Completely NEW.....

[crussell523]

Hello I am completely new to the Saltwater tanks.... I have two fresh water tanks (55 gal and a 29 gal) and one empty 20 gal long tank. I was wondering if i should start out with getting my toes wet in one of those tanks or just go all in on brand new tanks. I am also wondering if there is any combination of coral, fish, invertebrates that i could put together to make the tank as self-sufficient as possible. Any and all information would be greatly accepted.

 

[Pete polyp]

Welcome to r2r! You came to the right place for information. There's many different ways to setup a saltwater tank. I would suggest reading different tank threads to see how each is set up and figure out which way would be the best fit for you.

 

[zemuss]

Welcome to R2R..

 

[crussell523]

has anyone built their own protein skimmers? if so do you have pics?

 

[fishroomlady]

welcome to the forum! As pete mentioned, you'll want to look around on the forums and get an idea on what you'd like...........I don't know that there is a combination of livestock that would be self sufficient - most livestock need some care and feeding

 

[peterthegamer]

Welcome!

 

[peterthegamer]

Do you want a large tank, or a small tank?

 

[gemini9]

Hello and welcome to the hobby! Your 20 gallon long will work, but keep in mind that with a smaller tank, your options for stocking are limited. You may be able to put in a couple clown fish and maybe 1 or 2 other fish, from what I understand, depending on how well you keep up with water changes. Many fish are not small enough for a 20 gallon. In my opinion, your larger 55 gallon talk would work just fine. Or even the 29 gallon would be okay for a start. Most of the good fish require a larger 55 gallon tank. Keep in mind that the larger the tank, the more costly the maintanence and equipment. But you have a larger window for error and better options for fish. If you've already got 3 tanks there's no need to buy another lol.

Salt water tanks can be expensive with all the equipment. If you go with corals, you will need a good light fixture. You will also need powerheads and a protein skimmer. Live rock, sand and lots of salt. You'll be buying lots of water or investing in a pricey RO/DI filter of your own. How much money are you looking to spend on this tank?

 

[Pete polyp]

has anyone built their own protein skimmers? if so do you have pics?

Paul b would be the man you wanna talk to

 

[crussell523]

Well when I buy my own home I would like to build a tank around 1000g it would b L shaped ..... But for now just about a small or medium ish tank I would like to have a couple of coral and the whole team from nemo cuz I have two kids that like the movie lol.... Would LED light be good for having coral and every thing else or does it really depend on what type of coral....

 

[gemini9]

LEDs will work just as well as any other fixture, assuming you have the correct total wattage. It's all a matter of preference. Some people like LEDs some people like tubes.

 

[Pete polyp]

The whole team from nemo will take a fairly large tank. Blue hippo tangs (dori) require a 180+. So depending on your definition of large this could be a monster. I would actually suggest buying a new reef ready tank that has already been drilled with overflow boxes. That way you can sump it make life a lot easier on yourself.

 

[crussell523]

Has anyone built a tank over 30" tall.... I want to build a 303g tank with length being 54" depth being 36" and it to be 36" tall ..... Should I use glass or acrylic and at what thickness ..... My sump is gonna be 36"x24"x24" .... I can't figure out whether to use glass or acrylic or what.... And I'm going to be building my own stand for it to go in ....

 

[rayn]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[KillerKlownFish]

Not sure what you tanks look like but here's a cool idea one guy did he put the smaller tank into the larger had it overflowing rock and fish in the middle and his frags all around the outside tank.

 

[gemini9]

Not sure what you tanks look like but here's a cool idea one guy did he put the smaller tank into the larger had it overflowing rock and fish in the middle and his frags all around the outside tank.

Nice. Pic of that?

 

[KillerKlownFish]

I haven't gone to my LFS when I go I'll take a pic they have one as well

 

[WindeyD]

Not a bad idea to start with a smaller tank and use it as an opportunity to learn so that you will have valuable experience when eventually setting up a larger display. The jump from fresh to saltwater (especially reef) is a big one from both the complexity, time commitment, and cost perspective. I started with a 40B and have been in the hobby a year and a half and have learned a ton. There is lots of good info out there from forums to utube videos; do as much research as you can. Good luck!

 

[KillerKlownFish]

The other tank is gone here's something similar. The outer part here is just for overflow to give it that infinity look. I liked the tank in a tank look.

 

[KillerKlownFish]

Here's one I found online that was similar to it.