New to the Hobby

[SR_Matthew]

I have recently moved to a house and have the room for an aquarium. I am very interested in starting a saltwater tank and have been reading up on how to set one up. However, I would like to see how one is set up in real life and to talk to experienced reefers to understand the true commitment required to be a good reefer.

I live in Santa Rosa, so if there are reefers in the area who would be willing to mentor a newbie I would greatly appreciate it. In return I can be another set of hands and help with water changes, etc.

Thank you!

Regards,
Matthew

 

[andrepeixoto]

Hi Mathew, Welcome to the hobby!!!

First: Keep it simple on the beginning, and as you get experience you can develop your system
Second: A bigger tank is more stable, I recommend at least a 40+ gal to start.

Thats my first 2 tips. I'm sure the other members will have much more tips for you.

 

[mav3rick478]

Welcome Matthew,

Saltwater itself weighs 7lbs per gallon, keep that in mind when thinking of where you're setting up the tank.

Equipment is like buying car parts, you get what you pay for but there are always those gems that are inexpensive and very reliable.

Like Andre said, keep it simple in the beginning because your tank will evolve as you gain experience and want to try new things.

Yuri

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

 

[Reef Bass]

Welcome Matthew to RC and the Wine Country Reefers!

Salt water weighs about 8.5lbs per gallon. Yuri must be using some kind of light weight salt substitute.

Seriously, fresh water weighs in at about 8.3lbs per gallon, so a bit more for salt water.

Remember the old saying "a pint's a pound the world around"? With 8 pints per gallon, that's 8 lbs. Fairly accurate for an old saying.

 

[SR_Matthew]

Thanks for the responses. I have been reading up about saltwater tanks and there is a lot of information out there. I am still just gather information and not quite ready to start one yet. It does look like a bigger thank is easier than the nano ones and most people seem to upgrade to a bigger thank pretty quickly. Since I have the space, I am thinking of doing either the red sea reefer 350 or 450. Of course I need to save up for all the equipment that come with the set up. I am doing it slowly but I rather get the best equipment I can afford and do it right the first time than having to upgrade frequently. I think in the long run it may be cheaper. Please feel free to share your experience and let me know if I am totally off. Thanks for all the input so far!

 

[firefly73]

wish i had been as patient as you matthew!!!!!!

There are so many different ways to be a salty but from my perspective my "tip" would be Start with a softies tank around the 40g size.

keep it really simple few star poylps some mushies bit of xenia.
couple of super hardy fish. 2 chromis and a lawnmower blenny etc

a system like this is low maintenance low flow low light. a great place to start. it will show you approx how much work goes into a basic tank. experience it test it watch it research and ask questions.

mimimum gear would be...... tank (steer clear of deep tanks),live rock , sand, heater, powerheads, decent quality light basic test kits rodi kit and water containers.
bear in mind this tank requires more human effort ie water changes vac sand clean glass etc Qutie cheap and simple a great way to test the water so to speak.

the natural progression seems to be softies/fish > mixed lps/softies/ fish> to mixed lps sps/fish then small % >sps/fish. Not everyone follows this ofcourse but as skills progress you tend to reach for the next "level".

upto softies, some lps/ fish you can with care get away with the same gear as softies/fish.

once you move to more sensitive fish, cuc (clean up crews) hammers and torches or any of the larger lps time to grab skimmers, (ofcourse you can get this whenever you wish BUT whenever you change tanks etc skimmers pumps heaters lights etc etc all need to suit) .........better lights perhaps. programmable wavemakers etc (most lps seem to enjoy gentle pulse and flow rather than straight flow)

this above point is probaly where you may want to get your larger tank and better gear. If you ever think you may try sps then buy gear suited to keeping sps as if you decide later that its not for you , you can always turn down pumps, skimmers and most lights etc but if you buy for lps and then go sps more $$$.

I think alot of people under estimate the amount of learning required which = time spent in the hobby. or they over estimate the amount of time needed to maintain a tank and hence never do it in the first place.

i probably spend 3 hrs a week reading/posting or thinking and about 2 avg hrs on maintenance weekly. earlier on this was more like 3hrs learning and 4-5 hrs maintaining. (140g in 2 tanks plumbed to the same sump)



regards bruce

 

[WiDataTech]

This hobby is expensive, but cheaper to buy it right than buy it twice!

 

[mav3rick478]

Salt water weighs about 8.5lbs per gallon. Yuri must be using some kind of light weight salt substitute.

Doh, Ken you've found out my secret shhhhh! I'm actually thinking of switching salts since my bucket of RC is finally almost all gone.

Water changes cure a lot of mishaps.

Try to keep track of all your testing results, water changes, tank additions or subtractions. I use Google Sheets to keep track since its free and conveniently accessible on my phone and computers.

