Reef tank start up questions!!!

[canorojas]

been doing tons of research before starting to put water in my 125 g tank (72 inches).
eventually i'd like to have a sump/refugium set up and all those beautiful accessories that make some tanks look real. meanwhile i'd like to start slow mainly because of $$$.
so my question is what accessories (and models recommendations) are a must to start building up my aquarium towards a reef tank.
-would I be ok with a canister filter? is it worth it?
-light wise, what would you guys recommend in order to keep basic corals happy without spending too much? T5? others?
-do I need to buy a water filter to fill the tank? can I avoid that? can I add tap water with a salt mix since its a new aquarium??
-i do have some live sand I was given (still wet). can I buy normal sand and hope it picks up the goods of the live sand?
many thanks for the support. so much to learn and enjoy cannot wait.
thanks!!

 

[Dre]

What did you actualy research?

 

[jdnumis]

You have to take your time with it, read read read, watch dvd's ask questions. There are a lot of people that are going to give to all sorts of advice. Its great advice but you are gonna have to learn it. Did I mention take your time and read? This is a great forum to get great advise for your reef setup.

Good Luck to You!!

 

[canorojas]

What did you actualy research?

hey dre, i obviously have my mind already set in most of these questions. the reason of asking them is to see if there was something I've missed.
thanks for nothing.

 

[canorojas]

thanks for the encouragement gochiguy... appreciate!!

 

[Dre]

1.Canister Filter -No good.
2.Lighting -T5's or other configurations with T5's
3.RODI from the get go.
4.Normal sugar size reef sand or fiji pink whatever and live sand to give it a kick start.

 

[Avi]

1. Canister filters can be very useful in many aquarium applications and I use them on my freshwater tanks. But, while they might assist you with a fish only setup, they aren't very useful, IMO, in a large reef system like the one you're going to have. I think one'd be a waste of money and you'd be better off waiting until you have the ability to set-up a sump for you reef, if that is what it would take.

2. You could use a t5 lighting system on a tank the height that yours would be. Personally, I'd recommend MHs with some t5-actinic supplementation, but a good t5 system with individual reflectors would definitely work for you.

3. Tap water in different places is very individual. So, there are places where you can definitely get by with tap water, though, that's very limited. I'd have to agree with Dre that you should just get yourself a RO/DI-system from the very start.

4. your "live" sand probably isn't very alive anymore so don't count on it in any respect. If you just begin with sand as a substrate and you get yourself a reasonable amount of live rock to cycle the tank with when you start, you'll have the live sand, so I wouldn't spend much energy or cash on that score.

 

[KathyC]

Good for you, a 125 as a first SW tank is quite an undertaking!

Ro/di water from day one.

You didn't mention a skimmer, were you thinking a canister filter instead of a skimmer? You need a skimmer.

You also need test kits to follow the cycle of the tank and a heater and possibly a chiller unless the tank will be in an air conditioned room.

Also better to set the tank up with the sump/fuge from the start. Adding one afterwards is not going to be easy unless you leave ample room to do the plumbing..and obviously you wouldn't be using a reef-ready tank if you are going to do that.

What are you going to use for flow within the tank?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

been doing tons of research before starting to put water in my 125 g tank (72 inches).
eventually i'd like to have a sump/refugium set up and all those beautiful accessories that make some tanks look real. meanwhile i'd like to start slow mainly because of $$$.
so my question is what accessories (and models recommendations) are a must to start building up my aquarium towards a reef tank.
-would I be ok with a canister filter? is it worth it?
-light wise, what would you guys recommend in order to keep basic corals happy without spending too much? T5? others?
-do I need to buy a water filter to fill the tank? can I avoid that? can I add tap water with a salt mix since its a new aquarium??
-i do have some live sand I was given (still wet). can I buy normal sand and hope it picks up the goods of the live sand?
many thanks for the support. so much to learn and enjoy cannot wait.
thanks!!

Canister filter is fine, it needs to be cleaned very frequently to avoid being a nitrate factory.

Lighting depends on what you plan on keeping there are no BASIC corals. Many corals require many different types of lighting.

Do not use tap water at all. You will think you are doing fine then one day you will have problems.

Re-use of live sand is pointless in my opinion. And you still have yours wet? Is it also kept at the proper temp? Best thing is to get a cup from an established aquarium when you start your tank.