where to start???

[ch4dg]

hi,
i'm new to this site and to the hobby,
i was just wondering if can anyone link me to any tutorials or guides on how to set up a beginner marine tank?
i'm looking for things like..
equipment,
supplies,
info on what sort of clean up crew is needed (shrimp, crabs etc)

anything really

thanks,
dean

 

[GR808]

Just think about how large of a tank you want and what you want to keep whether it's fish only, FOWLR, or a full blown reef tank. Equiipment will vary between them all.
make sure you got a fat wallet as well....lol
there are lots of people here that will be more than willing to answer any questions you may have and they're really nice too.. :bigsmile:
btw WELCOME!!!

 

[Reef Breeders]

Start with a tank between 40 and 75 gallons, and make sure that it is drilled, you wont regret it. Get a good controller like an apex or reefkeeper elite and make sure that ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are ZERO before adding anything.

 

[skinz78]

Welcome to R2R!

First off do you know how big of a tank you wish to keep and what you wish to keep in it? Post up all you have already determined what you want to do and we'll give advice from there and steer you down the right path to success.

 

[fish&corals]

size of tank .. i would start with 55 to 75 gallon to start ... take your time .. in this hobby DONT RUSH IT .. bad things can happen fast .. read everything before you put it into you tank .. if you have any questions about something you want to add to your tank once its cycled ask there are alot of guys/gals that will help you on here alone .. internekt has some good reading too .. JUST TAKE YOUR TIME .. best place to find a good tank would be on craigs list .. get a good sump .. a pump that will turn your tank over 6 times .. sand for substrate .. live rock .. figure 1 LBS per gallon .. if you buy like say a 75 gallon tank get like a mag 7 pump does 700 GPH .. good luck and welcome to the hobby .. you will be hooked for life .. fell free to ask any questions ..

 

[ch4dg]

thanks for the replies:smile:,
i have a 3x1x1 foot tank which i think works out about 22 gallons? so is that too small then if people are saying start with a 40/50 gallon?

i am way of having any live stock but the plan is to have a coral/reef with various anemones, dont know what fish yet but definately clown fish plus some shimp or crabs if possible

i've just keep reading and reading and reading and i dont seem to be getting anywhere

make sure that it is drilled, you wont regret it..

i have know idea what that is or meansoh:.

i'll get there eventually...
any advice on wheather this tank is any good, or any info on the best (but reasonably priced) pumps, filters etc,

one question i was wondering do i need some sort of mini wave machine?
thanks

 

[Tabasco1]

You can absolutely have a 20 gallon tank. The reason for the suggestion of a little larger is because with more water volume your water quality will be more stable and when you are starting out that is a good thing. Just go slow and stock with animals lightly so you don't get big swings in your water parameters (quality) Try to look at different coral and get an idea of which ones you would like to keep and the requirements for keeping them. Ie. light requirements, water quality (some like super clean water and some like "dirty" or more nutrients in the water and it can be challenging to keep them together).

Drilled means that the tank bottom has been drilled so that you can plumb a drain and return line to your tank. This would be used if you were planning on including a sump for your set up. A sump is not required, but it is the most common way to configure a reef aquarium. A sump is basically another tank that sits under your display tank and will hold most of your filtration and accesories. ie. protein skimmer, heater, possibly additional live rock. A sump is also beneficial because it adds more water volume to your system and makes it more stable.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any links or tutorials, but there is a ton of good reading on this site. Use the Search function for specific questions or just start a new thread to ask something specific. IME everyone on this site is very generous with experience and the advice is given with the intent of helping, not bashing you over the head. A good place to start learning about the basics is searching for cycling your tank. After setting up your equipment, this will be the first and very important step to getting your tank ready for animals. Also search on anemones, not impossible but definately challenging to keep them together with corals. Search crabs as most (but not all) will pick at corals.

Have a blast and enjoy the hobby! Oh yeah, watch out for the tang police.

 

[FinsToTheLeft]

Read first, resist the urge to dive in before you understand it, buy used to start. Always keep reading until you get it. Some very good books on the market by guys like Bob Fenner, Martin Moe and a new one coming out by Tony Vargas. Obviously not an exhaustive list but some of my favorites. Keep it simple and keep it inexpensive or you you may get frustrated and give up before you get to give it a good shot. In general the hobby is not that hard and doesn't have to be overly expensive until the drive to do bigger and better kicks in LOL. Keep asking questions too because, in my experience, the main reason most people come to these forums is that they like to share and want to help. Just my 2 cents .

Wes

 

[RonMidtownStomp]

The first issue is that you can't do what you want to do with the tank that you have. 3'x1'x1' is not big enough or enough water volume to be able to keep "anemones" (especially plural) as they require pristine water conditions and heavy feeding. You could potentially solve the lighting problem with T5's, but the fixture that you'd get for that wouldn't necessarily scale well to your next tank. You're going to invest a lot of time, effort and energy if you want to do this hobby right and it's best to start with a tank of the dimensions that you're going to be comfortable with long-term. As there are many used tank options in most places in the country for much less than what is likely to be the 2-3 month operation cost, it's best to get the tank that you want or at least something close to it early on. My wife and I went through many iterations (100 gallon -> 50 gallon -> a nicer 100 gallon -> 240 gallon acrylic) before settling on the "tank of our dreams," a 6'x30"x2' starphire tank that is ultimately perfect in every way.. for us.

There are great options that would easily let you do what you want to do. Here is what I would recommend:

The nicest 2'x2'x2' or 30"x30"x2' cube you can find at a price you can afford with a sump and descent skimmer, an RO/DI filter so you can keep up with regular 25% water changes (I recommend once a week) and you can easily light those with a single 250W metal halide in a Lumenmax Elite reflector. Someone mentioned a fat wallet, and the truth of the matter is, no matter how you slice it, you're looking at $1000 to get started. Don't do what I did and try to figure out how to do it for less -- it won't work and you'll wind up spending more in the long run:

Simple budget with used equipment prices:

Tank -$250
Lights - $300
Sump - $50
Plumbing parts - $70
Return pump - $50
Flow - $150-600 (I'd recommend two Vortechs, but you could get by with 4 Koralia 1400's)
RO/DI - $150-200 mandatory in my opinion

Note that we haven't put water in it, salt mix, any rock, fish, anemone(s), or even decided that the first metal halide bulb we bought is the wrong color or the used one we got is old and too dim and now we need to go spend $80 on a new 250W metal halide bulb.

This isn't to be discouraging unless you don't want to spend the money to do it right. Not doing it right will involve killing lots of expensive and precious livestock.

 

[_Alex_]

i agree buy it right the first time save more in the end! i also agree a 40 breeder, or a cube like mentioned above would be best to start with. if you are set on a smaller tank. think of future plans and what you think you will want to do someday with the tank, think futer and buy once. lights can be used on multiple sized tanks, yes a 250w halide would do great on that tank but some people like t5ho's, the 250 halide can be used on any sized tank paired wit ha couple more of them. the t5 will only fit certain size tanks. so think about what you wanna do in the END and start buying what you will need to get there now and keep from buyign the same equipment!!

 

[ch4dg]

hi,
thanks for the advice,

the price aint really to much of an issue, i know its gonna be costly.... i've saved up £900 for this at the moment, but thats just to get me started tank and equip i know i will prob need more once i start with live stock etc


q1.so if i use i bigger tank (6x1x1.5) would i be able to use the 3x1x1 as the sump or would that be too big?
q2. can i drill my own tank, and if so would that be a diamond drill bit?