A Confused Beginner

[dawn09]

So I've been reading the forums trying to get an idea of what kind of equipment I would have to get to start a reef tank. I am so lost

The people down at the local tropical fish store are trying to sell me a package deal, ($600 for a 30 gal, she mentioned lights and said "everything you need") but the problem is... I'm not sure what the "package" should include. I've also read that people are suggesting that you don't go with packages and put it together yourself, which sounds like fun, but again, i'm not sure what exactly you need... and what the job of each piece of equipment is. (I bought a book called 'the simple guide to mini-reef aquariums', but it's not-so-simple and it's making me feel very overwhelmed)

I am looking to put together about a 30 gal (give or take) mostly corals with one or two fish (I read that you should have no more than 1 fish per 10 gal).

Thanks for your patience!

[lcstorc]

Welcome to RS!
I'm glad you found us first.
Before you buy a "package" find out exactly what is in it. Most "packages" at the LFS are not at all what you need. Sometimes they have a lack of knowledge and sometimes they are trying to just get your money.
As far as what you need, it all depends on what type of tank you want.
For starters you will want to get the tank and live rock and let it cycle. Then you will want a protein skimmer. A skimmer removes excess organics (read fish toilet). You will also need a source of good water. Either you can buy water at your LFS or you can mix your own. You want to have pure water so you want RO/DI water. Usually you can get that at your LFS or you can buy your own RO/DI. They are really not expensive and that is the route I would go but most people buy the water in the beginning. Then you will need to get a good salt or buy salted water from the LFS.
The lights are going to depend on what type of corals to keep. Your flow will also depend on what you want to keep but you are going to need one or more power heads to keep the water circulating.
You may or may not want a HOB (hang on back) filter, but if you do, I would remove the original filter media and use it just for carbon.
I don't want to get ahead of things here, so that will at least give you some ideas to contemplate.
Meanwile, I am sure others will join in and you can read the "stickeys" in the beginner forum to get some more information.

[Rue]

If you're like me, and don't like 'mechanics' I suggest you consider an all-in-one (plug and play) systems such as the Red Sea Max.

If you do like to fiddle and tinker, then I think component parts are a better option. Although many do tinker with their RSMs it's not necessary and rather frustrating since the tank is designed to NOT be fiddled with.

I've had my 34g RSM for almost 2 years, no regrets. If I had to do separate components I never would have started, so I'm far ahead of the game.

[lcstorc]

For some reason I immediately thought about the LFS creating a package. The all-in-one units like the Max or the Bio-cube etc are not bad at all as a place to start. They don't leave much room for upgrades without extensive modification, but if you want to keep soft and LPS corals they are likely just fine.

[yungreefer2410]

some questions to ask yourself.
what kind of corals do you want?
what kind of fish?
how much are you willing to spend?
if you have 4x24 w t5s with individual reflectors you could keep anything in a 30g. i have a 29g and very happy with it.
i would not go with a all-in-one package but "build" your own.