New to reefing and very confused!

[BradTate]

Hi everyone,

My name is Brad and I have just bought a 125 litre tank (80x40x40) from Facebook market place, along with a AI Hydra 52 (non HD) light. I got both for £100 which I didn't think was too bad!

I have had freshwater tanks previously, fully planted setups with CO2 etc, but this will be my first dip into the saltwater side of things.

Really, I just wanted to get an idea of what equipment I will need that is as budget-friendly as possible when it comes to these things, and also whether I need a sump or not? The sump query seems to be the most confusing part for me at the moment, so many differing videos and articles that say I do need one and others that say I don't.

I plan to just keep soft corals at first along with a couple of fish, probably a pair of clowns as I've heard they are hardy and "easy" to keep for a beginner to the hobby.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated, if you could send links to equipment you think I may need that would be even better!

Thanks!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Definitely can run a tank without a sump, it just means that all equipment will be hang-on-back which is not attractive cause we use a lot more equipment than freshwater tanks. So its just nice to be able to hide it all in a sump, but absolutely not necessary.

Rocks and flow are the biofilter (google the berlin method for understanding), and its very possible and normal to run a salt tank without mechanical or chemical filtration. That would mean that you don't need anything else.

However, extremely convenient to have an auto-top off, and need good quality test kits.

Your size tank is small enough that most maintenance can be handled with weekly water changes, but down the road you might want to consider a protein skimmer, they are very valuable tools on a reef tank.

 

[Gill the 3rd]

I pretty much agree with everything @Mr. Mojo Rising said. You definitely don't need a sump, its just a convenient to hide equipment and is more useful on a larger setup. All you need is rock as your filtration. The only pieces of equipment that I consider a "must have" is an ATO and RODI unit. Tunze is the gold standard for ATOs, but they are pricey. You can get them a lot cheaper, but may not be as reliable.

And don't worry, no matter how many years you have in this hobby, you will always be very confused about something.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Let me add a useful perspective: For reef tanks, we maintain WATER. Water is the air of our tanks. Not keeping good water is like breathing bad air.

To that point, a tank can be maintained with very little equipment. A sump is just a nice to have as it adds more volume of water and a hidden place for equipment. To have good water to start, an RODI setup is ideal. An ATO ensures the salinity level stays constant. In the tank itself you will want a heater and a pump for flow. Most other equipment is just a nice to have.

 

[BradTate]

Really helpful thank you everyone.

Is there a recommended RODI setup to get?

Is there also a recommended test kit to get, do I need it for everything like calcium etc or is there more urgent ones to get early on in the journey?

 

[kevgib67]

I highly recommend you watch BRS 52 weeks of reefing on YouTube. Very informative for someone just starting out.

 

[Evil1]

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi everyone,

My name is Brad and I have just bought a 125 litre tank (80x40x40) from Facebook market place, along with a AI Hydra 52 (non HD) light. I got both for £100 which I didn't think was too bad!

I have had freshwater tanks previously, fully planted setups with CO2 etc, but this will be my first dip into the saltwater side of things.

Really, I just wanted to get an idea of what equipment I will need that is as budget-friendly as possible when it comes to these things, and also whether I need a sump or not? The sump query seems to be the most confusing part for me at the moment, so many differing videos and articles that say I do need one and others that say I don't.

I plan to just keep soft corals at first along with a couple of fish, probably a pair of clowns as I've heard they are hardy and "easy" to keep for a beginner to the hobby.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated, if you could send links to equipment you think I may need that would be even better!

Thanks!

1. Lighting
   The type of lighting you choose will be based on the type of system you have planned to set up, as well as what kind of livestock you will be keeping in it.
2. Skimmers, Filters & Filtration Equipment
   Once again, what type of system you are going to set up will help you determine which kind of filters and filtration system to choose.
3. Powerhead
   Depending on the size of your aquarium, the use of one or several powerheads is an excellent way to provide good water circulation throughout the system.
4. Live Rock & Substrate
   Here you need to decide on what type of material you want on the bottom of the tank, as well as whether you want to start with a live or non-living medium. Live Rock plays an important role in a marine tank. Many marine animals, fish in particular, can be quite territorial. It is important to provide ample shelter or places where the animals can hide, sleep, and avoid potential problems with aggression from other tankmates in the confined space of an aquarium.
5. Sea Salt Mix/Saltwater & Hydrometer
   Sea salts are what make an aquarium a saltwater or marine aquarium. Also referred to as a salinity tester, this item measures the specific gravity or salt content of the water.
6. Heater & Thermometer
   For smaller aquariums one heater works well, but for larger systems the use of multiple units is advised. With stick-on, floating, multi-function remote digital sensor, and many other types of units to pick from, the material a thermometer is made of is an important factor when choosing one as well.
7. Air Pump & Air Stones
   Only needed if you are going to run a piece of equipment that requires these items, such as a counter-current protein skimmer.
8. Test Kits, Additives & Supplements
   For live rock and reef tank systems, calcium (a.k.a. limewater/kalkwasser) needs to be added. Other supplemental vitamins or additives that are beneficial to the health of certain marine inhabitants you may be keeping, such as iodine for crustaceans, are important as well. Hanna and salifert test kits are best- Avoid Api
9. Maintenance Tools & Supplies
   This category includes having items on hand such as a various sized plastic buckets or containers, tank cleaning tools such as a siphon tube/hose, an algae scraper or magnet, as well as nets of different sizes, spare equipment replacements parts, and so on. A good way to keep track of what maintenance tasks you have performed and when is to keep a log book or record of everything you do.

Courtesy of Spruce