new and need some advise

Hello, i am new to this hobby and need some advice. i found a tank and stand that i want but don't know what else i need. the tank is a 72 gal bow front reef ready(what ever that mans) tank with matching stand. i eventually want to have a mixed set up with reef and fish.

 

Welcome Vincer, Glad your joining the hobby, I would first read the beginner threads that 3reef has developed over time. They are great threads and helped while i was starting up. Yes! It is going to be a lot of reading, but get used to it in this hobby, it is your best tool. READ READ AND READ. Take your time setting everything up and cycling. FIRST i would read about cycling, then decide about sand bed and live rock as well as the curing process and stuff. When you run into a question of what to do as a suggestion or something just ask, everyone here is very very helpful, thats why i always use this forum. BEST OF LUCK.

 

Hi vincer20! Welcome to 3reef first of all!
To help you to become a successful aquarist, I would refrain from setting up the aquarium for a bit. Instead, focus that energy on picking up one of the many great books on the marine hobby and read up on the many aspects of setting up and maintaining a saltwater aquarium filled with beautiful animals. Combining that with all that 3reef can offer, will make you a more successful aquarist, moreover, allow you to enjoy the hobby to its fullest.
Good luck and you won't be disappointed with delving into the marine hobby if you go slow and atleast learn the basics before setting up the tank. The saltwater hobby is very rewarding, entertaining, beautiful but not without its complications, challenges and changes that separates this hobby from its easier, freshwater cousins!

 

First of all, welcome to 3reef. Second of all, you will need a lot of stuff. Heres what you will need IMO. Oh, and I believe reef ready means it has an overflow and plumbing, but that may be very inaccurate.

20 lbs. Live Rock-Rock (kind of. Its really the left over calcium carbonate skeleton of reef building corals) covered with beneficial bacteria and microfauna.
80 lbs. of Base Rock-Rock that will become Live Rock in time if seeded with LR, but is much, much cheaper.
Lighting-Can be PC, t5 or Metal Halide for what you want. You can keep different things with each, so do some research on what corals you want and what light you need. Better lights (I listed the 3 in intensity from highest to lowest) allow you to keep more corals, but they are more expensive. Each type of light has it's own advantages and disadvantages, so do your research. Do not skimp on lighting. You can save money in various ways on most things, but lighting is one you want to drop the dough for the high quality brand names.
40-50 lbs. of Live Sand-Sand with beneficial bacteria and microfauna in it
Sump- Again, research different kinds of sumps. There are sumps, refugiums, wet/dries, again, all with their own advantages and disadvantages.
PROTEIN SKIMMER- THE MOST IMPORTANT FILTER YOU HAVE. DO NOT SKIMP. This pulls out proteins like fish poop and excess food before it breaks down into toxins. You have to pay a lot of cash for a good skimmer like a Bullet Skimmer, and Octopus Skimmer, or a Coralife Superskimmer.
UV/Ozone-Antibacterial/Antiparasitic filters that are very useful but not necessary. Coralife TurboTwist is pretty good.

RESEARCH. All that has been said is true. The best thing you can do is research to become a successful aquarist. There is a great deal of stuff to learn that I didn't mention. What I just wrote is just a basic overview of some of the equipment and basic things you will need.

Heres your basic set up. There are some things I likely forgot and there is some stuff to add.

Happy Reefing,

LCP

 

Great post LCP, he hit it on the head, I have upgraded and upgraded the lighting. Finally i got a 36 in nova extreme with two fans puts out nice light for what i have in my tank. Skimmer is a plus, uv i bought during an ich outbreak, when we turn it off we get outbreaks of diatoms, but we enjoy the uv.

 

OK thanks for fast response. the only reason im trying to hurry up and buy the stuff i need is that my wife is on board and when she is on board i have to take advantage of the situation, it rarely happens.

 

you can PM or if you have AIM, you can try to im me and ill try to talk to ya in real time. HATREDINYOEYES. Ill see if i can help ya

 

Welcome to the dark side of the pond.........
Heres a web-site that will get you caught up to speed.
www.saltwater101.com


[SCROLL]Luna[/SCROLL]

 

The thing is, which is very important, and again goes back to my initial post, is to read so that you can further educate yourself as to what equipment you need, what it does, and the various forms and brands(IE.protein skiimers>venturi, downdraft, water injection)(Coralife, Aqua C, ETSS, ASM).
Also, an important aspect of the hobby is the type of lighting and everything that goes along with it. Knowing what you plan on maintaining in your tank will help with your decision as to type of lighting, intensity etc.
Rather than rushing to get everything, take the time, be smart and save some time and money by not having to run back out in a few months or so because what you previously purchased is no longer adequate. This also will help you to not over do it should that possibility exist. What happens if you decide that you don not plan on purchasing light loving corals such as Dendrophyllia, Acropora, Montipora and other forms of small polyped stonies? Then you don't need to spend alot of money by purchasing 400watt metal halide pendants, when 150watt halides will suffice or T-5's that will cost you alot less than the 400 watt halides...
I hope you are getting where I am coming from!
Just trying to help you out and get you off on the right foot as well as save ya some unecessary spending.

 

+1 with coral reefer, but I would like to add that I would NOT recommend "saltwater aquariums for dummies vol 2". Bad book IMHO. Go to a barnes and noble or similar and check out the more advanced books that are more up to date.
And if you get a book, you can play it in your advantage to buy you more time. I know the boat your in with the misses. Just make sure to show her a lot of pictures and what not, keep the excitement up