(for an article) What do you need to buy to start a SW tank?

[Seawitch]

I've been wanting to write this article for a while, mainly because it's a question that is asked a lot to the search engines--and, yes, we check that.

I tried to get a couple of very experienced reefers to write this article, but no one wants to touch it.

So, let me ask everyone here. What would be on your list? Answer as you see fit.

Let's divide into 2 categories, for the sake of discussion.

Under 30 gallon (without sump):

Must have:

Nice to have:

Over 30 gallon (with sump)

Must have:

Nice to have:

 

[link81]

my first tank was quite literally:
20 gallon
piece of live rock
bag of sand
heater
HOB filter
salt

that was the very first tank i cycled. held a couple of clowns and a couple yellow tails for a while until i found a good deal on a 30 long drilled with a sump.

 

[ReefWithCare]

Under 30 gallons must have:

Flow
Heater
Light
Porous rock

That’s it ‍. I prefer LR + softies when going the no filter no skimmer route.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

Under 30 gallon (without sump):

Must have: Heater with controller, HOB filter (AC30-up), Enough live rock. Decent light, Wavemaker, ATO

Nice to have: sump, skimmer

Over 30 gallon (with sump)

Must have: Heater with controller, Enough live rock, LED Light, wavemaker, return pump, ATO

Nice to have: Skimmer

 

[jim_fitz]

over 30g with sump

must haves
heater
skimmer
return pump
lights
test kits
patience
preferred choice of filtration (not technically the correct word) to reduce ammonia

nice to haves
live rock
socks / floss
lots of patience
circulation pumps

 

[Hemmdog]

I've been wanting to write this article for a while, mainly because it's a question that is asked a lot to the search engines--and, yes, we check that.

I tried to get a couple of very experienced reefers to write this article, but no one wants to touch it.

So, let me ask everyone here. What would be on your list? Answer as you see fit.

Let's divide into 2 categories, for the sake of discussion.

Under 30 gallon (without sump):

Must have:

Nice to have:

Over 30 gallon (with sump)

Must have:

Nice to have:

Under 30
Must have:
quality coral light
reliable return pump
heater
dry/live rock
carbon/porous media for the back
Filter floss
access to SW and RODI water
tests kits or a LFS that will test for you.

Under 30
Nice to have:
quality controllable coral light
reliable return pump rated 10x your tank gals
skimmer if one fits
temperature controller(ranco) & titanium heater
Carbon/porous media for the back on racks
Filter floss
30gal Brute for mixing sw
RODI system
extra pump for mixing sw(600gph+)
1/2 inch hose for siphoning during wc
Salifert test kits, Hanna checkers
real dry/live rock(from the ocean not a quarry), sand if desired
Powerhead or 2 that is controllable
ATO
A lot of extra time in your life

Over 30
Must have:
Quality coral light
Reliable return pump
controllable powerheads
Heater
Quality Skimmer
Extra liverock/similar media for sump
Ato
Dry/live rock
3/4-1 inch hose for siphoning during wc’s
Quality test kits(not api)
Access to sw & RODI water

Over 30 nice to have:
Quality DC controllable return pump(s)
Oversized quality skimmer
Quality controllable coral lights
Magnet flipper for glass
Real dry/live rock
Quality Controllable powerheads
Temperature controller (ranco) & heaters
Chiller
Tank controller(apex,ghl)
Doser
Media Reactors/ hydroponics light for macro
Extra liverock/similar media for sump
Controller cabinet
Exhaust fan to outside from sump cabinet
RODI unit
ATO
Brute for mixing sw, extra return, extra heater
quality salt
Salifert test kits,Hanna checkers
3/4-1inch hose for siphoning during wc’s
Quarantine tank set up
Replacements of everything
extra time in your life to observe & maintain your tank

 

[norfolkgarden]

Lol, that is a Pandora's box.

Salt water *fish* tank

Under 30 gallon (without sump):

Must have:

Old school
Live rock, 20 pounds
Not too many fish!
All fish remain under 3" to 4" when mature.
Lighting/cover that came with the tank for easy soft corals.
Place soft corals up high, within 6" of the lights in the cover.
Use the flexible cover to fill the open space in back of main cover.
Regular Kenya tree on small rock (lol, just throw small rock away when you upgrade)
Neon green Kenya tree (too keep)
Less than 1" of sand.
Small powerhead.
HOB filter with fine mesh bag of 1 teaspoon of GFO.
Macro algae?

