Loading ReefCrafter…
Gear fit guides · 14 lanes
Reef gear, picked by fit, not hype.
Compatibility-first buying guides built around gallons, reef goal, sizing rules, and safety margin. These are fit lanes, not hands-on product rankings.
Lighting
Reef lights by tank size
2 guides
20 gal · budget
Best reef lights for a 20 gallon tank
Lighting a 20 gallon soft coral tank is a coverage-and-PAR problem: hit the 50-150 PAR window and light the whole footprint, not just the center. Compact nano LED, AI Prime class light, and Kessil A360X class light are fit lanes. Choose by spread and PAR headroom, not brand shimmer.
View fit guide →
40 gal · balanced
Best reef lights for a 40 gallon breeder
Lighting a 40 gallon mixed reef tank is a coverage-and-PAR problem: hit the 150-250 PAR window and light the whole footprint, not just the center. Pair of nano LEDs, Mid-size panel LED, and Premium dual-fixture setup are fit lanes. Choose by spread and PAR headroom, not brand shimmer.
View fit guide →
Protein skimmers
Skimmers sized to bioload
1 guide
Flow pumps
Flow tuned to reef goal
1 guide
Return pumps
Return pumps by system volume
1 guide
Heaters
Heater wattage, kept in band
2 guides
40 gal · balanced
Best heater for a 40 gallon reef
Heating a 40 gallon mixed reef tank means staying inside the 100-200 watt band (2.5-5 W/gal). 100W glass heater, Two smaller heaters, and Controller-backed titanium system are fit lanes by wattage, redundancy, and control.
View fit guide →
120 gal · premium
Best heater for a 120 gallon reef
Heating a 120 gallon SPS tank means staying inside the 300-600 watt band (2.5-5 W/gal) and splitting heat across two heaters near 150 W each. Split glass heaters, Titanium heater pair, and Controller-backed redundant heater system are fit lanes by wattage, redundancy, and control.
View fit guide →
Auto top-off
ATO for salinity safety
1 guide
Controllers
Controllers by failure mode
1 guide
RO/DI
RO/DI by source water
1 guide
Complete builds
Whole-build gear by goal
4 guides
32 gal · balanced
Best equipment for a beginner reef tank
A balanced 32 gallon soft coral build runs roughly $1,500-$2,375 to start. The gear that carries it: a skimmer near 64 gallons of rating, about 640 GPH of flow, and lighting in the 50-150 PAR band. Disciplined budget setup, Balanced beginner setup, and Premium stability setup are spend lanes.
View fit guide →
32 gal · budget
Best budget reef tank equipment
A budget 32 gallon soft coral build runs roughly $750-$1,200 to start. The gear that carries it: a skimmer near 64 gallons of rating, about 640 GPH of flow, and lighting in the 50-150 PAR band. Budget soft-coral plan, Used non-critical gear plan, and Upgrade-ready budget plan are spend lanes.
View fit guide →
75 gal · balanced
Best mixed reef equipment
A balanced 75 gallon mixed reef build runs roughly $3,500-$5,575 to start. The gear that carries it: a skimmer near 150 gallons of rating, about 2,250 GPH of flow, and lighting in the 150-250 PAR band. Balanced mixed reef stack, LPS-friendly mixed stack, and Upgrade-ready mixed stack are spend lanes.
View fit guide →
120 gal · premium
Best SPS reef equipment
A premium 120 gallon SPS build runs roughly $9,700-$15,400 to start. The gear that carries it: a skimmer near 240 gallons of rating, about 6,000 GPH of flow, and lighting in the 250-350 PAR band. Entry SPS-ready stack, Balanced SPS stability stack, and Premium SPS redundancy stack are spend lanes.
View fit guide →
Stop guessing at gear fit
A fit guide narrows one decision. The planner checks every pick against your gallons, reef goal, and budget together, so one good choice doesn't hide another weak spot.
Plan my reef tank for free →