New guy seeking advice

[Doug G]

Hello all! Sure glad I (re)found this forum! I'm up in the Andover, MA area and sure could use some advice or comments from everyone before I jump in to a marine tank.

I've always wanted to have a saltwater tank. My uncle in NJ had a 150G for years that was just so great to watch when we visited. Several years ago during the boom years of the stock market (when my company was a successful startup) I even went so far as to have a structural engineer out to my house to inspect the floor joists and recommend the strengthening I knew it would need for the 110g Oceanic I was planning. But the market (and my net worth on paper) went "poof" so I never even went so far as implementing the structural improvements I paid the engineer $500 to calculate!

Well, now that things have improved in the last 4 or so years, I've decided to take it up again. I even bought all the lumber and materials to sister up the necessary joists which I'll be doing in the next weekend or two. Actually, its all my son's fault! In June at the end of 1st grade he brought home a guppy and snail from his classroom and we bought a 6g tank for them to call home. Added a few more fish and now I got the bug again! At first I thought I'd do a larger freshwater tank but then I got to reading all the books I had bought years ago (CMA, Marine fishes guide, TNA) and I thought hell, if I'm gonna drop all this time and money into a bigger tank, I really want it to be saltwater. I realize keeping freshwater fish is [relatively] easier, so I'm looking to get some comments from folks on whether or not my expectations are realistic.

I've decided to scale back and go with a 72gal bow front, with in-stand sump and cap. It will be strictly a FOWLR tank, I have no aspirations to put demanding corals and inverts in that require my water to be NASA-grade. My two main concerns are noise and upkeep effort.

If I employ a skimmer in the sump along with the main pump, how much noise will all this generate? The tank will be in the family room where TV watching and reading are common, so I can't have it sounding like my hot tub!

Realizing I have little to no experience, is it unrealistic to think I can build a decent FOWLR tank that only requires 15-20 minutes three times or so a week of "regular" maintenance? (excluding water changes, of course) I can make some commitment, but it can't be overwhelming. If I find myself spending 10 hours a week on it I'll know I made the wrong decision. I want to be able to enjoy it without becoming a marine biologist, chemist, plumber, or just totally consumed. Is this a pipe dream?

I was lurking in the "Vendors" section and see folks aren't too happy with Sea World lately. Too bad, they do have a large number of stock tanks. I see folks think highly of Jays Aquatics so I thought he might be a good "one-stop shop" to get started. I also thought I'd visit AquaAddicts, as well.

Although I really want this to happen, please don't just tell me what you think I want to hear.....be honest! If this size tank is going to eat up 10-15hrs/week and just be way too complex and demanding for an amateur, please say so.....you'll be doing me a huge favor in then end!

Sorry for the long-winded intro, I really hope this all works out so I can become a regular on the forum.

Have a great Labor Day weekend all, get out and enjoy summer....where I am the leaves are turning already!

 

[nichols]

I'd go with a regular 75 instead of a bow front. Scraping algae of a bow is a PITA. It is also a lot harder to take pictures through curved glass. I'd also check the boards here on the BRS for a tank. People come into and out of this hobby a lot. You can save a lot of $$ buying used equipment.
The more time you spend planning and setting up a system the less work it is to maintain down the road. I spend about 1- 2 hours a week on normal maintenance, on a system of about 400 gals.
Buy the largest tank you can swing. The more water volume you have the easier it is to keep things stable and the more time you have to correct problems. Also upgrading gets expensive.
The biggest problem I had when I had a FOWLR was tank cleaning. Triggers, large Angels and Wrasses and all the cool fish will all eat the snails and crabs which help to clean the tank.
After the tank has been set up for a few months and is mature, maintenance can be as little as 5 mins a couple times a day. Feed the fish and wipe down the glass. Every 2 to 4 weeks you'll need to do a partial water change.
It doesnt really take up that much time.
Now a full blown reef on the other hand!!!

 

[~Flighty~]

Welcome to the BRS!

