New and looking to learn

J

JakeWallace

New Member
My name's Jake and I've always been amazed with saltwater fish and reef tanks. I'm in the early stages of moving from a condo to a house, and I finally decided it's time to learn about keeping a SW tank and setting one up. I have a couple of months to learn as much as I can before buying an aquarium and starting the process of filling it. This looks like a great site and I hope you all can guide me on a good system and proper husbandry.
 
J

JakeWallace

New Member
Thanks for the welcome. As a reptile and rare plant collector I've learned to do plenty of research before buying anything that has to do with live animals or plants. I have a ton of questions, and appreciate any help I get along the way.
 
J

JakeWallace

New Member
My main question is where do I start? I want a 150g+ mainly for fish, but I have a 400w MH if I decide I want it to be a reef tank. If not I have 2 - 105W 6000k standard base CFs that should be enough if they are only for viewing the fish. I'm planning to make a custom cabinet stand and vented light hood. My main concern is that I've been looking through a few different forums and a majority of the bigger tanks I've seen have a ton of plumbing and equipment, and a lot of them require a second room to store all of the equipment and keep it out of site. Is all this neccesary or will I be able to fit everything I need under the cabinet stand? My goal is to have the tank and stand come out perpendicular from a wall, and reaching from floor to ceiling with the stand being about 40" tall. Am I spinning my wheels hoping to be able to have a healthy tank without having to have a ton of huge equipment?
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Welcome :wave: and KUDOS for researching ahead of time. You, your tank and EVERYONE involved will benefit from that :)

As far as where to start...mmmmm BIG question....

I think EVERYONE should be familiar with the Nitrogem Cycle of a Salt Water aquarium. Take some time to look through tank "Cycling" in the Just Getting Started section.... here's a link that should be almost memorized
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...something-cycling-breaking-new-reef-tank.html

Larger tanks = LARGER equipment. Granted a FO (Fish Only) tank does take less equipment than a full blown REEF tank. Look at my 90g Chronicle for an idea of what a 4' long tank can look like.

I think once you get into it you'll want more equipment and you just have to build the tank/stand accordingly. Trust me when I say it's worth the efforts.

Welcome to the REEF :D
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
I would build in as much room as possible in the stand under the tank. That way you will have the room to add equipment as needed. You may want to include and autopoff in addition to the sump and skimmer. I don't think I would add anything else as long as it is FOWLR. If you turn it into a reef then you will need to consider kalkwasser or calcium reactor etc.
 
jrh4711

jrh4711

New Member
Hello and welcome to the best group of people I have found online

Before you start buying equipment.

Be sure to take the time to read the beginners guide. I did not find this site until the LFS sold me equipment I did not need.

Search the forums for equipment, what each piece does. Don't ignore what other setups other members are using.

And now the golden rule that I think everyone will agree with and I have read at least 1000 times.
FOR GOD SAKES TAKE YOUR TIME DO NOT RUSH IT.

I have not found anyone here that would lead you astray. These folks here know what they are talking about.

Just look at some of the members gallery pics.
Just Amazing

Good luck and again welcome to a cool addiction err... hobby
 
J

JakeWallace

New Member
Thanks for the info everyone. As I keep reading and get closer to buying equipment I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions. Jrh, we're practically neighbors. Are there other local (708, 630, 847, 815) hobbiests on this forum?
 
Dentoid

Dentoid

Smile Maker
PREMIUM
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