorta of Tang so any ideas on Filtration and Lighting would be helpful
 
For a reef tank, you can have a canister, but you may want to consider a sump as well or instead of. If the tank you get is drilled for a sump, you'll of course have to have one. That would provide much more biological filtration than a canister or two (you would probably need two canisters on a 120). You'll also need a good protein skimmer on a reef tank as well as 2-4 powerheads to keep the current and agitation moving and strong. As far as lighting, T5/Very High Output lighting is preferred and you'll want high Kelvin color temp. tubes to recreate sunlight. 10,000-12,000k tubes are preferred as well as Actinic tubes.
 
If you dont mind I have heard lots of people talk about sumps but I dont quite understand what they do lol. also If i got a sump would I need a canister filter or does the Sump have a mechanial and chemical filtration in it?
 
Well basically their biggest advantage is that they give you room for more volume when it comes to the amount of biological filtration you have. For example, in a canister, you might be able to have the equivalent of 25 bio balls inside, but in a sump you may be able to have 250 for "good" bacteria to grow on. Depending on the models you buy, they do have varying amounts of mechanical filtration, but you always have the option of adding a canister in addition to the sump for that purpose. Another perk to a sump for a reef system is that it gives a place to put the heater, protein skimmer, etc. so that those things aren't seen in or around the back of the tank. Also, the sump can give you a higher gallon per hour flow rate. For example, a certain canister may only circulate 400 gallons per hour after it's filled with media, whereas you could put a pump of your choice on a sump that's rated at say 1,200 gph and triple the filtration in a given hour's time. There are certainly some tricks to learn when having one, and I'm not the world's expert on them, but they're probably the way to go when it comes to reef tanks. Here's a sight that's great to explore... Can be a little daunting and technical, but don't let it scare you cause he gets really detailed, etc. http://www.melevsreef.com/
 
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