Hello, new here, first saltwater tank

[Rcj520]

Hi guys, I've been on here the last few weeks doing tons of research and finally I'm ready to get my first tank started. I figured it was time to introduce myself and actually join the forum.

My name's Ryan and I'm from central Florida. I'm starting off with a 40g breeder tank. Just got finished building a cabinet for it to sit on(didn't trust any of the petco options for holding 500+ lbs). I'm now at the point of just waiting for all my equipment and stuff to come in so I can get started. I plan on starting as a fowlr tank and once it's a settled and established tank, I'll probably start doing some beginner corals. Don't really plan on doing the more tricky corals, I'll wait to have a bigger tank for that.

Ive done alot of research and still have alot more questions, so I figure I'll post my plans and any questions I have, and hopefully I'll get some feedback. This community seems really knowledgeable and helpful, so thank you very much in advance.

List of equipment, rocks, etc. that I have planned (I only have the tank and the rock so far, so if there is any better suggestions for me, I am very open to them):
-40g breeder tank
-50 lbs of Marco dry rock+aquascaping kit
-40lbs of live sand(lfs has caribsea I believe)
-10 lbs of live rock from lfs(rock is purple there, good or bad?)
-saltwater purchased from lfs(I'll do that for now until investing in ro/di)
-2 hydor koralia power heads(750-850 gph enough?)
-aqueon glass hood
-eheim jager tru temp heater
-all the cleaning/water testing equipment

That should be it until all the rock cycles, unless I missed something. Here's what I plan for after its cycled and before I add fish.

-sump tank/overflow box/return pump
-reef octopus classic 110 int protein skimmer
-not sure on any other filtration methods in the sump yet
-coral life 36" 4 bulb t5ho fixture

When you list it out like that, you really realize how expensive the hobby can get, even for a basic tank lol. Im sure I'll have plenty of questions, but this I what I have so far through my research.

If you read through all this, thank you very much, I appreciate your time. Hopefully I'll end of loving this new venture and not screwing it up! I'll try to post some photos along the way.

 

[A.Astore]

Welcome! If you use this site wisely you will end up enjoying your tank more than you can imagine; a lot of great people here willing to dish all their secrets, not easy to find usually.

The only thing I would suggest is moving the RODI up to the now vs buying water from the LFS. Only reason I say that is you will need saltwater to cure your rock and then also fill your tank. When it is all said and done an RODI will probably be pretty close to what you pay only for that amount of water (plus no transport!). Do you know what they charge for water at your store (I have no clue because the closest is not even feasible for me to consider buying water from them)? Just a thought that might end up helping you save some money. You don't need the most expensive one nor the largest since you don't have a huge tank. The other thing you will need to keep in mind is you will need freshwater from them as well to top your tank off.

Again, just a thought but something to consider overall water need initially vs cost of the RODI unit and some salt. (yeah, you will need to decide on salt then too. I use InstantOcean brand salt and have had no issues with it... Amazon is a GREAT place to buy it from!)

 

[Rcj520]

The only reason I'm going to do water from the lfs for now is its less than $1 per gallon and half that from fresh water. It's only a block from my job, so gives me an excuse to go there regularly after work. Its really worth the convenience for me for now, as well as the people there are really nice. But down the road, definetly I'll make my own water and save some money.

 

[A.Astore]

Gotcha, always good to have an excuse to go into the store... unless you have kids with you then it is bad

 

[Cosmojo]

If you don't have all of it purchased, that's a ton of rock, if you like the look, that's one thing, but you're not going to need that much.

As for powerheads, it is really going to depend on what you want to keep in the tank for how much flow to aim for, but those are solid beginner ones.

Look into LEDs, you might be able to find some nice cheap ones for around the same price as the t5's, then you don't need to buy bulbs, and use less power.

 

[Rcj520]

I figured it would be too much rock, but it was a good combo pack from Marco rocks, and I love the look of arches and caves, so I'm pretty happy with it. Marco rocks are really nice looking btw.