newbie looking for a guide....
- Thread starter Johorocks
- Start date
It might be helpful for you to go to a couple of reefer's house and observe how their system works; you'll get great ideas. Where are you located? I'd be more than happy to show and share with you all that I have learned so far (unfortunately the hard way 
) about this hobby, and how our tank is running now.
I wished I had done something similar before we got started ... would've saved A LOT of headaches!!!
) about this hobby, and how our tank is running now.I wished I had done something similar before we got started ... would've saved A LOT of headaches!!!
Turbosnail
Non-member
My big advise to all new reefers is to have lots of patience nothing fast happens in this hobby. Research everything before you get started.
mnavick
Well-Known Member
What do you currently have?
First off only use RODI water to make up your salt/water mix. Once water is added to tank add some quality live rock and some sand seeded with a fellow reefer's tank. Then just sit back and be patient for some time until the cycling is complete. Then slowly add live stock, and I cannot stress "SLOWLY".
Further on down the road start looking into a quality skimmer and lighting all depending on what you wish to keep (fish only,mixed reef).
First off only use RODI water to make up your salt/water mix. Once water is added to tank add some quality live rock and some sand seeded with a fellow reefer's tank. Then just sit back and be patient for some time until the cycling is complete. Then slowly add live stock, and I cannot stress "SLOWLY".
Further on down the road start looking into a quality skimmer and lighting all depending on what you wish to keep (fish only,mixed reef).
MikeG
Non-member
Here would be my general recommendations
Filtration:
Live rock, and a decent skimmer. Are you going to have a sump? Is the tank you got drilled for an overflow?
Flow:
The more the better for the most part. Look for stream style pumps. If you want to start off cheap, I would grab two koralia 1200's for your tank. Could do slightly less for soft corals or slightly more for SPS.
Lighting:
Depends on what you want to keep but I would go T5, metal halide, or LED. If you go with T5, I would use a 4-6 bulb fixture again depending on coral type you plan to keep. ILook for individual reflectors and a decent brand bulb is ATI.
Heaters:
Can use anything that you feel comfortable with but I prefer titanium heaters.
Use an RO/DI filter for all your water, and don't add any supplements that you don't test for. I would get a refractometer to check salinity, they are really the only accurate way.
As for test kits, you will want ammonia, nuitrite, and nitrate initially to monitor the nitrogen cycle and see when it is safe to start adding livestock. After the cycle, we don't use those much but you will want to monitor alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium once you have corals. Stay away from the all in one test kits, they generally aren't all that good.
I would stay away from canister or wet dry filters, they really have no place in a reef tank (saw you were looking at some in the classifieds section)
Do you have a good LFS you go to?
Filtration:
Live rock, and a decent skimmer. Are you going to have a sump? Is the tank you got drilled for an overflow?
Flow:
The more the better for the most part. Look for stream style pumps. If you want to start off cheap, I would grab two koralia 1200's for your tank. Could do slightly less for soft corals or slightly more for SPS.
Lighting:
Depends on what you want to keep but I would go T5, metal halide, or LED. If you go with T5, I would use a 4-6 bulb fixture again depending on coral type you plan to keep. ILook for individual reflectors and a decent brand bulb is ATI.
Heaters:
Can use anything that you feel comfortable with but I prefer titanium heaters.
Use an RO/DI filter for all your water, and don't add any supplements that you don't test for. I would get a refractometer to check salinity, they are really the only accurate way.
As for test kits, you will want ammonia, nuitrite, and nitrate initially to monitor the nitrogen cycle and see when it is safe to start adding livestock. After the cycle, we don't use those much but you will want to monitor alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium once you have corals. Stay away from the all in one test kits, they generally aren't all that good.
I would stay away from canister or wet dry filters, they really have no place in a reef tank (saw you were looking at some in the classifieds section)
Do you have a good LFS you go to?
Bao
Non-member
Since you are asking for advises, here are couple of suggestions:
1) Don't set up that 45 gallons but go and buy a standard 75 gallons with a corner overflow (marineland make one like that). Or go with a corner overflow 120 gallons tank.
2) Buy a good Skimmer
3) Buy a good set of light
4) Buy some Tunze nano stream powerheads.
5) Buy a RODI system
6) Buy a refractometer (spelling?)
7) Buy a Eheim return pump.
You can't really keep a big fish in that 45 gallons at all. You certainly can't keep a tang in it and almost everyone want to keep a tang. You buy everything customized for that small tank and then you want to upgrade to a 75 gallons or bigger, then you have to buy everything again. Waste alot of money. I went from 10 gallons to 30 to 46 to 75 gallons and wasted alot of money. I have a 75Watts MH, a 150watts MH, a 250Watt MH and a sunpower for my 75 gallons tank. If I bought a 75 gallons tank in the beginning, I wouldn't have wasted so much money. Believe me on this, almost every newbie want to upgrade sooner or later and you will regret it with that small tank.
Keep it simple at first..
1) Don't set up that 45 gallons but go and buy a standard 75 gallons with a corner overflow (marineland make one like that). Or go with a corner overflow 120 gallons tank.
2) Buy a good Skimmer
3) Buy a good set of light
4) Buy some Tunze nano stream powerheads.
5) Buy a RODI system
6) Buy a refractometer (spelling?)
7) Buy a Eheim return pump.
You can't really keep a big fish in that 45 gallons at all. You certainly can't keep a tang in it and almost everyone want to keep a tang. You buy everything customized for that small tank and then you want to upgrade to a 75 gallons or bigger, then you have to buy everything again. Waste alot of money. I went from 10 gallons to 30 to 46 to 75 gallons and wasted alot of money. I have a 75Watts MH, a 150watts MH, a 250Watt MH and a sunpower for my 75 gallons tank. If I bought a 75 gallons tank in the beginning, I wouldn't have wasted so much money. Believe me on this, almost every newbie want to upgrade sooner or later and you will regret it with that small tank.
Keep it simple at first..
jango
Non-member
What equipment do you have? Have you read any books on the subject?
this quote is a pretty good summary of what you need to get started.
this quote is a pretty good summary of what you need to get started.
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
welcome....Take ur time & do alot of research...Tons of info here & on RC
Old Glory
Non-member
I am new to this but one more suggestion is to get a small tank to set up as a QT tank. I learned the hard way that you need to QT livestock BEFORE you put it into your main tank. Get a 20 gallon long, a heater, a HOB filter, hood and light and let it cycle. You can seed it with a piece of live rock and then add the rock back to the main tank when ready to start QT'ing fish. Fish should be in QT for 4 weeks to be sure they are disease free. Throw some PVC pipe in the tank so the fish can hide.
Good luck
Good luck
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