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duke62

Advanced Reefer
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Start by selling your tank. God i wish someone gave me that advise :) If not you start buy getting books,researching on the web, keep your money in your wallet till your sure of what you want your setup to be then go look for the best,most reliable equipment you can afford then some aspirin cause your going to need it
 

Jan

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Read, read and READ. Then research and read and research some more. Then ask a lot of questions. Don't forget to look at all the pretty tanks in the TOTM forum, but only after you read and read and research and read some more. Once you decide what you want you should take it slow. Patience will serve you well in this hobby.
 

reef lover7

Experienced Reefer
Location
queens ,NY
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Decide how big of a tank you wamt first then you can research what type equipment you need . There lot experience ppl in here that always has good advise and opinion

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Reefs
 

d5332

Advanced Reefer
Location
Newark
Rating - 96.9%
94   3   0
Here is a list of what you will need to get started, this is all you need, if you end up spending thousands you can bet you will regret it in the end.

First and foremost, decide what kind of fish you like. Do you like fish that stay small or do you like fish that grow to be huge and will require a huge tank.

Tank
sump
heater
return pump
hydor circulation pump
skimmer
sand if you want, some ppl do not use sand

rock, base rock or $$$$ genuine ocean live rock (live rock is not a requirement, ppl think it is but it is not). If you dont want to buy rock now you can skip it, read up on the curing process of rock later on and just cure your rock properly before adding it to a tank that already has livestock so you dont end up killing your stuff.

Your lights are based on your coral preferences.

fish only you can get away with home depot flourescent if you want to.

Soft corals and LPS do not require expensive intense leds and especially do not require metal halides.

If you prefer SPS corals I suggest you do a lot of reading on SPS corals and be prepared to spend a lot of money. FYI, most people that jump into SPS corals end up quitting the hobby within a year. SPS is truly the experts coral, equipment and care are like having a chld that never grows up.

My personal opinion is to setup the tank with the CORE equipment, decide if you like reef safe fish or non reef safe fish and begin with fish.

If you you like reef friendly fish then as many many months pass by you can decide which route to take with your corals and other inverts.
 
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jdnumis

Advanced Reefer
Location
Long Island
Rating - 100%
73   0   0
Do your research first before you make a decision. Read, read, watch videos and don't be afraid to ask questions. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on here. Good luck and all the best,

James
 

d5332

Advanced Reefer
Location
Newark
Rating - 96.9%
94   3   0
I forgot to mention, an automatic top off setup will make the hobby much more enjoyable and less of a chore.

your initial top off does not have to be pretty. brand new rectangular 10-14 gallon garbage can and visit autotopoff.com and by the standard top off unit.

if you dont know what top off refers to, here is a summary.

Water in fish tank evaporates, in saltwarter fish tanks when water evaporates the salt remains, making the water saltier and changing the salinity levels. Changes in salinity levels can and willl kill many different types of aquatic life. to prevent death we have to add fresh unsalted water to the tank at the same level of evaporation.l

If a gallon evaporates then you need to add a gallon of freshwater and doing with an automatic top off is a breeze.

By the way, you will need a RO water filter, Bulk Reef Supply or TB Aquatics and a few others sell affordable RO filters.
 
Location
Suffolk
Rating - 0%
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Alright thanks for the input. Where can I read about water parameters, such as salinity etc. Anyone know where I can find the deep blue 57 rimless at a good price?

edit: looking for tank and stand, willing to buy separately if it drastically brings down cost.
 
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Jan

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 0%
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Parameters -
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

These will give you an idea of what you need to get started -
http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterAquariumSetup.htm

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/startinganaquarium/How_to_Start_a_Saltwater_Aquarium.htm

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/saltwater-aquariums-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Set-up-a-Marine-Reef-Aquarium

http://www.fishchannel.com/setups/saltwater/reef-aquarium-setups.aspx

Alright thanks for the input. Where can I read about water parameters, such as salinity etc. Anyone know where I can find the deep blue 57 rimless at a good price?

edit: looking for tank and stand, willing to buy separately if it drastically brings down cost.
 
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