Educate me

[jj reef]

Hello all. Please educate me.

Hello. My name is Josh. I am completely new to the reef hobby and have not started up my tank yet. I have been keeping fish for well over 12 yrs now and currently have the following : 75 g African cichlid tank. A 65 g koi tank. A 40g Flowerhorn tank. A 40 gallon Discus tank. 30 g African Cichlid tank. 10 gallon african clawed frog. A Bearded Dragon, a Dorkie (dachshund /yorkie ), 4 kids, and of course a very very understanding wife.*
I have always wanted to do a saltwater tank particularly a reef. About aweek ago the wife and i were sitting in the "fish room" and she commented how i really need a tank in the 4th corner. I was very limited in what space i had there and essentially the only tank that would fit is the Marineland 47g column tank.....20x18x30high.

So i made my first mistake (before she changed her mind) and ran out and got it the next day. I love it and it fits perfectly but it is a non drilled tall tank and from what i have been reading may be an issue. I really want to do this the right way......where do i begin.....how do you filter good info or advice from the bad? Live rock vs non? Live sand vs not? Lighting. .....FILTER???????

My goal is as follows some coral, anemones, pipe fish, goby, maybe a star.........

Sorry for the lengthy intro but im very excited.*

PS looking to buy spectrapure rodi unit. Any thoughts?*

 

[username in use]

Start Here and read, read, read and then read some more.

anemones, pipe fish, goby, maybe a star

You'll probably figure this out by doing all the reading above, but don't plan on an anemone until the tank has been stable for at least 6 months. Pipe fish can be tricky, read heavily on their care before making that decision. And starfish are pretty much unsustainable in smaller aquariums.

 

[A.Astore]

People will argue both ways for live vs dry anything so you have to look at what your main desires are from that purchase.

If cost being lower is your main focus at this point (which is not a bad thing when it comes to rock necessarily) then dry rock will definitely benefit you greatly. (no water weight at all! no expedited shipping! no increased cost for extra "love" by the providers)

If no chance of bad hitchhikers is your focus then dry would be your want.

If good hitchhikers out weights bad hitchhikers then wet (live) would be your choice.

If time is possibly shortened by the addition then very fresh live rock is what you would want.

Just put a little thought into what you are looking for in the initial tank. This should help you determine which way to go because there is no right or wrong when it comes to that aspect.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

:lmao: Dorkie... Yer killing me :lmao:

Like Joshua said start here and read till you can't read no more and read more: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

That's a good choice for a RODI unit. One other thing is that with corals you need good quality lighting and with a 30" deep tank it's going to need one of the best. Many good choices for all that you will need. Also you really need to sit down with your wife and come up with fish you'd like to have and then come back here and ask if they're compatible. Best website to do this is Live Aquaria http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=15 you can see pictures of all of the fish with water parameters, compatibility as well as tank size. What you'll have to watch is if you want corals many fish you can't keep because they'll eat your corals or at the least nip on them. Same goes for crabs... DO NOT get any crabs accept for the scarlet legged hermits. All other crabs can and will eat corals, fish and other inverts. Same goes with some shrimp. then some fish will eat your snails also so always best to get your fish together and we will be more than happy to help you.

I caution you about taking advice from your LFS (local fish store) they're in it to make money and will sell you a Dori (Hippo Tang) for the size tank you're going to have. Well they need a tank of at least 200 gal if not more because they get a foot long. You don't want to put fish in your tank that will outgrow it. Plan on their full grown size when you get any fish.

Anyway good luck in your quest to enter the wonderful hobby of Reefing! It's a great ride and one that will give you every emotion known to man, and woman

Welcome to Reef Central :thumbsup:

 

[Ron Reefman]

...how do you filter good info or advice from the bad?
Good question, I wish I had a good answer. The truth is, in this hobby there are many ways to the same end, a nice reef. Do your reading and ask specific questions.

...Live rock vs non? Live sand vs not?
Either way works. IMHO LR is a good idea, but it's far from a requirement. And there is nothing wrong with doing a split like 25% LR to get things started and 75% base rock because it's cheaper and it's under the good LR so who cares? Live sand is a waste of money. But there are other sand issues to consider, like grain size, color and what it's made from. Silica sand is not something you want.

...Lighting.
They all work. And given where you want to go... naw, they all work. Just don't buy a Current Orbit or Marineland led system. They are for very shallow reefs and fish only tanks.

