Newbie alert. Recommendations appreciated.

[klr0808]

Hey there. Things escalated quickly as I went from looking at Betta fish to doing a complete saltwater aquarium. I want all the things but with limited capacity for gallon size as this has to go upstairs in an office, I’m looking at the innovation marine 40 gallon long And the 50 gallon by waterbox. My only limitation is I want this now and waterbox has a backorder date of the end of June. I’m really hesitant on getting a sump because I don’t really have a lot of capacity and want to have the max in my tank and not in a sump. this will be a future upgrade when I move to have a much bigger tank.

Any thoughts on upgrades for the 40 long for a successful reef? I do want to explore corals and of course some fish. I know nothing so, complete newbie alert. I don’t want to overwhelm myself with DIY and all of those things which is why I have considered the all-in-one tanks, but totally open to some easy upgrades.

 

[Hishman]

One thing to think about is you can start cycling sand and dry rock in a large tote while you wait on a tank to be delivered.

 

[HolyGrailCorals]

Hello, sounds like you got the reef fever. lol. As Hishman stated, you can cycle your substrate and rock now instead of waiting until you get the tank. If you do this, once the tank arrives, it’s about ready to sustain the first bits of life.

My recommendation is to slow down and write out a plan and pros and cons of each tank option. Make a list of the fish and corals you may want to keep and learn as much as you can about them prior to purchasing. Get the biggest tank you your space and budget will allow. All in ones are great for smaller tanks 2”g or less imo. But if you’re going to want “all the things” filtration is a factor. A sump will give you more space for equipment that will support a well stocked reef.

BRS 52 weeks of reefing on YouTube is a great resource for new aquarists.

Rushing into things often makes for a poor experience. It’s a wonderful hobby, that I hope you enjoy.

 

[klr0808]

One thing to think about is you can start cycling sand and dry rock in a large tote while you wait on a tank to

Hello, sounds like you got the reef fever. lol. As Hishman stated, you can cycle your substrate and rock now instead of waiting until you get the tank. If you do this, once the tank arrives, it’s about ready to sustain the first bits of life.

My recommendation is to slow down and write out a plan and pros and cons of each tank option. Make a list of the fish and corals you may want to keep and learn as much as you can about them prior to purchasing. Get the biggest tank you your space and budget will allow. All in ones are great for smaller tanks 2”g or less imo. But if you’re going to want “all the things” filtration is a factor. A sump will give you more space for equipment that will support a well stocked reef.

BRS 52 weeks of reefing on YouTube is a great resource for new aquarists.

Rushing into things often makes for a poor experience. It’s a wonderful hobby, that I hope you enjoy.

Thank you! Been doing research for about a week and a half. I know my max upstairs would be 55 gallons and if I’m gonna go that big, I want weight to all be max surface area in the tank and not be in the sump. With those limitations, I know that I will likely only have clown fish and maybe a few others just not to overcrowd. Still learning about corals so I imagine I will keep it pretty safe with softies.I have been watching the series on YouTube and I am getting a lot of information. I realize the smaller the tank, the harder it will be to stabilize it even with all in one set ups. I know my limitations on gallon size but even at a max of 55 gallons I can’t have tangs, which are a dream fish of mine. so I suppose I just wanna make the best choice for a more successful tank with an all in one set up since I don’t have the space to have a tank with a sump

 

[edsbeaker]

Welcome.
This link is a great place to start.

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium 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, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

Also you may want to consider a tank from Innovative Marine. They have both AIO’s and others with sumps, and are very reasonably priced for a great system. The “Fusion” category are AIO systems up to 50 gallons. the “SR” are AIO’s larger than the Fusions.

At all costs DO NOT consider a Red Sea tank. There have been a lot of seam failures over the past few years.

 

[Reef Jedi]

Welcome.
This link is a great place to start.

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium 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, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

Also you may want to consider a tank from Innovative Marine. They have both AIO’s and others with sumps, and are very reasonably priced for a great system.
At all costs DO NOT consider a Red Sea tank. There have been a lot of seam failures over the past few years.

When mine breaks I’ll have the best seat in the house lol

 

[edsbeaker]

When mine breaks I’ll have the best seat in the house lol

Gosh, I sure hope not!!!

