help, I'm new and want to start a tank

vaden2 · 08-23-2004, 11:06 AM

hey I'm new to this and I was thinking about starting a new Marine tank. can anyone give me some advice as to what I need, what the costs might be, the best fish to start with, and stuff about the water chemistry that needs to be known, I'd really appreciate it, thanks.

motorslave · 08-23-2004, 11:25 AM

First of all, Welcome! Youre in the right place! Now, there are a few things that you need to decide so that we can give you advice best suited to what you want. Are you looking to start a reef or a FOWLR (fish only with live rock)? What size tank do you want? Are you on a strict budget like some of us or is money no object? The best thing to do is to do a little reading in the archives on this sight, look at some of the photo galleries of members tanks, and read read read! What type of livestock you want to keep with have a big influence on what is needed equipment wise. Even one certain type of set up will have many options. Surf around this site a bit and see what strikes your fancy and go from there. All the ifo you need can be found right here, and the folks around here are full of experiance and always willing to help. The best advice I can offer is to take your time, plan carefully, read a bunch and then read some more. Knowing what you want your tank to be before you start will save you money, headaches, and a whole lot of sanity! And never hesitate to ask a question, you can always get an answer here!
And once again welcome!

Robert

Jeremy1973 · 08-23-2004, 11:25 AM

First off, Welcome to TRT! Glad to have you aboard!

To help answer your questions better, can you tell is what you are envisioning for a tank? Are you wanting a reef tank (fish and corals), or FOWLR (Fish only with live rock), or fish only tank? How big of a tank are you looking to get? That would help us give advice about fish, lighting, plumbing, cost, etc.

Jeremy1973 · 08-23-2004, 11:26 AM

lol..motorslave and I bumped heads on this one. :-) heh heh

Phishnoob · 08-23-2004, 11:30 AM

I would figure out a rough tank size first then as soon as you know it start thinking about getting some rock curing.

The next thing to do is sit on your hands for a month and just hang out with us whilst it cures.

buckshot1977 · 08-23-2004, 11:42 AM

and remember to go slow saltwater setups are not a over night thing they take a lot of time to get up and going good and right but after that they are the best thing around. but like evyone else has all ready said, give us a idea of what you want and we will help you get there.

vaden2 · 08-24-2004, 12:16 AM

What I can see I want is i definately would like a reef tank at about 65-100 gallons. I want a few fish but what I'm more interested in are keeping invertebrates, partircularly urchins, starfish, and other echinoderms so i can keep many sorts. but since they stay mostly at the bottom, I would want some fish to keep some activity going on in the open water.

Geoff · 08-24-2004, 09:25 AM

Welcome to TRT!!!

echinoderms can be tricky. several are very sensitive to salinity changes. may not make it from any fault of your own. acclimation problems from the distributer and before can do these in before you get a chance to take it home. the problem is you may not see the problems till it is to late.

another thing to think about is that several starfish are not "reef safe". many actually detroy the reefs. a lot of research is needed when deciding which you would like to have, and what corals you would like to have.

G~