Newbie

[daskibum]

Hi everyone. My name is Josh. The woman just won herself a Reefer 170. The problem? We haven't ever really owned fish, just ate them. But since she won an aquarium we decided fish are friends, not food.

So... we are in Denver and went to Elite Reef and talked to them. It seems they are one of the few salt water specialty stores I found in the area using the trusty Google. Well... here is what we know:

the system is 43 gallon . The display is 34 gallon 24.5X20X20 inch.

Their recommendation on equipment was:
Aqueon AQ2300 (530 gph) pump
Hydor wavemaker 850 GPH
Hydor heater for 26-53 gal
Lighting he said Kessil and would run $500-$1000 but said we may get away with an A160WE.
They think a protein skimmer is optional.


So... we came home, started looking around building a shopping list. We have:
Hydor Theo Submersible Heater 150W
Hydor Koralia Evolution Pump 600 (550-600 GPH)
Floating glass thermometer
Aqueon AQ2300 (530 gph)
and of course a master test kit.


He said start off with soft coral, so that is what we are planning.

Any recommendations and changes or additions we should do?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Welcome to Reef Central! I highly suggest that you read the sticky with the red arrow called Setting up. Lots of information in there and you will be using it often. Of course if you need any help with something don't hesitate to first use the "search" function as what you come up with question wise has more than likely been answered quite a few times

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

 

[thelawnwrangler]

So Jealous- congrats

It doesn't come with a return pump?

Some of the more experience folks can opine on the lighting, but you might be able to save budget if you are just trying to keep easier coral. That said this hobby sucks you in so if you got the budget and desire maybe go all in.

what are you thinking in terms of RO/DI water?

If I was you I would really start studying coral and fish that I think I wanted, and have plan of what you want. Then needed setup becomes easier.

 

[daskibum]

Welcome to Reef Central! I highly suggest that you read the sticky with the red arrow called Setting up. Lots of information in there and you will be using it often. Of course if you need any help with something don't hesitate to first use the "search" function as what you come up with question wise has more than likely been answered quite a few times

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

Yeah, I am reading a lot. Getting tons of different opinions on everything. A little overwhelmed and having trouble separating needs vs nices to haves. Some stuff people are listing as needs others are saying are not necessary and a waste of money etc. And coming from no clue about any kind of aquarium its just a bit nuts. Reminds me of completely gutting and rebuilding my jeep, except with more theory and less structure. lol

So Jealous- congrats

It doesn't come with a return pump?

Some of the more experience folks can opine on the lighting, but you might be able to save budget if you are just trying to keep easier coral. That said this hobby sucks you in so if you got the budget and desire maybe go all in.

what are you thinking in terms of RO/DI water?

If I was you I would really start studying coral and fish that I think I wanted, and have plan of what you want. Then needed setup becomes easier.

Not from what we see. And everyone I talk to is saying different things on required equipment, whats good and whats bad. I was looking at lighting threads on here and there are tons of different opinions on it and what is best per cost and whatnot. Some saltwater owners are saying no need for wave makers, others are saying they are necessary. Its kinda nuts.

I actually may have a source for RO water... my business partner is heavily involved in with the local curling club which is dedicated ice. They use all RO water for making their ice. And the little woman works for the health department doing water quality control/enforcement so she should be able to do the water quality stuff pretty easily.

Looks like starting with soft coral and clown fish down the road is the way to go if we do the coral thing. That has been recommended a few times for people without a clue.

 

[sde1500]

RO/DI system will save you money in the long run. Bulk reef supply has some good ones at good prices. That also may be more heater than you need. You could probably get away with two 50w heaters, 100w of heat and if one goes haywire it may not have enough power to cook your tank. I'd also get a skimmer. Def check out and read all the stickies at the top. I started this hobby a year ago and they are a huge help.

 

[champion6sigma]

Well first issue I saw is the protein skimmer optional part.

IMO protein skimmer is ESSENTIAL must have.

As far as lighting , I don't like kessil. I think they are limited and boring and hanging them or mounting doesn't look too cool. I'm an ecotech radion user....but there are also so many other choices for small tanks, choices which allow some flexibility and power.

 

[morpheas]

My two cents are a) don't get the cheap API reefmaster, it's good for a ballpark number but a little down the road you're gonna regret it (as I did) and start building an assortment of reputable testers. I would suggest starting with Saliferts from the beginning (unless you can afford the more expensive ones like red sea, elos, nyos etc) and b) since you're new, you should also look into a T5/led hybrid lighting system since those led fixtures add complexity you might not want to deal with in the beginning (where you will have a zillion other things to worry about).

Welcome and good luck!

 

[Jscwerve]

Welcome!

Check out the Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado (MASC) forums for local help. I'd post the link, but I'm unsure of the rules here. I'm on there, same username. Lots of local help, frag swaps, advice, etc. Even help with getting things set up and tank moving.

