What you think newbies should know

[Anonymous]

We were discussing a thread like this in another thread, and I figured it would be a good idea to try it and see if it works. Here goes.
Do you have any advice for newbies? An idea that would help you help them? A common mistake that you have seen made over and over again. Something that helped you right at the beginning? Post it here.
I suggest some posting simple, jumpstart kinds of advise that would be easy for a new person to digest. The idea here is that the new person could be pointed to this thread when they start asking questions - kind of a reefs.org primer.

For the new person: Welcome. We want to help!

Here's a couple:

When you post questions about your tank, please give us as much info on your system as possible: tank size, how long has it been set up, what you are dosing, as many water parameters as possible, inhabitants of the tank. This will make it easier to help you.

Lurk for a while and see how people talk to each other here.

Look through the topics from the last couple of days before asking your question, the answer may be right there.

RR

 

[SeaView]

I recommend getting the reef books first and reading them cover to cover before you even think about buying anything else or posting well documented questions over and over. Then if you think you still want a reef, save up a few grand and have fun.

Steve

 

[Kenny]

Patience, patience, patience!!! Like SeaView said, books are a great source for some excellent info. They sure helped me out when I was starting reefing in college. I was lucky and our college library had a pretty good selection. Didn't have to buy many, just checked them out!

Kendall

 

[Ph]

This hobby does bring with it a lot of debate over technique. I guess I would be considered one of the old salts. I have been trying to keep Marine for close to 20 years. I use the term trying for a reason, I still visit this site looking for any new methods that may help me or to ask a question of my peers of a particular concern I may have. Books are a great place to start but they are dated and the evolution of this hobby can sometimes happen overnight. I have seen all kinds ideas come and go, but over the years we have been lucky to see a consensus of ideas start to develop. Listed below is what I believe now to be the required for a semi stable reef tank and is subject to change within minutes of posting this reply .

Lighting HO minimum, MH preferred
Flow Rate 10 to 20 times tank volume
Skimmer A good one! ( A thread in itself)
Makeup water RO/DI preferred. RO/DI along with good skimming can cure most Algae problems
DSB Deep Sand Bed (4” bed made all the difference in the world in my system)
LR Live Rock, good quality properly cured ½ to 2 lbs. per gallon is common
Tank Size Seems 50 gal up is common for stable system, but there are some beautiful nano’s
Ca management Ca Reactor or additives along with dripping Kalk for better Po4 control.

So what it comes down to if a Newbie asked me what is required to operate a modest reef the above would be my answer. Anyone have anything else to add to the above list?

Ph

 

[DEADFISH1]

10 things to not do:

{1} do not mix salt in a bucket of water by hand and then poor it into your tank, you must let the salt dissolve, best if you use a Maxi-Jet with the bubbles going and let it set for a couple of day's.

{2} do not stick your return hose back on your pump without using a plastic hose clamp, all of the gunk on the hose will cause it to loose that original seal it had when it was put on new.

{3} do not use a gravel cleaner on your sand bead, just a bad idea.

{4} do not dump turbo calcium into your tank without dissolving it first.

{5} do not clean your skimmer with any detergent, I just use hot water and a paper towel.

{6} do not leave your cover that came with your tank on, especially during the summer months, just put it away in a closet somewhere, it's best if you allow air movement across the top of the water for cooling and gas exchange.

{7} do not drop your light fixture in the tank and reach for it until you have unplugged it, doh...

{8} do not buy a bunch of fish all at once, and make sure that what you do buy is compatible with what you have already, do some research before you buy.

{9} do not mix buffer with kalkwasser in the same container unless you want your sand bead to turn into concrete.

{10} do not stick overly large fish in a 58 gal tank and do not over stock it, so what if you just have 4 or five small fish, with a reef there's so much more.

[ January 07, 2002: Message edited by: DEADFISH ]</p>

 

[DEADFISH1]

oh, I forgot,

{11} do not use copper in your tank, very, very bad idea, especially if you give up and someone else ends up with your reef rock, Yikes!!!!!

[ January 07, 2002: Message edited by: DEADFISH ]

[ January 07, 2002: Message edited by: DEADFISH ]</p>

 

[SPC]

The cost of a well set up reef tank will run around $50/gallon. As most reefers will tell you, buy the best the first time, you will save money in the end.
Steve

 

[VkeSu]

If you see a quick fix solution(product) in a lfs, go to a BB and question everyone to see how it really works.

Dont forget these BB's have great search engines!!

 

[Sea Serpent]

Never think you know it all. . . There are new thoughts on techiques every week! Keep researching, listening and learning.

 

[nm]

1) Its a good idea to document in a notebook what you do to your reef. Include how livestock react to changes.

2) When caulerpa start growing, Don't become so fascinated with the growth that you don't want to harvest it. It can quickly takeover.

 

[albee1947]

Go Fresh!!!

