Help! New to hoppy!

[mcass1005]

Hey all! New to all of this , hubby always wanted a saltwater tank so I have been researching like crazy! I know literally nothing. So I am surprising him with a setup/ build.

So I have on the way a waterbox marine 60.2 plus complete so it will come with

• Prime 16HD Reef
• Prime Flex Arm 12"
• Nyos Quantum 120 Skimmer
• SYNCRA Silent 3.0
• Mesh Lid System
• Nero 5
• XP Aqua Duetto2
• SCUBA ContactLess Submersible Heater 200 Watts
• RO/DI (4 Stage 100GPD)
• Refractometer
• Magnetic Glass Cleaner (Medium)
• REEF SALT 160G

The substrate I’m looking at natures ocean bio-activ live Argonite looking at doing 40-50 lbs?

And live rock looking 20-40lbs?

Looking at live only rock and sand.

What other supplies as far as testing equipment will I need?

We want to feed live food, looking at adding soft corals , clown, blemmies, six line wrasse, yellow clown goby, a watchman and pistol shrimp and possibly others but that’s my list for now

Any help much needed!

 

[mues]

Welcome to RTR!

Sand/LR has varying opinions.. I try to go for 1lb of sand/gal and at least 1lb of rock/gal.

Hanna testers have been amazing, my latest investment

Happy reefing!

 

[Keko21]

Welcome to R2R!

Looks like you are off to a good start and good on you for doing your research!

I'm a fan of Hanna testers and Red Sea.

Get some bacteria for your start up and cycle which will take some time. Some will say you can instant cycle with some products, but I'm honestly not a believer there... Cycling will take a good handful of weeks before you can add any inhabitants.

There will be a lot more to add to your list later but it looks like you are on the right path!

Now my shameless book plug- check out the link in my signature below

Happy Reefing!

 

[twentyleagues]

Welcome!
Live foods? Are you planning on growing these yourselves? or purchasing? can be done either way but youll need some sort of system to grow them kinda a pain frozen would be a better option.

 

[Jim Gomoll]

You have one lucky husband.
Must echo the good start and doing homework.
I'd look into an ATO system and possibly a Dosing pump since you'll get the coral bug and want stable water parameters. Good Luck!!!

 

[mcass1005]

Welcome!
Live foods? Are you planning on growing these yourselves? or purchasing? can be done either way but youll need some sort of system to grow them kinda a pain frozen would be a better option.

Definitely buy ! BRS had a lot of good options and so does the 1 and only LFS.

 

[mcass1005]

You have one lucky husband.
Must echo the good start and doing homework.
I'd look into an ATO system and possibly a Dosing pump since you'll get the coral bug and want stable water parameters. Good Luck!!!

I thought the plus complete kit had the ato or I may be loosing it with all the research I’ve been doing!

So what is a dosing pump? And where would I put it in the sump?

 

[Kasrift]

Hey all! New to all of this , hubby always wanted a saltwater tank so I have been researching like crazy! I know literally nothing. So I am surprising him with a setup/ build.

So I have on the way a waterbox marine 60.2 plus complete so it will come with

• Prime 16HD Reef
• Prime Flex Arm 12"
• Nyos Quantum 120 Skimmer
• SYNCRA Silent 3.0
• Mesh Lid System
• Nero 5
• XP Aqua Duetto2
• SCUBA ContactLess Submersible Heater 200 Watts
• RO/DI (4 Stage 100GPD)
• Refractometer
• Magnetic Glass Cleaner (Medium)
• REEF SALT 160G

The substrate I’m looking at natures ocean bio-activ live Argonite looking at doing 40-50 lbs?

And live rock looking 20-40lbs?

Looking at live only rock and sand.

What other supplies as far as testing equipment will I need?

We want to feed live food, looking at adding soft corals , clown, blemmies, six line wrasse, yellow clown goby, a watchman and pistol shrimp and possibly others but that’s my list for now

Any help much needed!

You'll be pretty set. I was looking at Waterbox complete systems and it is really comprehensive. I'd agree with the rocks and sand recommendation of 1lb per gallon. To be fair though, when I setup my tank I didn't end up using all of the rock, but it still gives you options as you build the aquascape.

Here is a list of things I'd add:
Hanna checkers for alkalinity, nitrates and phosphates (the later two will be needed as you get more into coral)
Aquaforest magnesium test kit
Red sea calcium test kit (or salifert)
A large bottle of Microbacter 7 bottled bacteria for seeding the tank and add ons with water changes as you get the tank past the "ugly phase"
Maxspect Biobrick (they are giant squares) to put in the sump for more surface area for the above mentioned bacteria.

I think that should get you off to a great start. You'll find that you will collect more stuff, siphon and hose for water change, drip acclimation hose for fish, CoralRx or a other coral dip for when you get coral, but I think most of the other stuff can come down the line.

 

[dank.reefer]

Wow what a lucky guy...My wife is sick of my "stupid fish tanks" LOL.

We want to feed live food, looking at adding soft corals , clown, blemmies, six line wrasse, yellow clown goby, a watchman and pistol shrimp and possibly others but that’s my list for now

Watch out for that 6 line wrasse. They can turn into quite the terrorists. The rest of your fish look like they should be good together. 8 line wrasse tend to be a little more peaceful or some of the coris wrasses. I try to error on the side of caution with fish and only add the most peaceful inhabitants as possible at first. I have had a number of friends add a six line wrasse only to have it harass his tankmates literally to death. These 2 books are no longer in print but are available used in many places. I have found them to be useful in selecting compatible species for my tanks. They have large color pictures of each fish and tell you reef safe or not and peaceful or not. I have worn out 2 copies of the marine fishes book.

