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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.

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Lighting

Reef lights by tank size

2 guides
20 gal · budget

Best reef lights for a 20 gallon tank

Start with the tank shape. A 20-long needs light across about 30 inches; a 20-high is shorter but deeper. Choose the spread and mounting arrangement for the places your corals will actually grow, then compare the complete cost.

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40 gal · balanced

Best reef lights for a 40 gallon breeder

For a 36 × 18 inch 40-breeder, compare two AI Prime reef lights, an AI Blade Coral Grow strip arrangement, or two Radion XR15 fixtures when the coral plan justifies extra output. Check coverage across the whole coral area and count the required lights and mounts before comparing prices.

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Protein skimmers

Skimmers sized to bioload

1 guide
75 gal · balanced

Best skimmer for a 75 gallon reef

A 75 gallon mixed reef reef wants a protein skimmer rated near 150 gallons for a medium bioload. Roughly 113 to 188 gallons of rating across light to heavy stocking. 150g rated skimmer, Reef Octopus 150 class, and Nyos or Regal premium class are fit lanes by rating, sump fit, and serviceability.

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Flow pumps

Flow tuned to reef goal

1 guide
75 gal · balanced

Best flow pumps for a 75 gallon reef

A 75 gallon mixed reef tank wants roughly 2,250 GPH of in-tank flow (20-40x turnover), with 1,500 GPH as the floor and 3,000 GPH for high-energy zones. Two controllable value pumps, Nero or gyre pair, and MP40 class pair are fit lanes. Spread matters more than one big number.

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Return pumps

Return pumps by system volume

1 guide
75 gal display · 95 gal system · balanced

Best return pump for a 75 gallon reef

Choose a return pump by the flow it delivers through your plumbing. This worked example uses a 75-gallon display plus 20 gallons of operating sump water; replace that assumption with your own system volume before choosing a pump.

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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.

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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.

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Auto top-off

ATO for salinity safety

1 guide
20 gal · balanced

Best ATO for a nano reef

On a 20 gallon soft coral tank, evaporation swings salinity faster than any other parameter. An auto top-off is salinity insurance, not a luxury. Manual top-off discipline, Nano optical ATO, and Redundant-sensor ATO are fit lanes by redundancy and reservoir size.

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Controllers

Controllers by failure mode

1 guide
75 gal · premium

Best controller for a reef tank

A controller's job on a 75 gallon mixed reef reef is failure-mode coverage: heater, ATO, leak, pump, and temperature swings. Temperature controller, Hydros class controller, and Apex class ecosystem are fit lanes by how much risk you need watched.

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RO/DI

RO/DI by source water

1 guide
75 gal · balanced

Best RODI system for a reef tank

Source water sets the ceiling for a 75 gallon mixed reef reef. Making roughly 8 gallons of change water a week, the RODI unit's reliability matters more than its stage count. 4-stage value RODI, 5-stage RODI, and Premium high-output RODI are fit lanes by source water and maintenance.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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