Greetings

I have been a long time aquatic pet keeper..........since I was 5 or so I had my first fish.
This will be the first time I will be venturing into the realm of saltwater reefs ;D
Hopefully I will be getting a 75 gallon tank to start my venture, if not somewhere between 75 and 50 gallons is most likely.
Anyone have any tips that I may have not gotten?
I would aprecieate it *been doing lots and lots of research*

 

Do lots of research and read all the threads in this forum. Be prepared to spend and make mistakes. Hopfully not as many as me! You are on the right track coming here to take advantage of the free advise. Good luck and welcome.

 

Welcome to the reefing world!!
Good reef tank is gonna take a lot more than just money. If you dont have complete understanding of how the water works, and how each element affects the well being of your tank, you might have a problem! Get prepared to get frustrated, to be surprised, but all leads to experience, wich will lead to success!!!
3reef is the right place to be.

 

Welcome to the 3Reef!!
A 75 gallon tank is a good size. Not too deep and not too big if you're on a budget.
My first recommendation is to buy the best skimmer you can afford.
My second one is if you are going to keep corals always use RO/DI water.
My third is that you read Matt's 3 steps to a reef aquarium. A person known around the world for his reef keeping site
http://www.3reef.com/aquarium-articles-Content-viewcategory-1.html
Enjoy!!

Jim

 

welcome to 3reef rosereef- it's good to have you- lotsa good info here so just dig in! I am sure these froums would have saved me alot of money and heartache buy avoiding some of the mistakes I made starting out! It's always good to have an idea of what type of coral you want to keep - start out with the right lighting ,etc ,etc and it will save you $ in upgrading later- and of course do everyhting very slowly in your new tank- give it plenty of time to develope its biosytem and most important- ENJOY!

 

Welcome to 3reef Rose!

I think you have the right idea, go with the 75 if you can, it will be a lot more forgiving than a 50 - more water is more margin for error - better water stability.

(nice link Jim! )

I've updated the welcome email, so you should have a nice map of the site here to get started. Send me a PM if you have any questions about that.

Thanks for joining! 8)

 

wilcommen

Welcome! to the best info site this side of the Pacific! Ditto all previous advice. Pay particular attention to Matt's bottom line "go slo, let it grow." If you follow it you will go far to guaranteeing your success. ;D

 

Hello and welcome. I to was a long time fresh water (ick) keeper. Actually it was quite fun when I had live plants, but that's a story for another time.
The article Diver posted by Matt is a really good synopsis.
My three pieces of advice are:
First, take it slow at first. Good water quality and stability are the key to long term success. Make sure all of the water parameters are where you want them for the long haul before adding much more than snails, hermits, or a few "sacrificial" fish. Remember temp is important as anything else. This is often overlooked. The added time you take here will also give you time to do more research and adjust your plan before you risk a nice SPS frag.
Second, buy the best filtration you can afford. A great skimmer costs minimally more than an average skimmer. Look into refugiums especially and possibly miracle mud. Good filtration will allow you a little more wiggle room in the future if you decide to upgrade.
Third and last, take time selecting your tank. There are many configurations out there. I have a bowfront and really like the look of the curved class. My friend has a standard "box" which is great along his wall. Another friend has a tall show tank which make for a beautiful show piece. And yet another friend has a round corner tank. Each of us had different needs, so we have different tanks. The one constant is we all would love a "reef ready" tank with built in overflow. They are a little more expensive, but in the long run they just look cleaner. Especially when coraline algae covers the overflow and it "disappears" into the background. And,, just an addundum to tank size, you can get away with a smaller tank if you can have a big sump. I have a 46 Gal tank and my sump/fuge is hidden under my stairs. I actually have ~80 of water. So, there is some fudge room if you can make up for it in other places.
Have fun and keep us posted. Welcome to the addiction.... no wait obsession.... no wait....oh heck have fun.

 

Welcome to 3reef! I just found this sight in Oct of 06 so I am new at is also. I have stayed up late many night while my wife is asking me when I'm coming to bed and I just tell her I'm doing a little research I'll be right there and then I look at the clock and it's 1:00 am and I have to be at work at 6:30...ouch. I have learned at ton of stuff here and people who don't even know me have became my friend and helped me out when ever they can. That to me is a nice family, my reef family as I call it.
Please share with us your ups and downs in the aquarium world, you may help a poor soul like me out some day. Again, welcome to the family!:thumbs_up

 

welcome to 3reef