Jumped in head first

[ninjamunky]

Hey everyone, my name's Ryan. First post here and I just started lurking a few hours ago.

Anyway I've wanted a saltwater aquarium since I was a kid and now that I've recently purchased a house I finally had a place to put one. So this weekend I kinda went a little crazy and bought a 72gal bow front tank along with some basic equipment and stuff to get started, plus 72 lbs of live Fiji rock from my LFS.

I will admit my first mistake and confess that I used tap water to fill the tank. I now realize the error of my ways and will stick to only using filtered water from now on. A RO filter is first thing on the purchase list. I've read some good and bad when it come to tap water so I'm just crossing my fingers at this point.

Before I go any further here is my equipment list.

72gal bow front tank + stand and top
Fluval Sea 2.0 marine LED
Fluval 406 canister filter - for tanks up to 100 gal
Fluval Sea CP4 circulation pump - 1375 GPH
elive 250w shatterproof heater


Other than that it was sand and salt and rock. Anyway I'm thinking I should get another heater, another pump, and a protein skimmer. Was wondering what the recommendations were for those items and the best place to get them??? Plus is there anything else that I need?

I've got a hydrometer but I'd like to get a refractometer or whatever it is... Right now I've just got some basic test strips to test the water. What should I be using to do that? My levels seem good but I know it's very early in the process. I'm not in any hurry to rush things, I'd much rather take my time. I'm not really even sure where I want to go with this tank, might start by adding more rock.

as you can see I'm all over the place right now, a little in over my head but feeling good. I've come here for your help,.. so Please guide me reef central :wave:

 

[ninjamunky]

Here's some pictures of my tank.

 

[Sk8r]

Nice! We have a sticky file called SETTING UP that will answer a lot of questions---monster thing, but broken up into topics. And welcome in!

 

[CStrickland]

Hi Ryan!
you're gonna have so much fun
then something will get you really angry and frustrated
then you'll figure that bit out and be really proud of yourself
Hope your luck is good and it's more fun than angry

For keeping track of the cycle I like the seachem ammonia badges, they're like $4 and they stick on the glass inside the tank and change color for diff levels. It's way easier than testing all the time. You'll want a decent nitrate test, since that's something you'll monitor after the cycle is finished. I use the API one happily but lots of people say the more expensive ones like elos or red sea are better.
Once you get your head around the nitrogen cycle I would suggest reading up on quarantine. If you decide to do a serious QT you'll want to start off on the right foot with that. It's much harder if you wait until the animals are sick to learn about diseases.
Another thing that makes it a lot easier is if you have an idea of what you want to keep in the tank. Choosing equipment is way easier if you know how much poop you will process and how clean the water needs to be (some fish poop a lot, some coral are picky about water having poop in it).
Also, a budget makes it easier to recommend equipment.



PS The sticky sk8r recommended is very good for learning about reefing. This site is a place to buy fish online, but they have really good pics and info about the tank sizes diff fish need and their diets etc. as well as coral, like if it is good for beginners http://www.liveaquaria.com/

 

[ninjamunky]

Thanks I'll pick up one of the seachem badges. I definitely plan on doing a QT tank. I'm thinking of just picking of one of the small rimless tank kits like I saw at my LFS.

Obviously I'll be starting out with fish and the live rock but my plan is to add coral in the future. I wasn't dead set on any certain type of fish though. I'm still in the planning stage there. I'd like to get some clown fish but I really just want a nice variety of creatures.

 

[kmbyrnes]

Welcome to RC.
Hope you have a great time reefing.
Read lots, ask questions, and take the time to enjoy your tank.

 

[snorvich]

Nice! We have a sticky file called SETTING UP that will answer a lot of questions---monster thing, but broken up into topics. And welcome in!

Excellent suggestion!

[welcome]

 

[shifty51008]

Welcome, imo if you want corals i would return the light you have for a better one. That light is only good for lighting the tank not for growing corals with 504 leds and it ia only 35 watts total each led isnt putting out much. If you want leds and stay on the cheaper side look up marsaqua brand and get 2 of them.

 

[joshbrookkate]

Welcome, Ryan!

Go slow.
Enjoy the learning, the planning, the set up and the process as your tank cycles.
Don't make an impulse buy of fish or equipment.
Go slow.
And keep asking questions here.

Best of luck!
Michelle

 

[Marchillo]

Ryan - welcome aboard

Read up on the various QT methods. If you decide to try TTM, which a lot of people here use a lot, then take advantage of the petco $1/gallon sale. You can pretty much get everything you need for $100 less.

There are 100 topics to cover and that sticky will have basically everything but figured I'd touch on one topic.

 

[e048]

Ditch the canister get a sump

 

[ninjamunky]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Looks like I've got a lot to learn. I think I will try to return/exchange the light I have and get something better. I'm also going to get some more live rock, probably about 35lbs or so to give some more places for fish to hide.

Is there any reason to not add more rock straight to the tank at this point? The rock I'm getting is from the local lfs and it's cured in their tanks... Also what kind of creatures should I be looking at when the tank is ready? I was thinking of starting with some snails and hermit crabs for cleaning. Or should I add some fish first?

I don't even know what kind of fish I want to start with. There are so many options available I'm a little lost. What kind of fish am I limited to with a 72gal tank? Like what's the biggest fish I can expect to keep and not just have that one fish in the tank obviously.?.?

 

[e048]

Honestly a 72bowfront dimensions are weird, you could do some wrasses and a clown pair with some small gobies or a blenny or two