Hi Everyone, SO excited to dive in!!!!!!!!!

[dbl]

Welcome to R2R and your new reefing family. The thread @Peace River linked above is a great place to start.

 

[LisaAhmad]

Welcome to R2R!!!

I encourage you to read this thread:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

Oh, thank you soooooo much.
That link was quite the best I have seen on a new start up tank.
I'm OK with some of the basics from freshwater, and need a little help and encouragement with the saltwater side of things.

 

[LisaAhmad]

Welcome Lisa.

WHere is your tank build??

 

[Reefnman2]

Welcome to R2R Lisa!

 

[LisaAhmad]

Welcome to R2R. Don't get overwhelmed. Gather up as much info as possible on the type of tank you would like to setup and take it slow and steady..

Thank you, such kind advice.

 

[4FordFamily]

Welcome home, you will love it here!

Keep us posted with your build with lots of photos!

 

[LisaAhmad]

Welcome home, you will love it here!

Keep us posted with your build with lots of photos!

OMG your tank is LIT!

 

[kichimark]

Hi Lisa. My advice is to have patience and go slow. Nothing fast rarely if ever goes well in this hobby.Regarding your question on the sump, one of my best reefs didn't have one. But, they do offer advantages in having more water volume for your system and as a place to hide all your stuff (heater, protein skimmer, etc).
And....

 

[fishguy242]

WOW,after slow night,you woke the whole community up ,kudos

 

[Pezking182]

Welcome to R2R! Best advice...RESEARCH EVERYTHING. Make a plan. Have an idea or a goal and work towards it. SLOWLY.

 

[LisaAhmad]

Welcome Aboard R2R!!! Lots of help on here, read over the knowledge articles, build threads and start your plan.

I usually tell people to first decide what they want. Reef/Saltwater tanks cover a lot of ground. Do you want simple 'get your feet wet' system, or do you have specific corals/fish in mind. Everything else, whether budget or high end, simple or complex will come from that.

Stay out of high pressure places until you decide - well, don't stay out, but don't let them talk you into anything you haven't decided for yourself.

Good Luck!!

Edited for clarification

So nice!!
Yes that's what it felt like, I just felt a little awkward, as though I wanted to explain what I wanted, but they just kept saying the same thing, but anyway, that's there job, I'm sure they are nice people, which is all that matters.

 

[grabbermj]

Welcome!!

 

[The cats wrasse]

Wow, Hong Kong. I've been there!
SO I look ed up BRS, Bulk Reef Supply, I'm pretty sure I ordered from them once for a hang on back for a Betta setup.
So I really figured I could google all this but just really happy to build up this as a real hobby and share with like minded people and enjoy the journey.
If I want to just have a 40 gallon or so tank, does it mean I must have a sump? What about the All in one systems? I'm not sure why a sump would help me?

A sump helps with 2 things 1 is the size of a sump enables you to fit equipment in it that you couldnt in an all in one system and 2 it increases water volume ... the more water volume the more stable water parameters (think of it like peeing in the ocean ...nothing really happens however per in a reef tank and your probably crashing the tank)

 

[LisaAhmad]

A sump helps with 2 things 1 is the size of a sump enables you to fit equipment in it that you couldnt in an all in one system and 2 it increases water volume ... the more water volume the more stable water parameters (think of it like peeing in the ocean ...nothing really happens however per in a reef tank and your probably crashing the tank)

OK so no peeing in the tank, gotcha

 

[Retro Reefer]

Welcome to R2R! Be very careful of any advice given by petco employees

 

[LisaAhmad]

WOW,after slow night,you woke the whole community up ,kudos

Slow night? Yeah I guess I got too excited and got on here early.
Thanks Fishguy242!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tautog83]

Read , read and read some more .. it's a bit overwhelming at first because there's so much to learn and so many opinions .take a couple weeks to read threads , it will also help you save up.some money because this hobby is a money pit . In some ways you'll miss buying $2 neon tetras lolol. 30 or 40 gallon all in one is probably a good startup tank . Check Facebook and craigslist for a good deal as im.sure theres a lot in your state. Slowwwww is the key to being successful in this hobby .

 

[fishguy242]

also offer up,and let go

 

[Nburg's Reef]

Welcome to the hobby! I hope you wallet is ready, lol.

Sumps are not necessary, but they do provide you a lot of expansion options. I personally think sumps are more important on larger tanks and anything under 40g can be achieved with an all in one tank. You might not be able to get a good protein skimmer, which cleans the water, but you can achieve the same results without one too on a smaller system.

Just for clarification. Most people consider anything 30-40 gallons or smaller to be small tanks in this hobby.

Some advice:
1) don't take 1 person's advice on this site, lol, because they may not have the best advice. I usually look at personal experiences and compare it to the hobby consensus, which takes time and research to get familiar with. Research and this hobby go hand and hand. There are some users that have the ReefSquad badge, which are usually more seasoned hobbyists that you can trust.

2) @Bulk Reef Supply has amazing videos on their site for new comers and advanced hobbyists alike. Take some time to look at those!

3) Go on the member's tank forum and look at people's tanks and how they run their system. It may give you a good idea on what you can achieve given the equipment they have. Most users give a lot of detail on the equipment and methods they use!

4) Plan long term. Most new comers end up getting a bigger and better tank with in months to a year of starting because they realize how tank size can affect a lot of options. Bigger is easier in this hobby as keeping things stable and being able to house more types of fish.

5) Ask lots of questions. There are always people on here willing to help!

 

[fishguy242]

75 gal is a great starter tank imo