Equipment help - basics for starting

[noncarbonatedclack]

I'm a little overwhelmed about what equipment to start off with just to get going.

At the moment, I'm just looking to get off the group, and I can't tell what is actually needed for some things.

So, obviously required:
-Tank
-Stand
-Light(s)
-Pump
-Filtration (generally speaking)
-Heater

So here are some others that I'm not sure about:

-Powerhead
-Skimmers/reactors (I don't think these are required, but want to check)
-Chiller
-etc (don't know what else, there's a lot!)

I have a tetra 20 gallon that I picked up for cheap ($40). This is just to get me started, as equipment is going to be expensive and I couldn't justify a large amount of spend on a really nice tank starting off. Will eventually migrate to a new nicer tank in the future.

The tank is all I have at the moment. I am looking at getting a sump as well, likely 10 gallon, for ease of upgrades for equipment in the future.

Tank is 30x12x12, so I know I'll probably need 2 lights (I'm basing that off of looking at lights and their statements about max coverage.)

So, what equipment is actually required to get off the ground?

Mods, if this is better posted elsewhere, please let me know and I'll do what I need to and move it.

 

[lapin]

Howdy and welcome
What you need is rock, sand, and some bacteria and a food source to grow them. Some sort of powerhead to move the water oh and some salt water. A light will be needed if you want corals.

 

[boacvh]

Welcome to our addiction!
This is a really hard question without some more details on what you plan to do with the tank. (i.e. if its just fish then lights are not as important as if you want corals. And then soft vs SPS you need very different lights for example)
But, I will say I went through exactly same doubts when I started. It was like drinking water from a fire hose like they say.
My generic advice is just get the absolutely necessary and then add on as you learn and see the need, depending on the tank you are building. That vision might change along the way too and you will want to upgrade equipment based on that too.
The drawback is of course some things in the future might not fit in your setup easily if you didn't plan for them since the beginning, so do as much reading and planning as you can before jumping in, you wont regret waiting if you have a better plan.

Your list of requirements is generally ok. Not sure what you mean by Filtration above though. You can add for example mechanical, chemical and biological filtration elements to your build. If its reactors what you meant, then no, they are not an absolute requirement to start, you can add later if needed, all have different uses and goals. Your Rocks/aquascape or the homes for your general biological filtration (bacteria) will be a requirement of course.
Lights: as mentioned above depends on your livestock plan. This is by far the most confusing for a noobie IMO since there are so many different options. I suggest you spend the most time researching these depending on what you want in the tank
Powerhead: I would suggest definitely get one. On a 20 gallon the return pump might be enough for flow, but having a powerhead will give you more flow and options to direct that flow. Depending on your livestock, you could need more flow down the road too, but these are easy to add later if needed.
Skimmer: While not absolutely required, (you'll see plenty of people that have successful tanks without them) I would recommend you get one to start. It is a good "filter" (removes organic compounds from the water) and also oxygenates your water so if you can get one i would say do it.
Chiller: Depends. My initial guess would be no, not required, but it might be necessary depending on how hot your tank gets during the summer months. (That will depend on many different things. Local weather, location in your house, other equipment, heat from lights, sunlight, etc). My suggestion would be to wait until you actually can tell you need one if your tank temp starts to get too hot on its own. Some people use much cheaper fan setups that are enough to cool the tank. In any case, I would wait to see if you need any of these.
Although some people debate it, I would say RODI is another requirement. If you start with good source water, then water changes alone will take you a long way in the beginning.
And then the other requirement I would add is a good refractometer or something to have a good read on your your salinity. Other testing kits later as you start your tank

Although not a requirement by any means (I started without one), I would consider an ATO for convenience. Otherwise you will be refilling evaporated water constantly.

This is based in my little experience, but maybe other more experienced peeps with 20g setups will help you with some better advice.

hope this helps!

 

[Ippyroy]

Here is a great video that helps. He explains what you need to start with and when you need to add more stuff. He is one of the people I follow on YouTube. I also recommend melevesreef as well as the staple of BRS. Watch as many of their videos as you can, and decide on your plan.

 

[landlubber]

to be perfectly honest i would spend a couple of weeks just learning the hobby.
in that time you would familiarize not only the equipment but the basis for how to use it and how to keep everything you will buy alive.
the hobby is about patience and being methodical in your actions. nothing is more valuable than avoiding the pitfalls when starting up by using good practices.
best of luck!