Nice to have:
Decent lighting for slightly more demanding corals that tolerate *slightly* dirty water.


Over 30 gallon (with sump)

Don't have one.
No personal experience.



SPS corals in any size tank.
High flow, high light.
$2000 worth of equipment when purchased new as a starting point?

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Boy that’s a loaded question.

What do you NEED. Some form of tank (bucket is acceptable), access to water not from a third world country, salt other than Morton’s, cheap hydrometer or good measuring cup to mix salt and a fish. Done.

What things are “needed” could be anything past that. Maybe not as far as @Hemmdog space shuttle build . But a lot of what he listed.

 

[Hemmdog]

Boy that’s a loaded question.

What do you NEED. Some form of tank (bucket is acceptable), access to water not from a third world country, salt other than Morton’s, cheap hydrometer or good measuring cup to mix salt and a fish. Done.

What things are “needed” could be anything past that. Maybe not as far as @Hemmdog space shuttle build . But a lot of what he listed.

Lol space shuttle build ;Hilarious

 

[Seawitch]

Lol, that is a Pandora's box.

Boy that’s a loaded question.

And that, my friends is why no one wants to write this article. But that's okay. I'll do it.

Thank you for all the helpful responses. Anyone else?

 

[ReefWithCare]

And that, my friends is why no one wants to write this article. But that's okay. I'll do it.

Thank you for all the helpful responses. Anyone else?

It's not a loaded question lol.

I think you should just do two extremes.

1) Budget natural setup - under 30G, no filter, Petco Tank, live rock (which given the size you can obtain for cheap or free from your local reef club/community/FB group), heater, cheapo AC wavemakers, cheapo lights like a Hipargero, cured cycle

2) Extreme 12G Style under 30G tank - with Radions, Neptune Apex, ATO, MP10s, High end nano skimmer, high end custom All-In-One Acrylic Aquarium, Dry Rock/Dry Sand (probably using Real Reef Rock or LifeRock since it's all out), Sterile cycle

I'd write it myself - but I would trigger everyone advocating live rock and talking about which one will have the higher likelihood for dinos

 

[FlyPenFly]

Salt, rocks, water, circulation, heater, glass walls. Put it next to a window or outside for natural light.

 

[dantimdad]

I could answer this but I think everyone but paulb would disagree.

The problem is, I have done it many times for myself and others. What works, works.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Bump for more input!

#reefsquad #mods

 

[MSB123]

Other than the fact that I haven't written an article, I would love to write it.

 

[Seawitch]

Other than the fact that I haven't written an article, I would love to write it.

I'll message you.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I could answer this but I think everyone but paulb would disagree.

The problem is, I have done it many times for myself and others. What works, works.

Now I am dying to know.

 

[dantimdad]

Now I am dying to know.

OK, you asked.

You can run a very nice reef tank in a 20 gallon long on 24" Normal Output (NO) fluorescent bulbs in a 2:1 actinic to daylight or 3:1 if you really like blue/purple. You need only substrate that is calcium carbonate based to help stabilize the pH, a heater (in most cases) an air stone to move water around and aerate and water changes of 10% a week. Now, preferably, you would add an HOB filter and a power head. BUT, it's not necessary as long as your fish load is low.

Another add on could be an undergravel filter if you use crushed coral or dolomite.

I ran my first tanks this way and had very nice soft coral reefs and even some LPS.

Don't believe me? Try it and see.

To make it more unbelievable, we used tap water treated with tablet dechlorinator at first and dead corals and barnacles from pier one or lava rock chunks literally boiled in a pot to remove die and dirt for the hard scape.

If I had not busted the 20 long I setup in 92 (long story), I bet it would have stayed running long past the divorce of 98 that forced the shutdown of my whole breeding setup. (It wasn't my first salt tank, just one that comes to mind)

 

[dantimdad]

BTW, if you REALLY want to take the above setup high tech, use workhorse brand ballasts and overdrive the NO bulbs. Then you can grow easier SPS like monti cap and such.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I love it, totally trust you, and have done it. I think still the best.

I am not too far behind Mr. B. My first 2 tanks UGF. Even tried the reverse flow when I caught wind of it long ago. I still think wet dry’s are the best type of sump. Used a glass hydrometer for SG.
I think I had every light out there. MH, VHO, power compacts, the bulb befor t5 (can’t remember maybe t7 or 10?), T5, led, and soon to be hybrid.

Don’t laugh, had this style as my first tank. That’s not my actual one.