Hi guys. new forum member, based in Ireland , and I'm at the planning stage of getting my first SW tank.
I had a freshwater tank with tropical fish when I was younger and have been toying with the idea of getting a reef tank for a while now. Over the last month or so I've been researching a lot online and read a beginners book too.
I'm planning on taking the plunge and getting a Red Sea Reefer 250 deluxe. I've put a list together of the main items I need to get, but was hoping to get a little bit of feedback on my list and also my general plan (which is very loose at the moment!).
Main Items
Red Sea REEFER Skimmer 300
Ecotech Vectra S1 Pump
Tunze Nanostream 6055 x2
Fluval E Series 100w Heater x 2
The general plan (after I set the tank up and cycle it) is to start with some fish, then some soft corals later and eventually some hard corals when I've upped my skills a bit.
So I planned on getting some live rock and live sand to cycle the tank. Question is, the live rock is pretty expensive , is doing half live/half dry rock a good or bad idea?
Also, I'm still not totally sure on curing live rock. Seems to be different explanations online. If I'm cycling the tank with no fish yet is it same as curing it?
Once its cycled and the levels look good I plan on adding a couple of clownfish and maybe some snails and a cleaner shrimp.
I'll be taking my time with it. It's an expensive hobby so I want to make sure I do it right.
Any help/tips appreciated !
Thanks
I had a freshwater tank with tropical fish when I was younger and have been toying with the idea of getting a reef tank for a while now. Over the last month or so I've been researching a lot online and read a beginners book too.
I'm planning on taking the plunge and getting a Red Sea Reefer 250 deluxe. I've put a list together of the main items I need to get, but was hoping to get a little bit of feedback on my list and also my general plan (which is very loose at the moment!).
Main Items
Red Sea REEFER Skimmer 300
Ecotech Vectra S1 Pump
Tunze Nanostream 6055 x2
Fluval E Series 100w Heater x 2
The general plan (after I set the tank up and cycle it) is to start with some fish, then some soft corals later and eventually some hard corals when I've upped my skills a bit.
So I planned on getting some live rock and live sand to cycle the tank. Question is, the live rock is pretty expensive , is doing half live/half dry rock a good or bad idea?
Also, I'm still not totally sure on curing live rock. Seems to be different explanations online. If I'm cycling the tank with no fish yet is it same as curing it?
Once its cycled and the levels look good I plan on adding a couple of clownfish and maybe some snails and a cleaner shrimp.
I'll be taking my time with it. It's an expensive hobby so I want to make sure I do it right.
Any help/tips appreciated !
Thanks