 

[Crustaceon]

The best advice I can give is, aside from absolute basic equipment like a heater, decent light and a small circulation pump, the rest of your equipment choices are going to completely depend on what you plan on keeping in your tank and how much daily/weekly maintenance you can stand doing. If you want to keep the easiest corals and maybe a few appropriately sized fish, all you’ll need is the basic equipment listed above AND the disciple to regularly feed your fish and change out a few gallons for new salt water once per week. You’ll still have to add reverse osmosis water to compensate for daily evaporation and you’ll still need plenty of well-cured rock and sand that should also be periodically gravel-vacuumed to remove the detritus. Maybe once a month. The small size of your tank is a major advantage here as simply doing water changes can be a cost effective way to avoid ever having to need a protein skimmer, algae turf scrubber, refugium or reactors. Now if you want to keep corals that have stony skeletons, then you’ll likely have to add a means to continually dose alkalinity/calcium/magnesium to compensate for consumption. Sometimes using a good “reef” salt and doing water changes is enough to accomplish this task alone.

 

[mdb_talon]

My opinion is if the plan is to upgrade to a bigger/nicer tank in the near future I would just put that off a bit. Save the 20L as a sump. Keep the 10 for a QT. Most equipment you would buy for this would be able to be used on a new tank depending on size, but not necessarily everything depending on what you eventually get. Especially if new to the hobby a larger tank (up to a point) is more forgiving of mistakes. I personally started many years ago with a 20g and it was almost enough to quit the hobby . I know many have started with that or smaller and done great, but for me it was so much easier when I switched to a 75.

As far as equipment I would say your list to eventually get is pretty good. Chillers are rarely needed anymore with the more efficient lights/pumps that dont put so much heat in the water. Unless the aquarium is kept in a location that consistently is in the 80's or lit by direct sunlight all day I would take that off the list.

I would add test kits to the list. Specifically nitrate and phosphate. If you add coral then calc and kh become more important. Ammonia and nitrite are good to track the cycle at the beginning, but personally I never test them on a new tank I just wait plenty of time for my cycle. On an established tank you should rarely if ever need to test those.

 

[noncarbonatedclack]

Howdy and welcome
What you need is rock, sand, and some bacteria and a food source to grow them. Some sort of powerhead to move the water oh and some salt water. A light will be needed if you want corals.

Thanks! Yes, I do know that I need rock, sand, bacteria, water, etc I'm specifically looking at the hardware side, because there are so many options available.

Welcome to our addiction!
This is a really hard question without some more details on what you plan to do with the tank. (i.e. if its just fish then lights are not as important as if you want corals. And then soft vs SPS you need very different lights for example)
But, I will say I went through exactly same doubts when I started. It was like drinking water from a fire hose like they say.
My generic advice is just get the absolutely necessary and then add on as you learn and see the need, depending on the tank you are building. That vision might change along the way too and you will want to upgrade equipment based on that too.
The drawback is of course some things in the future might not fit in your setup easily if you didn't plan for them since the beginning, so do as much reading and planning as you can before jumping in, you wont regret waiting if you have a better plan.

Your list of requirements is generally ok. Not sure what you mean by Filtration above though. You can add for example mechanical, chemical and biological filtration elements to your build. If its reactors what you meant, then no, they are not an absolute requirement to start, you can add later if needed, all have different uses and goals. Your Rocks/aquascape or the homes for your general biological filtration (bacteria) will be a requirement of course.
Lights: as mentioned above depends on your livestock plan. This is by far the most confusing for a noobie IMO since there are so many different options. I suggest you spend the most time researching these depending on what you want in the tank
Powerhead: I would suggest definitely get one. On a 20 gallon the return pump might be enough for flow, but having a powerhead will give you more flow and options to direct that flow. Depending on your livestock, you could need more flow down the road too, but these are easy to add later if needed.
Skimmer: While not absolutely required, (you'll see plenty of people that have successful tanks without them) I would recommend you get one to start. It is a good "filter" (removes organic compounds from the water) and also oxygenates your water so if you can get one i would say do it.
Chiller: Depends. My initial guess would be no, not required, but it might be necessary depending on how hot your tank gets during the summer months. (That will depend on many different things. Local weather, location in your house, other equipment, heat from lights, sunlight, etc). My suggestion would be to wait until you actually can tell you need one if your tank temp starts to get too hot on its own. Some people use much cheaper fan setups that are enough to cool the tank. In any case, I would wait to see if you need any of these.
Although some people debate it, I would say RODI is another requirement. If you start with good source water, then water changes alone will take you a long way in the beginning.
And then the other requirement I would add is a good refractometer or something to have a good read on your your salinity. Other testing kits later as you start your tank

Although not a requirement by any means (I started without one), I would consider an ATO for convenience. Otherwise you will be refilling evaporated water constantly.

