Newb Questions!

[goldrush]

Hi all, I'm very novice with all this (though I've loved the idea of the hobby for years) so I don't have a tank or anything quite yet. My plan is to get extremely familiar with all aspects of the hobby, get a water tight plan worked up on paper, then dive into it after several weeks. I want my first attempt to go as smooth as possible, and I'm in no hurry at all. At any rate, I've been reading up on the hobby and rummaging through various forums for a couple weeks now and have a small idea of what I want. I want to get a 55 gallon tank set up with LPS corals, 2 paired clown fish, cleaning crew and maybe one or two other fish that the clowns will be amiable with. As I said though, I only have a smallish working understanding of all of this and sometimes it starts to seem quite confusing, you know, trying to remember it all in sequence.

So, here are a couple questions for you all. (Bear with me, I know this is probably all very old hat for you guys. I hope I'm not a nuisance, and thanks a million!)

If you were going to set up a brand new 55 gallon with my aforementioned specifications, what are the pieces of equipment that you would consider to be the absolute best/favorite? I know most of the stuff I need to get, but what are your favorite brands of all of it? What online stores do you use? What is your personal set up, considering that you have a 55 gallon? I guess I just want to know a great set up within a reasonable price that I can use as a template, because at the moment when I look up how to do all of it (sumps, filters, heaters, chillers, power heads, lights, etc) I get dizzy.

I would be so, so grateful for a clear, concise vision from you more seasoned hobbyists. Every time I start to make a list my eyes go crossed from all the options. Plus, when it comes to sumps/refugiums I still have no idea how to get those hooked up/working properly. *deep breath* So! :-D

Thanks again and sorry for droning on!
(If there is a sticky somewhere covering this that I missed, please direct me!)

[goldrush]

Also, what is a good budget/how much should I have saved for my start up?

[mandarin_goby]

55s can be hard to 'scape due to them being so narrow - I have a 55 freshwater that is a headache in that way. My reef is a 40 breeder ($40)- I love the depth it provides front-to-back. I bought it at Petco's $1/per gallon sale they have from time to time.

To give you an idea of what you may want or need, here's my set-up: My 40 breeder has a 6 bulb T5 fixture ($300 used from here, a TEK - really good brand of lights, with ATI bulbs, another really good brand to go with), another option would be LEDs but I have no expertise in those! I also have a hang-on-back skimmer (Bak Pak 2 - $150), which is an option if you don't want/can't have a sump.

I have an Aquaclear powerfilter ($50), just for flow for now, but that filler material for pillows from Walmart can be used in it for mechanical filtration. You may also want a refugium, or container to hold macroalgae and a copepods population if you want a fish that eats 'pods...I have a mandarin goby that eats my supply. My 'fuge is a Marineland breeder box (about $20) that hangs on the back of the tank, with an added small pump for flow through it, oh, and a small underwater LED light to grow the chaeto algae I have in there.

I also have a heater, at about 5 watts per gallon, it's 200 watts ($30). Then, for flow, you have many options - I love my MP10's but they are pricy, and not necessary (they go for $235 brand new)...I had bad algae problems due to lack of flow, but 2 of these (bought used from here) cleared it right up. I had Koralias before - much cheaper and you can aim them, but they didn't work well for me...your miles may vary! I bought 2 here used for $160 a piece.

Live rock was pricy - I bought mine for $6 a pound - 50 lbs for my 40 breeder ($300!). Then, I bought sand, 40 lbs for about $50.

I just have a Petco metal stand ($70) with a cabinet that fits perfectly from Ikea ($110)...if you're handy, you can build a stand instead.

You'll also need to determine if you'll buy water - don't use tap!!!! Or if you want to invest in a RO/DI system. I just go to my fish store and get 10 gallons of RO/DI every 2 weeks or so.

I had never added everything up before - my total is about $1300 to start - OUCH! But, Once you get going, it gets easier, unless you're the type to buy $100+ coral frags! I start small with frags to see what survives.

Best of luck, you've come to the right place!

[goldrush]

Wow, thank you! That's all amazing info and gives me a much clearer picture than the thousands of frayed threads I had going through my mind. Haha. I was planning on saving 1500 to get started, which gives me plenty of time to plan as I save. I have been poking around with the idea of a 28 gallon though, but from what I read here my better bet is a 55 gallon.

