I've done tons of research and finally bought my own so here's my take on it.
Get the new 12 gallon DX with moonlights and dual fans, I have it and it's great and suffecient for reef life. Take out the bio balls if you're doing a nano reef because the balls can do more harm than good. After market heaters fit fine. 1 50 watt will do. Switch the stock pump for a maxi jet 600, its fits good in the back, had more flow, and puts out less heat and sound. The moonlights are a very nice feature. Fans are a little noisy if there's no other sound in the room but otherwise they're fine. My lid is a little off the tank...it doesn't fit perfect but I've never had water drip down or anything. You can either leave the sponges in and clean them when you do water changes or take them out all together. Use a good reef salt like reef crystals, buy a good test kit...red sea marine lab will do. Use at least 12 pounds livesand and 12-15 pounds LR. Let the tank cycle for a looooooooooooong time. I'm talkin 2 months before adding fish, add snails/hermit crabs at 1 month, add some hardy corals about 2 weeks later, at fish at 2 months and everything else after that. Don't overstock with snails and crabs...a shrimp, one of those big $10 hermits, 4 nassarius, 4 cerith, and 4 astrea snails is a good plan. No SPS, you can keep LPS, softies, mushrooms and zoas. Leave the carbon in the back and change it every 2 weeks or so. I can't really think of anything else right now except I'd avoid the 24 gallon as I've heard many horror stories about cracks after a week.
Get the new 12 gallon DX with moonlights and dual fans, I have it and it's great and suffecient for reef life. Take out the bio balls if you're doing a nano reef because the balls can do more harm than good. After market heaters fit fine. 1 50 watt will do. Switch the stock pump for a maxi jet 600, its fits good in the back, had more flow, and puts out less heat and sound. The moonlights are a very nice feature. Fans are a little noisy if there's no other sound in the room but otherwise they're fine. My lid is a little off the tank...it doesn't fit perfect but I've never had water drip down or anything. You can either leave the sponges in and clean them when you do water changes or take them out all together. Use a good reef salt like reef crystals, buy a good test kit...red sea marine lab will do. Use at least 12 pounds livesand and 12-15 pounds LR. Let the tank cycle for a looooooooooooong time. I'm talkin 2 months before adding fish, add snails/hermit crabs at 1 month, add some hardy corals about 2 weeks later, at fish at 2 months and everything else after that. Don't overstock with snails and crabs...a shrimp, one of those big $10 hermits, 4 nassarius, 4 cerith, and 4 astrea snails is a good plan. No SPS, you can keep LPS, softies, mushrooms and zoas. Leave the carbon in the back and change it every 2 weeks or so. I can't really think of anything else right now except I'd avoid the 24 gallon as I've heard many horror stories about cracks after a week.