My big advice is to go see local people's tanks for a few weeks and keep your eye out for complete setups for sale. Most people do not stick with what they wanted for their first setup and either change their mind before they buy or a few months afterwards.

I really like how we got into the hobby. We planned a 75g tank, and bought a 38 gallon cheep used setup as a test tank to work out the details and learn about the chemestry etc. We learned that we really wanted a wider tank to fit the rocks and corals and still have room to clean the glass. We ended up getting a 120 which is the same length as a 75, but 24 inches deep and 24 inches wide. That is one of the more popular shapes for a reef tank.

 

[biggyclops]

BUY USED!!! u can usually find everything you need right here.. Remember its only new for the first five minutes till it hits the water in the tank..

 

[johnchapple714]

BUY USED!!! u can usually find everything you need right here.. Remember its only new for the first five minutes till it hits the water in the tank..

So true. If you are patient everything you need for your set-up will come up for sale on BRS sooner or later (and it will be much, much cheaper than retail.) Welcome to the club!!! If you ever need anything feel free to send a PM (private message) my way.

 

[RobB]

Welcome Doug,
The good part is your on the right path, ask lots of questions. I have a 72 reef that I bought from piscavore quite a while ago. Glad I went the used route, the only thing I would have done differently is to get the whole system at the same time. I bought the tank first, then the skimmer, lights, etc.

72 bowfront is nice, The stand I got was the oceanic stand (single center door, no center brace) it allows me to have a 20H in there as a sump and be able to get it out if I ever need. If you're going to want a sump make sure you get something Reef Ready, or be prepared to have it drilled. I've used the extenal overflows, they're a little more maintenece than a RR (getting them started when the sipon breaks).

The comments about tougher to clean are valid, but you can put as much as you want into it. I usually do about 10 minutes a day (feeding, additives, top-off,testing). Then more time around water change time. As for the noise, I've never been able to silence everything, but I've been able to get it quieter than an average box fan. Good luck and welcome again.
--Robb

 

[Doug G]

Thanks for the comments, all good advice. I'm not averse to buying used, as long as the stuff is in reasonably good shape.

One thing I was a little leery about in buying used equipment was importing someone else's catastrophic problem into my effort. Things like diseases, parasites, etc. Also concerned that ill-maintained equipment might not be performing at spec or be exceedingly difficult to clean well enough to get running properly. How do other folks deal with these issues when buying used?

Unfortunately the 72g bow is really the largest tank I can get into the space we have planned. Not only is it smack in the middle of a 14' span of floor joists (soon to be reinforced per structural engineers analysis) but its along a wall at the entrance to our family room so width is a concern for this area. Also, since most viewing will be off-angle my eyes tell me the bow tanks are better for this than flat fronts when viewed at the same angle.

 

[biggyclops]

Thanks for the comments, all good advice. I'm not averse to buying used, as long as the stuff is in reasonably good shape.

One thing I was a little leery about in buying used equipment was importing someone else's catastrophic problem into my effort. Things like diseases, parasites, etc. Also concerned that ill-maintained equipment might not be performing at spec or be exceedingly difficult to clean well enough to get running properly. How do other folks deal with these issues when buying used?

Unfortunately the 72g bow is really the largest tank I can get into the space we have planned. Not only is it smack in the middle of a 14' span of floor joists (soon to be reinforced per structural engineers analysis) but its along a wall at the entrance to our family room so width is a concern for this area. Also, since most viewing will be off-angle my eyes tell me the bow tanks are better for this than flat fronts when viewed at the same angle.

i usually clean everything with white vinegar.. a case in point was an etss skimmer i bought from a member here.. i cleaned it with white vineger and no probs.. people are pretty much up front with cracks and usually will show pics of the items.. probably because since we are members we will eventually see one another at a meeting... versus paypal or craig's list.. hope that helps!

 

[Greg Hiller]

Welcome Doug, you've come to the right place. Hope to see you at the Sept meeting. Should be a great meeting to brush up on salt water chemistry and get the bug for reefkeeping with a few of the photos that Ron Hessing (the guy from Holland) will be showing.