Where to begin?

Kml1987 · Feb 25, 2020

So I have been floating around the forum in and out today during breaks and lunchtime and I am not entirely sure where to start. I am sure my story reads like most that started with a freshwater tank and has now evolved into wanting saltwater. I started with a betta tank a few years back and while he was cool, he just didn't have the pizzaz that I wanted. I had always wanted a saltwater tank but never made the jump because of difficulty of keeping it, as a lot of folks I talked to had to remind me every time I mentioned it. I even had the cash in hand at one point to invest quite a bit of money at an unnamed establishment, +- $2,000, but the person working there really disuaded me because I was new to it and he kept telling me how hard it was to do. I ended up leaving the store wondering how in the world anyone gets started if its so hard, and really got a bad taste in my mouth for saltwater and gave up the dream and settled for trips to Bass Pro's restaurant to look at salt water fish.

Fast forward to current day and a trip to a buddies house who just happens to be a saltwater fish aquarium keeper and now my views have changed. He has somewhat showed me that its not as hard as it used to be, as long as you keep up with your maintenance. He showed me his biocube 32 and it really seemed like that was the setup for me, compact and easy to work with, but it seems after research there are mixed reviews about whether they are big enough, worth the investment over building a tank from scratch, etc.

My question is where should I start? Should I steer clear of the biocube and go with something different? I know a lot depends on what I want in the tank, which as of right now the only thing I can say with certainty I would like are some clownfish, I ran across a picture of a really awesome looking black and white variety that I would love to have. After that I am not sure what I would like and not too sure what plays nice together, and what size requirement I am looking at for fish, as I have heard 1 inch of fish per gallon, and I have heard 1 inch per 5 gallons.

If someone could give me a hand getting me pointed in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it!

Peace River · Feb 25, 2020

Great question! I encourage you to start by reading this article which will likely answer many questions and create several more:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. 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...

www.reef2reef.com

cvrle1 · Feb 25, 2020

Once you are done with above link, watch BRS 52 weeks of reefing. They go through all the topics you can imagine and then some

Start with Week 1 and work your way to 52

Week 1: Our Best Reef Tank Build Yet | 52 Weeks of Reefing #BRS160

This week we have the first episode of a year long series where we set up a six foot one hundred and sixty gallon saltwater aquarium. We are going to cover basically everything imaginable that goes along with setting up and maintaining a reef tank. We'll cover all of the following: 1. Introduction

www.bulkreefsupply.com

New&no clue · Feb 25, 2020

Hey, I’ve been there. I wanted a saltwater tank for about 12 years, probably started down the path 8 times but always stopped because of the overwhelming amount of information. Starting is the worst... but once you take the plunge it gets better.

My first suggestion is get the tank and size you want from the beginning. I wanted a big tank but was talked into something smaller, in the end I was unhappy and upgraded. I ended up spending more time and money than if I just got what I wanted to start with. A biocube is a good tank, you may eventually upgrade lights and return pumps but that could be down the line.

My next suggestion is there doesn’t seem to be a hard set rule for number of fish per tank size, trust me I’ve tried to find it. You’ll see people with 12 fish in a 50 and others with 5 fish. It really depends on type, size, and the type of filtration you have. I would look at fish first. For example if you want a Tang you’ll need a big tank, if you like smaller like clowns 30+ is good.

Lastly BRS has great videos on anything and everything so I’d check them out. And always ask questions here.

svogun · Feb 26, 2020

I think the advice above is sound. The above article and the 52 weeks of reefing on BRS are great. I tell everyone this but the more prepared you are upfront and the more time you take to do things slowly in the beginning will pay great dividends in the future. I think all of our goals here is to have a beautiful vibrant reef with health fish and thriving coral. Understanding that type of display tank doesn't happen in the first month or even year of a tank is a good mindset to have. Let the tank slowly mature. Check out the QT protocols. The more prepared you are early, the more "quality time" you'll be spending in front of your DT instead of pulling your hair out fighting algae blooms, fish disease and other tank issues! Good luck and please start a build thread when you start the process. Its a great way to document your progress!