Spoiled....:(

i do have a few clowns and some anemonies , also some polyps in the biocube that are doing very well.

 

I have over $2000 easy in my 55 and I don't have a sump/fuge/wetdry or anything like that yet. Those can be made for a decent price though. I had over $800 into lighting alone with my MH, and if you want to keep anemones and sps or clams I would recommend MH. I also have bought some of the better stuff I could get my hands on so you can set one up for a little cheaper... but IMO make sure you don't cheap out.

Also, something that isn't brought up often is upkeep... the initial setup is expensive enough but upkeep isn't cheap either... I would say a grand a year. That includes RO/DI filters (I would recommend your own RODI unit), all light bulbs, salt, filter media, some corals and/or fish, cleanup crew additions, any random livestock additions, and any random "cheap" add-ons. This number as with anything else can fluctuate greatly but I would say it is close to a minimum amount for a well kept aquarium. Trust me, you can spend much more a year!! (I already have close to $600-$7 00 in mine this year!)

 

Yep, or you'll be spending more by buying twice.

+1 on the upkeep. Be willing to maintain your investment and make sure you can keep spending time and money to take care of your critters once you buy them!

 

I agree. I set myself a budget for about 1500.00 for my 155. Even after a LOT of research and planning, It doubled, and I already owned the tank! I am over 3k already.
Like you, I had freshwater before. I did however, run my eheim for a bit while the live rock was in there just till my sump/refuge was being built. I just used a blue filter pad to catch the big particles, and live rock rubble in it.
It worked pretty good, but there is NO beating a sump/refuge.

Good luck and keep us informed.

 

If you are trying to do the tank on a shoestring budget which it sounds like you are, your best bet to avoid spending over $1000 is getting equipment on eBay. It'll take time, and you should be patient if you are really looking for deals, but they're out there. After a couple of months of patiently waiting and sensible bidding I got a new (though slightly damaged, a reflector was bent, an easy repair) Coralife 36" Metal Halide/Power compact combo for $170, it costs more than $500 elsewhere.

As for books, I am going to make a whole post on this so others don't share my headache, here is my advice. It's my month four of reading up, I would recommend a likewise strategy, read literally everything you can before you start. "For Dummies" I read that too, it's decent it'll give you basic water chemistry, nitrogen cycle info, but the thing you will quickly find is that you are reading material from the 1990s and so much has changed. For instance, the "Dummies" book and many others recommend plenum setups which are just not done any more really (though some 3reef members have been highly successfully with them it seems, another topic).

I would HIGHLY recommend The new marine aquarium : step-by-step setup & stocking guide ( by Michael Paletta, ISBN: 1890087521) as the first book you read. This book actually talks about Live Rock as a biological filter and the later problems of DSBs. It also has stocking plans for aquariums, suggested combinations of communities of fish (there are docile, semi-, and aggressive communities outlined). I've read through literally all of the Chicago Public Library's Saltwater Aquarium book selection and that one by Paletta was the best for a basic, starter book that was very up to date. I would also check out Natural reef aquariums : simplified approaches to creating living saltwater microcosms which has a lot of suggestions for a gulf 0f Mexico, Florida, Hawaii set ups creating a biome as well as basic info. Marine chemistry : a complete guide to water chemistry for the marine aquarium this is the last word in studying aquaria water chemistry, you may want to read this to the end, when you grasp the basics and need more info on the specific chemical interactions. Very dense, scientific, informative and helpful. The conscientious marine aquarist : a commonsense handbook for successful saltwater hobbyists is another one that you should check out to better understand the impact of the hobby on the environment but also has basic information.

Hope that helps, and for anyone looking for saltwater aquarium books in Chicago, sorry! They're all back at the library now, and if whoever is holding onto the coral field guide for FL and the Bahamas could return it I'd appreciate it!

 

Wetwebmedia.com is a huge website that has a lot of info for research. Oh and the comments of being addictive, absolutely true. I am going on on 4 years and no signs of even slowing down. One of the criteria for my new house shopping is based on my dream tank setup!

 

soo i was wondering about the lighting situation

are these the appropriate lights?

ODYSSEA 48" 716W METAL HALIDE AQUARIUM LIGHT HO PL LEDs - eBay (item 220365337674 end time Mar-21-09 20:41:59 PDT)

Could i go down to 500W? I'm completely lost when it comes to lighting.

 

On a 55, I would suggest two 150 watt MH and supplementary T5 lighting. The 2x250 watt fixture you linked to is a lot of light, which isn't necessary bad, but I would it will produce a lot of heat and depending on where you live and how hot it gets in the summer, you many need a chiller.

 

Yeah i figured it would be hot, i also thought it might be too much light i'm not really intrested in corals that much mainly fish and a few anemones maybe some zoas. Filtration i understand, water chemistry i understand but i am a LOST cause when it comes to lighting i have no idea where to even look.

 

both these are true!!!! after i went and bought some real books and read some threads, did i undertand how craptacular it (the dummies book) was... for my 90 it was well over 2000......just an fyi.