This is based in my little experience, but maybe other more experienced peeps with 20g setups will help you with some better advice.

hope this helps!

Hello and thank you! I'm hoping to get into a mixed tank, I would like some fish, a cleanup crew, and I was hoping to have all sorts of corals. LPS, SPS, and assortments of soft corals. Over time of course, and likely when I have a larger tank.

On filtration, it's just that, there are a few different types (mechanical, chemical and biological filtration) so I'm not sure which one to steer towards as a beginner.

On powerheads, they're optional then? But suggested? I can do that. I've read up on some corals and their flow requirements, I just wasn't sure if I absolutely needed a powerhead off the bat when I start.

Definitely going to get a refractometer and test kits, and an RO/DI. I don't want to lug water from the LFS to the car, then from the car to my basement, then from the basement upstair as needed. No thanks ha.

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

Here is a great video that helps. He explains what you need to start with and when you need to add more stuff. He is one of the people I follow on YouTube. I also recommend melevesreef as well as the staple of BRS. Watch as many of their videos as you can, and decide on your plan.

I'll watch, thanks! I have been watching the BRS channel as well.

to be perfectly honest i would spend a couple of weeks just learning the hobby.
in that time you would familiarize not only the equipment but the basis for how to use it and how to keep everything you will buy alive.
the hobby is about patience and being methodical in your actions. nothing is more valuable than avoiding the pitfalls when starting up by using good practices.
best of luck!

haha I don't think a couple of weeks is enough! I've been doing some homework since like mid December, hardware is definitely the most difficult part for me.

Thanks!

The best advice I can give is, aside from absolute basic equipment like a heater, decent light and a small circulation pump, the rest of your equipment choices are going to completely depend on what you plan on keeping in your tank and how much daily/weekly maintenance you can stand doing. If you want to keep the easiest corals and maybe a few appropriately sized fish, all you’ll need is the basic equipment listed above AND the disciple to regularly feed your fish and change out a few gallons for new salt water once per week. You’ll still have to add reverse osmosis water to compensate for daily evaporation and you’ll still need plenty of well-cured rock and sand that should also be periodically gravel-vacuumed to remove the detritus. Maybe once a month. The small size of your tank is a major advantage here as simply doing water changes can be a cost effective way to avoid ever having to need a protein skimmer, algae turf scrubber, refugium or reactors. Now if you want to keep corals that have stony skeletons, then you’ll likely have to add a means to continually dose alkalinity/calcium/magnesium to compensate for consumption. Sometimes using a good “reef” salt and doing water changes is enough to accomplish this task alone.

Thanks for the info! ok so I definitely didn't think about cleaning the sand bed, any suggestions?

My opinion is if the plan is to upgrade to a bigger/nicer tank in the near future I would just put that off a bit. Save the 20L as a sump. Keep the 10 for a QT. Most equipment you would buy for this would be able to be used on a new tank depending on size, but not necessarily everything depending on what you eventually get. Especially if new to the hobby a larger tank (up to a point) is more forgiving of mistakes. I personally started many years ago with a 20g and it was almost enough to quit the hobby . I know many have started with that or smaller and done great, but for me it was so much easier when I switched to a 75.

As far as equipment I would say your list to eventually get is pretty good. Chillers are rarely needed anymore with the more efficient lights/pumps that dont put so much heat in the water. Unless the aquarium is kept in a location that consistently is in the 80's or lit by direct sunlight all day I would take that off the list.

I would add test kits to the list. Specifically nitrate and phosphate. If you add coral then calc and kh become more important. Ammonia and nitrite are good to track the cycle at the beginning, but personally I never test them on a new tank I just wait plenty of time for my cycle. On an established tank you should rarely if ever need to test those.

I'm going to put off a better tank for a while, that's quite expensive lol. As for the rest, the 20g turning sump and 10g being hospital/acclimation was definitely my intent.

Buddy of mine has told me you'll never know when you need a spare 20 gallon.

I'll keep the chiller in mind then, as I think my tank will be in sunlight during just the winter months. Big window in the living room.

Test kits I'm trying to figure out, thanks for pointing me in the right direction with which ones to go for!

 

[boacvh]

Hello and thank you! I'm hoping to get into a mixed tank, I would like some fish, a cleanup crew, and I was hoping to have all sorts of corals. LPS, SPS, and assortments of soft corals. Over time of course, and likely when I have a larger tank.

On filtration, it's just that, there are a few different types (mechanical, chemical and biological filtration) so I'm not sure which one to steer towards as a beginner.

On powerheads, they're optional then? But suggested? I can do that. I've read up on some corals and their flow requirements, I just wasn't sure if I absolutely needed a powerhead off the bat when I start.

