Starting a reef tank

[Philip Thowney]

Hi all.
I have beeen keeping freshwater fish for 2 years and would like to advance to a reef tank with a few fish the only problem is that i have no knowage what so ever, and am doing a bit of research.

I would like to have a bright and liverly tank with a good selection of different reefs and fish. I know i want clown fish an anemones, but have no idea of what else i can have.

I would like a big tank 6x2x2 and was wondering the type of equipment i will need to run this setup.

I would be extremly greatful if some people can give me their view of what fish, corals and equipment to use. I leart the hard way with my tropical tank and am not prepared for it to happen again!

Thanks a lot.
Philip Thowney.

 

[dgasmd]

Chief, prepare yourself for the most moeny sucking hobbie there is. First of, you have to have a budget in mind. A figure you will never pass and the multiply that by 7 (what you are really going to spend before you even add any animals to the system.
A tank like you are suggesting (6x2x2) with all the proper equipment is going to cost you well beyond US$3500 (don't remember the exchange to british pounds now).
The best advise I can give you is to read on for the next 6-8 months daily and do daily seaches in this site on every subjet related to reef tanks you can think of. Read the posts and then read some more.

 

[danmhippo]

$3500? that's it? I would at least budget double that amount as a safe guideline.

The tank size you posted, is it already a freshwater tank you have? If it is, ask your LFS if it can be drilled (and have them do it for you) for build in overflow. You won't want to work with hang-on overflow when dealing with that much water volume.

A good book to start with would be The Reef Tank. Also visit reefs.org discussion board often and try to suck up as much as you can before you really made up your mind that this money sucking hobby is right for you. As dimaggio pointed out, a deep pocket really does help.

 

[Daisy1]

DONT BE DISHEARTENED!!!

yes, reeftanks are expensive- but there are ways to cut costs without quality.

FIRST THING- if you haven't already, find a reputable and knowledgeable saltwater dealer in your area. You want them friendly, willing to answer questions (even over the phone) and always ready to offer other resources. This is crucial in delving into the saltwater world. No matter how much you read and how much you can look up on the old WWW, nothing beats having someone to talk to face to face.

Second- BIGGER IS BETTER
the biggest tank you can afford is the best way to go. The bigger the tank, the less maitainance it requires and the more potential it has. yes you will need more equipment. I would honestly start shopping EBAY for all your equipment needs- most filters, protien skimmmers, power compacts, metal halides, powerheads, Even complete tank setups, can be found on ebay for a fraction of the cost- just be sure you are buying from reputable sellers, (ebay has ways of doing this)

Third- Location. Find the place in your house away from window lighting and where you and others can enjoy the tank

Fourth- research before you buy! you are on the right track on forums looking for info. Read up and ask around.

Fifth- buy what you need: THe basics are: A tank!(duh) GOOD LIGHTING and GREAT FILTRATION/Circulation. You will want to buy filter, lighting, powerhead, protein skimmer ( get more than the minimun requirements for your tank size, and the best you can afford. Buy a saltwater test kit for water chemistry, and a hygrometer to measure salinity. Also a seperate test kit for alkalinity is a good thing to have, if it isnt included in the saltwater kit itself! Set up all your equipment and figure out how it will configure in your tank before A drop of water goes in.

Sixth- Start setting up. Buy substrate *I really recomend Aragonite, which is crushed coral* and rinse it out really throughouly. (your dealer will tell you how much you need depending on your tank size) Aragonite makes a hideous milky white water as you rinse, and I would rinse it a little bit at a time because if you try to do it all at once it will take forever! Add it to the empty tank.
Fill your tank about halfway with water(use a marine salt in the water, such as corallife, and use about 1.5 cups per 5.5 gallons- that measurment should put you somewhere in the ballpark of 1.023-1.025, the optimum salinity).
Now get some live rock, again your dealer will tell you how much is optimum, and use it to cycle the tank. Lucky you, to cycle the tank, you can start with uncured rock, which is a little bit cheaper. (again, ask your trusted retailer about how much)
Use your test kit to monitor the cycling progress, and take water samples to your dealer to be sure things are progressing right.

Seventh- Once your tank is cycled, and your skimmer is a-skimming, you can slowly begin to stock the tank. My first fish was a sebae clownfish, they are pretty hardy and easy to take care of, so are some tangs, damsels, and angelfish- read up to see which varieties do best in community reeftanks, and in what order they should be added due to territorial behaviors. Inverts should come later. Easier corals like mushroom corals, brain corals and some other inverts like gorgonians do well. Anemones and scallops are a challenge. Particularly anemones- while you will be tempted to get one if you have a clownfish, be warned that the average tank life of most varieties is 6 months or less. Dont even bother with anemones if you dont have metal halide lighting. Add things slowly, so as not to upset your slowly developing bilogical filter and microorganism growth. (also a note, DO NOT GET A MANDARIN GOBY! gobies are really dragonets, and cannot live in a tank that has not been established for at least a year! They eat the amphipods and copipods (microorganisms) that live in the tank and rarely accept external food sources. Pay close attention to your tank as it develops. Try to have a working knowledge of Marine Fish diseases and Tank trouble shooting so you can nip any problems in the bud before they turn major.

Final notes- Keep a log of what you are doing, keep in contact with other reef keepers. And above all, ENJOY IT!

BEST OF LUCK!
Rachel

p.s. (im a 23 year old college student who pays her own bills and tuition, and if *I* can afford this hobby, anyone can!

 

[AF Founder]

philip,

Read all you can, ask lots of questions, even ask what are the right questions to ask. You have already been given good advice by others, but there is one piece of advice that will save you from a major headache that cause many reef keepers to give this wonderful hobby up. When your live rock is cycled and immediately before you turn the powerful lights on make sure you have a big time algae crew (crabs, snails, etc.) already in your reef tank. Once algae gains a foot hold it is very difficult to get rid of, but with the right clean up crew you can stay ahead of the potential problem. For example, before turning on the lights on a new reef tank I would be sure to have a combination of hermit crabs and algae eating snails that add up to one per gallon of water.