 

[Kasrift]

Wow what a lucky guy...My wife is sick of my "stupid fish tanks" LOL.


Watch out for that 6 line wrasse. They can turn into quite the terrorists. The rest of your fish look like they should be good together. 8 line wrasse tend to be a little more peaceful or some of the coris wrasses. I try to error on the side of caution with fish and only add the most peaceful inhabitants as possible at first. I have had a number of friends add a six line wrasse only to have it harass his tankmates literally to death. These 2 books are no longer in print but are available used in many places. I have found them to be useful in selecting compatible species for my tanks. They have large color pictures of each fish and tell you reef safe or not and peaceful or not. I have worn out 2 copies of the marine fishes book.

Agree, but if you add the six line last you should be fine. If you add it first, it thinks the whole tank is theirs.

 

[AKReefing]

Find a local reefing group so you can have mentors. Trying to learn everything online is risky, but you can learn a lot there before adding a drop of water. Go to Youtube and search for "BRSTV beginner". I'd avoid all corals for quite a while. They have special chemical, lighting and flow needs.

I admire your enthusiasm, but marine aquariums can be challenging--and very expensive--when things go wrong. I've learned that everything bad can happen very fast, and good things take a lot of patience. Please take the advice of an old-timer and proceed slowly.

 

[mcass1005]

Welcome to RTR!

Sand/LR has varying opinions.. I try to go for 1lb of sand/gal and at least 1lb of rock/gal.

Hanna testers have been amazing, my latest investment

Happy reefing!

With Hanna testers are not the cheapest. Which are the first ones I need and can add on later?

 

[Kasrift]

With Hanna testers are not the cheapest. Which are the first ones I need and can add on later?

You can add them later, you only need three, alkalinity, high range nitrate, and low range phosphate.

 

[AKReefing]

You can add them later, you only need three, alkalinity, high range nitrate, and low range phosphate.

Add pH and a salinity checker.

 

[Boehmtown]

Hey all! New to all of this , hubby always wanted a saltwater tank so I have been researching like crazy! I know literally nothing. So I am surprising him with a setup/ build.

So I have on the way a waterbox marine 60.2 plus complete so it will come with

• Prime 16HD Reef
• Prime Flex Arm 12"
• Nyos Quantum 120 Skimmer
• SYNCRA Silent 3.0
• Mesh Lid System
• Nero 5
• XP Aqua Duetto2
• SCUBA ContactLess Submersible Heater 200 Watts
• RO/DI (4 Stage 100GPD)
• Refractometer
• Magnetic Glass Cleaner (Medium)
• REEF SALT 160G

The substrate I’m looking at natures ocean bio-activ live Argonite looking at doing 40-50 lbs?

And live rock looking 20-40lbs?

Looking at live only rock and sand.

What other supplies as far as testing equipment will I need?

We want to feed live food, looking at adding soft corals , clown, blemmies, six line wrasse, yellow clown goby, a watchman and pistol shrimp and possibly others but that’s my list for now

Any help much needed!

Keep it simple. You need way less equipment than you think. Turn on lights and equipment and even an ato when you need to, not a moment before. Hand topping your system will teach you a lot about yourself and your tank

 

[dank.reefer]

Keep it simple. You need way less equipment than you think. Turn on lights and equipment and even an ato when you need to, not a moment before. Hand topping your system will teach you a lot about yourself and your tank

I couldn't agree more. I have been involved in this hobby since the early 2000's when things were a lot more simple. Many of the new gadgets for reefing are just that gadgets. 20 years ago we were just as sucessful at keeping and growing corals as guys are now with much less means. Sump/skimmer/refugium hand tested and hand dosed, and some of the more hard core dudes were using calcium reactors. After taking a few years off I returned to the hobby and got caught up in the gear hype. After blowing a lot of dough I realized that my system didn't function any better than my old bombers did back in the day. Many of the new gadgets are just new ways of draining your wallet.

 

[Jim Gomoll]

I thought the plus complete kit had the ato or I may be loosing it with all the research I’ve been doing!

So what is a dosing pump? And where would I put it in the sump?

ATO (Auto Top Off) either has an exterior holding vessel outside the sump, or a chamber in the sump for fresh RO water which gets pumped into the return area of sump replacing evaporated water.

As water evaporates the ATO refills your system keeping salinity in check. Without an ATO as water evaporates the salinity rises so you’ll have to hand top off without one.

Dossing pump is just a piece of equipment that automates adding nutrients, KH, CA, Mg, etc. into system at a regulated amount and schedule vs doing it by hand. Not needed but nice to have.
Pump is outside the sump and typically dispenses into the return area of the sump.

 

[dank.reefer]

ATO is more important than a dosing pump IMO. Hand dosing and testing should be plenty sufficient on a new tank. This will also give a new reefer an opportunity to learn what is being dosed and get a feel for how things work without over complicating things. The automated stuff is really cool but can make a simple concept a bit more challenging to understand.

Also small mistakes can cause huge problems when it comes to automated dosers. I was recently reading on a thread of another reefer where he accidently set his doser to "on" rather than "run program" and this led to his dosing pump running all night, adding 1 liter of alk solution to his tank in just 7 hrs. These types of mistakes can happen too easily when things are too complicated too fast. Take it slow and add equipment only as needed.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Good place to start

 

[dstockwell]

Welcome to the Reef