BigJoe

Ok I found a 28g w stand and "kit" it basiccally has a heater and filter... the heater isn't great but it will do the job... i might get an extra cheapo to back it up...

it is a euro style and i'm wondering if that is a good or bad thing... I know i will need to upgrade the lights but as i posted before Do I really need to go T-5 or Higher or will CFL daylight bulbs, you know the little twistie energy saving bulbs... (found out those are 10,000 K according to someone in the lighting buisiness) if i go either way how much wattage do i really need... I did some research on costs of Lighting systems and i can get a T-5 system that's not too expensive but i'm wondering on wattage needed...

also what would be a good cheaper skimmer, powerheads, and what is an overflow and do i have to have one i won't have a sump but maybe a refugium (out of the filter in the kit...) if it will help a lot...

oh i guess i should state that eventually i have decided i want to keep zoas, mushrooms, and maybe some soft coral I think i pretty much gave up on an anemone since all the reading i have done says they are hard to keep and require large amounts of light and room and they can kill coral... as for fish... maybe a couple gromis (i'm gonna have to look into them more... i think this is what i saw at the LFS) or some goby and shrimp... and of course a CUC...

Oil_Fan

I'm not great at understanding lighting other than the basics. The one thing I can tell you, lighting only becomes an issue once you put corals into the tank. When the tank is FOWLR, lighting is not so much an issue.

Once you decide you're going to go reef, then you need look at T5's or MH's. I have good quality compact florescent but there are a number of corals I can't put into my tank.

melodicone

based on the corals you intend on keeping, i would go for at least the T5's, but i wouldnt go for anything less than them. As far as the watts, im not completely sure whats reccomended for your size tank, but my tank is 34 gallons and i can tell you that mine has 2 55w T5's 10,000K/Actinic lighting, so hopefully that will give you an idea of what you need for yours. As far as a cheap skimmer and powerhead option, i probably wouldnt go cheap. maybe on the powerheads it wont matter as much, but the skimmer is your lifeline for your tank, so i would invest in a nice one. I dont have too much input on overflows because mine is built into my tank, but i like it better than when my tank had none. This is not a cheap hobby, and the living things in your tank will probably end up costing more than the equipment you're purchasing, so keep that in mind when you're looking for a deal

BigJoe

thats one reason i don't want to keep buying things... I keep getting mixed results when i ask about lighting so i guess i gotta go at least t-5... i found a t-5 light fixture on sale that i'm thinking about buying... I guess i gotta update my vocabulary when i say cheap everyone assumes i mean 5-10 bucks... whereas I mean best deal i guess, without stepping into the 2-300 dollar range... well as for the 28g euro idea looks like i'm back to square 1 w/o a tank or stand... they sold out as i was walking in... on the last day of the sale too... I talked to someone there who also let me know another local store had the sale of a century where he basiccally bought his new 72 g setup for around 300 bucks... tank stand and canopy and smt else... so i said thx for letting me know i missed 2 good deals in 1 day... then he said his buddy did buy a new tank setup and was getting rid of his 29g and supposedly wants to sell the whole reef kit for 250-300... so if he calls sometime i'll feel better... but as for now i'm stuck w my FW... anyone here smw within 100 miles of NW TN wanna get rid of some stuff please tell me cause i've been looking everywhere just to get the basics and i'm getting towards 1000 dollars for some very small tanks before lights salt live-rock or water... the stands are rediculously priced and wood is so high right now it would almost cost that much to build it myself... sry for the rant if anyone reads this far...

melodicone

im not sure how much you're trying to spend to start, but i purchased the red sea max130d. Its and all inclusive reef setup that comes with everything, which is why i got it because like you i was like.. so what kind of light and what kind of skimmer? its 29 gallons of show and 5 gallon of "sump" lol it overflows to the back where all of the filtration heater and protien skimmer are hidden. it also came with salt, substrate, suppliments, some chems, a full reef testing kit, and a set up dvd. It also includes the stand. i think most places have free shipping. I got my black one for 849.00 i think they sell the silver one for cheaper, but im not sure what it comes with because its not a deluxe system. try bigalsonline.com thats where i got mine from. i hope that helps! 850 is alot of money but for what it came with, i thought it was a great deal, especially since you dont have to worry about showing cords or equipment, its a very pretty tank! Oh yeah i think my favorite thing about the tank is when you flip the lid to test the water or feed, it actually has 4 spots to hold test tubes, a little slit for the test cards and a spot made just to hold the hydrometer it comes with, i really love this tank! lol

BigJoe

yeah i looked at it and it looks really nice... the silver one is 600, it might not have some pieces updated but it looks pretty plug and play, just the "bonus pack" doesnt come w it... i will seriously consider this if my fiancee gets her raise like she's supposed to... we have other expenses coming now too... but i might have to get rid of my bird for allergy purposes and if i do i'm gonna have to get me smt else but it may be a dog due to me liking to have smt to play with from time to time... this is an interest i have had for many years but it seems every step forward is 3 steps back... hopefully i will be able to get it but if not i'll just have to deal w fw