New to SW, Forum, and all

[mhopper321]

So I am now going on my 4th day of reading this forum and trying to absorb all I can from all the veterans in here. I have read 2 books about keeping a reef tank and read I think every forum post on the net in the last week trying to filter all the info and put it together for what I am working on. I want to add some photos of my tank and start a build thread but I dont know how to post pics on here so if someone could help me out there I will start putting photos up and list all my specs so everyone can critique or admire or whatever and help me get going shortly. Thanks ahead of time and I look forward to getting to know some of you.

 

[amonchak]

Check out the marinecolorado.org site too.

 

[mhopper321]

Ok Got the photos uploaded.

Have List:
85gal AGA with custom screening on top of tank that I made DIY project 1
Right now probably have 40lbs of old base rock(used to be live)
I have a ecodrive 633gph return pump
coralife 65 protein skimmer (may be too small we will see)
soon to have a new 44gal 3 stage sump/fuge
45 lbs crushed coral substrate
adding 30lbs of live rock and 10 lbs live sand when I get water from LFS
T5 6x54 watt fixture with 4 6500k and 2 actinic bulbs.

Need list:
need some powerheads (at least 1 to create flow other than return line)
Need water, LR and LS so I can get this thing going and cycle it.
Need macros for refugium (should I cycle with this or add later?)

Anyways thats all I can think of for now but Im sure Ill add more later. Hopefully this is good enough to start. I Hope you all enjoy and feel free to comment and critique. Ive got tough skin and can take it! :rollface:

Oh yeah and my plan is to start with CUC, then add softies as I go with small fish. Any ideas on this would be excellent! Thanks

 

[Tajjo]

Cheato is a great thing to have, also buy a few pieces of live rock and a few handfuls of live sand give it a month and kaboom you got yourself a small ecosystem.

 

[Frankenpora]

Welcome.
The key piece of advice in saltwater is that only bad things happen fast in
saltwater. That becomes more true as you climb the ladder from fish only, to soft coral, lps, and sps...
Remember to be patient. Many of the mistakes that kill tanks are simple.
Don't add saltwater to make up for evaporation.
Don't use freshwater to do a water change.
Don't rush out and get a chemical cure for a problem. Find the reason for
the issue and solve that.
Saltwater is'nt that hard... It's preventing yourself from overreacting and making simple mistakes that
is hard.
There are always resources on this site. Be sure to venture in to the sections that relate to what you are doing... like LPS forum etc.

Good luck, take your time, and take good advice with a grain of salt until you
know that someone knows their stuff... Usually these are the people that
other knowledgeable keepers are listening to.

 

[adova]

Here is a stocking method / cycling startup article (at bottom of page) that I like: http://www.chucksaddiction.com/cleanupcrew.html

 

[mhopper321]

Sp thanks top spleify my tank is nearly running today. One more 32gal can of water and im off and running. We made big progress today in getting everything checked and up as well as drilled a hole in my wall from garage to aquarium to pump straight fresh top off water into the sump as it gets low. I will add the float valve later this week. Thanks Leif Im getting ready to turn on the pumps and run tonight!

 

[mhopper321]

TANK IS UP AND RUNNING!!! Spleify came over today and we made a few mods and got the water put in which I finished off tonight just now. Got the protein skimmer set, return flow set, maxijet1200 with a 2100gph fan mod running and all systems are a go! Tank is cloudy right now but should be much better by tomorrow some time. Now I am excited! Gonna try to run it for a month before I put anything into it so I can make sure Im up to speed on keeping parameters in check and have a good foundation of microorganisms established. Today Spleify and I also drilled a hole in my wall from the garage to the tank since my RO/DI station is directly on the other side of the wall and tomorrow I will buy a float valve for the sump and T into the outflow of the RO/DI for an ATO. Seems like the easiest most efficient way to do it with the least amount of canisters for holding water. Have to adjust the jet in the tank tomorrow as it occasionally starts making a whirlpool sucking sound thats quite loud. Will post more pics tomorrow once everything clears up and I have more light to work. Thanks for all the tips so far and for following along here.