New to this, should I be scared?

[Angry_Preme]

Hi Team,

So as the title states new to this. Literally today walked into a pet and aquarium store and took the big step!

My set up, I went small first as I am a complete novice;
310 x 310 x 360 Tank
34 Liters
480l Per hour flowrate

I will post photos of my tank taken over the space of the last few hours so you can see exactly what I am referring to later in this post.


So far I have only set up the sand and water (the water was provided to me by the aquarium store)

So I have a few questions that I keep finding conflicting information with and was wondering if anyone could assist me with any information at all.

1. I have placed the sand and my rocks (not live rocks) into the tank and filled with the sea water provided to me by the store. The water seems murky ( has been roughly 3 - 4 hours of the system running ) is this normal or have I not done something?

2. I have also been informed that I need to wait a minimum of TWO weeks to have the water ready which I am perfectly ok with as I am doing as much research as I can as to which species of fish I wish to have and will work well with one another. Is there any species of fish that anyone would recommend for a complete novice?

3. Is there any type of coral that would be recommended for a complete novice? I have been looking into this and seem to be leaning towards a Green Star polup but have been warned that they may be a little aggressive for a novice. Is there any else that someone else would recommend?

4. Should I be concerned with anything that I may have looked over? I have looked into multiple YouTube videos but still have a ton of questions.

 

[Angry_Preme]

Oh one question I forgot to ask was should I be leaving this on the white light or blue light? Should I be scooping the little amount out of foam from the tank?

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r!! Yes remove the foam. I like to leave lights off for cycle. Water should clear over time. Any type of soft coral should do fine for u. Theres plenty of time to research and see what u like.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Welcome to R2R! Green star polyps are pretty easy to keep but they will spread quickly. They are best on their own rock secluded by itself (it’s own island).
Just make sure to monitor your water parameters so you know when your intial cycle is finished and the tank is livestock ready.
I don’t run lights during s cycle but now have my blues coming on first then two hours later my whites and in reverse at the end of the lighting schedule.

 

[Katrina71]

GSP was my first. I love it. It can be a pain to remove when it starts really growing. If you isolate it on an island rock, it's very pretty and easy to control.

 

[Billldg]

Welcome to R2R!!! 1st, have you checked the salinity of the saltwater, should be between 1.025 and 1.026, 2nd, the murky water happens when u use new sand, sometimes the sand comes with a liquid that helps it settle, if it didnt come with it it's no big deal, the sand will settle, 3rd, agree with above, you can turn your lights either very low or off as it's not needed during tank cycle. Good luck on the tank. As far as corals for beginners, you can keep softies and lps corals, dont know much about softies as I keep lps and starting with sps, but some nice lps that is fairly easy to keep r acans and blastos.

 

[lapin]

Howdy
New sand. If you do it again remember to rinse it in a bucket until the fines are gone. Less clouds.
Wait 2 weeks. You can add bacteria in a bottle and some ammonia source to help get your tank ready for live stock. 2 weeks is a min and it can take up to 6 weeks.
Coral. Look online at easy or beginner coral. Pick the ones you like, Ifthey are in the med range of care you should be fine. Go slow.
Fish. Once again look for fish that will work in small tank and are not aggressive. Your size tank will be prefect for what they call nano fish. Go slow
Lights. Not needed at this point.

 

[Raege]

Welcome to R2R. Seems your off to a great start and folks already covered your questions.
You found the right site for help excited to watch your tank progress. You should start @ thread in Member Tanks and get your swanky badge under your name. Great to look back on in months to come
As for being scared no need just cautious and patient. Bad things happen when we rush. Get a maintenance routine and stick with it and you will see your tank flourish

 

[CJS80]

Welcome to R2R.