Starting from scratch and need some help

Hi all,

So this is my first post, but I've been reading the forums for some time now. Back about 15 years ago I had a 55g reef tank, but I've pretty much forgot everything I knew back then and I'm sure everything has changed as well. I'm planning on starting from scratch and hope to get a bunch of help on where/what to buy.

The basics:

I'm still undecided on how big I want to go, but I do know bigger is better. I'm thinking somewhere in the 125-150g range but could easily be pushed into something bigger/smaller. I'm a big fan of anenome's and the other vibrant life that works in a reef tank. So I want to make sure I have enough size, lighting, filtration, etc. to maximize what I'm looking for.

The question:

My question is this, are there retailers either brick and mortar or online that sell complete packages that would get me up and running, or is it way better to piece it together myself. If so, I'd really like to hear what to buy and where to buy it. Keep in mind I'm really starting from scratch here so as much detail as you can give me will really help. To be honest, I really don't even know all the differen't things I will need, so hopefully someone could be kind enough to list them all out.

Budget:

I don't want to say price isn't a concern, but it's not an obstacle. I just don't want to pay way more than I should. I want to make sure that whatever gear I buy is higher quality, but it doesn't really have to be top of the line unless it's going to make a really big difference.

My biggest concern is that I don't want to rush anything. I have a natural tendancy to get excited and go out and spend a bunch of money before really knowing enough about what I'm buying. For this hobby, I don't want to make any mistakes, and end up having to rebuy gear for no reason. Thanks in advance for your advice, its greatly appreciated.

Scash

 

I'm a master planner, which doesn't mean everything works out perfectly the first time, but that's where I would start. For instance, determine what kinds of fish and coral you would like to keep. Then study up on what it takes to keep them healthy, compatibility, etc.

That will help you finalize your decision on size of tank, equipment needed, etc. From there, and based on your budget, you can start shopping. I personally like to see and touch what I'm going to buy if possible, but based on where you live I don't know what access you have to fish stores with decent stock. Some on this website may be able to tell you if they've had luck ordering things from specific vendors.

Obviously with the 'net there are tons of resources, and here you can use the search function to look for posts about what you are researching. In many cases you'll find people who can give you first hand information about the things you are researching.

What I love about this hobby is that you can take it in so many different directions depending on your preferences, so good luck with getting started!

Denise

 

The basics

tank - yep bigger is better - no disrespect to the nano fans on here
lighting - get the best you can afford MH if possible as that opens your options T5 and plenty of tubes if you dont want MH

skimmer - again get the best you can afford skimming and lighting are keys to success IMO

sump/ fuge - an additional volume of water normally below the DT that you put your skimmer, heater in - water overflows from main tank into sump and your pump it back into DT

Fuge or refugium and part of the sump with minimal flow channeled in that has Live sand and macro algae - that helps with Nitrate issues - lights for this section are also required

Misc - heaters, thermometer, test kits - ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PH, dkH, po4 and after those Calcium, magnesium if your going for more demamnding corals

rock - sand - and salt mix

RODI - System - best quality water

I missed loads - but read , read , read on this site and in books etc

you will pick it back up quickly

 

Just to add to Steve's thread. I have a Sealife Systems sump/refugium that's very effective and comes in 3 sizes. The RM300 is the largest and that's what I use in my 210 gal tank. www.sealifesystems.com

I would also recommend a 180 gal tank over a 125 or 150 because the extra 6" of depth is huge in a reef tank for stacking rock in a stairway fashion to allow for ledges, caves and spots to put corals.

Protein skimmers are forever changing but as said before get the best one you can afford. I've heard that Aqua C makes good ones.

Personally I could not imagine buying livestock over the internet except in the case of a rare fish or invert. The exciting part of the hobby is shopping for stock IMO. The internet is OK for lighting and supplies. I've used EBAY for lighting, heaters, replacement bulbs, powerheads, etc.

Good luck!

 

There are places out there that will put a complete package together for you. The place I purchased my tank from offered to do this, but I found I was able to pick out items that had better performance, at a lower cost, by doing it myself.

 

Welcome back to the hobby. I think you're on the right track so far and there are some good suggestions in here as well. I would recommend spending at least one month (maybe 2-3 depending how much time/patience you have) researching every piece of equipment you want/need to buy. I spent almost a month when I first started and I only now am feeling confident that I should have spent at least another 2-3.

Spend some time looking through all the build threads especially the ones with the size tank you're considering. See what kind of livestock they have, what kind of equipment they're using etc.

Research livestock before making final decisions on equipment if you can because it can certainly influence what you need to buy. I would personally recommend not going to a single place to buy everything if you can because there's a good chance you'll end up overpaying for something or getting some pieces of subpar equipment, or equipment that doesn't exactly fit into your tank/livestock scheme. Depending how much you like/can stand to comparison shop of course.

Get a reef ready tank or plan on drilling it yourself and using a surface skimming box, and plumb that into a sump. It's the easiest way to be able to use the best equipment and maintain a nice looking display tank I think.

Some good sites for livestock/equipment purchase/research, aside from 3reef sponsors, these are the sites I get the majority of my stuff from and have found their prices generally pretty good, good quality shipping/packaging etc.

www.reefkeeping.com
Reefkeeping Online Magazine - Randy Holmes-Farley (specifically for anything chemistry related)
www.marinedepot.com
www.premiumaquatics.com
www.liveaquaria.com
www.bulkreefsupply.com

Also just a general warning on anemones, they can be risky reef inhabitants, make sure you know what you're getting into, they have been known to crash tanks. I think there are a lot of other attractive coral that are much less risky (they don't move) and provide similar aesthetics.

My 2c

 

Also just a general warning on anemones, they can be risky reef inhabitants, make sure you know what you're getting into, they have been known to crash tanks. I think there are a lot of other attractive coral that are much less risky (they don't move) and provide similar aesthetics.

My 2c[/quote]
I agree with you about the anenome's. It's funny isn't it that LFS's always put them in tanks separate from corals? When you figure out why they do that you might be smart enough to stay away from them or have a separate tank for them like they do. There are plenty of horror stories about them on the internet so don't just take my word for it.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm trying to take it all in. I feel like I have been to 100 websites already and know that I haven't even scratched the surface yet.

How about the tank itself? I don't want to go crazy, but one of the nicest sites I have seen so far is Glasscages.com - Home. It seems a bit spendy, but their product looks really nice.

Scash