want to start a reef tank

cwilson758 · 03-22-2006, 12:27 PM

Hi I just joined this forum yesterday. I've never been in a forum before so take it easy on me.

I haven't bought anything yet and don't intend to do so for awhile. That is the first thing i discovered is it can be very exspensive. So to save myself from wasting a lot of money and time I'm going to ask for some help.

I was thinking about getting an Oceanic 72gal. bowfront reef ready tank and stand. My hopes for this tank are to have very few fish and eventually some easy to keep coral. I would love to rush out and buy the stuff now but I want to research it first as I don't want anything to die because of my neglagence.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Another thing i learned was that for every person with a reef tank there is another different way to do it, but this will be fun as well as educational.

SaltBlock · 03-22-2006, 12:37 PM

Welcome to TRT...you found a great place for "figuring stuff out."

Nice thing about TRT is not one will give you a hard time...this whole hobby is a learning experience for us all.

Unfortunately, patience can't be bought. Fortunately for you, you seem to have a lot and that will help greatly.

Andrew

Tim224DT · 03-22-2006, 12:41 PM

Welcome to TRT!! I also have a 72gallon bowfront and so do many other members, but mine was made from All-Glass. Very nice tanks i think.

You found a great place to learn!

Tim

dobejazz · 03-22-2006, 12:41 PM

Welcome to TRT!

Caoineag · 03-22-2006, 12:43 PM

Welcome! You are right, there are lots of ways to do it and researching before buying is a really good idea.

Reef ready is a great way to go on the tank because most of your equipment can be hidden in the sump (a cheap sump is a cheap tupperware container like the type you store clothes in that can fit under your tank in the stand).

72g is a very good size for a beginner, its very stable for water parameters so you won't have to be perfect on everything.

I am going to assume you are asking for any suggestions with that post so here are a few:

1. Buy two smaller heaters rather than one. If one goes bunk on you, chances are with two heaters it won't wipe out the tank as easily.

2. Don't have a lot of money, check out the DIY forum, lots of good stuff you can make yourself without spending a fortune.

3. When you do get your tank, cycle it for at least a month no matter what, you will find that a lot of people recommend two or more because of the algae cycles.

4. There are lots of hardy fish, start with them so that when you do make the inevitable mistakes, you don't wipe out your fish and become frustrated.

5. Have lots of fun!! This isn't your job, its a hobby (or for some a lifestyle

).

6. Oh and a note, most people here are going to recommend a skimmer and live rock, which kinds, amounts, etc will vary. (No seaclones though

)

drsyme · 03-22-2006, 12:46 PM

Most of us are advocates of natural filtration, that is a lot of LR (1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon), and protein skimming. So about the only thing that is universally recommended is to put your money into a good skimmer.

The rest, (lighting, flow, substrate or not) depends on what you want to keep in the tank. In general the broad categories for critters that will determine what equipment you will need are, FOWLR (fish only with live rock), softies/LPS, and SPS tanks. If you want to keep clams, that would be most like the SPS tank. So spend time looking around deciding what you want, before buying anything, but especially before buying the lights, pumps, etc.

cwilson758 · 03-22-2006, 12:50 PM

thanks for the welcome.

I was thinking about getting about 100lbs of lr and a 2" ls bed
Orbitz pc lighting systen with dual 6700/10000k and dual 420nm/460nm actnic with 4 lunar lights will this be sufficent?
I still don't know but i was thinking about a sump/fuge

if this is way off just let me know

thanks again

SaltBlock · 03-22-2006, 01:41 PM

Sump...as big as you can fit under the tank

Your lighting will, to some respect, determine the types of coral you can keep. Roughly, the more intense light, more types of coral can be kept. I can't personally recommend PC lighting, but others seem to like it. For my money, nothing looks better to me and my coral than metal halide...you'll love the shimmer

Substrate is a funny issue...and tends to be one of those highly debated topics. You might do some searches on "barebottom" (BB), "deep sand beds" (DSB), and "shallow sand beds" (SSB). Each has its own advantages/disadvantages.

Andrew

ChrisPrusha · 03-22-2006, 01:44 PM

Welcome aboard!!!! w00000000000000t!!!

johnny505 · 03-22-2006, 01:54 PM

One important thing to rememer. dont buy something to fit your budget. sounds crazy but cheaper prices mean cheaper products which means cheaper performance. ( i know)
figure out what you want in the tank and then what you need as far as products. ASK as many questions as you can about everything... even the dumbest questions! God knows I do all of the time. before you intend to buy anything! i mean anything..... post a thread in here and get everyones opinions and then make a decision on the item.

cwilson758 · 03-22-2006, 01:55 PM

I would also like to have MH lighting but with the cost of the tank not to mention the lr/ls it is just to exspensive to buy all at once. The pc hood i found is 4*96 watts dual daylight/atcnic bulbs with lunar lights and costs about $350 less than than any MH hood that i've seen.

Maybe i'm looking in the wrong places? At first i was going to try to keep mostly softies. Would the pc hood be enough?

Also what are your thoughts on a sump/fuge?

thanks again

SaltBlock · 03-22-2006, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwilson758

The pc hood i found is 4*96 watts dual daylight/atcnic bulbs with lunar lights and costs about $350 less than than any MH hood that I've seen.

If you by MH components, you can get a lot for little.

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewIt...product=PF1612

For example...PFO HQI Dual 250w ballast ($179), 2 x PFO sockets w/ spyder reflectors ($110), and 2 250w bulbs ($130) = $419+shp

Now, that's a lot of light, and you wouldn't necessarily need that much, but you could keep any coral and you would never need to get another lighting system for that tank.

Andrew

whatevva · 03-22-2006, 02:28 PM

WELCOME TO TRT!!! Because of the shape of the tank that you've chosen, you'll have limited space in the cabinet, under the tank, but you CAN make a sump fit with all the other goodies. I have the 90 gallon Oceanic and stand which is the same footprint just a bit taller. I personally can't see getting a light fixture without MH's. I never figured that I'd have the type of corals that I do, and I'm soooo glad that I bought an MH fixture!

kbell2433 · 03-22-2006, 05:31 PM

And dont let your LFS (local fish store) sell you things you don't want or need......most are good for giving you bad advice ( most NOT all) . And i like ocianic tanks they are very nice......wish i had one........like was stated before check here before buying

ZOKU · 03-22-2006, 07:31 PM

If you're good at DIY - you can construct the stand yourself and go from there. This will allow you to obtain a fair sized sump/refugium and you won't be stuck with the lame pre-manufactured stands with the small interior footprint.