Brand new to saltwater & asking for someone to hold my hand

[NewAmy]

Hi,

After snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean, I want to build my dream reef. I can afford it. I just feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Also, I wanted to capitalize on Black Friday......too ambitious?

Thanks for any advice,
Amy

 

[Celestion]

Do u have fresh water aquarium experience ,

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hi,

After snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean, I want to build my dream reef. I can afford it. I just feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Also, I wanted to capitalize on Black Friday......too ambitious?

Thanks for any advice,
Amy

Welcome!
Honestly, yes, it's probably ambitious to plan on getting much during the BF sales - unless you already have a good idea of what you want to build.
Do you have a tank already?

 

[LeannaBanana]

Hi,

After snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean, I want to build my dream reef. I can afford it. I just feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Also, I wanted to capitalize on Black Friday......too ambitious?

Thanks for any advice,
Amy

Hey Amy! Welcome to R2R!

This is one of my favorite resources for setting up a new tank, and it's a good refresher for experienced reefers!

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.84/

You can ABSOLUTELY use Black Friday to cash in on the tank of your dreams! Maybe start planning what space you have, how much you're willing to spend, and those types of logistics first. Once you get your tank, then you can plan for the next steps of sand, rocks, and cycling!

This forum is an awesome resource and there are TONS of folks to lend a helping virtual hand!

Happy reefing and shopping!

 

[dstockwell]

Welcome to the Reef

you‘ll find plenty of help here

 

[RocketEngineer]

A few things I’ve realized that may help you:
1) Start smaller. Your dream system is probably way bigger than a beginner can handle, I know mine was. I’ve progressed through several sizes. If I were to do it again, I would still start smaller, learn the method that works for me, then go big.
2) You are maintaining water, not a reef. Like astronauts, you are keeping fish and corals in a hostile environment. To do that, it’s up to you to provide clean water, heat, and light. The goal is to maintain those as near as possible to what our livestock requires.
3) Patience is key. Modern life moves very fast but biology can’t and shouldn’t be rushed. We can create ideal environments to maximize the biology but it will still take time.

Regarding Black Friday sales and going to point 2, BRS has their RODI water filters on sale. Several places also have All-in-One aquariums for sale. There are also sales on full setups with sumps but that may be too much too fast for a beginner.

If you need someone to bounce a plan off, DM me and I can certainly offer my opinion. Having recently come back into the hobby, I can understand how overwhelming it might be to a newcomer.

Good luck.

 

[flyingscampi]

Working out what you want to keep will be a good start. If you aren't aware of the differences between Soft, LPS, and SPS corals, their care, and their compatibility with other species, then that research alone should keep you going until the January sales...

Beware of advice from the LFS (local fish store) as they understandably want to sell you stuff and make a profit.

 

[william Lutman]

Welcome to R2R

 

[PatW]

Advice is hard to give with little to go on.

One thing is budget. Another thing is your basic knowledge of chemistry and willingness to get into the weeds. A third thing is how much time are you willing to spend. A fourth thing is how big of a system can you commit to.

I know Black Friday is a good time to buy. But it is better to but it is far better to buy a system that works for you then buy something that is a great deal but doesn’t fit your needs or wants.

Some basic background.

Marine organisms really, really, really like stability. That is except for tide pools and estuaries. Those critters can abide by changes.

So you need a well buffered system and that can be challenging.

I know a local fish store guy who suggests a minimum tank size of 55 gallons. A bigger tank gives you a larger system that is less prone to rapid change. A 40 gallon breeder is a good minimum size though. But if you can a 120 gallon, 4’ aquarium or a smaller 4’ aquarium is good and there are smaller 4’ aquariums. A 6’ aquarium is better but it is getting into the 180 gallon range.

You need to think of the fish. Reef fish can be intolerant of each other. So go with peaceful and easy to start with. Also you do not want to crowd them. Even a large aquarium is not going to handle that many fish. For a 120 gallon, about 10 fish or so is what you are thinking about and that varies on circumstances.

