New and Inexperienced

[Affair2824]

Hi all,

My name is Joey, im a student with my own place and im looking to start my own Aquarium, taking care of animals and fish is nothing new to me. Ive had a 55 gallon fresh water tank in my home all my life alone with chinchillas, fire belly toads, turtles, horses you name it. I understand that having a salt water requires a lot more care and im ready to do so but i don't know much about it other then what ive read on line. I was hoping to get some insight from sucessfully Aquarium owners. my plan as of now is to purchase this 55 gallon kit: Marineland Instant Ocean Kit 55 Gallon

im not sure if that everything i would need to get started. any helpfully hits or taps would be greatly appreciated. thanks much.

 

[BigAl07]

Hello :hallo: and welcome to RS!!!


:scram:

 

[Luukosian]

Welcome to RS!

This hobby is fun and I don't think you will regret it. The setup you linked to seems like it would be good for a fish only tank. You just have to think about what you are going to want to keep(if you want to have coral ect.) and how much time/money you have available. I was a student once too so I know how time and money can seem like they are non-existent lol.

hint: you might be able to find a used set up that has more advanced features for cheaper on sites like craigslist or classified ads for the same price in your area.

 

[Varga]

Welcome to RS.

The only thing useful in that kit is the tank itself which you can actually get on Graig's list for $20-50 or even free. or you can get a reef ready set up with proper lighting off Graig's list for $200-400+ and that would be a much better start than the kit.

good luck

 

[yungreefer2410]

yea for reef only the tank is really useable. you have to to use ro/di water anyway. look on craiglist or ebay for one. if no luck then i would "build" your own system

 

[DaveK]

... my plan as of now is to purchase this 55 gallon kit: Marineland Instant Ocean Kit 55 Gallon

im not sure if that everything i would need to get started. any helpfully hits or taps would be greatly appreciated. thanks much.

The first thing anyone considering this hobby should do is to get a couple of books on state of the art reef systems. Then read and understand the material.

Here are two good books to start with -
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner
The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta

This will give you the background you need to make informed choices. This is not something you can easily gain from the net. While the information is there, it is not located in any one place, and there is a tremendous volume of information out there. Some of it is outdated or incorrect.

The tank you are looking at is inexpensive, but it's still a poor choice. First a 55 gal tank is a poor shape for a reef system. With only about 12 inches front to back, it's almost impossible to aquascape well. Also, most of the equipment that comes with this setup is not really what you want to use for a reef. Much of it would need to be replace at once. For example, Visi-Therm heater is something I consider to be out and out junk. The lighting is too poor for a reef, and the filtration system leaves a lot to be desired.

Reef keeping is an expensive hobby. Yes, there are places you can save some money, especially some areas that make good DIY projects, still, as a rule of thumb, you can figure that by the time you get a reef fully set up and stocked, you will spend at least $35 to $50 per gal of water in the main display tank.

In other words to correctly set up a 50 gal tank with good equipment, suitable for a reef system, you will spend about $1750 - $2500. With some good DIY projects, you may come in a bit lower but not by much. Don't forget the many water test kits you'll need, and a source of good RO/DI water, and all the other misc gear you'll need.

Lastly, I'm not trying to sound harsh, but those are the realities of keeping a reef system. I hope you can pull it all off. Good luck.

 

[jjohnson3]

RO/DI is a must. Take it from me. Saltwater algae is 100 times worse than freshwater algae. You will get a little with RO/DI but it wont be as much as tap water. Here is what happened to my tank with tap. It is currently recovering...

Here is a pic a 1 week ago

Here is a pic from last night

Here is a pic of my Maroon Clowns actually hosting in my hair algae. Its blurry, I know!!!

Please do note that the first pic and the second pic are only 5 days apart. Horrible, huh?

Dont get discouraged though. Saltwater and reef can be very interesting aquariums if set-up properly and maintained correctly. Follow the advice of experts and take it slow. Doing this you are just about guaranteed a nice, healthy, thriving marine ecosystem

 

[yungreefer2410]

for some price reference. my 55g with a black acrylic overflow and two predrilled holes cost about $172. this tank was made when i ordered not premade. i plan to spend around $600-700 on lights for (combination of LEDs and t5s good for the long run) skimmer will be DIY but the needlewheel pump will be around $40 probably. then some for plumbing and then lr sand and livestock

 

[Reddog170]

Well the first thing I noticed is that there are no power heads with that kit. there is also no skimmer. It makes it sound like you bring the kit home throw some water in it and then add fish and BOOM instant reef. Not going to happen. The lights are insuficiant the filtration inadequate and a full hood? how in the world is that going to work? You need to expell gasses and with a full hood all you are going to do is trap the gasses.
I started out not wanting to spend money on this. I got a used tank, stand and other misc. items that I did not or could not use. I bought a skimmer off e-bay to save money, do not do that. I set up T5 lighting got some used power heads and started with a HOB filter system. The total that I had spent at this point was around $350 I thought I had this whipped, did not happen. The skimmer was junk the HOB filter couldn't do enough. I had problems. Now I have a sump, good skimmer and use RO/DI water (started trying to use tap, bad idea) In short I have a good system going and am now right in the ball park of $1500 in it. Do not go cheap, it will only cost you double. Check the market place for deals, get some great stuff there. Shaun

 

[Frankie]

Welcome to RS