Brand New Need Instructions PLEASE...

so i am the lucky brand new owner of a great 46 gallon bowfront...fatboy on the first floor got kicked out by his wife and he needed a quick buck so I got it all tank/stand/glass top for 70$. Soooo now I have this tank sitting in my living room (looking fabulous) but empty...right now its my cats new favorite place to sleep on top of.

I want to get it running this weekend-first things first a few things about what i want to do with it.
-want it to be a reef tank.
-want to do some cool corals in it, but nothing super high maintenance like hard corals. I really just want it to look cool more than anything else, like bright colors, and movement.
-I will do fish but not sure which fish I should put in or not put it...I have been told a few different things for instance-can i put angels/triggers in a reef tank?-LFS tells me no angels or triggers with the rock/coral, but then I was told from another LFS that I can put triggers in if they are smaller and my buddy has a nice coral beauty in his tank that is an angel (?) so i'm a little gaffled on that one-i kind of really want a clown trigger if i can.

OK now to the questions....

where do I start?
*I need a kind of step by step type of instruction on what to do and what to get.

-do i need to use RO water? if so should i put everything in at once so it "cycles" properly??? -how long before i should start putting inhabitants in the tank and when do i know its all set to go with some more expensive nice fish/coral

-i'm doing a reef tank so do I need 1lb of live rock per gallon? (LFS is selling the live fiji for 6-7$ a pound where can i find it cheaper on the web?), also is fiji the easiest/best for the tank? and should it be cured/uncured when i buy?

-protein skimmer? should i buy a skimmer that is for a 55g. tank or should i get a bigger one so it stays cleaner?? or can i overskim and i should strictly stick to the gallon amount on the skimmer. which skimmer is good for my small 46g tank that works well and is affordable? my tank is not going to have a crazy amount of stuff in it...i don't think.

-sand? do i buy live sand, how much should i put in the bottom of the tank? sand? crushed coral? live sand? regular sand? -what do I do there?

-LIGHTS! i found some lights for pretty cheap on ebay from a guy named fishman911, i mean like lights w/ bulbs both day and night for like 75$-what lights do i put for soft corals/fish, what is the difference between metal halide and the others and what is the best ones to get and what is the more affordable way??? *(these are the most expensive part of it and its killing me to pay 400$ for a light set up)

-heater? what temp should i keep my tank?

-chemicals? what chemicals do i need to get to start the tank running? as well as salts and that stuff if i have to add it to RO water?

***I AM TRYING TO BE AFFORDABLE WITH THIS AND TAKE MY TIME BUT I DON'T WANT TO WAIT 6 MORE WEEKS BEFORE I CAN EVEN PUT A FISH IN THE TANK BECAUSE IT HAS TO CYCLE*** IF SOME VETS COULD HELP ME OUT AND GIVE ME SOME INSTRUCTIONS ON WHAT TO GET, WHERE TO GET IT, WHAT I SHOULD SPEND, AND HOW LONG BEFORE I CAN GET MY STUFF GOING I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT GUYS...THANK YOU!

 

Ok, #1 you need patience in this hobby or it can be very trying on your nerves and your budget

You can purchase base rock and seed it with live rock to save some costs, or you can just buy live rock

You will need to use RO/DI water to make sure you dont add any phosphates or TDI's to your tank and cause some really bad things to happen

As far as the skimmer setup I usually look for a skimmer rated around 150% of the total system volume of my setup, Coralife makes a great budget skimmer as well as ASM and many others Personally I like the needlewheel config skimmers due to low maintance and lower cost

Sand can be purchased online as well to save some $

Lights can be very pricey, if you can post the depth of your tank and from the sounds of your post you will be wanting soft and LPS corals so you can probably run a T5 configuration with no problems just no clams or SPS deeper in the tank

temp you want to stay between 77-82 degrees

You'll also want some basic testing equipment. need to test for Salinity, get a refractometer for that

Nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, Ph, alk/kh, calcium, and mg are the tests you'll want to buy and most are available in kits

