Need help w/tank selection and finding LFS

T

Trincate

New member
Greetings everyone. I made a post in the newbie forums and was directed over here. Wow am I glad I found this forum!

I live in the Akron/Canton area (Hartville to be specific) and I've been bitten by the reef aquarium bug. At present I'm doing a ton of research to find the setup that would work best for my office. I've found that most of the local shops in the Akron/Canton area that I've visited carry a very limited (if any) reef tanks. On top of that two of the shops I've visted want to sell me on this whole in home service/setup deal....which I'm not that interested in. One guy at the shop when I asked about Nitrate/Nitrite tests told me "I dont even test for that stuff...it's not that important"

Which brings me here. I'm hoping to find a reputable dealer who can stear me in the right direction. I don't mind driving up to the Cleveland area if necessary.


My wants/needs. I think I have room where I want to put the tank for about a 65-70ish gallon tank. I pretty much need a complete setup as I'm starting from scratch. I'm completely new to reef tanks and require a bit of hand holding and some education (although I'm reading several books/forums to help w/the learning curve).

Ideally I'd like to place the tank in the corner you see in the pictures below....and I'd like to try to find a stand/hood that approximates the stain on my desk you see in the picture.

My questions.

1.) Based on what you see, is that to large of an aquarium for that corner?

2.) What dealers do you guys use? Who do you trust?

3.) Is a corner shaped aquarium (pie shaped) appropriate for a reef tank or should I go with something more traditional?

Thanks in advance for any advice you might provide.

This is the corner area I'm considering for my tank. It's in my home office
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An alternative location which is a little less attractive do to proximity to my desk and PC

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This is the stain/color of my desk that I'd like to match to the hood/stand of the new aquarium

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PS......Go Mountaineers!!!!!!!:rollface:
 
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My questions.

1.) Based on what you see, is that to large of an aquarium for that corner? Not at all.

2.) What dealers do you guys use? Who do you trust? Salty Critter (Vermillion, OH) is my favorite. Aquatic Technologies has some decent livestock as well. However the atmosphere at Salty would lend itself better to someone just starting out.

3.) Is a corner shaped aquarium (pie shaped) appropriate for a reef tank or should I go with something more traditional? You may find that a corner aquarium is a bit challenging when it comes to lighting, etc. However, a nice corner display can be interesting. Personally, I think bow fronts and bended glass warp the view angle too much and distract from the final look.

Thanks in advance for any advice you might provide.
 
<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

I'm located in Canton near the Belden Village Mall, and there definitely isn't much down this way in terms of saltwater. Wet Pets Plus gets some decent livestock in sometimes, but don't count on getting good deals there.

Salty Critter as Jeff said is great. I try and make a trip up there about once a month. If you find yourself in a bind and you need stuff fast, you can order online from them, and it gets to you next day.

Anyway, I think a rimless cube with a sleek pendant fixture would look awesome in that corner.

Good Luck.
 
Welcome to RC, glad to see another reefer in the local area. Your best bet is to look for tanks on craiglist, if you are into getting deals. If money is not an issue then you would more than likely have to travel up to Cleveland to get RR tanks, either that or go to Petco in barberton. My shop of choice is Coral Reef ( the cheapest fish in the area, although never much of a selection). The other shop would have to be Wet Pets in Canton. My only advice for you would be to read as much as you can in this forum ( especially people with tank threads of your intended purchase size). And also go with the largest tank size you think you can afford, because you will always want to go bigger. I went from a 40g to a 75 in less than 3 months, I now want to go bigger :).
 
oh ya its 48" long so you will need at least that much room. And for your help you might wanna call an electrician your gonna have a hard time with 1 outlet. I have almost 20 different cords that run off my tank.
 
Salty Critter has been great to me.

Corner tanks are a challenge but I love mine, and have some pics in my gallery.
 
Corner tanks pose unique challenges, however, they look great in an office. People are usually amazed to see a corner aquarium. Plus it doesn't take up a huge wall. We have a 54 corner in my husbands office and have had great luck with it. The lighting is definitely a challenge, however, I have a 30" 250 watt sunpod HQI on the tank and everything is doing great. The only things that I would do differently if I was to do it again with a corner would be to get the Reef Ready corner that All-Glass (Aqueon) has. I purchased mine thinking that I would just have a fish - only tank and it wasn't already drilled so unfortunately, I don't have a sump. Also, I agree, I would go with the biggest tank that you can afford and run/maintain that will fit in your office. The corners also come in 72 and 92 gallon as well as 54 and 34. So there is enough to choose from in your range. Getting a 72 or 92 corner RR will also give you more room in the stand for a sump/refugium if you want to go that route as well as better lighting choices. However, the corner tanks are deep so I would not even consider Power Compacts but look to T-5 or even better, metal halide for the depth.

On the other hand, it is alot easier with a rectangular or bowfront tank to find equipment. It is truly personal choice that would look good no matter what. Just understand that this hobby is addicting!!!
 
I am in Rootstown.... If you ever need any help or would like to see my setup feel free to PM me and I would be happy to help out. Salty Critter in Vermilion is hands down the best place for livestock/rock/coral etc... drygoods as well..

If you need something fast you can order online from them. I also like Premium Aquatics for online drygoods ordering as they are in IN and orders arrive next day usually.

I would make a trip to the Critter and talk to Dan or Shawn about what you want and they can help get you setup...
 
My best advice as a newbie would be to get this book:

'The Conscientious Marine Aquarist' by Robert Fenner

You can find it on Amazon. This book was always at my side for the first 2 years in the hobby.

Good luck. This hobby can be very exciting and frustrating all at the same time. It just takes a little patience.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13617710#post13617710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rwp1202
My best advice as a newbie would be to get this book:

'The Conscientious Marine Aquarist' by Robert Fenner

You can find it on Amazon. This book was always at my side for the first 2 years in the hobby.

Good luck. This hobby can be very exciting and frustrating all at the same time. It just takes a little patience.
Click to expand...
One of two that I recommend to new people as well. The other I recommend is "The New Marine Aquarium" by Mike Paletta
 
Make a trip to the library a couple of times. I think I checked out all of their reefing books twice.
 
Update:

I made the trip to Vermillion this weekend w/the family to visit Salty Critter. I met Dan who talked me through all the various tank choices.

Thanks to everyone who steared me towards Salty Critter, Dan was extremely helpful, including offering to put together the system "plug & play" so i didn't have to worry about wiring stuff, plumbing stuff, painting stuff etc.

Top notch service to be sure. Assuming I get everything approved through the finance comittee (wife) I should be setting up a new tank very soon.
 
Dan has everything to make that happen too ,,that's for sure . and it will be a nice set up too, he will do you right on a new plug and play set up ,,hope the wife is ok with the price ,,,,,lol

May i suggest Flowers, drawn bath w/bubbles, breakfast in bed for her and kids, car washes, trips to the local craft stores. To start asap .....
 
All good advice Murph. If she isn't into scrapbooking already, get her involved with it. It's a great hobby for the ladies plus it makes it easier to justify your purchases. :D
 
Update 2:

I've recived approval via the finance committee (wife). I'll be picking up the tank and all my stuff next weekend:)
 
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