My Head Is Spinning!!

[Trucker Den]

I am thinking about converting my freshwater tank over to a mixed reef. I have never set up a saltwater tank. My head is spinning over all the information! Along with reading forums, I have been watching BRS 52 weeks of reefing videos. The different methods are so confusing! I have a regular reef sump and not a triton sump so I guess the triton method is out. I was thinking about doing the 2 part method because that seems the most straight foward and easiest for beginners. Is that a good one for beginners? If I go this method, do I need to use GFO,carbon, or bio pellets? Do I need all of them? Some of them? None of them? So far I enjoy the planning and I am almost 100% I will be making the conversion. I enjoy the slow and steady approach of reefing. thanks for the help and advice.

[hkgar]

Rule #1 Take things slow
You are just setting up a tank so at this time only consider having a tank, heater (or 2), live rock and sand, maybe a skimmer, a return pump from sump.

2-part dosing is primarily for tanks with sufficient SPS that water changes will not keep up with the usage of calcium, alkalinity and magnesium.

You do not need GFO unless you have a phosphate problem. No carbon or bio-pellets.

You WILL most likely have a beginners dino and algae problem. Read up on them with the sticky threads for beginner

What type of tank are you planning? Fish only, soft corals. LPS, SPS, mixed?

Rule # 2, Go even slower than you thought I meant in rule 1

Rule #3, do not dose what you don't test for.

[Trucker Den]

Thanks for the input. I have read the beginner sticky, but it is ton of information. Too much to process all at once. I will likely be using it as a reference. I want to set up a mixed reef. Mostly softies and SPS with only a couple of easier LPS. It will be a 220 gallon. It is currently set up as a cichlid tank. Saltwater is a bit different. Rather than relying on large water changes weekly(50-70%). saltwater seems to do smaller less frequent water changes as to not disturb balance of the tank and dos the depleted elements. It seems to be a better way and less stressful on livestock. The More I read the more the slow and steady approach appeals to me.

[hkgar]

Generally speaking (and I am not one of them) those who have switched from fresh to salt believe that after you get a tank cycled and settled in a reef tank is easier to maintain than fresh.

My weekly maintenance is to empty the skimmer cup and to clean the inside of the glass (about every 2-3 days). But I have been at it awhile and have a lot of extras (to do some work for me) you do not need at this time.

With SPS and some LPS learn what you can about lighting and the different types as lighting becomes more important as you go up the coral difficulty scale. softies to LPS to SPS.

Personally I would wait awhile, 6 months to a year - with a year, IMHO, best - before adding LPS or SPS. Most beginners start with softies.

[mcgyvr]

You have plenty of time to learn the more advanced stuff like dosing,etc... You won't need it for a while

[on the spot]

Have you started on this yet?

[Trucker Den]

Originally Posted by on the spot

Have you started on this yet?

No just doing the research now. I have to get rid of my freshwater livestock, buy some equipment, clean the tank, replumb it. Then cycle it. I figure if I start now I will be adding my first fish around Easter.

[Sk8r]

Lol---it's really not that bad. The main diff is---you let rock and sand be your filter, via active organisms. So you load the tank with wildlife very carefully, never letting your fish desire top your bacterial readiness. Start with inverts, build slowly, work up to fish or coral slowly, and after your tests are good. You need a refractometer to track the salinity (salt never evaporates, but evaporation concentrates it. You WANT evaporation, in general, about a gallon a day for a 50 gallon tank. You need, ultimately, an automatic topoff to add a little freshwater to keep the salinity steady; you need tests for phosphate, calcium, magnesium, and dkh alkalinity---and my recommended brand is Salifert, which returns you precise numbers; also not hard to use. You need patience. You need LIGHTING if you are having corals or clams. And you need to set your tank away from windows, light from which can make problems. Having a plumbed sump also means you are no longer dependent on a filter that can clog or lose a seal and flood your floor; a well-done sump cannot overflow, and it also means you can do additives down there and not accidentally dump something harmful atop an unfortunate fish. Your skimmer is down in the sump, too, so your tank looks better:skimmers are not beautiful things and what they collect is worse.

[Japsican]

In my opinion, it's best to just keep things simple. You can make it as difficult or as easy as you want to. There is so much new "technology" and different ways to do things now, you can easily overwhelm yourself.

[Brieninsac]

My advice, just do a fish only system for now. Run that for a year and then decide if you want to do corals. By then you'll have a better understanding of the requirements before investing your time and money.

[monkeysee1]

Originally Posted by brieninsac

my advice, just do a fish only system for now. Run that for a year and then decide if you want to do corals. By then you'll have a better understanding of the requirements before investing your time and money.

bingo!!!!
+10!!
DON'T go haywire until you have a nice, SIMPLE FOWLR setup. I prefer minimalist myself. Over time you can add an invert and a coral here and there and see how they do. If they make it great - if they don't - then DON'T go further into a full blown reef until you indentify the root cause.....
Two words I must mention if you want to succeed at this:
1. Cycle and,
2. QUARANTINE!!!
I have a quasi-FOWLR tank (it has inverts -i.e- cocoa worms, hermits, urchins and shrimp and snails)...I intend to keep it that way for a while...less headaches that way....

[Michael Hoaster]

I got my own head spinning trying to decide on good advice!

Trust your gut and go in the direction you really want to go. The beauty of this hobby is that ALL techniques can work, so pick one and go with it. Of course you'll make changes along the way.

I agree with others that you should start simply. Just adding live rock will give you a glimpse of reefing, before you commit to all the bells and whistles. Get some cool fish and see where it takes you. Learn how to get through the algae phase. Focusing on the basics will give you the foundation of knowledge and skills, that will serve you well, when/if you accept the challenge of reef keeping.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with! Start a build thread here on RC, so we can follow your progress. Good luck and have fun.