So I've been reading everything I could on the RSM and while veryone liked it they thought it was too expensive...

Well, I just got a great deal on the RSM Totem stand, starter kit and 34g tank all for $659 from CustomAquatic.com and becuase I live in SoCal I didn't even have to pay for shipping!

Anyway, since this will be my first SW setup what fish and coral would people recommend I get? Looking to do a a reef setup and want to some unique fish and coral with this 34g setup.

I'm planning on running everything stock right now and seeing how well it does.
From what I've read, the lighting was the only questionable piece of equipment, right?

Well, I'd really appreciate everyone's advice and I'll upload images starting this next week as I begin to cycle it with LF.

Thanks!

That's a pretty good price. My LFS wants $999 CDN for the RSM. Plus another $250 for the stand. Crazy.

That's great. I'm really looking forward to see how you're tank works out. Be sure to keep us up to date.

If you live in SoCal, I'm sure there are plenty of LFS's around. As hard as it may be, be patient with what you put in your tank. I didn't even buy all of my live rock in one shot. I went to about four different stores and sifted through bunches of rock until I found the pieces I liked (porous, no bad stuff on it, good shape & size).

As for fish, I like: gobies, clowns, blennies, a royal gramma. Just make sure things are compatible.

Corals (so much to choose from): grape coral, pulsing xenia, torch coral, frogspawn, green star polyps are always easy, zoo's are easy too, candy cane coral, open brain, ricordea. Again, it comes down to the combo of what you can keep and what you want to keep.

Take your time and plan ahead. Dont buy a fish that is not compatable with others youll want in the future. Plan ahead and seek advice. good luck.

I'm being extremely patient. It took me two months to finnally pull the trigger for the RSM! Now I'm just planning for what livestock I'll eventually put in. Still have to cycle my tank and cure my LF as well...no rush.

Just intersted in what people would stock with a similar setup at 34g.

Thanks for the ideas and feedback!

You don't have to wait on the sand, rock and water... Get some, and get us some pictures. All this jibber jabber is gonna make Mr.T mad!

Pics?

Good luck with your new tank!

Might have to look into that tank... g/f says only one tank when we get our new place.

What kind of lighting is on that bad boy?

Okay, so I picked up my tank this last Saturday from Custom Aquatic in San Diego, who by the way buy's these RSMs by the bulk thus saving customers the usuall hefty price for these units. Again, I was able to get the tank, Red Sea's Starter Kit and the Red Sea Totem stand for $659! Not bad...

After building the stand, setting up the tank and doing safety checks on the equipement, I was ready for some LR.

Now, this is my first SW setup but I've been researching and looking into the Finnex, aquapods, nanocubes, biocubes, etc., and I must tell you, word's can't express how truly fantastic this system is. I had almost purchased the 29g Auqapod and then decided to wait for the new 28g Nanocube when I stumbled across this deal for the RSM. I'm so glad I got this setup. While the Aquapod's and Nano's are a bit cheaper in price, there's no comparing the quality and looks of the RSM.

The gorgeous looks, built in timer, heater, pumps, protein skimmer and many other features really puts this tank in a class by itself. My only hesitation was that the lighting would be weak, but to be honest this thing is incredibly bright and is at least, if not brighter than the stock aquapod's and nanocubes I've seen setup. This tank is perfect for someone who isn't looking to mod their setup and wants quality and great design out of the box!

Okay back to setting up...My LFS happened to stock a ton of Tonga and Marshall Island rock, so I picked up 36 pounds of pre-cured Marshall rock as the stuff had fantastic shapes.

I didn't buy any live sand, although I did get some 30 pounds of really fine white sand. The Red Sea Starter Kit came with their own special type of Base Reef, but I thought this might be a bit too heavy for the eventual gobys I want to keep.

After a few, okay...sigh... alot of hours of aquasculpting I had my tank setup the way I wanted and was ready to start it up.

Here's some pics of the first day after setup. I'm really excited about the caves and tunnels that I was able to create!







Thanks for the feedback and great info!

This post has been edited by SecondBreath: Feb 5 2007, 02:46 PM

tank looks great.
can you post more pics of the compartments, the nitty gritty stuff?

also post some shots of the skimmate and your temperature.

Thanks! I'll try and post some new shots tonight for everyone.

Looks great!
I'm planning on getting one soon...going to use my BC14 as a QT tank and Move everything over to the RSM.
Just broke the news to my wife last night that I plan on buying it. Now she said she has the right to buy some $300.00 purse????

Ha! My girlfreind wasn't too excited either about the price of the setup and she flipped when she found out how much the LR set us back!

I told her she could help me select the live stock and even name them which calmed her down a bit. But she really got excited about it after she saw this setup for the first time.

Just wait until your wife sees how gorgeous this tank is when it's setup and running!

Very nice

Is it true T-5 lighting as described?

She's kinda liking the 14 but I told her it will be outgrown soon....She didn't let me get the 24 like I wanted in the begining. NOW SHE WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH A BIGGER ONE!!!

Damn dude, That looks sweet!!! DROOOL

Yep, the 34g size is great. I liked the 28/29 gallon setups but the 34g just seems soo much bigger. I just hope I don't outgrow this as fast as some of these people do!

Question: Red Sea's manual (as well as some other articles I've read) recommends putting in some hermit crabs or true crabs in during the cycling process... is this true? Does it help the process by adding animal waste?

Don't put live creatures in the tank while it's cycling. It's cruel. All you need is a source of ammonia and the dieoff from the rock should be plenty. You can always dose some pure ammonia to get it started if you really needed to. (that's what I do with fresh water).

That's what I thought, but after reading it in the Red Sea manual and seeing it posted elswhere I found myself curious as to why.

Thanks!

Animal waste produced by crabs is so minimal that I don't think it'd have any noticeable impact. I'd just let it cycle as is.