Brand New to Saltwater **Advice wanted*!

[KimberlyMary]

Hi,

I am new to saltwater aquariums and haven’t owned an aquarium all together in years. I live in a rural area and I’m 3 hours from a pet store, a little further from a saltwater aquarium supply, so most of my equipment is ordered online.

I did a little research beforehand but had not stumbled upon here at that point. We went and bought a secondhand 60 gal aquarium and since then had realized a sump would be best but when taking a second look at the tank we seen the label stating not to drill it. I gave up on the sump and ordered a Fluval 306 and a HOB protein skimmer.

I’ve collected much of what we need besides powerheads and a RO/DI system. I don’t want to spend too much more to get started so I definitely don’t want to purchase a new tank and would like to avoid a sump if it will be too much extra cost.

Just looking some helpful advice and suggestions on where to go from here

Thanks,

 

[Mal11224]

Hi Kimberly, welcome to R2R. Since you are getting your feet wet in this hobby, the filter choice is fine. It will require routine maintenance to properly filter your system. Having RODI will be a plus. It all depends on what you are keeping. If just fish, then you should be fine with what you have nd will not need an expensive light for them. Keeping corals provides a certain challenge and in the long run, after you’ve gotten some experience, you will likely want a system with a sump. It is easier to maintain and provides more stability. Do as much research as you can and there is a ton of information available in this forum as well as expertise.

 

[KimberlyMary]

Hi Kimberly, welcome to R2R. Since you are getting your feet wet in this hobby, the filter choice is fine. It will require routine maintenance to properly filter your system. Having RODI will be a plus. It all depends on what you are keeping. If just fish, then you should be fine with what you have nd will not need an expensive light for them. Keeping corals provides a certain challenge and in the long run, after you’ve gotten some experience, you will likely want a system with a sump. It is easier to maintain and provides more stability. Do as much research as you can and there is a ton of information available in this forum as well as expertise.

Thanks so much for your input.
I am planning on sticking to just fish until I’m ready to upgrade to a larger set up. Trying to remain cost efficient at the moment and hoping to upgrade to something much larger in a few years when we do renovations to our home. If all is well, hoping to move towards a reef tank at that time.

 

[AiKkz]

Not a fan, but you can also go with a HOB overflow box, if you go this route I would invest in a water bug, and emergency shut off in the event of a siphon break.

 

[AiKkz]

Before you get the ro unit check your psi, so you'll know if you need a regulator or booster pump. You can find a psi regulator for like 5 bucks online.

 

[dantimdad]

Welcome aboard!

Your filters will maintain a reasonable bio load in that tank for years.

Just go with a sump when you upgrade.

Let us know if you need any help.

 

[SPR1968]

Hi Kimberly and welcome to R2R!

You might find this useful

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

 

[PatW]

I would strongly suggest a sump. It does not need to be expensive. You can get a used one on Craigslist. Or you can buy a glass aquarium and make the chambers yourself. You just need panes of glass held in place by silicon. It works fine. With a sump be sure you have overhead space in your cabinet to get at your skimmer and other equipment.

The initial outlay would be only for the aquarium, some tubing and a return pump. You can buy the equipment to stick in it as things progress like filter socks, skimmer, auto top off, refugiu, heater and so on.

 

[Captain Quint]

You stumbled on the right forum to be and welcome to R2R where you can and will get as much help/advice as you want.

Everyone here is so helpful as you are already seeing. Thanks for joining us.

 

[Bighead]

Do more reading than buying ask lots of questions even the ones you think are stupid believe me we have asked and answered them mistakes will happen but we can help you not have a catastrophe there is a lot of good info here and other sites good luck