Man, I already love this hobby and I don't even have a tank. My eyes are about to pop out from weeks of nonstop reading. The attention to detail and sensitivity you have to have is amazing, really holds my attention! Plus, the final product is so serene and beautiful.

[BlindZide]

Just remember you don't have to break the bank to set this thing up. Like goby mentioned in his post numerous times, they purchased used equipment. Just make sure it works before handing the dough over. I personally opted for almost all brand new stuff except the tank, heater, and my first filter.

I got a skimmer from ebay for $50.
I bought my power heads from my LFS for $20 a pop (got 2).
Powersweeper at LFS for $25.
A new filter from my LFS $30 (Using as a HoB Refuge).
30LBs of live rock @ $8.99/LB.
15LBs of Puka Shell $15.
5LBs of live sand $5.
T5 lights from ebay for $40.

So as you can see you don't have to break the bank if you are patient and watch for sales or use ebay. Good luck!

[mandarin_goby]

You're very welcome, and good luck...it's an amazing hobby! Check out other member's 55 tanks here for ideas on 'scraping it...it's recommended to keep rocks away from the glass, and many also recommend a 2-island look as opposed to a standard rock-wall looking layout - still, go with what *you* like!

I love ebay, Amazon, Big Al's and the used sale section here for stuff (I think you get access after 3 months and 50 posts, something like that).

For pumps, maybe consider the new WP25...it's controllable like an MP10, but faaaar cheaper, here's a thread with some info -if I had a new 55, I'd probably go with 2 of these: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2283598

I started with a 12 gallon and felt the urge to upgrade after about 6 months...with that said, go with the 55, or you may wish you had from the start!

[Sonyardo]

In my opinion the best thing you can do right now is pick up a couple of good books on the subject. I suggest The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Fenner as a good place to start. Then I like the New Marine Aquarium by Paletta in addition. You will find that the info in the books are not as fragmented and formatted in a way that will help you get the bigger picture. There are obviously many other good books out there as well. It will be money well spent.

[goldrush]

Thanks for all the information, guys. Really helpful stuff. I'll pick up a couple books on amazon and get into some planning. Though, I'm surprised at the price of some of these books? Like you said though, money well spent.

[dthorn]

Step one... find a better tank size. 55s make horrible reef tanks. A 56g column is much better at 30x18x24 inches tall. You need the depth and width for rock scaping and a sand bed. Nobody out there with a 55 is going to recommend one. I'm guessing you were looking for an ideal volume with a 55 but there are many close choices. A 65g is the same as 56g but 36 inches long. If you want the four foot length a 75 is an extremely popular size and used ones already running sell cheap all the time.

If budget is a big factor, buying a used complete setup is the only way to go. There are risks and headaches but you can get something someone invested thousands on for hundreds saving your money for upgrades and livestock. If going new, petcos dollar a gallon sales are great but not much selection. Petsmart has more variety and occasionally offers 20-40% off tanks and stands. A little over 200 for my brand new marineland 56g column with crappy light and decent black stand with dark glass.

You'll get great recommendations here but do yourself a favor and figure out a better tank as a starting point. Foster's and live aquaria are most popular places for dry goods and stock. Other good ones are marine depot, bulk reef supply, and many others I'm not sure I can mention here.

Reef octopus makes great skimmers at good prices for every application. Korallia makes good cheap powerheads and tunze and vortech make the best. Ecotech and aquaillumination are most popular high end leds and t5 halide combos are popular as well. Best place for dry rock imo is bulk reef supply and foster's for live or dry sand since shipping is free. Red sea pro reef foundation test kit is a must at about 42.99 and good phosphate test. I go with cheapo tests for ammonia nitrate and nitrite since they are rarely used or needed. Just take your time and enjoy the process it can be very overwhelming at first but is definitely worth it in the end.

[TimeConsumer]

I have to also agree that a 55g can be a bit of a headache to aquascape. Depending on the fish you are interested in, a 60g cube is excellent for a budget reef. It only takes half of the lighting a 55g, 4ft tank would need, allowing you to spend the money elsewhere. You can find a used 150w halide for easily less than $100 (although a 250w would be even better!), or you can get one reefbreeders value fixture for $180. Both of those will keep any LPS you like and many SPS and anemones as well. You won't be able to keep large fish, but small stuff like clowns will fit in great.