And things get complex fast. You want pure water. And that means an RODI system. It takes your tap water and purifies it so you are not adding anything that will hurt your fish or inverts.

You will really want an auto top off. That is a sensor hooked up to a pump in a tank of RODI that adds water to your aquarium to make up for evaporation losses. It keeps the salinity constant which marine critters really, really like.

And many people use a sump on their aquarium. Basically water is pumped up from the sump and goes into the aquarium and overflows over the overflow and back through a pipe to the sump. The sump holds equipment for easy maintenance. People often have filter socks in the sump. The water goes through the sock and it takes out particulates. People often have protein skimmers too. A skimmer is just a thing that has a device that produces fine bubbles at the base of a tube. The foam climbs the tube and is collected into a cup. Basically, complex chemicals (gunk) is carried up in the foam and slowly overflows into the cup to be removed later. It is a good way of keeping wastes from building up. And people often keep their heaters in the sump so they do not look clunky in the aquarium. And there are other things that go on in the sump.

And then there are corals. I mean if you want a coral reef, you need corals. Corals come in soft corals which are tough and pretty easy to keep. Then there are stoney corals. These have algae in their tissues so they get their energy from photosynthesis. To have these, you need light and powerful lights at that, Now Large polyp corals are pretty and can be fairly easy to keep. Then there are SPS (small poly corals). These are reef building corals and they are harder to keep but they are the apex of cool looking corals. And corals get you into all sorts of issues.

Now all this can get pretty complex or not so bad depending on how you get into it.

I would suggest taking your time. Think these things through. And if you can attend some reef aquarium club meetings and see if you can see some people’s systems. Good luck to you.

 

[mdb_talon]

Welcome!

I would suggest that this Black Friday is too soon to take advantage of much if you are just at initial stage of thinking about what you want and how to do it.

There is a ton of information to help you be successful. The biggest impediment in my opinion is knowing what information to look for and knowing who to trust.

Don't get sucked into searching the internet for the answer you want to hear(you can find any answer you want). For example when someone asks at the fish store if they can have a puffer with their coral I tell them no. Then they go on the internet and finds someone who successfully keeps coral and a puffer together. Then they buy the puffer just to bring it back the next day because it eats their coral.....

My suggestion is take a lot of time researching the basics. BRS has lots of good videos. Then start asking questions and find key people on this site you trust to get answers from. Make a good plan. Don't start with a small(or large) tank because someone says it is easier. Figure out the size tank you think you want and then figure out how to make that happen. Once you get to the point of adding fish and coral go slowly. Don't add $3k worth of coral the first two months.

Also some LFS can be fantastic sources of info but it varies dramatically. I would go to your LFS and and look around. Do they have a nice display tank? Do they maintain tanks at local businesses you can look at? If the answers are yes and you like what you see they may be worth using to help you(or even pay to do the setup and help with maintenance initially while you learn)

 

[RandomUser7]

There's a youtube channel called BRStv that has several guides going over every aspect of the hobby. I'd recommend watching some of the playlists they have that show you every step in building and sustaining a reef tank.

 

[Cell]

I will echo the previous sentiments that if you are planning on taking advantage of current Black Friday sales and are already feeling overwhelmed, then you haven't given yourself enough time to think things through properly. I'd take a step back, do plenty of research and decide what your wants, needs, and priorities are, then create your list of preferred equipment and target deals or sales throughout the year or even next Thanksgiving.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Welcome!!!!!!!!!! To r2r!!!!! Great time to join!!!!!!!!

My tidbit is to go BIG, lol.. actually I'm serious you will see more people upsizing over downsizing aquarium sizes, I say go as big as the space allows, you will only fall in love and go bigger anyway

 

[AFHokie]

Welcome!
Earlier this year I returned to this hobby after about 13 years. With how much things changed it was like I was brand new in some respects so I know how you feel.

If you haven’t researched what you want you may not be able to get great Black Friday deals on the big stuff like a tank and stand and lights, but you could definitely score some deals on the basics that everyone uses and are tank agnostic.

