[outtafocus]

I will definitely look into those Kessil lights. They look very nice.

If I were to use Pex piping, it would only be for the vertical run up to the tank. The copper crimp rings would be several feet from the water. I would build a header from pvc which would connect to the pump and have risers coming up out of the water. Im pretty sure there are adapter available to go from pex to pvc but I really do not know ( I just did a quick search and seems I would need to use threaded fittings to transition from pex to pvc).I dont really want to use threaded fittings if I can avoid it. I will likely use flex pvc but I am open to other ideas also.

I totally see your idea for a aux line into a refugium, thanks Nate.