Beginner asking questions

[Stricklines]

Hello all,

 

I have been reading here for about a month and trying to decide on my first tank. I have been researching and looking at t he Nanocubes. They look to be economical but I am not sure of everything I would need to buy. Does anyone have a list of essentials and maybe even a good source for these items. I would like to have corals and a few fish in the tank. I have researched and feel that I would start with live rock and live sand. I have seen Gulf rock mentioned on here and that looks like a good source. My main objective is to find out what I need and how much that will cost so that I can put a budget together for this. I live in Charleston SC and I only know of one LFS and then Petco so I am mainly looking online. I have been looking at the Beginners Guides.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[Pjanssen]

i started with a BC29. It's an all in one. I replaced the media balls that came with it with StevieT's InTank media rack. for the first year or so thats all I did and just had a couple of fish and softies, along with lots of live rock sand and clean up crew. As I wanted to start adding some LPS corals, I gutted the lights that came with it and added retrofitted stunners for better growth and color. My tank has definitely had it's ups and downs, but now 3 years later it is running pretty stable, unless I neglect it for any extended period.

 

I now feel like I'd like to upgrade to something slightly bigger with a refugium/sump and an ATO with dosing pump so that I can start adding some SPS corals and maybe a clam.

[Stricklines]

Thanks for the reply.

[thomas8man]

I have a 16g and a 40g which i started with a 16 first. My 16 gallon is a 16 IM and my first media basket houses a filter floss and then seachem seagel (carbon and a phosphate remover). The second media basket is sponge and filter floss and then matrix (bio balls but rocks that manage nitrates and ammonia). This set up worked for me and keep my algae down and my suggestion if you want small get an ATO (auto top off cuts work in half from filling). You can do any coral depending on what lighting you have and how much work you want to put into it looking making sure levels are good. I would start off with GSP (green star polyp) or cheap zoa to help get your chemicals. IMO first fish is a goby or clown fish not a huge fan of damsels because of their aggression later on in life.

 

If you have anymore question i can answer most fish and LPS. I also work for more than 6 months and used and learned lots from that. Just throw me a pm.

[metrokat]

As I wanted to start adding some LPS corals, I gutted the lights that came with it and added retrofitted stunners for better growth and color.

Are you sure you didn;t install Panorama Pro's? Stunners only really have a colored bulb and are not rated for growing corals.

[thecoralbeauty]

I've always just had the typical glass aquarium from petco- though, I have envied nicer setups and am toying with the idea of a refugium/sump, but the last five years i've gone without and been just fine with a HOB filter and smaller skimmer that I have used intermittently. I sort of hover over my tank, though....

 

Essentials you might not think about! (The list my friend asked me for when she inherited my tank for a year and had no idea what to do with it)

 

-buckets (home depot ones work fine!)

-flexible tube for syphoning

-turkey baster

 

Maybe that's not what you're asking, but it's doubtful that they are included in an all-in-one setup, and you definitely still need them! =)

[Pjanssen]

Are you sure you didn;t install Panorama Pro's? Stunners only really have a colored bulb and are not rated for growing corals.

to be honest, you're probably right. Someone came over once and called them stunners and the name stuck with me. I have a retrofit kit that I bought from Steve's LED'S- Blues and whites on separate dimmer switches.

[DefStatic]

My best advice is to read... read... read... and read some more. If you are interested in a fish or product or coral or anything. Read, and from multiple sources. Do not just take what one site or Petco sign says about fish or coral or equipment.

Also, try to gauge how much knowledge your LFS (be it chain or not) knows. Some Petcos have staff that are amazing. They run their own tanks and know all the ins and outs. Some just have people who happen to work there and know nothing about fish.

And make sure when you make a mistake you really learn from it.

[joy13]

You have to decide what size tank you want to start with keep in mind what fish you are planning to get. Then you can decide on the light and filter you are going to want. The light will be your biggest expense most likely and then the rock. I like drilled tanks myself my friend likes aio tanks. We both have a nice looking tanks.

 

There is a reef club in Charleston you might want to check them out you may find some good local buys on used equipment and they also have a frag swap in Sept. so if you get your tank cycled by then you will have a good place to find some nice corals. I think I know the local store you are talking about, they are pretty good from the couple of times I have been there.

 

You will need a heater and most likely want to get an ATO.

[ajmckay]

Hello all,

 

I have been reading here for about a month and trying to decide on my first tank. I have been researching and looking at t he Nanocubes. They look to be economical but I am not sure of everything I would need to buy. Does anyone have a list of essentials and maybe even a good source for these items. I would like to have corals and a few fish in the tank. I have researched and feel that I would start with live rock and live sand. I have seen Gulf rock mentioned on here and that looks like a good source. My main objective is to find out what I need and how much that will cost so that I can put a budget together for this. I live in Charleston SC and I only know of one LFS and then Petco so I am mainly looking online. I have been looking at the Beginners Guides.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Sorry this is kind of a tough question to answer... I would think that after a month of browsing you would have a decent idea of where to start. The reason its hard to answer is because there are so many options as far as what to put in your aquarium... Not all of it is necessary - except for your basics most additional items are related to the style of tank you have or the specific inhabitants you want.

 

Required for all reef tanks:

- Tank (Glass or acrylic)

- Stand, table, counter, or shelf capable of supporting the weight

- Heater

- Powerhead or circulation pump for flow

- Salt Mix

- Hydrometer or refractometer

- High intensity Light (LED, T5, Metal Halide)

- An assortment of nets, buckets, hose/tubing, and dedicated cleaning brushes

- Fish food (a few kinds is best initially including pellets and frozen)

- A basic water test kit (best to have your own though access to a test kit should suffice except in the case of an emergency).

 

Not required but most people also include:

- Sand ("live" or dry)

- Rock (cured live, uncured live, clean dry base rock, dirty dry base rock)

- Mechanical filter (such as a media rack or a sump or a hang-on-back aquaclear filter that has spots for sponges/filter floss)

- Thermometer

- Magnetic glass cleaner

- Extra pump and heater for pre-mixing saltwater for water changes

 

And then there's a ton more things that some add while others don't such as skimmers, media reactors, sumps, auto top off systems, tank controllers, quarantine/hospital tanks, etc...

 

Unfortunately the pricing on these items varies considerably. You can buy a $10 glass aquarium or a $400 designer 10g. Dry rock can be purchased for less than $3 shipped (or local) while I've seen live rock sell for $15/lb. Lights as mentioned will be one of the larger expenses. If you are restricted to a small budget I would say that you should make every effort to get the tank and the lights that you want. Those 2 things will dictate how much effort you put into this thing. If you want a Cadlights AIO (all in one) then don't settle for a rectangle aquarium. Same with lights. Buy lights that look good to you and will grow the corals you want to get. A close third would be rock. Be picky and get the pieces of rock you want.

 

Good luck