 

[SR_Matthew]

Love this forum. Everyone is so generous with their expertise! Thank you all. Especially to Bruce for the thoughtful response. I have been thinking about getting a nano tank just to get my feet wet and then using it as a QT once I get a bigger tank. Keeping a softie tank sounds like a manageable task based on what I have read so far. I may just give that a try. I need to work out a budget for a big tank and see what a small one would cost. I am hoping the small tank won't put too big of a dent into my big tank savings.

Thanks again, everyone!

Regards,
Matthew

 

[Reef Bass]

Funny Yuri.

Matthew, you might consider collecting Zoanthids / Palythoas too. They're pretty, easier in general, our club has a considerable assortment and they often make up a significant percentage of raffle items.

That said, some of them can be incredibly toxic (containing palytoxin) so you should be aware of that. The official line is to always wear gloves and eye protection when handling them, especially when fragging, and to always wash your hands afterwards. I've never had a problem but if you search on RC you can find people with very scary experiences.

 

[SR_Matthew]

Funny Yuri.

Matthew, you might consider collecting Zoanthids / Palythoas too. They're pretty, easier in general, our club has a considerable assortment and they often make up a significant percentage of raffle items.

That said, some of them can be incredibly toxic (containing palytoxin) so you should be aware of that. The official line is to always wear gloves and eye protection when handling them, especially when fragging, and to always wash your hands afterwards. I've never had a problem but if you search on RC you can find people with very scary experiences.

Thanks. I was reading about Zoanthids and Palythoas but wasn't sure if they will be suitable for a beginner. Thanks for the information. There is much I need to learn.

 

[swk]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum and this money pit of a hobby! I am around today off and on if you'd like to come see a tank. Mine is entirely focused on sps and more specificslly, the genus Acropora. Send me a PM for contact info if you're interested.

 

[Reef Bass]

Sean, you should try some A. spathulata and A. monticulosa. They have a great conical, chubby branch growth form. They are not easy, however.

 

[swk]

Sean, you should try some A. spathulata and A. monticulosa. They have a great conical, chubby branch growth form. They are not easy, however.

Are they any more difficult than enchilada or simplex?

I'm running out of room is the only problem. I have the ultimate custom frag pack coming from Adam @ BC and this'll just about put me over the top, but some AMAZING stuff coming.

 

[swk]

Are they any more difficult than enchilada or simplex?

I'm running out of room is the only problem. I have the ultimate custom frag pack coming from Adam @ BC and this'll just about put me over the top, but some AMAZING stuff coming.

Haha autocorrect. EchiNATA lol...

 

[Reef Bass]

Yeah I hadn't heard of A. enchilada but it's making me hungry.

I have not tried either of those two.

I found A. spathulata to be the more difficult between that and A. monticulosa. Just love the growth form.

Clearly you're ready for a bigger tank now.

 

[dday80]

Welcome to the hobby Matthew!

I will second WiDataTech in that saving and buying quality equipment in the beginning is your best bet.

What makes you want a salt water tank in the first place? Have you had fish tanks in the past? There is a lot of information out there, so read and read and read. I've found the articles from this site very useful. Here are a few authors that have great write ups:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/author/rhf.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/author/tm.php

This last one might apply to where you're currently at:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-11/newbie/index.php

 

[SR_Matthew]

Thanks for all the great feedback. All the pointers and links to resources are much appreciated. I decided to start with a nano tank (thanks, Bruce for the suggestion). I ordered a IM Nevo Fusion 20 over the weekend. I know that a smaller tank may be more challenging to keep but I am going to do it slowly and use it as a model for an eventual larger tank.

I am going to use all the equipment that I would need in a larger tank, like a protein skimmer, reactors, etc. I think this will give me a first-hand experience in understanding the function and purpose of each equipment and experience the type of work that would be involved in keeping a reef tank.

I have not thought about life stock yet but I am thinking soft corals and maybe just a couple clown fish to get started. I am going to take my time in setting up the tank and make sure I complete and cycle and have a stable environment before I add anything fish or coral into the tank.

I will keep you posted. In the meantime if there are any other advise and suggestions I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you again!

Matthew

 

[mav3rick478]

If you do a fishless cycle with a piece of shrimp, put it in a nylon stocking like the ones at shoe stores they leave our for trying on shoes. It makes it easier to remove the decaying matter when your cycle is complete.

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

 

[SR_Matthew]

If you do a fishless cycle with a piece of shrimp, put it in a nylon stocking like the ones at shoe stores they leave our for trying on shoes. It makes it easier to remove the decaying matter when your cycle is complete.

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

that's a great idea. thanks for the tip.