Newbie

[mhimebauch79]

Hello all,
I am looking for some helpful info on getting started and where to get good deals on equipment. A nice used to tank to start with would be great (preferably 40gal or larger). Anyone willing to take me under their wing here? I am moving to Clinton, Wi this weekend so will be near the Beloit area. Thanks.

[srlumaye1]

Best advice you can recieve is to join a local club and attend some meetings where you can see the tanks in action, get ideas, and make some friends to get some cheap frags to get you going. Reading the forums is also a good start.

Steve

[MadTownMax]

check around at some local fish stores - they often use 40-gallon breeder tanks (36" X 18" footprint) as tanks for their displays - and if they're doing any remodeling, often have some used ones sitting around for cheap.

As srlumaye1 said above - the closest local reef club is a great way to get some used equipment and free or cheap frags to "test" your system once you're up and cycled.

[Sk8r]

Get pencil and paper and visit an lfs that has a good working system. Sketch out little boxes until you get a notion how to connect things, and then figure out how big the little boxes ought to be to do what you want---how big a display, how big a sump, how big a skimmer, what kind of lights. Start pricing things.
Pick up what you can used, [but only get them from saltwater people whom you know and trust or can get to swear on a stack of what's holy: there's too great a chance some unprincipled or ignorant person is selling a tank or pump that's had copper in it...particularly former freshwater tanks are bad, since a lot of people start with freshwater and make their worst mistakes there.]

[mhimebauch79]

Thank you so much. All info is greatly appreciated.