As far as local stores, IMHO (and many others) Aquatic Art is the place to go. But I also shop at several including Keys Island and Neptune's occasionally.

Hope to see ya around!

 

[nmotz]

Daskibum,

Good lighting system for you is the AI Prime. It's cheap for an LED but has tons of power and will work great for that size system. If you need help setting it up, PM me anytime. It is a tad complicated if I'm honest, but once its programmed it's really a cool system.

T5s are indeed easier for beginners, but I also recommend buying for the future and if you stay in this hobby long enough I think LEDs are probably going to work better in the long term. What I'm saying is that whatever you buy should be something that you will be content with for a while, otherwise you'll end up buying twice.

A skimmer will absolutely keep your tank cleaner, no question. But it is not essential in that your tank will fail if you don't have one. There are too many examples of people keeping nice tanks without skimmers for that to be a law. If you just want to do softies, you might start off without a skimmer no problem. I do think if you want to move on and get stony corals you should look into a skimmer at some point. Maintenance will kill you otherwise.

Going without an RO/DI is going to be costly and time consuming. RO/DI is the way to go. Set up costs are daunting for sure, but once that's over you'll be glad you included an RO/DI.

 

[champion6sigma]

Daskibum,

Good lighting system for you is the AI Prime. It's cheap for an LED but has tons of power and will work great for that size system. If you need help setting it up, PM me anytime. It is a tad complicated if I'm honest, but once its programmed it's really a cool system.

T5s are indeed easier for beginners, but I also recommend buying for the future and if you stay in this hobby long enough I think LEDs are probably going to work better in the long term. What I'm saying is that whatever you buy should be something that you will be content with for a while, otherwise you'll end up buying twice.

A skimmer will absolutely keep your tank cleaner, no question. But it is not essential in that your tank will fail if you don't have one. There are too many examples of people keeping nice tanks without skimmers for that to be a law. If you just want to do softies, you might start off without a skimmer no problem. I do think if you want to move on and get stony corals you should look into a skimmer at some point. Maintenance will kill you otherwise.

Going without an RO/DI is going to be costly and time consuming. RO/DI is the way to go. Set up costs are daunting for sure, but once that's over you'll be glad you included an RO/DI.

There should be a law LOL.

Other than a fish store holding tanks for fish...I've never seen a setup without one. It depends on the bioload. Obviously when you throw aquarium together and add some coral its not important. Once you start adding fish, especially in the tiny tank you are getting, and once you make the age old newbie mistake of overfeeding, a protein skimmer is beyond help...its like a gift from GOD Probably the people who don't use one have large tanks only...or one fish only.

Same with RODI....no ones going to die if you don't have one...it just makes life easier than buying and transporting water. weekly Plus you can do water changes easier, more often, and can control the quality, and also salt quality. Which like i said before, in a small tank everything gets dirty quicker...it will be easy when you just have a coral or two at beginning...but once its established...nutrients of water will be used up fast. Detriment will collect. Mechanical filtration will be recommended also.


I like an LED recommendation. They are the future! Especially for a small tank...I don't think tubes or halides are needed or wanted. I use ecotech radion.

 

[TimeConsumer]

Good stuff stated so far. But I want to address your specific equipment you mentioned:

Hydor Theo Submersible Heater 150W Works fine. But many of us recommend using some sort of controller on your heater like a Ranco, Apex, or Reefkeeper. If it gets stuck on (and it happens), you boil your tank.
Hydor Koralia Evolution Pump 600 (550-600 GPH) Good pumps for the money, I would get 2 of them.
Floating glass thermometer Nothing wrong with that.
Aqueon AQ2300 (530 gph) Eh. Shell out for an Eheim 1260 if you can. Sicce and Danner Mag Drive are all good ones too.
and of course a master test kit. Nope. Maybe the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate for testing. But still very underwhelming accuracy. You have to shake the nitrate reagent bottles for a good 2 minutes to get somewhat accurate results. Calc, alk, and mag are just a waste with API. Horrible to use. Salifert or Red Sea are good choices.

 

[morpheas]

Aqueon AQ2300 (530 gph) Eh. Shell out for an Eheim 1260 if you can. Sicce and Danner Mag Drive are all good ones too.

I would up the ante and say if you can afford it get a DC pump. I have a jebao brand and I love it (silent, controllable, very good performance).

 

[daskibum]

Thanks for the advice on all this. Budget is a minor concern and we will spend a bit of extra money on things that are worth it. We don't want to blow money on stuff that is far overkill for the tank size and what we are doing, especially since its the first time we have ever done an aquarium. I never realized how big this hobby is...

 

[dustinkimpel]

Thanks for the advice on all this. Budget is a minor concern and we will spend a bit of extra money on things that are worth it. We don't want to blow money on stuff that is far overkill for the tank size and what we are doing, especially since its the first time we have ever done an aquarium. I never realized how big this hobby is...

I would give anything to have won that dang thing lol. Congrats! you are so lucky.