Very interested in Marine Life wanting to start....

[Fish5645]

So as the subject says i think this is very amusing and want to start a aquariam. I pretty much have no experience in fish and the last time was about 5 years ago when I was around 10, I had fish was in a 10g freshwater tank and wouldn't you know it they all died with in weeks. So I've had fish before that as well and they also die as soon as I get them, yep.... I don't know how to raise fish. Anyways to the point, I wanted to start a reef tank so any advices on what to do would be greatly appreciated and I've been reading a lil' bit of this and that on this site for example: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1031074 . Just wondering on what I should do and get to get into this hobby


Cheers

[mwwhite]

<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

We are certainly no experts but we will share how we started by what we felt was important.

We started in the reef chemistry forum. We felt it was critical to understand the water chemistry for marine life to thrive. We didn't move from that forum for months. There is so much to water chemistry, we felt if we learned the basic science of it and how to maintain it we had the foundation for a healthy environment.

From reef chemistry we moved in to the hardware aspects of it so that when we were ready we knew what we needed and able to budget for it. We felt very strongly that if we couldn't do it the best way we knew how - we weren't going to do it. So budgeting for it became important as well as this can be an expensive hobby. We learned about sumps, refugiums, lighting, the list goes on and on -- we quickly learned that we needed to know what it is we wanted to accomplish with the aquarium. Did we want corals, did we want fish only, live rock? Why was that important.

I will keep this short, our point being is this is a very complex hobby depending on what your trying to accomplish with your aquarium. Understand what it is you want, read, read, read and then read some more. Take it one step at a time, biology is also a very important subject. The biggest thing I can share is GO SLOW, make very careful and precise decisions and know why your making them. DO NOT listen to your local LFS, that may be harsh -- take their opinions in to consideration but do not, do not, react based soley on their input.

This site is invaluable with the knowledge from very, very experienced reefers. READ, RESEARCH, READ, RESEARCH.

Good Luck!

[chrisqueenz]

Reasearch, research and before you get the tank going research again! You have chosen a great hobby!

[Sk8r]

Buy a used system if you can find one local: but run it past members on RC with specs and brands and we can tell you within minutes whether it's ok or not. Also be SURE it's a reef system and that no copper has been used in it [poisonous, and persistent: used for medicine, and some people don't know not to put it into a living tank: that's the biggest trap you can get into].

Really crusted-up nasty looking equipment can be cleaned quite readily by seting up a little maxijet pump to run pure white vinegar in it/through it. Usually the crusted stuff goes away within 24 hours, and you can wipe it with a paper towel and be ready to go.

There are some turnkey new systems like the 24g Aquapod that are pretty good: you can learn the basics, keep a little coral, and not get in too deep financially. You are very limited as to what fish and coral you can keep in a 24g, but if you can be happy within those limits, great.

Also---you may have a great lfs [local fish store] or not. Test the quality of advice they give you by flying it past this site and seeing what the rest of us say: if we agree the advice is good, you can pretty well assume they know what they're talking about. If we say OMG no, you have just dodged a bullet. Many lfs's are excellent. Some aren't, and will tell you things like 'add a damsel' and sell you an expensive filter for what's intended to be a coral tank [uses no filter.]

All tanks start with a process called 'cycling', in which saltwater, sand [not crushed coral!] and 'live' rock produce bacteria and prepare the way for fish and corals.

It is not true that fish only grow to fit the tank. Get fish appropriate for your gallonage, and quarantine them in a spare, bare hospital tank for at least 2 weeks for observation so they don't import parasites: these fish are wild-caught, and may import things lethal to other fish. In a 24g, you want fish whose adult size is 2" or under: the Live Aquaria site among our sponsors will tell you how big these fish grow. In some cases, the answer is two FEET. ;) So do read up before you buy.

A really good size for a non-turnkey tank is around 50 gallons. Big enough for a larger range of fish [no tangs, no angels: they get too big]. Big enough for standard equipment.

I highly recommend you get a reef-ready [pre-drilled] tank: too much is new in this for you to be applying a power drill to a glass tank trying to fit a bulkhead. Buy the reef-ready, and the bulkheads and downflow are already in, readying you for a 'sump,' or bottom tank under the stand, which will hold your: pump, heater, skimmer, and provide 20-30 extra gallons of water in your system---a source of greater chemical stability.

Remember these systems evaporate water hand over fist, and salt doesn't evaporate. You have to supply them fresh water daily to keep from having Dead Sea conditions, and there are little pumps that will do this from a side reservoir of fresh water---but these work best on a 50g system. The little tanks are a continual battle to keep stable and on chemical even keel: they're harder than big tanks, considerably. So when considering what to get, don't ever think a little system is easier. That's why I recommend the 50---small enough to do your requisite water changes with only 2 buckets, not 20, big enough not to resonate to every micro-change in the water. If a snail dies in a 10g system, it's a chemical crisis: if a snail dies in a 50g system, you'll only notice it when you count snails, and it won't, overall, be a problem: the ample bacteria in your rock and sand take care of it.

HTH.

[stuccodude]

hang out at a local fish store that specializes in salt water animals and good luck

[rickytikki]

Don't get one until you have saved up enough money to get what you need. A lot of the stuff you can get used and cheap on ebay. And remember, the bigger the tank you get the easier it will be to keep stable. Even though it will cost more up front, in the long run a bigger tank will be a lot cheaper and give you A LOT less headaches.

[Fish5645]

Okay thanks for all the input just got couple more questions.

Whats a sump tank? and a nano tank?

and are there any other places to get research on these topics?

[Sk8r]

A nano is a very small, [difficult!] tank.
A sump is a second, four to five chambered tank below the stand [or in your basement] that holds your heater, your skimmer, and your return pump: if you have a reef-ready, predrilled tank, it's a piece of cake to connect two hoses and have it ready to go. Its extra 20-30 gallons of water makes your system more stable, hides the ugly equipment and contains your likely spills; plus serves as a place to add chemicals without having it hit your fish in the face; and a place to put the suspicious crab you found in your live rock but haven't the heart to kill.