...FILTER???????
Filtering is a great idea! LOL! You'll want a skimmer and some other form of mechanical filtration. I use filter socks but others will say they are awful. You have tanks, you have an idea what works, right?

My goal is as follows some coral, anemones, pipe fish, goby, maybe a star.........
Start with easy corals like zoas and softies. Leave the LPS and SPS for later, after your tank has cycled (days to weeks) and after it has matured (6 to 12 months). Anemones have issues and can be difficult, pay attention. Pipe fish are even more difficult than nems IMHO. Goby is easy. Stars can do OK. Don't start with one. They are bottom feeders and until your tank is getting mature they will struggle unless you get one that is willing to be spot fed. After the tank is mature they are pretty easy. But serpent stars and brittle stars, the most common in reef tanks I think, tend to spend 99% of their time under rocks. But I have 2 in a 75g hexagon tank with just Gorgonian corals and they have been just fine. But the tank had been set up for 2 years before I added them!

 

[jj reef]

Thank you all for taking the time to read my thread and getting me started. it's actually the first time i've ever been in an online forum but i digress.....anyway let me focus down a bit to two starting questions.

Sand: i guess what i was asking is everywhere i read i saw most of what you all replied. i was surprised yesterday at one of the LFS when i specifically drove out there to talk to a guy who had his own place for 35 years and then has been working here since super storm sandy. he was adamant about not using aragonite sand. said it will kill me with nitrates down the line and throw off parameters like crazy. It was the first i had heard that!!!!


filtration: again tank is non drilled. from what i been reading all seem to say NO CANISTER even though i have no problem cleaning it weekly or biweekly. is a skimmer a must? i'm not fond of a HOB skimmer.

you guys are awesome for the input:twitch:

 

[jj reef]

and by the way.....i'm a patient guy. i know it will take months to get stable. no rush to add stuff.

and the wife just looks....no interest in picking out stock....lol

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Definitely use Aragonite sand and in a med grade, find a new LFS

 

[jj reef]

hey Dkuhlmann in case you were wondering the Dorkie's name is Skeeter. and no i did not pick the type of dog or the name but he is awesome

 

[Dkuhlmann]

That's awesome :thumbsup: I just cracked up laughing again

 

[uncleL]

Welcome to the world of salt! It is truly an addiction which you will learn to love. Do your homework and read read read. Being patient is key to a successful saltwater tank.

 

[Jeff4777]

Yeah a skimmer is a must.

 

[TimeConsumer]

You can do some interesting things with those column tanks. There is a guy on another reef forum with the same tank, filled with thriving corals and clams of all types. He is running sumpless. Just a carbon/GFO reactor, skimmer and water changes. Of course knowledge, experience, and patience counts for way more than equipment ever can.

However I think you can easily pull off a beautiful tank if you put in the time and effort. If you have any DIY skills you could probably put in a small sump of some sort with maybe enough room for an algae scrubber or a small skimmer and a return pump. Not much else. Or you can go the HOB method and still have a great unit.

But I would definitely recommend spending a lot of time on the aquascape. Drill holes in your rocks and use acrylic rods to hold up your scape. Or cement them together. But those column scapes are really difficult to get appealing while still providing room for corals and fish, and being stable, and allowing you to clean your glass. For this reason dry rock may be better for you, it will give you all the time you need to prepare it.

But most importantly, have fun!

 

[jj reef]

Thanks steve. Do you know who the other column guy is that you referred to? Id love to get some ideas

 

[jj reef]

Jeff i assume i will need a hob skimmer. any skimmers that you suggest? Are they noisy?

 

[TimeConsumer]

Only HOB I had experience with was an old Reef Octopus they don't make anymore. I'm sure there's great offerings from them or Aquamaxx. However I can tell you that after dealing with my reef octo that if you're going to do a HOB skimmer get an auto topoff. Otherwise they are impossible to dial-in. And mine was noisy, your mileage may vary.

 

[panhandler01]

Welcome to the forum!! I ran an Aqua C Remora pro HOB skimmer on a 55 gal for a few years before I upgraded to a 75 gal. with a sump. It did a decent job. I don't think it would have ever been enough skimmer for a tank full of SPS corals but I had 2 clowns, a Bangai Cardinal, Royal Gramma, 2 Firefish, Acans, Zoas, Palys, and Frogspawn in the tank and everything was fine.