new to saltwater, need recommendations

bperkins1987 · Oct 8, 2016

so, im new to saltwater, i do have fresh water experience , i have heard a lot from my friends all who have casual freshwater tanks, about how theyed never make the switch to saltwater. i do want to make the switch. i havent had an aquarium in a couple of years but the other day i bought a 55g tank from petco since they have their $1 per gallon sale going on right now. the only reason that i got the 55, was that it was the biggest tank they had. i also bought their fluval aqua clear HOB filter rated for 40-70 g tanks, i have read from forums that its not as ideal as a sump, but i figure this will be a trial run for now for me. if it goes well, id eventually like to get a 150g tank. i plan on going with a FOWLR setup. i may eventually make the switch to coral, but id like to start off small first. i do plan on getting a protien skimmer, not sure which one to get. id eventually like to setup a sump, but id like to see how this goes first, and if i like it, i would upgrade to get a sump. but with budget restraints id have to start off small and make upgrades from there. i plan on getting the marine usa orbit led lights, not sure if i should get one big unit that goes accross the entire length, or two seperate units as the tank as the rim divider in the center. and what type of skimmer should i get that would work for now, keeping in mind that i do plan on eventually making a sump, and adding it in there. the lfs said i should run a canister over a sump. just a little overwhelmed with what i would all need. i do plan on getting a refracter as ive heard they are more accurate then a hydrometer. as well as a saltwater testkit, as i know my freshwater test kit wont work. so kinda asking for a checklist and seeing what others would recommend so that i can get everything i need before i start everything up, to make it easier on myself and the tank. also any recommendations on ro/di units that wont break the bank. thank you for you time, and any help is greatly appreciated.

dbl · Oct 8, 2016

First, welcome to R2R. I would suggest reading through the thread below which contains a lot of great, basic information.

http://reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

Starwar · Oct 9, 2016

Hi and welcome to the forum.

My first tank was also a 33g with Hob skimmer and filter. You can easily get away with it, just doesnt look as nice. Plus you have to spend all new money down the line... My current tank has the 46 current orbit led. Not really sure why you would want two, as your paying for two seperate controllers than dont sync together. Also these lights are not ideal for coral, but look good on fowlr.

I compared my refractometer to a hydrometer i had around...it was off by .002 which is pretty bad imo...refractometer is like $20 more at brs and you get cal solution.

As for rodi, i use the brs 4 stage...check your local facebook or craigslist. I see them 4sale used all the time for super cheap...and filter replacements are cheap as well

skybears · Oct 11, 2016

Starwar said:
Hi and welcome to the forum.

My first tank was also a 33g with Hob skimmer and filter. You can easily get away with it, just doesnt look as nice. Plus you have to spend all new money down the line... My current tank has the 46 current orbit led. Not really sure why you would want two, as your paying for two seperate controllers than dont sync together. Also these lights are not ideal for coral, but look good on fowlr.

I compared my refractometer to a hydrometer i had around...it was off by .002 which is pretty bad imo...refractometer is like $20 more at brs and you get cal solution.

As for rodi, i use the brs 4 stage...check your local facebook or craigslist. I see them 4sale used all the time for super cheap...and filter replacements are cheap as well

Oh my goodness I missed a newcomer welcome to Reef to Reef you will find a group of very helpful people that love to share that information and their knowledge to the Salt Water World you'll notice in a lot of her threads they're very educational there amazing to read and help you with the first steps you can always ask questions any time and somebody will always be happy to help you it is a very kind site and has strong Integrity again welcome to reef2reef

Salty1962 · Oct 11, 2016

Welcome to R2R! BRS has some good deals on RO/DI units. Best advice is to get everything you want on your tank first so you don't have to tear things apart adding things. Second, be patient and ask a million questions. Great place to be to get honest and experienced answers!

SandJ · Oct 11, 2016

Welcome to R2R!

One thing to think about...the 55gallon is a hard tank to aquascape. It is tall and not very deep front to back. This forces you to build the rockwork up, and many times it has to touch the glass. This makes it very difficult to keep the glass clean.

And a lot of the 55 gallon tanks have tempered glass and can not be drilled (if you want to add a sump down the road).

The 40 breeder tank is less gallons wise, but has more possibilities with aquascaping.