Soon to be reefer looking for info.

[skinykid12]

Hello everyone,

I am looking to start gathering epuipment and supplies for a new setup 75g or 90g. I had a small reef about 12yrs ago but alot has changed. looking for any info everyone can give me. i have been reading anything i can but am always looking for good reference books, setup info, good local fish and livestock suppliers, etc.. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[jolson10450]

Originally Posted by skinykid12

Hello everyone,

I am looking to start gathering epuipment and supplies for a new setup 75g or 90g. I had a small reef about 12yrs ago but alot has changed. looking for any info everyone can give me. i have been reading anything i can but am always looking for good reference books, setup info, good local fish and livestock suppliers, etc.. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated.

First off let me say welcome to the addiction! the best way is tell us what your goal for the tank are and we can get you a good idea on lights, skimmers, sumps and pumps needed for the tank. example if you just want fish only, or hard coral only like sps acroporas or if you want a mixed reef, or if there are any coral in particular you like etc...

this info will help us guide you to what you need. there are a lot of used items for sale on occasion, you will obviously save tons of money buying used items.

never be afraid to ask questions!!! i cant stress that one enough, even if you are buying a fish/coral ask us before you make the purchase and we can tell you good and bad things about that fish/coral and if they are reef safe etc... so it never hurts to ask before you waste money on a simple mistake.

Again, to start off just tell us your goals and what you want and we can go from there.

[Heidi]

Well you have come to the right place!! What are you planning? Do you want to go the sump route? What kinds of things do you want to keep in your tank? People are soooo helpful here and you will get a ton of info overload I am sure. I think since I am so new I will leave major bits of advice to the experts, which there are a ton of on here. Here are 2 mistakes I made when I started up and two things that I will I would have sunk WAY more money into.
Mistake #1: I bought a really expensive canister filter. Mistake #2: When I first put up my tank I didn't qt my fish.

Here are the 2 really improtant things I have learned, and trust me there is a TON more then 2
Learned #1: Buy the best protein skimmer you can afford and buy one that is rated for 2 times your tank volume.
Leaned #2: There are SO many benefits to some sort of sump/ refugium (sp?). I will eventually be doing this just not sure how or when

Hope this helps! I am a newbeee Speak up anyone if these are some terrible bits of advice.
Heidi

[Chris]

Welcome to CR Its best to go with as big of a tank as possible, not only is it easier to keep the water quality good/ stable, but it will save you money on skipping a few upgrades like I did

There is a ton of knowledge here posted and not yet posted.... browse the site, do tons of research and if you ever have any questions dont hesitate to post or create new threads for your questions!!

Where in MI are you? There are quite a few really good LFS in this state, and all the best ones are sponsors here as well

Goodluck!!!

[skinykid12]

I am leaning towards a mixed reef and definately with a sump. going to try to take my time in order to minimize problems.

[skinykid12]

Grand Rapids area but we love to hop in the car and go exploring. Only place on the eastside i've been is Tropicorium. was looking at tanks on the GLA site.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by skinykid12

Grand Rapids area but we love to hop in the car and go exploring. Only place on the eastside i've been is Tropicorium. was looking at tanks on the GLA site.

OK, not to sure about that area but I am sure there are a couple places out there.... Tanglovers lives that way and could definitely be of great help in which ones are worth the stop and which ones avoid I am sure, hopefully we can get him to chime in later

I have heard great things about Reef Solutions which I think is in warren, Pruess is in Lansing and they are pretty sweet, of course the Trop, and then my favorite (kinda biased its the only one local to me and I worked there for a while) would be Reef Paradise in Flint. Reef Paradise is a smaller store but we have a ton of goodies and if you know a particular fish your looking to get we can order it quite often.... Also, we have a supplier for custom/ new tanks as well! If your really looking for a good day in the car with quite a few quality stops that short list would make a nice day for ya's I am sure

[steve&mari]

Welcome and in our area the stores I perfer are blue fish in jenison on baldwin,eco reef in zeeland on main st,and advanced aquariums in rockford by the corner bar on main st. There's also the vipets perfer jenison over plainfield but that's cause I feel that plainfield lies and I don't care to deal with that as a customer. There's a new shop off 28th in grandville jungle island but they got along way to go its a gettin going thing so not much livestock yet. Info I trust bluefish they are great guys and employees and are 2 min away for me. I also trust eco reef and advanced just don't get to them as often. If ya wanna drive alil preuss is a must stop store rick has a very nice thing goin in lansing. Steve, kirby n crew at preuss are very helpfull and friendly. Hope this helps you alil. Good luck and happy reefing if ya got any questions feel free to ask n pm if ya would like any help or more info on things. Also don't miss the swap end of march in zeeland we love the swaps and go to as many as we can around the state.
Big Steve

[binford4000]

Originally Posted by skinykid12

Grand Rapids area but we love to hop in the car and go exploring. Only place on the eastside i've been is Tropicorium. was looking at tanks on the GLA site.

I use to live in Zeeland(Borculo really) so this was our favorites,Eco Reef for sure!! we moved shortly after the brothers got it from Chris and really cleaned it up and made it much more friendlier to the newer reefer and off the beaten path is Mothers reef,a fantastic store and even better Lynn her husband and son Chris are GREAT people with good prices.Discount pets in Kalamazoo is awsome to.Don't let the name fool you,they have a great selection and prices.Atleast back then they did.VI Pets in Holland is another place to check out,plainfields neat but never really got great vibe there.The Holland store always had great sales.Welcome to the addiction.