ok i'm new at this and someone told me it is away to relax and all....i went to a place called millers reef near me and the guy that owns the palce is going to help me out....do you all have any suggestions before i start....i get the tank plumed and pumped all ready next week and then a week ( money reasons) i get the rock and sand....he told me about a pound and half for each gallon will do me good and i forget how much rock he said......any help you can give will be greatly appreciated......thanks
new guy here
- Thread starter jschutt
- Start date
Welcom to RDO new guy.
I would read around and get lots of information before you setup. Most LFS persons mean well, but have not stayed curret with new techniques and tools for the hobby. Post some specifice questions and you will get lots of info.
Do you best to keep maintence simple, so it will get done and automate whatever you can. Things like timers and floatvalves make life tons easier for little cost.
Check out these threads for starters.
http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=33928
http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7679
http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=55931
The most important thing in the hobby is patientce.
Good Luck
I would read around and get lots of information before you setup. Most LFS persons mean well, but have not stayed curret with new techniques and tools for the hobby. Post some specifice questions and you will get lots of info.
Do you best to keep maintence simple, so it will get done and automate whatever you can. Things like timers and floatvalves make life tons easier for little cost.
Check out these threads for starters.
http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=33928
http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7679
http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=55931
The most important thing in the hobby is patientce.
Good Luck
There are many many different ways to run any aqaurium including salt/reef.
Whatever you do I recommend you get advice from many sources and consider what you want from your tank. And be sure to consider the maintenance required and cost of each setup.
Now is also a good time to be reading some how to books also.
to me the single most important and most overlooked aspect of keeping any aqaurium is the importance of the plant life with will live in there. So my primary advice is to simply get the plant life going and thriving as the very first thing. then do the rest. You might try researching macro algaes like chaetomorphia or caulerpa profilera. And look into things like refugiums.
Once you get the plant life in charge, then almost everything else is secondary. And the result is an easy to maintain, stable setup, that is very forgiving of operator errors.
Whatever you do I recommend you get advice from many sources and consider what you want from your tank. And be sure to consider the maintenance required and cost of each setup.
Now is also a good time to be reading some how to books also.
to me the single most important and most overlooked aspect of keeping any aqaurium is the importance of the plant life with will live in there. So my primary advice is to simply get the plant life going and thriving as the very first thing. then do the rest. You might try researching macro algaes like chaetomorphia or caulerpa profilera. And look into things like refugiums.
Once you get the plant life in charge, then almost everything else is secondary. And the result is an easy to maintain, stable setup, that is very forgiving of operator errors.
Buy a couple of books and research before you get started. One of the better ones is The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, by Bob Fenner. Good information in there. All the links that Wazzel gave you are good as well. Make sure that you have a plan before you start buying stuff, cuz other than that you're going to be buying stuff that you either wish you hadn't, or isn't good enough. And feel free to ask questions. Good luck!
:welcome:
Regarding your live rock. If you're doing FOWLR (fish only with live rock), than 1 lb per gallon is good. Often times, people buy more than they need (especially those small 6" pieces), and end up with an ugly wall thats shaped like a trapezoid.
If you're going to do corals, than I'd go with even less. You'll appreciate the extra space you give your corals to grow (and fish to swim in).
The initial benefit of going 1.5 lbs per gallon is maybe a slightly quicker cycle time, but that's really nothing. Like Wazzel said, it's better to be patient and proceed methodically. Save the money for future livestock.
Regarding your live rock. If you're doing FOWLR (fish only with live rock), than 1 lb per gallon is good. Often times, people buy more than they need (especially those small 6" pieces), and end up with an ugly wall thats shaped like a trapezoid.
If you're going to do corals, than I'd go with even less. You'll appreciate the extra space you give your corals to grow (and fish to swim in).
The initial benefit of going 1.5 lbs per gallon is maybe a slightly quicker cycle time, but that's really nothing. Like Wazzel said, it's better to be patient and proceed methodically. Save the money for future livestock.
Buy good equipment the first time around to avoid haveing to buy good equipment the second or third time around (speeking from experience). Decide what you want to keep before you buy equipment for the same reason. Before you dive into any one method of keeping your tank look around to see the results and how many people practice that method. Just because someone post it does not make it right for you or mean that it will work at all for what you are planning.
I'll give you the same piece of advice I gave a friend of mine when he was considering setting up a marine tank-- get nutrient testing kits before anything else & test your intended water source, typically your tap. If there are any semi-significant levels of Nitrates, Phosphates, or Silicates in your tap, you would do well to purchase an RO/DI (reverse osmosis de-ionizer) water filter & head off numerous algae battles before they start.
After that, make a decision-- do you intend to keep any kind of coral, anemone, or other 'sessile' invertebrate in the future? (yes, yes, I know anemones aren't really sessile
) This should influence the kinds of fish you add to your tank, of which you should research thoroughly before you add them. Go back to your LFS, look at the fish you might like to see in your tank, then go read up on them & see what their compatibilities are.
Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies was an integral purchase in my learning path, as well as the Concientious Marine Aquarist suggested above.
This should give you plenty to chew on for the immediate future
After that, make a decision-- do you intend to keep any kind of coral, anemone, or other 'sessile' invertebrate in the future? (yes, yes, I know anemones aren't really sessile
) This should influence the kinds of fish you add to your tank, of which you should research thoroughly before you add them. Go back to your LFS, look at the fish you might like to see in your tank, then go read up on them & see what their compatibilities are.Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies was an integral purchase in my learning path, as well as the Concientious Marine Aquarist suggested above.
This should give you plenty to chew on for the immediate future
Plants are not nessary. They are an option to help remove excess nutirent. This can also be achieved with water changes and a good skimmer.
I would recomend reading allot about husbandry and decide what you want to keep in the tank long term. You can adjust the equipment you need according to that.
What size tank and equipment are you thinking about?
_________________
Ferrari 195 S
I would recomend reading allot about husbandry and decide what you want to keep in the tank long term. You can adjust the equipment you need according to that.
What size tank and equipment are you thinking about?
_________________
Ferrari 195 S
jschutt,
The discussion of plants vs no-plants aside, I think what is stressed by either side is nutrient control. Excess nutrients lead to nuisance algae (brown, blue-green, red, hair, bubble), which sucks. Many of us find ourselves combatting this stuff extensively which distracts us from what we really enjoy about the hobby, & can lead to resenting it.
Read up on nutrients & their control. Skimming, water changes, macro algae (plant) usage, all of these are valid measures in reducing nutrients & keeping your tank beautiful & healthy. Some are accepted as status quo, while others are hotly debated
On any auqarium topic, it all boils down to doing your research & make educated decisions
The discussion of plants vs no-plants aside, I think what is stressed by either side is nutrient control. Excess nutrients lead to nuisance algae (brown, blue-green, red, hair, bubble), which sucks. Many of us find ourselves combatting this stuff extensively which distracts us from what we really enjoy about the hobby, & can lead to resenting it.
Read up on nutrients & their control. Skimming, water changes, macro algae (plant) usage, all of these are valid measures in reducing nutrients & keeping your tank beautiful & healthy. Some are accepted as status quo, while others are hotly debated
On any auqarium topic, it all boils down to doing your research & make educated decisions
Remember, the only stupid question is no question. Don't be afraid to ask.
Also, don't try cut it cheap on lighting or a protein skimmer. Both are expensive but are well worth it in the long run, especially if you end up upgrading had you gone the cheap way.
A good place to start is to decide what kind of tank you'll be keeping. Fish only (FO), Fish with Live Rock, (FOWLR-meaning mobile inverts but no coral or very lowlight species only), or a full reef?
GL!
Also, don't try cut it cheap on lighting or a protein skimmer. Both are expensive but are well worth it in the long run, especially if you end up upgrading had you gone the cheap way.
A good place to start is to decide what kind of tank you'll be keeping. Fish only (FO), Fish with Live Rock, (FOWLR-meaning mobile inverts but no coral or very lowlight species only), or a full reef?
GL!
what is LFS??? you guys are coming at me with alot of new lingo so you have to make it take it easy on me and explain the first couple of times....i think i want to make it a full reef i like the fish and the coral....i'm still reading a few thing about what is what and all.....plants first or fish first?? that is a good question.......any hints clues it worked for me would be usefull here... someone told me coral are the hard part to keep.......any yes or no on that?
Corals are not all that hard to keep one you find out what you need to do. This is the set up that works for me.
No sand, about 1 lb per gallon of live rock, lots of flow (4000 gph in a 60 gallon tank), 250watt metal halaide light on a 24" deep tank, good skimmer, 10% water chang weekly, dose only for calcium and alkinity.
No sand, about 1 lb per gallon of live rock, lots of flow (4000 gph in a 60 gallon tank), 250watt metal halaide light on a 24" deep tank, good skimmer, 10% water chang weekly, dose only for calcium and alkinity.
Ay, the debate over sand or no sand is a lengthy one.
Metal halides are the best for corals. That, a good amount of live rock (LR), and a good skimmer are the key equipment. A sump, or another tank that is plumbed to the main tank, is good to increase water volume and provides a spot to put all the equipment.
Back to corals, alk and calcium are really the parameters you need to worry about once the tank is fully established and cycled. By cycle, I mean the tank should sit with the live rock and sand (if you use) and water so that the biological filter can become established.
Another point-Slow and steady pays off. The faster you stock the tank, the more problems you're likely to encounter.
Metal halides are the best for corals. That, a good amount of live rock (LR), and a good skimmer are the key equipment. A sump, or another tank that is plumbed to the main tank, is good to increase water volume and provides a spot to put all the equipment.
Back to corals, alk and calcium are really the parameters you need to worry about once the tank is fully established and cycled. By cycle, I mean the tank should sit with the live rock and sand (if you use) and water so that the biological filter can become established.
Another point-Slow and steady pays off. The faster you stock the tank, the more problems you're likely to encounter.
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