Newbie needs direction

[Esmin]

I'm looking at the tanks now. I know this will be a long process. I went to the store to see what they had and BOY do they want a lot for those stands! Understandable though as they were very nice (Broadway Aquarium in Portland OR ring a bell to anyone?) Anyway, I want to do the right thing and start out RIGHT. Is there ONE book to start with to start getting a clue? I figure I can branch out from there. It's going to take me a couple months to get the stand built so I have plenty of time to figure out what I need to get.

BTW, I'm planning on at least a 120 gal. I had a 55 split tank with two 1/2 gallon tubes connecting the 2 27 gal tall tanks (acrylic). It was a beauty but I was in the process of moving and made the mistake of letting a coworker keep it running--she got fired and I lost contact. So, I've had freshwater including cichlids --EASY to take care of. Now I am hoping that I'm up for the challenge.

If anyone feels so inclined to share some advice, please feel free to email me at esmin@attbi.com too.

Thanks!
Deb
Vancouver, WA

[Minnreefer]

Welcome to TheReefTank! You have a GREAT local reef club and I would recomend trying to talk to some of the members at a meeting, they will probably be very helpfull. I would recomend either of the first 2 books on this page http://www.thereeftank.com/books/ as they are VERY helpful to beginners and "pro's" alike. Please feel free to ask questions and let us know what set-up you are thinking about, most of us have been thru it all before.

Welcome again

Jon

[Mouse]

Hes askin bout BOOKS before gettin the tank !!!!!!

Id say he just saved himself $1K and several months of agony.....

Welcome to TRT, any Questions fire away,

[Alice]

Welcome Esmin!

Read, read, read is always good advice. You can also look at other TRT member's tanks for inspiration in the tank specs forum Hit the pull down tab and set it for "the beginning" to see them all.

I'm one of the folks that organizes the local reef club, Pacific NW Marine Aquarium Society, we'd love to see you at a meeting, we've another coming up November 17th. I see you've found the PNWMAS forum on this board.

We're lucky to have several good Local Fish
Stores in the Portland/Vancouver area, you can send me a PM or email if you don't think you've found them all yet.

Again, welcome to TRT!

Alice

[Geoff]

Welcome!!!

Another one of those smart people who know how to read, before jumping. Man I wish I could inspire to be one.

Welcome again, and you are doing the right thing. Reading and patience are the keys to keeping a healthy reef.

G~

[Heavan]

Deb,
Its nice to read that you already know this is a slow process. Patience is everything in Reef Keeping. Good Luck with your new venture and remember LIVE ROCK and Skimmer is a great start for filtration, Don't rush into buying lighting the animals you intend to keep will determine your lighting so know what you want to have before you buy lighting. Those are probebly the two things I see more people "Re-buying" because they have been mis directed. So research is a big part of this hobby. Enjoy and make sure you are having fun,
Renae