Hi Everyone,

I have been an keen reader of this forum for a few months now. I was going to upgrade to a big tropical freshwater tank but the complexity and care needed to set and and maintain a marine reef appealed to me greatly.

I have been semi tempted by the following aquariums D&D 28G (yep i would have waited), a Red Sea Max, or a Aqua-Medic Chromis. But having read John Tullock's Natural Reef Aquariums, I liked the idea of a more flexible system and happened upon the Betta LifeSpace 680 (It comes with an undertank sump which I would really like).

I have a budget of about ~£1000 for everything.

My reason for starting a thread was to ask about the extras needed with this system:-

Arcadia Overtank Luminaire 800mm - Marine Option (Will the 800mm fit on a 720mm tank? Sorry if this is a silly question)
Instant Ocean Skimm 400 Skimmer for the undertank sump (Is this big enough or should I go for the 800?)
A couple of Eheim Jager 150w Heaters (Using the 65G x 3watt formula this would give bags of spare power and a decent failsafe)
A couple of Hydor Koralia 1 powejets (Could get one Koralia 3, but thought 2 smaller units would be better?)

Thanks for your help, the main concern is the overtank lighting as I can't fit a pendant system.

You may have to hang the luminaire from the cieling, not sure about that one...

Never heard of that skimmer tbh

2 smaller powerheads always better than one big one

Is the luminaire the same or similar to the one on the photo in my sig? If so it will fit on a smaller tank (the legs move in and out to match with the edges of the tank. if not (and it is a pendent) then I "think" you can still buy mounting legs for it (in which case it will fit as well).

I cant say much on the skimmer as I haven't seen anything about it. Personally I would go for a TMC, Deltec or Tunze as they are generally the best. Thats not to say that all ther other skimmers out there aren't very good as well though so the bets thing to do is just google "Instant Ocean Skimm 400 reviews" and see what comes up In general going for the biggest skimmer you can get is a good idea.

The other thing to consider in your budget (if you haven't already) is liverock. Next to the lights this is the most expensive part.

Also budget for:
Liverock (friggin expensive).
Basic test kits, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH
Optional basic test kits (for keeping corals) Magnsium, Calcium,
Refractometer (the £30 ones in general are just as good on the hobby level as the £120 ones).
Salt (cheaper in the long run to buy a big bucket, personally I use instant ocean but there are lots of good brands).
Food - Depending on what fish you get they aren't always as easy to feed as FW fish (ie you may need a few different frozen foods).
RO unit - 65g tank imo makes this to much of a hassle to get RO water from your LFS for top ups and water changes. It will work out cheaper (and easier) to get a 50gpd RO unit (RO/DI is better if possible and higher then 50gpd can decrease the amount of hassle you go throguh to make the water).
Water containers - Couple of 5g containers to store RO water
Mixing container - Container large enough to mix up your water change water. You will also need a small powerhead and heater to mix the water and get it to the same temp as the tank.

Corals and fish - Depends what you want but if you come from a common FW tropical fish background it can be quite scary

If you budget like me (ie I dont WANT to know how much I have spent) ignore all of this

Hi PJ I have just (2weeks ago) got a Betta 680 set up and more or less running. The plumbing between the sump and tank is quite confusing and I have only just got the connection to run quietly. HOWEVER it is a nice sturdy tank and I like the proportions. I transferred the contents of a smaller tank so I suppose it was like a large water-change to the fish/corals but you certainly need a fortnight when you can devote quite a bit of time to sorting it out.... shall be following your thread with interest. I have 3 Tunze Nanostream 6025 circulation pumps , they are supposed to give best value in litres per watt. Good luck!

Good luck from another lifespace 680 owner....

Your budget will be busted but you can always start slow. I didnt have a skimmer to start with.... (but the MCE 600 is great for this tank) Liverock is the killer cost after the equipment

Jetbox