Help on some hardware decisions

[mseepman]

I would recommend both J&L and OA as excellent places to get items online. As for you "get what you pay for"...I agree to a point. Many of us DIY (Do It Yourself) which results in a low price and decent results. I think sometimes the Odyssea stuff can be a good starting point for a beginner but you must realize that this "Saltwater habit" is exactly that...a habit and an expensive one. We all end up wanting to go bigger and better so in the end we replace our cheaper equipment with better stuff.

I would stay away from a cannister filter...that's what I started out with and quickly found out what a mistake that was.

If you are looking at skimmers...Bubble Magus is a very low cost brand that has been given very good reviews. I have a nano version and I'm solidly impressed with it. Again...cheap with amazing results.

Make sure your tank has good flow and that you check here before you buy anything so that you can get some advice. The people here are amazing and have some of the most beautiful tanks around. Many of those tanks are in Edmonton so maybe you'll have a chance to see some of them sometime.

[serratus]

Originally Posted by mseepman

I would stay away from a cannister filter...that's what I started out with and quickly found out what a mistake that was.

Make sure your tank has good flow and that you check here before you buy anything so that you can get some advice. The people here are amazing and have some of the most beautiful tanks around. Many of those tanks are in Edmonton so maybe you'll have a chance to see some of them sometime.

Thanks! I'll check on here before I buy for sure now! What is the down side of cannister filters? My main problem is that it's for a space that's already built into the house so there isn't room for a sump design. There's barely enough room for cannister filters (gotta stay under 15" tall).

[serratus]

So you guys got me looking into these TEK fixtures now

I'm wondering why there is such a huge price discrepancy between the ones that are currently for sale:

1) $450:
http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthr...&highlight=TEK
2) $400:
http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthr...&highlight=TEK

versus these TEK lights:

3) $200
http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthr...&highlight=TEK
4) $280
http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthr...&highlight=TEK

Are (3) and (4) completely different light fixtures that are much cheaper to begin with? I cannot use them because they are 48" but I would have thought the 48" models are more expensive than the 36" ones.

[mseepman]

Could be a factor of new bulbs...or could be related to a change that TEK made in their reflectors (I think they call them TEK2 reflectors now)

If you are looking at a TEK Light...try OA here as they seem to be the cheapest:
http://oceanaquatics.com/store/produ...-6-Bulb-Light/

[Trigger Man]

Originally Posted by serratus

So you guys got me looking into these TEK fixtures now

I'm wondering why there is such a huge price discrepancy between the ones that are currently for sale:

1) $450:
http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthr...&highlight=TEK
2) $400:
http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthr...&highlight=TEK

versus these TEK lights:

3) $200
http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthr...&highlight=TEK
4) $280
http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthr...&highlight=TEK

Are (3) and (4) completely different light fixtures that are much cheaper to begin with? I cannot use them because they are 48" but I would have thought the 48" models are more expensive than the 36" ones.

From clicking on the models it looks like the big price difference was based on age of the bulbs as well as the willingness to unload the unit. The units that sold for under 300 dollars were spoken for fairly quick as they were a great deal. The other 2 higher priced units are good deal and would save you money from purchasing new, but have been on here for a bit so you may have the ability to get the price down a bit (the bulb age on one is only 3 months-like new hence additional pricing- and I did not see the age on the other one).

[PoonTang]

Originally Posted by serratus

Thanks! I'll check on here before I buy for sure now! What is the down side of cannister filters? My main problem is that it's for a space that's already built into the house so there isn't room for a sump design. There's barely enough room for cannister filters (gotta stay under 15" tall).

Like I said earlier, your filtration comes from your live rock, sand, and a skimmer.
Keep reading, and asking questions.