Definitely going to get a refractometer and test kits, and an RO/DI. I don't want to lug water from the LFS to the car, then from the car to my basement, then from the basement upstair as needed. No thanks ha.

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

I would say start with a skimmer if you can. Never hurts. But like mentioned above, it is not an absolute requirement, you can add one later too. In a 20g, water changes will act as one of your main export/import methods and will go a long way.
Personally I started with a skimmer, socks, and a refugium. Got rid of socks later for a roller, I hated them.
Powerheads yes, I would say not an absolute required item to start. But definitely recommended IME.

(I forgot on my list of absolute requirements: GFCI outlet and a ground probe. But you will find plenty of people that will debate that. I frankly think of it as really cheap life insurance )

Look forward to a build thread!

 

[noncarbonatedclack]

I would say start with a skimmer if you can. Never hurts. But like mentioned above, it is not an absolute requirement, you can add one later too. In a 20g, water changes will act as one of your main export/import methods and will go a long way.
Personally I started with a skimmer, socks, and a refugium. Got rid of socks later for a roller, I hated them.
Powerheads yes, I would say not an absolute required item to start. But definitely recommended IME.

(I forgot on my list of absolute requirements: GFCI outlet and a ground probe. But you will find plenty of people that will debate that. I frankly think of it as really cheap life insurance )

Look forward to a build thread!

I'll link a build thread when I start one! shouldn't be too too long from now. I hope.

I'll see what I can figure out with skimmers then. I assume you're talking about a protein skimmer, right?

On the GFCI outlet... I hadn't even thought of that. Time to see if I can convert a standard outlet to GFCI easily. I do already have an outlet tester to make sure it's wired correctly. Is a ground probe something different?

 

[boacvh]

I'll link a build thread when I start one! shouldn't be too too long from now. I hope.

I'll see what I can figure out with skimmers then. I assume you're talking about a protein skimmer, right?

On the GFCI outlet... I hadn't even thought of that. Time to see if I can convert a standard outlet to GFCI easily. I do already have an outlet tester to make sure it's wired correctly. Is a ground probe something different?

My understanding (I am no expert) is that ground probe would make the GFCI trip instead of your hand when there is an issue/fault, but this is a heated debate and I don't want people to hijack your thread with that discussion. You can read many posts like this one if interested

★I am ALIVE★ (PLEASE READ) ★Tank almost ★Electrocuted★ me★ ( GFCI never Tripped ...MISSING GROUND PROBE) Passing on Lesson to All Reefers

I thought I would freshly post this in the New Reef Tank Beginners Section. I'm about to fix things after experiencing dangerous situation with my Tank Setup. (but wanted to share this while it's fresh in my head) I'm an Electrical/Electronic Computer System Engineer and I know a bit about...

www.reef2reef.com

Personally I installed both on mine after guidance from @Brew12

 

[Crustaceon]

Thanks! Yes, I do know that I need rock, sand, bacteria, water, etc I'm specifically looking at the hardware side, because there are so many options available.



Hello and thank you! I'm hoping to get into a mixed tank, I would like some fish, a cleanup crew, and I was hoping to have all sorts of corals. LPS, SPS, and assortments of soft corals. Over time of course, and likely when I have a larger tank.

On filtration, it's just that, there are a few different types (mechanical, chemical and biological filtration) so I'm not sure which one to steer towards as a beginner.

On powerheads, they're optional then? But suggested? I can do that. I've read up on some corals and their flow requirements, I just wasn't sure if I absolutely needed a powerhead off the bat when I start.

Definitely going to get a refractometer and test kits, and an RO/DI. I don't want to lug water from the LFS to the car, then from the car to my basement, then from the basement upstair as needed. No thanks ha.

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.



I'll watch, thanks! I have been watching the BRS channel as well.



haha I don't think a couple of weeks is enough! I've been doing some homework since like mid December, hardware is definitely the most difficult part for me.

Thanks!



Thanks for the info! ok so I definitely didn't think about cleaning the sand bed, any suggestions?



I'm going to put off a better tank for a while, that's quite expensive lol. As for the rest, the 20g turning sump and 10g being hospital/acclimation was definitely my intent.

Buddy of mine has told me you'll never know when you need a spare 20 gallon.

I'll keep the chiller in mind then, as I think my tank will be in sunlight during just the winter months. Big window in the living room.

Test kits I'm trying to figure out, thanks for pointing me in the right direction with which ones to go for!

Your typical run of the mill freshwater gravel vacuum works just fine. I recommend adding a small ball valve to the hose so you can tune the flow to suck out the detritus but not the sand.