You may want to talk to some of the guys on here that work in or own reef shops they can get you a deal on all the equipment you need but either way you need to let the tank fully cycle, you can start with one fish after a couple of weeks but you need to wait a couple of months before starting to add corals

 

Yes, i would purchase an RODI unit, usually 100-300 dollars depending on quality and Gallons per day. I would go T5HO flourescents. Shouldnt be too much for that size tank. when starting out, look for a local aquarium shop and ask if they have "Base rock", dead rock. Eventually it will become live, get about 40 pounds to start, its uasually about a dollar a pound . You need to cycle a tank, IE purchase a Yellow tail damselfish and let him sit in there for about~5 weeks. Get the best Protein skimmmer you can, if you dont plan on adding a sump, look into the AquaC Remora. Buy test kits, Get one for ALK (Alkalinity) Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Magnesium, Calcium, and PH. Make sure they are for saltwater too. Buy 30 pounds of super fine aragonite for sand. You will thank me later

 

i was posting in the other one and it was deleted while i posted and internet crashed ! Crap, so Iraf beat me to it

 

HA! same here but here it is anyway!

Read, Read, Read.... 3 steps to a reef Aquariium

Then read some more...... Reef Aquarium Articles and How To's

RODI water is a must, at all stages. Tap water will only lead to problems later and you will regret using it. Buy it from your local fish store, buy a RODI unit, how ever you get it doesn't matter just get it.

Rocks - My self, I used Dead base rock for most of my rock then bought a few smaller pieces and used them to seed my tank. Same with sand, buy Dead sand and get some seed sand from LFS or another reefer in your area, most are more than willing to share.

Protein Skimmer - one for 55 should be fine, just read about them and pay attention to what people are saying and don't buy the ones that everyone says suck, because they do and yours will too!

Lights - they are all a matter of preference. If your not planning on keeping SPS or some LPS Compact fluorescents are fine and fairly cheap.

Metal halides are expensive, expensive to run, and hot to run. but a must if keeping SPS and some LPS.

T5's, once again expensive but not as expensive as Halides, nor as expensive or hot to run, can also be used for SPS and LPS. So as I said all a matter of preference.

On your last statement about Cycling, take your time, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your tank be. If you rush it now you will just regret it later and that you can bank on! As far as the "VETS" helping you out I will pretty much guarantee that they will echo this.

Good luck, have fun, and most importantly take your time!

 

Agree with above...you are on a sharp learning curve...

1st get yourself some saltwater mix, fill tank, put in some live rock...

Now is time to get studying up...not that complicated, but lots to learn.

Here are some good startup links (below)

Holler if you need to know something specific...

- BTW!

You found way to great gaggle of "Reef Freaks"


Rgds & Good Luck!!!



The Tao of Marine Aquaria (Tips for Our Hobby and Life)


3Reef Articles


Knowing How to Set Up a Marine Aquarium, Adam Blundell M.S.


Your First Reef aquarium: How to Create a Miniature Coral Reef System at Home.
by J. Charles Delbeek B.Sc., B.Ed., M.Sc.


About.com - Saltwater Aquariums 101 "Getting Started" FREE Email Course


Thinking about setting up a saltwater aquarium? (melevsreef.com)


An Introduction to the Marine Aquarium Hobby (Part 1) - Associated Content (Parrothead)


An Introduction to the Marine Aquarium Hobby (Part 2) - Associated Content (Parrothead)


A List Of Good Beginner Fish


Fish To Be Avoided - I


Fish To Be Avoided - II

 

gracias...any particular places on the web you guys shop at for this stuff that has abnormally low prices

 

Check local "craigslist" -- many folks liquidating systems...

Your LFS may also have line on used equipment.

Shop around.

DFS (Drs Foster and Smith) is my favorite online source for most drygoods...

 

DFS is good, so is Craigslist as said above, also check and see if there is any local reef clubs or marine/saltwater enthusiast clubs anything of that sort, most LFS's will be able to tell you yes or no on that one, other people in the hobby usually have crap laying around as spares or retired parts their willing to part with really cheaply