[slay]

Originally Posted by billdogg

All kidding aside, here's what I would call a basic list of must-haves for anyone starting out in this hobby.

1. Refractometer (or calibrated swing-arm hydrometer)

2. 5g buckets. You'll need at least 2 or 3. The easiest way to get them is to buy your salt in them.

3. 2 heaters rated to ~3/4 your tanks size. 2 smaller ones are better than one larger because heaters fail. Usually in the "On" position. I keep a couple spares on hand as well.

4. Nets. At least 2. As someone who worked at a LFS for about 10 years, trust me on this. It is WAY easier to catch a fish using one net to herd the fish into the other than it is to chase a fish endlessly with just one.

5. A 10 or 20g tank to use as a QT. You can pick one up at Petco for $1/g. A basic freshwater "starter" kit will suffice - it will have some sort of filter and heater that will do the job. PLEASE do not skip QT on ALL new fish. You only need to wipe out one tank full of fish to understand the idiocy of not using a proper QT!

6. Test kits, as mentioned above. API works well for initial cycling. I prefer Salifert for Calcium, Alkalinity, and Magnesium due to their ease of use and repeatability.

7. Water change equipment. You can use a piece of vinyl tubing and a couple of those buckets (see #2), or better yet, invest in a Python Siphon and you don't have to worry about over filling a bucket with nasty water and then spilling in on your wife's carpet. (another lesson learned the hard way, tyvm)

8. RO/DI system. Invest in your own. It will quickly pay for itself.

9. Water storage/mixing container. The largest you have room for. I've been at this for about 30 years and I have yet to run into a situation where I thought I had too much water on hand. I have, however, run short on too many occasions. If possible, I would suggest having enough ro/di water on hand to handle at least 75% of your systems volume. I keep mine heated at all times, and have a old power head in it to mix salt for me.

10. Activated carbon. You can run it in a reactor or just toss a mesh bag in the sump. You don't have to use it all the time although many do (myself included). It's very useful for removing toxins from the water.

11. Polyfilter - used for heavy metal contamination.

12. Patience!!! NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS FAST IN THIS HOBBY!!! Don't jump straight to Panic Mode if something doesn't look right. figure out what the problem is, then take corrective action.

13. When asking for help - COMPLETE Information please! Tank size, age, lighting, parameters (actual numbers for all - not "their all good"), pictures of the problem speak volumes.


I'm sure there is more, but that's a good start.


Oh - and don't forget $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I would add:

A bucket of extra salt. If you have a disaster, such as a kalk/supplement overdose, an ATO mass overflow, or fish that dies and decomposes in the rocks, an extra bucket of salt is handy as can be vs a trip to the store.

I'd put a quality protein skimmer on the list. A skimmerless system is, more or less, an advanced concept. Skimmers are the best friend of a person new to salt water.

And, just as a personal preferance, I'd look into what you might need during a disaster.

67For instance, I live in the very south of Canada, which means I have a stable year round basement temperature of about 66-68 degrees F, adequate for pretty much all tropical saltwater life (considering the temperature from my tank is going to take approximately a day to reach 68), but my aquariums would still need oxygenation. Back in the 2003, during the great Northeast power outage, I lost a sensitive species (a stingray in my 480g), and because I didn't have a battery backup powered air pump (or about four/six for my tank size) to keep the water oxygen level up I lost my most prized animal (the species I lost was very delicate - a species that is notoriously hard to keep and perhaps my biggest fish-keeping "win" of my career, and of all my losses, I feel worst about that one). Perhaps if I had adequate aeration my prized pet/specimen would either still be alive or perhaps instead died of old age.

Lastly, I'd have carbon and polyfilter on hand as mentined (doubling up on the quoted post because it's invaluable). The two combined are the all-purpose immediate treatment (alongside the bucket of extra salt I told you to keep) for emergencies. Carbon and Polyfilter are both for normal pollutants (Dissolved organics and the chemicals corals use for warfare), but for abnormal pollutants (like a child putting something weird in the tank, but hopefully not *too* weird, or else you'll still lose (sadly)) - but still, I'd rather have about a pound per 50g of carbon on hand plus polyfilter in any emergency dealing with pollutants!