Extreme Newbie...Lots of Questions

If you want a full reef system, I would add 1.5 pounds of live rock per gallon, and live sand. Get the biggest sump/fuge you can fit under the stand and put a protein skimmer, and eventually a calcium reactor if you have alot of corals. MH's are probably the better choice as far as lighting goes if you have a chiller or it's not too warm where you live. And i agree with grey soul. The false wall kind of thing in the back corners of the tank go pretty much un-noticed and are usually drilled. Good luck

 

1.5 lb per gallon?? my tank was full at about 100 lbs and it's a 150. that puts me at .66 lbs/gallon. I say add rock untill you are pleased with the way it looks. No more and no less.

 

You can always add more LR to the sump if it is too much for your tank. LR is the house for millions of little beneficial bacteria that break down organic waste. The more the better. I'm a believer in skimmers and LR for filtration

 

Here is a good beginner book that goes over some equipment basics and water quality. The book is geared towards a fish-only tank, but there is a lot to know in this hobby and this book is a great starting place.

The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta

 

As far as a website goes, I buy all my livestock from my LFS cuz I like to see what I buy before I buy it. But for just about everything else from light bulbs to pumps to medication, I get it from Marinedepot.com They are way cheaper than the LFS around where I live. And I dont know if anyone mentioned it, but look into a quarantine tank for adding new fish and when they catch a disease. Not everyone uses them, but they do make life a little easier. IMO

 

Welcome to 3reef. Good job on the research part of your new hobby. You will learn a lot and forget even more, but thats why sites like this are so helpful. My one piece of advice is; dont buy a cheap protein skimmer. read the product reviews for the skimmer you are interested in and make a decision from there. Good luck on your tank. Take it slow and be patient. Oh I guess I gave my two pieces of advice:

 

Thanks for the info so far everyone. More questions:

1. I think I've decided on my tank:
Marineland Rectangle Deep Dimension w/Saphire Glass 200 gallon. Looks like I'll have to have a LFS order this for me as no one seems to ship anything that big that I can find. Also looking at picking up the matching stand/canopy. Anyone have ideas on a realistic price on that?

2. Lighting...I think I want to go the MH route.
I like the look of the Outer Orbit Fixtures...but wil the Outer Orbit even work with the Marineland canopy or will it be too tall/hot?
I'm looking at this: http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...duct_Code=CU-USA01164&Category_Code=Current-H

 

ur planning on using a canopy?? If you are going to be using a canopy you will want to go with a metal halide retro fit kit like this Custom Aquatic - Store - Lighting Supplies - Retrofit Metal Halide Systems - [ 250 watt Complete 14k MH Retrofit Kit, Coral Vue ] Then you will have to add fans to the canopy and maybe a chiller if the heat is too much. You don't want to use the strip like that because they are made to disipate heat in an open environment and not under a canopy. With this being said, that would be a very nice fixture if you were going to run without a canopy.

 

Should I be reconsidering my canopy idea? We were going to go that route because this will be a showpiece in our home and we wanted the finished look. However, I don't think the Outer Orbit stuff looks too bad itself...

Thanks for the link, I'm assuming retrofit means I take the parts and fit them on anyway possible? That price also seems dirt cheap compared to the Outer Orbit...does the enclosure really add that much to the cost or am I missing something?

 

For myself, I prefer a open canopy style on my 90 gallon reef. It looks like a very standard coffee table, black semi gloss with four legs that support the main canopy. One of these days, I plan to hang my canopy from the ceiling. The one reason I prefer a open canopy, is that my hands are always in the tank cleaning the acrylic glass, plus I perform two water changes per week. If I had a closed canopy, the general maintenance, would be much more difficult.

Within my canopy, on opposite sides, houses 2 metal halide fixtures. The first fixture, is an ice cap 175 watt and my second fixture is a 250 watt ice cap. In the middle of my canopy is two 55 watt power pc's. I have enough watts per gallon to keep any live stock, I wish to keep.

This is only my personal choice and with allot of reading and researching different reef tanks setups on this forum, you'll make the choice that you're comfortable with.

Even though I've only had four posts on this forum, I've maintained reef tanks now for over fourteen years. I've incurred some minor mistakes over the years and I've never stop learning, when it comes to maintaining reef systems.

In closing for now, if you decide to purchase a full blown reef system, it takes a extremely dedicated individual to continuously maintain a reef system.

Just by you going on this forum and researching and asking questions about starting up a reef system, I know you'll good for this reef addiction.

Once you start and get some experience, you'll never stop.

Welcome to the world of reef keeping,
Randy