Help/Suggestion New Tank in Plainfield

[Tvarr]

I'm new to this hobby. My intention is to have one tank with live rock, live sand, and 6 or less fish. At this time I do not intend to keep corals. I'm a learn by doing sort but I need to have a plan and I don't mind research. The information to be successful is daunting and as such this post is my way of putting down in writing a map of what I know, what I still need to research, the steps I need to perform in the correct order, and ask for help in those deficient areas. PLEASE let me know if I am doing something wrong here.

1. Tank - I have a used Oceanic. It was sold to me as a 75 gallon. Using an on line calculator it appears to be 68 gallons. It is NOT drilled. I'm very close to the decision to drill a couple holes and implement a Bean Animal type system. (Ghost screen, acrylic overflow on back). If I do this I will use a 20 gallon DIY sump system.

2. Water - I plan on keeping saltwater in a rubbermaid trash can with a "bubbler". I have an IO/DI system. I have Instant Ocean

• NEED Refractometer - I'm looking at this one but am open to suggestions.

• NEED bubbler and is this acceptable, is anything else needed like heater, should it be covered or lit?

3. Heater for the main tank.

• This is the one I'm looking at. It appears most people put the heater in the sump and I will as well. Is there a better solution, more cost effective, or better way?

4. In tank Pump. I saw many cheap ones but I keep reading folks have good luck with Jebao WP-10

• Is this sufficient for movement in the tank or do I need 2?

5. Lights - I am clueless here. I need all the help I can get. According to Tampa Bay I need a combination of daylight and actinic VHO bulbs. After reading a few threads it appears that LEDs are the way to go but now I'm even more confused. I would really like a link to a basic light system that will do the trick for me with simple explanation.

6. Protein Skimmer - I had originally researched hang on back skimmers and now that I have decided to drill and run a sump, a more pragmatic in sump skimmer is needed. I'm looking for recommendations on in dump skimmer.

7. Ammonia test kit. - Will this work or do you have a better solution?

8. Tampa Bay Saltwater Package

I know there are many other good to have items. What I need to know now is are there any other MUST have items I have not listed above?

Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[ct_vol]

1) Your Tank should be fine. My first tank wasn't drilled. That being said, all since have been.

2) Yes, get a refractometer. Any will do, just make sure it is calibrated before use.

Not sure what you mean by bubbler. I use a spare pump to mix my new saltwater. A heater isn't necessary this time of year, but will be come winter.

3) Get a reliable heater, preferably used with a controller. Nothing will smoke a tank faster than when a thermostat goes bad on a cheap heater.

4) No experience with Jebao pumps, but like you I have read decent things. When you add coral, you may need two, but one should be fine to keep detritus suspended.

5) You'll get a ton of opinions on lights. More important once you keep coral, Fish Only tanks are easily kept with normal output florescents. Once you keep a reef you'll want Metal Halide, LED, or T5's. Get a quality fixture or build your own.

6) Again, many different skimmers out there. A lot depends on budget. Reef Octopus seems to be a decent option for the price. They have a few different lines depending on what the application and feature you're looking for.

7) That kit is as good as any. I don't even test for ammonia any more, just do my water changes and test Ca, Alk, and Mg.

8) TBS is a bit spendy in my opinion. You'll find decent deals on rock from people breaking down their tanks local. TBS is known for having a bunch of hitchhikers, both good and bad.

Take your time, educate yourself and start slowly. There are things you'll east to do on the cheap and others you'll want to spend the extra $ on. Everyone is going to have their opinion. Stock with what works for you. You'll likely end up borrowing ideas from multiple successful reefers, I know I have.

Best of luck! :thumbsup:

 

[ATtekrub]

Instant ocean, to me, isn't the highest quality! Try Red Sea Pro salt!

 

[madadi]

I think by bubbler he means an air stone and you don't need it. just use a small pump to turn the water. an air stone will cause too much salt creep because all the bubble will brake and cause small splashes at the water surface also speeding up evaporation in my opinion.

 

[melvinakshay]

Jebao is awesome.. well worth the money. I would recommend 2 of them. Well if you have a good return pump in your sump you don't really need them.

My aquarium is in the living room so I never used a heater before. I've used a heater for the ro water though as that was stored in the garage.

So all you really need :
Tank
Lights (any cheap Chinese brand)
Sump and skimmer (buy a used skimmer. They all work kinda the same. The pump is what makes or breaks the skimmer)
Salt
Water ( for fish only you don't need RODI water. I used tap water when I had the FOWLR.)
A test kit (just a basic one will do. You don't need to check Ca Dkh or Mg)
Magnetic Algae scrapper(well worth it)
Refractometer

 

[johnike]

If you need sand, I have a as much as you can carry home, free.
Just needs rinsing.

 

[Timber77]

I would look for used stuff. drill the tank for sure.
Ive got a reef keeper lite system for $100 used for sale if you want it, it will control your heater, lights, pumps etc , monitor ph etc. its not as good as apex, but for a beginner tank you get a lot of bang for your buck. I would never run a heater without a controller , the temp control in most heaters is cheap and will eventually get stuck in the "on" position and you will boil your tank, controller greatly limits this possibility.
do you have a canopy? if so i have 2 2 bulb t5s retros with reflectors you can have for $30 each Im in Lemont I wouldn't worry about the test kits, just go to reef shop and pay them the couple bucks, after awhile you will only care about mg, ca, alk , once the tank cycles no need for ammonia etc.
Definitely run an in sump or external skimmer, don't get a hang on, one more way to flood if you have a hang on, and they are not as good as a real skimmer.
the jebeao wp pumps are really good for the money, used tunze are nice as well.
I'm sure there are a lot of local reefers around with extra lights, skimmers, etc if you look around.

Rock, would buy local, as guy above said lots of tank breakdowns etc.

other supplies, toothbrushes, turkey baster, power strips , (controller is a nice thing to have like reef keeper, apex, etc), possibly fan for temp control, net, thermometer (or controller has one). a container for holding your ro/di water, not necessary but very handy is an auto top off setup (many kinds avail) fish foods,

don't buy = any medications, some will do way more harm, if you use one with copper you won't be able to keep corals later down the road

have fun.

 

[Tvarr]

Thanks to all that have replied and pm'd. I am soaking this all in. It is starting to solidify in my mind. I will definitely take all your advice and look for used stuff and take it slow.

Timber77 Let me read up on the Reef Keeper and I will most likely take you up on it!