Test kits are essential. You’d be safe going with Salifert for any of them if you don’t want to do a bunch of research. Alkalinity, calcium, and nitrate are pretty standard.

A refractometer or other salinity measuring device is also essential.

Most equipment you’ll want to wait until you know what tank you are getting. As for that, my recommendation would be an all-in-one. It’s just one opinion, but for a brand new reefer the lack of plumbing and sumps just makes life easier. They come in many sizes to fit your need.

Generally, the bigger a tank you can fit and afford the better, within reason. Smaller tanks with smaller water volume are harder to keep stable. A small change has a bigger effect on a smaller volume of water. That doesn’t mean you need a 200 gallon tank, because the bigger you go the more it costs and more maintenance it takes.

If I were to toss out a suggestion I’d say an all-in-one in the 50ish gallon range. That size gives you a good base for stability, good fish stocking options, and room for a lot of different coral.

 

[ReefGuard Systems]

I’d recommend taking some time and researching salt water aquariums before jumping in. This is an expensive, time consuming hobby. Good luck!

 

[Reef.Raider]

Hi,

After snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean, I want to build my dream reef. I can afford it. I just feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Also, I wanted to capitalize on Black Friday......too ambitious?

Thanks for any advice,
Amy

"Afford" is a general term and hard to help out with.

I just built out a 20g fusion pro for $4k all in before any life stock. What is general budget and gallon size you are looking for?

Personally I really am drawn towards waterbox systems as they are straight forward, clean looking, and you can add everything to cart with ease. Gives you a step by step on what to order. You only are missing a few items at the end (heater, power strip / tank monitor, ATO)

 

[Reef.Raider]

There's a youtube channel called BRStv that has several guides going over every aspect of the hobby. I'd recommend watching some of the playlists they have that show you every step in building and sustaining a reef tank.

This has been my go to for information. As well as a few other youtubers.

Just joined reef 2 reef after browsing for the last few months and jumping back into things.

 

[NewAmy]

Do u have fresh water aquarium experience ,

Yes, but it was a very long time ago, and I understand that things have changed. I had a 55 gallon. I was actually looking at doing a discus tank (so that I could have the color without the "hassle" of saltwater, but after reading about that for a few months, it seems to me that I should just do the saltwater and get on with it.

Welcome!
Honestly, yes, it's probably ambitious to plan on getting much during the BF sales - unless you already have a good idea of what you want to build.
Do you have a tank already?

No, I don't have a tank or any supplies.

Some people asked what my budget is. I can afford anything, really, but do I "want" to spend 20k upfront? Two years ago, I was designing house plans, and I tried to talk my then-boyfriend into building a several hundred gallon tank into the wall with its own set up behind the wall. Well, I ended up breaking things off with him-- not over the fishtank-- but it was definitely a "sign".

My inclination is to "go big", and I've read enough about water stability to convince myself that's a good idea. (Yes, we can find the info to support what we want! And that includes more things than just aquariums. LOL) But I hesitate because a) I don't know what I'm doing, and b) I'm probably moving in three years out of the town I'm in. Is moving a 200 gallon tank the same hassle as a 55 gallon? It depends, I would guess....but I digress. You guys have given me a ton to read and follow up on.

I guess I'm leaning towards a 55 gallon all-in-one set up. I'm not mechanically incllned, and I'm a single woman living alone.

 

[RocketEngineer]

i would try to discourage you from a typical 55g due to the poor dimensions. The tank is narrow which means hang-on-back equipment creates a very constricted space for the aquascape. The tank is also very tall, which combined with being narrow makes it very difficult to aquascape. I find tanks that have less height than the other two dimensions much easier to work with. My 40B was my favorite starter setup. Internal skimmer, two power heads, heater, ATO, light on a basic timer. Very simple. My current 100g is following the same approach but with a sump. Good luck.

 

[NewAmy]

Good advice! I'm only 5'2 so accessibility is extremely important......