Only Kidding.
If you get it to work and everything is working OK, Leave it alone. If it ain't broke, Don't fix it.

 

[bigtank]

Get good equipment to start with. Starting out with crappy stuff is a mega waste of $ in the long run.

The LFSs can be unreliable at best for advice. You'll hear outdated stuff or just BS at many fish stores.

Most equipment and supplies cost half as much, or less, online as the LFSs charge. Huge savings there.

Invest in a quality protein skimmer and "more than okay" lighting, meaning bright enough for anything you want.

Plan for the future with each decision you make, be it equipment, animals, or whatever.

 

[Anonymous]

Learn how to take constructive criticism, be honest about what you’ve done when asked, and never think you’re the first one to do something stupid!

Buy good equipment (quality is not directly proportional to price)
Buy a couple of recent reefing books
Join a local reef club if you can
Start your tank with beginner animals, i.e. hearty fish, (clownfish, Royal Gramma, damselfish or the like), hearty corals (this one is up for debate, but Id say some polyps like Protopalythoa or zooanthids) and snails
Invest in GOOD test kits and use them!
Get a good water source, RO/DI if you can, or get the water from someone who has one (see folks in your reef club
And most of all use the ‘net. It’s saved many a fish and coral, and helped a bazillion reefers in distress, like me!

 

[QED1603]

I am not a reefkeeper, but wish to become one, and in this vein I have recently been given a 75 g tank, stand, hood, with fluorescent light fixtures. In other words, I have only the barest skeleton of what I need.

I have lots of previous fishkeeping experience, including discus and saltwater, but this was during the late 70's and early 80's, when I was in college. Grad school, marriage, and 4 kids have so far negated my ability to keep aquaria! In other words, I want to move on to something challenging, but I'm a beginner to the reef hobby..and I want to do it right.

As a scientist, I can understand the technical stuff, but I get the willies when I consider the costs involved...I guess I have a few questions.

First, what are some good resources that give a step-by-step description of what needs to be purchased, and how the tank is assembled? And second, what are the best sources of equipment? For now, i am going to look in the classifieds, to see if i can buy spare equipment slowly, until i have enough to set up my tank.

I am very excited about keeping a reeftank, especially one that represents a consistent biome. I am intersted in one day keeping a Red Sea tank. Any good sources for information here?

Thank you for your patience! I am new to this discussion board and am not really sure how to proceed...

 

[Rich-n-poor]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

First, what are some good resources that give a step-by-step description of what needs to be purchased, and how the tank is assembled? And second, what are the best sources of equipment? For now, i am going to look in the classifieds, to see if i can buy spare equipment slowly, until i have enough to set up my tank.

The Reef Aquarium vol 1 by sprung/delbek is considered by many to be the reef keepers bible but it is an expensive book.

there are many online sources to buy dry goods equipment at much lower prices than the Local Fish Store (LFS). I have ordered from marine depot who is a sponsor of this board and am very satisfied with their pakaging and service

My Recommendation:
Never buy adequet equipment, buy equipment that is better than what you need this way it can be reused when you want a larger tank
_________________
Honda NT650

 

[HARRISON]

The Reef Aquarium vol 1&2 are great. You can spend tons of time learning in these books. I would suggest them at a minimum. If you can't afford a 70 dollar book to start things off then you might wanna think about what your getting into. Nothing is cheap. Don't get me wrong there are DIY projects but for your show tank you will want the best. And if you don't get it you will still want the best.

 

[Anonymous]

The best advice I ever recieved in a nutshell was "buy a book before you buy your tank". Knowing what you are getting into will save you a great deal of time, aggrivation, and money in the long run.

 

[Anonymous]

There's more then one way to do things successfully. There's also more then one way to do things unsuccessfully. How do you tell what's good advice, when all of it seems to contradict each other?

Don't look for consensus, because you won't find it on most issues. Do look for trends, see what most people are doing, not what seems to work for only a few. And above all, before making changes to your tank, understand the why of the change. If you don't understand the reasons to do something, odds are you shouldn't be doing it until you do.

 

[acidbaby1]

Here's a reply from a newbie. Get a real good idea of what's necessary to run an enclosed ecosystem. The $50.00 per gallon rule is right on the money for me, and I'm a DIY'er with a 10 gallon nano, hoping for success. That price tag does not include Vol. 2 of Sprung and Delbeek's book, and I have no coral yet. The tank and the Firefish and detrivores were the cheapest part.

Be prepared to read a lot. You can find a lot of books on the subject in used book stores. An obvious sign that many people are unsuccesful in this hobby. One of the guys I work for is struggling to keep his animals alive right now.

 

[Anonymous]

You can use this site to keep track of everything: when you bought livestock, all the test results, when you changed lights, when you cleaned the skimmer, and it will email you reminders when it is time to do something to your tank. Up to 3 different reminders. Very handy!

http://www.aquaserve.com/WetNet/