Newbie, Please Help!!

[mrRumm]

Hello to all. I'm new to this site and going to be new to reefing. I've just been doing a lot of reading on the site before I make any purchases. I'm leaning towards buying a 300 gal reef ready aquarium 96Lx30Dx24H. I know the larger the size, the larger the costs of all the equipment needed. I don't mind the costs too much but I'd like to have an idea to make a better decision. Everyone here seems pretty knowledgeable and I'd rather get it from you than the guys at some of the fish stores.

I'm confused:birthday: as to which/how many pieces of each equipment will be needed to maintain an aquarium of that size.
Do I just need 1 of everything but just larger?? or are there some things that I will need several of? For example I was told i'd need several powerheads, and having several would mean i'd need an even more powerful...(i have no clue). :iamwithst

I know i'm kind of all over the place with this, but if it makes any sense to you, any advice would be greatly appreciated, Thanks in advance.

 

[Bob 1000]

Welcome to MR... Return pump( I like the dart) Big skimmer, if you want a mixed reef with hard corals, a good metal halide light (I like 400watts) but others use less, big sump at least 3/4 the size of your display tank( I like a AGA 125gal tank), calcium reactor( a big one), reefkeeper2 or other system for your lights, main pump, fan/chiller, about 350 to 450 pounds of live rock(or base rock if you are a patient person), and a custom made stand and canopy by one of the talented furniture makers here on MR(including myself):tongue1:...
The cost of being able to get it all here on MR from vendors and members......Priceless.....

 

[Will C]

Holy mackeral, you don't fool around! 300 gallons requires alot of reading before jumping in. You mentioned the cost, your cost per gallon will be less than CPG for a 75 reef. My only suggestion is get professional help (not for you but for the setup) and post a 'new tank' thread - Good luck, I'll follow and wish it was me!

 

[NYreefNoob]

a larger tank will actually be easier to maintain and keep things in check better, larger volume = less room for flux in stuff. you could get away with 2 powerheads. pair of vortex or tunze's and so on

 

[reefman]

perhaps telling us what r your experiences/history n setups r now will enable better advice. i.e. if u r new to the hobby, i would not go 300 to start.

 

[Bob 1000]

perhaps telling us what r your experiences/history n setups r now will enable better advice. i.e. if u r new to the hobby, i would not go 300 to start.

If you start off big no need to up grade,,,,lol...

 

[mrRumm]

Thanks for all of the advice so far, my experience is only with freshwater fish, i have a 90 gallon african cichlid aquarium for a few years now, and i've had many smaller freshwater aquariums for the last 12 years. This would be my first saltwater endeavor. I do want to start of big only because i know myself, very impulsive, and i've been down the road of going to small only to have to buy everything twice when you want to upgrade.

 

[duke62]

its not just the equip thats going to run a pretty penny,your electric bill is going to soar with a 300 ga,

 

[Mr.First]

Know much about water changes ?

 

[masterswimmer]

Welcome to ManhattanReefs. I applaud your direction already. Reading is critical to your success. The next ingredient is patience. Take it slow and you'll increase your success rate exponentially.

Good luck,
Russ

 

[LeslieS]

As long as you have the $ for the set up AND the upkeep, getting a bigger tank is not an issue. You will have more water to change, glass to clean, rocks to aquascape, etc., but the tank will be more stable as Rick said.

I am a fan of less pieces of powerful equipment vs. more pieces of smaller equipment. Think of all the cords and plugs you will have to deal with!

My tank is now 2 years old. It was my first aquarium ever, and it is 120 gallons. Here are a few things that I learned:

You are not going to get it right the first time, so don't stress. If you get a piece of equipment you don't like, you can either sell it or wait for it to break down and buy a new one

Buy the rock that you need to make your tank look good. Don't go by weight. I started out with half the weight that everyone told me I needed. As the tank grew, I add pieces that looked good and suited the tank. Also, some corals are attached to rock when you get them.

Give each piece of coral time to grow before you add the next one. If you add a bunch of frags all at once, they will all be the same size and your tank will look like a "fruit stand". Try not to stick all your frags on a flat surface pointing straight up and down. It looks funny :smile:.

Edit your fish list to the things you really want the most. Less fish = less poo and food in the tank = cleaner tank. (Yes everyone, I know some things need poo, but that is for the advanced thread.)

Seeing other people's tanks in person is priceless. You will get great ideas about eveything including plumbing, electrical, light colors, aquascaping, equipment and livestock choices, and placement in the room.

I'm still pretty new to the hobby myself, but hopefully these thoughts will be helpful to you!

Leslie