New to hobby, what to buy on black Friday?

[Alex1524]

Hey guys, I have a 57 gallon rimless tank that's been running for almost 2 weeks now. I have 60lbs of live rock/60lbs of live sand. Here is a link to my build....

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2086121&highlight=edge+57

My question is, what should I buy during black Friday. I want to stock up now while prices are low. What types of things will I need for the future for my tank? Any types of additives/supplements? I eventually want to put soft corals along with fish. Should I buy calcium, pH buffer, test kits for both normal tests and reef tests? I also need to buy powerheads to get my water circulating for the corals. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

[michaelr]

Hey, i was looking at the build thread and it really looks great. My question is though how many watts is that light fixture. I have a feeling it may be on the low side to be keeping corals alive. Personally, i am going to be stocking up on extra light bulbs (mh are pretty costly) Definitely buy those powerheads too. Hopefully the deals are great this year

[Sk8r]

Stony coral: refractometer, ro/di filter, phosban reactor.
Precise tests for: alkalinity, calcium, magnesium.
Supplements: dkh buffer, calcium, Tech M (magnesium)
You might consider, for circulation, putting your inflow through a Sea Swirl or other wavemaker: I split my inflow and use 2 of them aimed at each other: their oscillating swing rarely coincides completely, and it makes a random flow throughout the tank.

[michaelr]

Hey, i was looking at the build thread and it really looks great. My question is though how many watts is that light fixture. I have a feeling it may be on the low side to be keeping corals alive. Personally, i am going to be stocking up on extra light bulbs (mh are pretty costly) Definitely buy those powerheads too. Hopefully the deals are great this year

[kfisc]

Very nice build, great looking tank. What fun it is to build! I'd stock up on the "infrastructure" things, including the best quality tests for alk, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, Ph and phosphate; you could check out Hanna, Salifert, but keep in mind some tests are not going to tell you much that your own eyes won't no matter what brand (algae = nitrate, phosphate struggles, etc.)

I'd get a back-up heater, one that will keep your system at a cozy 80 no matter what; more pumps, maybe a Tunze or two with the wide/powerful flow, if your budget will allow, even a modified MaxiJet 1200 with a Sureflow adaptation can work wonders. Back-up, battery-operated pumps (or a generator at some point) is a must if power going out is ever an issue down there (sure as heck is here!)

An auto top-off is great, as is a refractometer, and I'd start getting the materials together for "Randy's Two Part" that you'll see talked about here for alk/calcium/magnesium, it's the only additive you'll need once things are established. Avoid the gunk that comes in colorful little bottles like the snake oil it is.

Mostly, just hang back and wait; I think you may have a good part of your cycle to go yet, maybe another month or two- that's not an exaggeration, it really takes time for chemistry to balance and be prepared for all the quirks every system has, chemical and otherwise.

[Alex1524]

Michael...The light has 4 bulbs. 2 daylights and 2 actinics. They are 39W each. So 156W total.

Sk8r, I'm definitely looking at a wavemaker!

[nrike]

Reefkeeper lite, Bubble Magus dosing pump ill make your life easier.

[darthparj]

GFO reactor

[michaelr]

Alex,
Yeah those lights will do fine for softies but not for light intensive species. I asked that because i recently had to upgrade my lights for lps corals.

[michaelr]

Alex,
Yeah those lights will do fine for softies but not for light intensive species. I asked that because i recently had to upgrade my lights for lps corals.

[Alex1524]

thanks Michael, I appreciate it :-)

[DrBegalke]

Test kits - Red Sea or other brand
Controller - Apex, Reefkeeper etc
Powerheads - Koralia Evolution, etc
Filtration - consider upgrading the skimmer, adding a reactor...

[freetareef]

what did you get?

[Alex1524]

Well, I ended up buying some test kits, 2 hydor Koralia 750's, some pH buffer, and a fish net. I didn't go too crazy, I'm on a budget. All I need now is a wavemaker and some calcium and I think I should be good for the time being. Oh and I need some Chaeto Algae. Every fish store I go to never has it =-/

[Alex1524]

Oh I almost forgot, I also got a heater and salt!

[cubsare1]

If your just doing softies you can skip the calcium. Water changes will take care of everything you need. Look into a topoff system if you don't already have one