first nano! questions before i buy

[sere]

OK here is what I am planning. (Wife willing )
Looking at about a 15" or so cube custom made acrylic tank. Around 18 gal. Thinking about a built in fuge or hang on the back. Probably the latter for flexibility. I am going to use a Bak Pak for skimming.
This is where I am torn. Lighting. I was thinking about a 96 watt power quad running off a workhorse 7 ballast. Or maybe a 175 halide DIY. (Will be in a DIY acrylic hood) Inittial cost is a BIG issue. I want to be able to keep clams and maybe SPS.

Cost:
Tank-150
fuge-100
light-125
hood-50
other-100

total-$525 like i said initial cost is the big deal due to the fact that I just bought and fully set up my 75 acrylic FOWLR.

This is my first nano 3 questions
Am I missing anything as far as basic set up?
Lighting issue?
Any cost savings?

Thanks ya'll.. you guys have been a huge help.
Jerod

 

[wombat1]

Jerod, I would go with the metal halide, personally. You can DIY one for the same price as the powerquad pendant, and you'll get a better light. Add to that the glimmer effect from a MH and it's definitely worth it. For clams and SPS you could use a 6500K, 10000, or 20000K bulb. I prefer a 6500K for the best growth but it's a bit yellow for some folk's eyes. Your tank sounds cool so far. Show us some pics if you can...
HTH, Matt

 

[sere]

Still being built. Should be up in a few weeks. I am planning bright colored acrylic for the stand/sump and hood. Probably red in color. Ahh all the plans of mice and men. 8)

Thanks for the info wombat.

One more I am leaning toward a double ended 175W halide for this setup due to smaller size. Any problems with that? Is it a good option? Quality and price in mind. Any info for DIY supplies for that kind of setup will be appreciated

 

[wombat1]

I don't have any experience with that type of fixture. I DIY'd my 6500K 250W MH, reflector, etc. for about $140. It's a Mercury vapor ballast, so I'm limited to only Iwasaki brand (and thus only 6500K) bulbs. Iwasaki is supposedly the best for the money, but they only offer the one bulb. I hear they make a 50000K bulb but haven't been able to find it.

 

[brandon4291]

Id agree with Wombat here. The powerquad is nice, but for a reef that size it may leave you wanting to upgrade one of these days when you get bitten by the SPS bug. With MH you'll never need to upgrade, and seriously stocking this system anyway will require some $$ investment so why not fork the extra $150 out for MH right fom the start. Nothing beats a quality custom retrofit for saving money IMO, but if you are looking for pre-built Id say a Prism 175wMH with acitinic PC would be all you'd ever need. Then you could just suspend it above your reef and not have to fan a canopy so seriously... good luck there is tons you can do with this size tank. Nice shape too,

brandon429

 

[brandon4291]

These babies are currently $300 so you could build the exact custom setup for half as much if you have a spare weekend...

 

[sere]

Thanks for all the help YA'ALL I think I am on the right track so far. For lightitng I am going will a DIY-150 watt HQI DE ballast from hellolights and a 10k ushio bulb- this will be mounted about 10in above tank with 2 or 3 fans-- Sound good so far? This will be only about 130 for the complete DIY HQI setup! Best price I have seen so far.