Noob to Saltwater tanks, and this site.

Go to clownsandcorals.com. he has the Lexus of each category listed. I Went with cheaper (not the several hundred dollar) power heads and am very happy. Craig (owner of clowns and corals) suggested sicci, very nice pumps and power heads. Your a bit of a jog from Washburn tho I'm sure he'd work something out on shipping.

 

welcome to girs! craig(clowns and corals.com) is a wealth of knowledge. there are tons of other hobbyists that have used many diffrent versions of equipment. theres allot that you get what you pay for and some other stuff thats a steal.

and again welcome to girs

 

I just set up a 125, spent a couple months shopping around for the best stuff without breaking the bank.

Skimmer: Ended up with the reef octopus skimmer. Most LFS carry the eshopps. I have an eshoppes HOB that does great and has a good quality sicci pump tho octopus has a better approach to design and its outlet valving, less expensive too. Many reefers on this site have spoken highly of the reef octopus' as well.

Main pump, went with the wet dry sicci pump great quality, heavy but pump. Cost just a little bit more than the common mag drive.

Power heads: if you can afford them the DC powered vortecs have the most versatile ability and the only one I've seen with external motors. Its out of my price range and a new gyro setup is coming out soon so I went with the AC powered sicci. There is absolutely no noise at start up, magnet mounted, adjustable outlet flow, heavy built, 360° directional ability, smaller holes to prevent an unlikely inhabitant if on a timer (see picture). Much tougher construction than the commonly found hydor brand.

Lights: get what you pay for, hands down. Research

Thermostats: pay the extra cash and get one with an adjustable thermostat and light to let you know when its on. I have a couple of the eheim jager brand. Avoid Walmart, petco, and bottom brand stuff. The heater is one place 10 to 20 dollars can buy you 10 times the product

All of this came from clowns and corals including the tank. Craig (xroads) posted a few weeks ago some very appetising prices for tanks, could check with him to see if its changed.