I think im finally going to take the plunge!

Since I was 12 years old I have been fascinated by reef tanks and the creation of the ecosystem. When i was 12 i didnt have $.

Then i got married... had 2 kids... moved like 4 times (glad i didnt move a tank 4 times).

Anyway i think that the stars are aligning and now my patience will pay off after waiting 12 years (im 24)

I have money... I just moved into a house that we wont be moving from (knock on wood)...kids are out of the infant stage, no more on the drawing board for a while.

So i dont have a crazy amount of money :-X which has brought me to the CL. I am looking at a 90 gal with stand and hood (probably only decent stand and hood). Hes selling with lighting that will be sufficient (not MH cause i dont want to pay for the electric!), a wet dry sum, overflow cause its not drilled, skimmer and a few other misc. items.

There are "systems" out there that come fully assembled with LR and fish and everything. Im not crazy about this route--it feels like it would be cheating. I want to add my own rock and fish --cycle the tank and do the whole thing. Plus i want to know whats in my tank.

So i have been roaming around this forum for about 3 years i think. Atleast 2... I have learned an enormous amount but what do you guys think of the plan so far? I am probably going to skip the overflow and get the tank drilled before i fill it....

What about LR... i really really dont want to spend $5/lb for cured fiji. Is there a better way? If i buy LR from someone, what do i need to do to it to make sure none of their mistakes get into my tank?

Any other suggestions will be welcomed....

Ben;D

 

by a very small amount of live rock to seed the tank then get some dry rock
i got my dry rock from bulkreef it is killer rock i love it
as for the tank i dont like the allready setup tanks too
good luck on setting up your tank witch ever way u go
i bet u allready know that we love pics here at 3reef

 

welcome to 3reef ben. nice siz tan kto start with. you can always just start with base rock. cheaper and will eventually come to life. plus the hitchhikers will be pretty much non existant.

 

Yea...Luna will get you if you dont stay on top of your digital camera

 

Hi Ben, welcome! It is always nice to have a drilled tank rather than an overflow - less chance of floods and other problems. However, be sure this tank on CL is not made of tempered glass, or drilling will be very difficult. Also be sure that copper was never used on it, or else it will stay in the silicone and poison any coral/inverts you may one day have.

One other recommendation from my own past mistakes - save money where you can, but don't skimp on 2 things - lighting (can be T5 rather than MH) and protein skimmer. Get the best of both of these that you can afford right off the bat.

Welcome to the addiction...

 

Copper was one of my questions actually... Is there an antibiotic that has it in there? Why would someone use it? is it for ICH? I just want to be able to ask the right questions to see if he used copper... not just say was copper in the tank cause why would he ever say yes...

Thanks,

PS-thanks for the tip on tempered glass

 

Copper would be used to treat parasites such as Ich. It is not in antibiotics, but there are many copper-based parasite medications commonly used in the hobby. And once they are used in a tank, that tank and whatever was in it (including live rock) are basically not fit for use in a reef tank ever again.

 

So if i asked if he has ever had an ich breakout - that would be a good symptom of possible copper in the tank...right?

If he says yes, then i will be very cautious asking how he treated it and if he used a QT tank...

am i on the right track?

 

Honestly, I think you could approach it in 2 ways. Either ask straight out if copper has been used and trust the answer. Or if you don't trust the answer, get a cheap copper test from your LFS and test the water from the tank. If there is no detectable copper, don't worry about it. If there is detectable copper, don't buy the tank.

 

Hi Ben. Welcome!

My advice as a noobie to noobie (i'm about to be in this about a year in a month or so), is

1. Watch the expenses. The hobby is VERY expensive, and you will fine that costs will keep appearing randomly.

2. Stock up. Try to buy your chemicals in bigger quantities. Keep them on the shelf. Salt and water conditioner (if you need it), etc. There's a always a random time where you'll need in an emergency. Believe me, it will happen.

3. Take it slow. Cycling, adding chemicals, (calcium for e.g.)

4. Try to maintain all your equipment. I try to clean my powerheads and filter pretty often, keep them from breaking down. Even small, cheap powerheads. The costs never really seems to stop with the hobby.

5. Take it slow. lol.

You said you've been around for 3 years or so, so I'm sure you know all of this already. But I thought I'd just reiterate. For good measure.