Is this really THAT complicated!?

D3NT · May 22, 2012

I've always been interested in aquariums. My dad had a great fresh water tank while I was growing up, but frankly, freshwater doesn't hold a candle to SW. I can really appreciate how natural and attractive some of these aquariums are. That being said, I have been skimming this forum and there is CLEARLY a lot to learn. My wife and I really enjoy the bright reefs and brighter fish and I really like bright lighting. We recently moved to AK and this first winter may be tough, so a bright aquarium may help to liven things up from time to time! That being said, I will be living in a newer housing area but power outages aren't out of the question. Emergency planning is essential for me!

I realize the need to go slow. I wanted to get opinions from some of you pros regarding live rocks and live sand. It seems to me my best bet is to get the sand, rocks and plumbing and let the tank work itself out before adding anything else living. I imagine the most important part is introducing the rock and sand to a tank that has all the necessary "plumbing", for lack of a better word. I've read a few articles but there's pieces of the puzzle missing. I'm a visual learner, so anyone who knows of a picture that really lays out the sump, filtration, refugium etc. would be an awesome resource for me. Reading the articles and having a visual to refer to really helps me connect the dots. This initial stage seems to be the most difficult to me, but obviously I want to know how to maintain the tank once the roots are set, so to say. Also, articles for water quality testing and maintenance are a must for me! I'm looking for a tank around 55 gallons and I have one in mind from PetCo that comes on a stand with what I hope is plenty of room for the plumbing and supplies. We also have a store locally that specializes in coral and SW fish.

Basically, I want bright organisms that like bright lighting. I realize that may not work, and I won't be stubborn if I'm told it's a bad starting point. I know this hobby can be pricey. I've dealt with an expensive hobby in RC planes, it's pretty frustrating traveling to the field only to realize you've forgotten a key component, having a mechanical failure or worse, a crash. However, with this I get the oppurtunity to display this hobby and my wife is actually excited to get involved! Any resources and especially any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

REEFKEEPER10 · May 22, 2012

Well as far as live rock and sand you can go cheap and get dry rock and sand from bulkreefsupply.com and get some bacteria to get it started. If you search YouTube you can find a lot of info on tank setup. Bulkreefsupply has some videos to help you get the idea. You also have us. We are more than glad to help you.
Oh yeah welcome to R2R. :clap2:

david1 · May 22, 2012

well for me i just did my home work and read a lot of thing for the saltwater hobby its not that hard its just getting it right the first time ooo and were her to help

jonbar1 · May 22, 2012

Not too complicated at all really. There's a few things I'd recommend learning before rather than learning as you go and I'll try to cover some of them.

I'd first make sure you have a source for pure water before you fill the tank up. You can get distilled or RO/DI water locally or even better get an RO/DI unit. Starting with pure water and not tap will save you a lot of early headaches. When picturing a bright tank full of bright corals like we all did at first, we seldom realize we are creating the optimal conditions for algae that will cover every surface of the tank and be fighting for as long as we have the tank. The best thing we can do is prevent and then try to keep the odds out of its favor indefinitely. Tap water is algae fertilizer...avoid it!

I definitely like the idea of also starting "clean" with dry rock and sand and adding the beneficial bacteria yourself. A few more headaches this easily avoids. My first reef had a piece of live rock with a vine like plant growing on it that I ignored and over six years later I'm still fighting it tooth and nail. That was Caulerpa and its still my biggest regret. I've never ran a refugium, but it's probably a great idea. Decide on your plumbing before you add anything since most wouldn't recommend drilling a hole for the pipes once it has water in it. They're pretty simple in theory, and I'm sure many here can give you a great pictorial and help you prevent a flooded house and mad wife.

I'd also recommend a protein skimmer. Find ones in the budget range you're looking for and ask for recommendations. There's a few that new people often get only to replace soon after they've done more research and have more experience. You often get what you pay for with them.

Invest in a refractometer. They are cheap if you check around and are sooo much more reliable than the old style hydrometers you are likely to see at the pet stores. Also get a reef salt like Reef Crystals to help you get the early higher alkalinity and calcium more fish oriented salts don't provide. There are many brands in various price ranges, but no need to stress about the best brand early on. A good reef salt will also give you time to research things like two part dosing and reactors before your calcium and alkalinty levels start to drop.

Initial test kits I'd recommend are: calcium, alkalinity, nitrate, pH, and ammonia
Once you get more involved and more corals: magnesium, low range phosphate and others that are less often tested

After some experience with testing your tanks water and your salt mixes you learn pretty quick what your tank needs and you get on a schedule and its pretty smooth sailing.

Choosing what light you want can be difficult. I'd recommend getting to know local reefers and stores and seeing their setups in person. It's very hard to gauge if you like LEDs, T5s, or Metal Halides the best based on internet pictures.

