New to the reef game

[allenboyz2]

Hello everyone,

I am about to start my first salt water tank. I currently have a 55 gal. tank 36X18, that house two chilids. I am getting tired of watching them chase each other around. Besides can't put anything else in the tank or they will worry it half to death.

Does any one have some valuable advice as to where to start while on a budget?

[Sir Patrick]

Starting on a budget?? Buy used!! Also, make sure you know you are going to use somthing before you buy it. I have baught so many peices of equipment that just werent what I needed/wanted.

[ReeferRob]

You've already made the first most important step and that is joining a great reefing community like Captivereefs! Welcome to the family!
Here, not only will you be able to find great, helpful information but also work around that budget your talking about. Things like our swap in the next few weeks is another avenue to where you can save tons of money and buy corals at great savings from other reefers.

[John]

Figure out what you want to keep in the aquarium.

After that, ask questions about what it takes to maintain those items.

Once you have a general idea about what it takes to maintain those creatures, figure out if you REALLY want to be in this hobby... minimum requirements will only make the hobby harder, it will also increase your chances of complete failure.

Money is not the most important part of this hobby. Education is the most important part. Know what you're getting, know what CAN be kept, figure out what will co-exist with each other.

If you think you know all you need to know, think again. There is so much information out there that nobody knows it all.

As for the budget thing... buy used, buy from a reliable person. Always test used equipment to make sure it works, prior to purchasing. Research used equipment, find out why it's being sold. If someone says it works awesome but they want something better, ask yourself, will I need something better?

Lighting... yes... lighting... this will be possibly the most important factor if you are planning on keeping corals. PCs suck. Don't bother with them. T5s are energy effient, but require multiple lamps. The initial cost is decent. MHs not too energy effecient unless you are using a wide tank that would require 8 or more T5s... Then the costs become comparable, bulb costs for MHs vary... LEDs initial cost is high, they are very energy efficient, bulb costs are high, but the bulb lifespan makes up for that.

Buy a test kit. New not used. Expired test kits are worthless.

[allenboyz2]

Thanks for all the info it is very helpful. I plan on dumping the tank this weekend, any suggestions on how to go about filling it back up. Should I just fill it back with water and live rock only until the water reaches a proper level. or will it be safe to add a clown fish also?

For a wide 55 gal. tank how much sand, or what would you reccommend for the bottom sueface?
Trying to keep it simple, so just rock and fish for now- what type of light do you reccommend?
How many fish should I start with and what kinds?

[John]

Have you ever treated you cichlid for ich in that tank? (used medications that are copper based? Usually turns the water bluish green)

Make sure the tank has been cleaned very well.

I would premix my saltwater before adding it to the aquarium.

I like deep sand beds. They can be dangerous to keep though. If a powerhead falls into a well established sandbed it could potentially nuke your aquarium. But, they have their pros too.

Also, you may want to add some dryrock to the tank before adding sand or water. This way you can get a good idea of how you will have the rockwork setup. Plus, you won't get clouding in the water this way... or at least as much. Once you know how you would like to have your rockwork pour your sand in. You can use dry sand since it's cheaper. Keep in mind using only dry rock and sand will make the cycle process take longer. So you should get about a cup or two from someone. (It's better than buying live. And Cheaper.) Also, check the selling forums for LR. Amazing deals on there.

So... Rock, Sand then mixed saltwater. Wait until tank cycles... (may take a few weeks depending on setup) then add fish.

If you are setting up a FOWLR tank for now... ask yourself. Will you be adding corals in the future? If yes, I would suggest going with a T5 setup. You can find T5s with Dual switched. This way you can use half of the bulbs now and light the tank, and in the future you can have enough light for corals to thrive.

Also, are you planning on drilling this tank for a sump/refugium? If you are, you might as well wait to set this tank up and do it all right the first time.

Drill it. Add overflows. Build a sump/fuge... then plumb it. Then set it up... otherwise a month or two down the road you will be tearing it all down out of frustration or because you need to upgrade and do it right. With doing all of that come wasted money.

[igot2gats]

Hello, & welcome to the best obsession/hobby out there if you ask me.

You'll find that a lot of people will tell newbies like you, to read as much as possible. As boring as it can be sometimes, it really is a valuable source of info.

First & foremost, it will really save you time in the long run. We're more than willing to help here, but you can def read more & faster than it will take you to post question after question.

Here are some good starting points...some "stickys" here in this forum. They're some of the posts that we here at CR thought are pretty valuable, & didn't want to get lost in the shuffle of all the other threads:

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7307

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5465

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7416

Just my thoughts...and remember - no question is a dumb question. We've all been there before! Hope this helps & good luck - :thumbsup: