Hiya
:welcome:
You're going to get a lot of opinions.
I like Lumatek MH ballasts myself. Most electronics out there work well IMO.
Bulbs ... there will be a zillion different opinions
It really depends on what specific SPS you plan to keep, and whether you value color or growth. Dana Riddle just published an article in
www.advancedaquarist.com that found the Ushio HIT 20K to be one of the best growth bulbs out there. But it might not color up the corals the way you want.
Skimmer opinions will vary too, and there are a lot of new designs coming out every year. Top brands include Deltec, Bubble King, ATB, et al. The skimmer thread sticky'ed in this forum is a good place to take a look at skimmer eye candy.
Most ca reactors work well these days. I like my Deltec a lot. When it comes to ca reactors, I want one that is easy to service. The Deltec has a twist-off top, so that wins big points for me.
Pumps, again, is highly subjective and dependent on what criteria is important to you. I use Iwakis and Panworlds as my workhorse pumps ... they are reasonably quiet and more importantly, totally reliable. If high flow and low noise matters, Sequence pumps are popular, Red Dragon pumps are respected for their output and low noise are but very pricey.
The brands I'd stay way from due to bad experience are Rio and Sunburst bulbs.