 

[Reef Jedi]

Gosh, I sure hope not!!!

I hope so too lol I’ve read that Red Sea did a pretty good job at fixing the seam issues on the G2 line up of tanks. I wanted a Red Sea tank for over 20 years and could never afford it. Now I’m at a place in my life that I could and knowing I could be taking a chance I still bought one. My LFS has had more issues with Waterbox tanks than Red Sea so it’s all about who you ask I guess.

As far as your tank, there are some super nice all in ones with out sumps. However I have a feeling as you get into the hobby more you’ll wish you had one. Keep researching tanks you like and just pick one, make it yours and have fun with it.

 

[edsbeaker]

I hope so too lol I’ve read that Red Sea did a pretty good job at fixing the seam issues on the G2 line up of tanks. I wanted a Red Sea tank for over 20 years and could never afford it. Now I’m at a place in my life that I could and knowing I could be taking a chance I still bought one. My LFS has had more issues with Waterbox tanks than Red Sea so it’s all about who you ask I guess.

As far as your tank, there are some super nice all in ones with out sumps. However I have a feeling as you get into the hobby more you’ll wish you had one. Keep researching tanks you like and just pick one, make it yours and have fun with it.

Remember, there are more red sea tanks that do just fine than not. The odds are still in your favor!

As far as tanks, I’m not the OP and have a tank! I think you meant that part for the thread starter.

 

[Hishman]

I realize the smaller the tank, the harder it will be to stabilize it even with all in one set ups.

There is a big spectrum within “Stability”. Nanos can be plenty stable, but not quite there to get really high growth/color from more advanced care level corals.

For beginners water changes save you from a lot of mistakes and doing 25-50% water changes weekly on a nano is very easy.

I see a lot of folks here make a mistake and then are wondering what they can dose to fix the issue when they could just perform 2-3 50% water changes over a couple days and it will solve many issues and prevent even more if they had a smaller tank.

Not to add complexity but I wouldn’t consider getting a smaller tank an issue. The size should more align with goals and funds. Smaller tanks are cheaper and easier to manager overall unless you get into the “super stable” are where you have ph probes, dosing pumps etc for SPS

 

[Reef Jedi]

Remember, there are more red sea tanks that do just fine than not. The odds are still in your favor!

As far as tanks, I’m not the OP and have a tank! I think you meant that part for the thread starter.

Yes I did, oops should have cleared that up lol

 

[klr0808]

There is a big spectrum within “Stability”. Nanos can be plenty stable, but not quite there to get really high growth/color from more advanced care level corals.

For beginners water changes save you from a lot of mistakes and doing 25-50% water changes weekly on a nano is very easy.

I see a lot of folks here make a mistake and then are wondering what they can dose to fix the issue when they could just perform 2-3 50% water changes over a couple days and it will solve many issues and prevent even more if they had a smaller tank.

Not to add complexity but I wouldn’t consider getting a smaller tank an issue. The size should more align with goals and funds. Smaller tanks are cheaper and easier to manager overall unless you get into the “super stable” are where you have ph probes, dosing pumps etc for SPS

Thank you so much! This has been super helpful. I actually just came across a post locally of someone selling a IM 40 gallon long with the cabinet and lots of extras but it is in really rough condition. But from what I could see, it’s just algae. He’s asking 1500 which I think is pretty high but I understand he probably easily has $1000 in just extras he’s offering. What would be The workload of getting a used tank? Its definitely the tank I really like, but it’s not fresh and clean of course so I would have to then learn how to take care of not only cleaning the tank but making sure I sterilize or do something with the equipment as well correct?

 

[Hishman]

Used tanks tend to look horrible as the clear bio-film on the glass dries and turns opaque. You can make them look brand new as long as the owner didn’t scratch the glass.

You can do all the maintenance at once by filling the tank with water and adding a gallon of distilled vinegar. Let is sit full for a day or two with all the heaters and pumps submerged. This will let you water test the tank, loosen up all the crud from the glass, and the vinegar will dissolve any possible calcium carbonate deposits from the tank and equipment.

Letting it soak will make the film removable with a rag if there are any tough spots in the corners you can spray them with full strength vinegar and it should dissolve.

Give everything a rinse and you’re ready to start filling