It can seem overwhelming at times, but look for posts and articles about peoples early mistakes and learn from their hindsight. There are plenty of posts here about "that coral I can't get rid of" or "that fish that I can't catch that wants to kill everything". Last but not least, WELCOME TO R2R!!

JSB · May 22, 2012

I would recommend a copy of the book "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Bob Fenner. It is a great resource and uses plain language in its descriptions. I would also recommend you consider a 75g as opposed to the 55g. There is a little more front-to-back space to work with, as you will likely find the 55g to be too restrictive in short order.

BeakerBob · May 22, 2012

Glad to see that you are doing the research and asking questions before jumping in with both feet! It's not complicated, but eventually, you will turn into a reefer, plumber, electrician and possibly a cabinetmaker.

Most reefers read the different threads on this site to gain knowledge from other reefers experience. If available, go to your local LFS (Local Fish Store) and ask to see their aquarium set-ups. There are many sites on the internet that give helpful background information on setting up a successful tank. Marc (melevsreef) has a fountain of information that has helped many reefers start up their tanks and make improvements.

Start slowly, keep reading threads, ask questions on R2R, and you will soon have an incredible tank! Are you thinking of doing a tropical tank or one that will support Alaska's native corals and fish?

cdness · May 22, 2012

First off welcome to R2R!

You have already learned the hardest lesson to learn in this hobby... Go slow as nothing good comes fast in the reefing world.

Other than that there has been some good advice here. If you are a failure proof planner like me there are a few things to consider outside the norm. Make sure your electrical system can handle the power draw. Look into redundancy on equipment like dual heaters and dual return pumps so you don't end up with a crash due to a single failure point. Keep it simple Tank, Rock, Sand, Sump, Skimmer, Pumps... Also make sure ti is easy to maintain the tank equipment so it is in tip top shape.

Also in the end don't hesitate to ask questions here as there are many wonderful and helpful people on this forum.

revhtree · May 22, 2012

Welcome to R2R! Thanks for joining and please make sure and post often!

D3NT · May 22, 2012

Thanks for all the advice! I'm gonna start doing the research and establish a base for a starting point. I've always wanted to go with tropical, and I'm sure that's what my wife will want, but I hadn't even considered local fish. I'd have to see if it's even legal!

shells4 · May 22, 2012

+1 on the 75 gallon. You have been given some good advice. I do agree with upgrading the tank to a 75 gallon if you can afford it. Much nicer to work with and trust me, you will wish you had the larger tank soon! It gives you a little more options with your live stock as well for not much more money. If you have a limited budget, you may want to try your local reef club or craigslist. We have gotten some awesome deals that way and meet some great fellow reefers.

REEFKEEPER10 · May 22, 2012

There are a few different systems. There is fish only which as it says fish only, Fowlr which is fish only with live rock, cold water reef tanks which need a chiller to keep the temp around 70 degrees or below, them tropical reef tanks which is what you see most of the time. Corals are divided into three groups. Softies which most are easy to keep but can wage chemical warfare on each other and other corals, LPS or Large polyp Stony corals which are easily to keep but some can be aggressive, then SPS or Small polyp stony corals which can be very picky about water conditions but are very colorful. So I would try to figure out what kind of system you would like to keep and how big of a tank you want, can afford, and have room for. After that you can research equipment need for your particular system. For a reef tank I personally would go under a 75g tank. I did and it was a pain to keep stable.

D3NT · May 22, 2012

How much should I expect to spend on water changes? I don't have an RO system, and I have no idea how much something like that would cost and how it's incorporated into my existing system. I'm sure my LFS has RO water, but how is it transported? I'd like to do a soft cycle but it looks like water changes can be pretty frequent and it seems like it would be tough without my own system. Also, I've found a club in my area but the forums seem to have been dead since '10. Anyone in the Anchorage area know of any local resources I can look into?

REEFKEEPER10 · May 22, 2012

I really don't know much about how much it cost for RO water at LFS. But Bulk Reef Supply has one for $200 that will save you time and money. There are other place that sell them cheap. I would look through our sponsor they may give you a good deal. Here is my RO/DI unit that is connected to the cold water side of my washer supply with a Y from lowes.

jonbar1 · May 22, 2012

Definitely my next equipment purchase, I've already spent over $200 in jugs of water from the grocery store.

REEFKEEPER10 · May 22, 2012

I use about 15g a week in top off and do a 20g wc every week and have not seen any increase in my water bill so I would get one if you can. Mine is a 5 stage deluxe from BRS which was about $300 but it is over kill. One thing you need to check is if you have chloramine in your water. To do so call your water department and see how the treat the water. If so you may want to look into a chloramine filter. If it is just chlorine then your good.