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Rover88 · 09/18/2018, 11:26 AM

Welcome to Reef Central!

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1031074

The above link is a /very/ useful guide of things to know. Now is the best time to start learning, before you own anything thats alive.

This is not an inexpensive hobby. It will cost lots of money. Its a big commitment. The light you need to grow coral alone is going to cost more then his entire budget, or pretty close to it.

While I won't knock an LFS I've never been too, I would never suggest buying anything they recommend without getting an online honest opinion from hobbyists first. Usually just to catch another opinion and draw your own conclusion.

So to answer some things you asked!

I would not bother with a Hob. You can just let the live rock do its thing. If you go bare bottom it will probably be easier so you can clean out any detritus (See: fish poo and excess food) that accumulates. You can clean it out with regular water changes.

You can alternatively drill your holes in the -BACK- of the tank, very high up. There are likely dozens of threads available to you about this process, but the goal is to have the holes in the tanks near the top, on the back, and you can plumb down to the sump. The return pump coming back up can either go through its own drilled hole, or just using PVC pipe over the side back into the tank.

You don't need a sump. A sump will help though as it increases water volume, but 56 gallons is pretty decent. Your sump however HAS to be big enough to handle the runoff if you lose power/turn pump off. So I think you'd need bigger then a ten gallon.

You do not need a skimmer. You can get by with lots of water changes instead. A skimmer is an investment you should consider for a tank that size.

You will /need/ RODI water, depending on your tapwater. A RODI unit will filter tapwater of any impurities (The big one being copper or silicates) that will either kill your inverts and corals, or just promote really bad algae growth in your tank. This is dependent on how 'pure' your water is, but I don't think many people would ever turn you away from one. You use this water for making your own saltwater, and top-offs.

Even if you buy saltwater from the fish store, you can't top up the evaporation from your tank with more salt water. The salt doesn't evaporate, only the water... adding more saltwalter throws your salinity higher. You should use RODI water, but filtered water you buy at the store will do. (I've heard, I've never used it.)

Test kit is good. You need something to measure salinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. pH is important, but not always the most important. Temperature is important, but thermometers are cheap. As you start to get and want to grow corals, Calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and phosphate will become kits you want to later get.

Start with dead rock, and dead sand... 'Live' sand is just wet and more expensive, its not really alive.

Most importantly.... take your time. Do not rush into this, as it just makes for expensive mistakes! You will hear very often the phrase 'nothing good happens fast in a reef tank'. That is something you'll want your youngin' to get ingrained with quickly! If you rush, it just means you might have a loss of livestock and happiness!

09/18/2018, 11:26 AM	#2
Rover88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: New Brunswick, Canada Posts: 590	Welcome to Reef Central! http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1031074 The above link is a /very/ useful guide of things to know. Now is the best time to start learning, before you own anything thats alive. This is not an inexpensive hobby. It will cost lots of money. Its a big commitment. The light you need to grow coral alone is going to cost more then his entire budget, or pretty close to it. While I won't knock an LFS I've never been too, I would never suggest buying anything they recommend without getting an online honest opinion from hobbyists first. Usually just to catch another opinion and draw your own conclusion. So to answer some things you asked! I would not bother with a Hob. You can just let the live rock do its thing. If you go bare bottom it will probably be easier so you can clean out any detritus (See: fish poo and excess food) that accumulates. You can clean it out with regular water changes. You can alternatively drill your holes in the -BACK- of the tank, very high up. There are likely dozens of threads available to you about this process, but the goal is to have the holes in the tanks near the top, on the back, and you can plumb down to the sump. The return pump coming back up can either go through its own drilled hole, or just using PVC pipe over the side back into the tank. You don't need a sump. A sump will help though as it increases water volume, but 56 gallons is pretty decent. Your sump however HAS to be big enough to handle the runoff if you lose power/turn pump off. So I think you'd need bigger then a ten gallon. You do not need a skimmer. You can get by with lots of water changes instead. A skimmer is an investment you should consider for a tank that size. You will /need/ RODI water, depending on your tapwater. A RODI unit will filter tapwater of any impurities (The big one being copper or silicates) that will either kill your inverts and corals, or just promote really bad algae growth in your tank. This is dependent on how 'pure' your water is, but I don't think many people would ever turn you away from one. You use this water for making your own saltwater, and top-offs. Even if you buy saltwater from the fish store, you can't top up the evaporation from your tank with more salt water. The salt doesn't evaporate, only the water... adding more saltwalter throws your salinity higher. You should use RODI water, but filtered water you buy at the store will do. (I've heard, I've never used it.) Test kit is good. You need something to measure salinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. pH is important, but not always the most important. Temperature is important, but thermometers are cheap. As you start to get and want to grow corals, Calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and phosphate will become kits you want to later get. Start with dead rock, and dead sand... 'Live' sand is just wet and more expensive, its not really alive. Most importantly.... take your time. Do not rush into this, as it just makes for expensive mistakes! You will hear very often the phrase 'nothing good happens fast in a reef tank'. That is something you'll want your youngin' to get ingrained with quickly! If you rush, it just means you might have a loss of livestock and happiness!