New Guy

Welcome! You came to the right place! I have a nice drilled 65 w/overflow tank with a stand and sump you can have for $150, it has been empty for a couple months now and still holds water. Aside from getting the tank stand and sump you need to plan out what types of corals you want to keep. This will determine the equipment you really need. Do you want to keep mostly soft corals, LPS, SPS? A mixed reef? Planning everything out in advance will save you TONS of headache and money in the end. Feel free to call me at 435-830-8855 and we can talk in detail!

Edited by Shayne - May 13 2010 at 5:38pm

CapnMorgan wrote: Welcome! You came to the right place! I have a nice drilled 65 w/overflow tank with a stand and sump you can have for $150, it has been empty for a couple months now and still holds water. Aside from getting the tank stand and sump you need to plan out what types of corals you want to keep. This will determine the equipment you really need. Do you want to keep mostly soft corals, LPS, SPS? A mixed reef? Planning everything out in advance will save you TONS of headache and money in the end. Feel free to call me at 435-830-8855 and we can talk in detail!

Thanks! I may have to take you up on that offer. Give me a little time to figure out exactly what I'm doing and I'll get back to you. What is the width of that setup?

Welcome to the club. If you would like to come by and see my setup your welcome to.

Ok, I'm hoping it's cool if I just post my random questions from time to time while I figure out what I'm doing.

First, what size of tank should I start with? I've heard 55 gallons is the reasonable starting point but would I be happier if I jumped to 65 or 75? The area I'm using could handle up to 57" x 28" (Could go a little bigger in either direction if needed).

Second, is there any sort of consensus about glass vs. acrylic? Also, it it better to order a tank online or hit a local store? (Obviously buying used would be the cheapest option.)

That last question brings me to another. What are the best stores in my area (think South Salt Lake County or North Utah County)?

Again, thanks for all the help. Hopefully I'm not being annoying or anything.

This can be an expensive hobby. The larger the tank the more it takes to populate it and make it look nice. But to start out it's wise to use something already available or inexpensive. A used 30 gal tank is a good size to start with. If you start liking it, the hobby will become expensive enough on it's own as you upgrade. The best way to start a larger tank is to move some or all the live stuff over from the smaller tank.

There is also the matter of death. Most hobbyists end up seeing living things die more at first as they are learning. So starting small while you are learning means less death. I know that may sound a bit morbid, but it is a fact of keeping an aquarium. Despite what you may have heard or read, small tanks are easier than larger tanks. The hobby has changed dramatically and continuously over the last 17 years since I entered it. When I did a 10 gallon reef tank 13 years ago it was unheard of. 55 was the absolute minimum for a saltwater aquarium. My guess is that today, about half the home reef aquariums are 30 gallons or less.

Personally I like 75 gal and 120 gallon tanks. They are large enough to really notice and work with, but not too large. A 55(48x12x20) is not deep enough to do much with rockwork. "Deep" means front to back. "Tall" describes the vertical height. A 55, 75, 90 and 120 are all 4 feet long which is practically perfect, but the deeper 75 (48x18x20) or 90(48x18x22) and even deeper 120 (48x24x24)are perfect for creating a nice looking aquascape which gives the appearance of distance away into the deep.

Glass is better because it does not scratch easily. Acrylic is a pain because one small piece of grit under a magnetic algae scraper (which btw is a fantastic tool) or one bad move with a rock can mar the view forever. Actually, scratches in acrylic are not that difficult to remove without draining the tank, but it's nicer not to get the scratch in the first place by having a glass tank.

Used tanks are typically half the cost of new. They are worse than cars because they lose half their resale value right after they leave the store. But the cool thing is that used tanks are always half the price of new. Unless it is badly scratched, a 5 year old or even 10 year old tank is worth about the same as a 6 month old tank. KSL.com is a popular place to find a tank. I often buy a tank that was used for freshwater, throw out the gravel, filters and lights, keep the powerheads and heater, add Utah Sand and Rock, then make my Walmart Special light...transforming it into a beautiful beginning reef with a few coral and fish in about a week for about $200.

The list of LFS's (Local Fish Store) is over to the top left under a blue button. They are all good stores, but the ones with stars next to them are great supporters of the WMAS. I know that Bird World and the Aquarium have some tanks on sale right now. Just call around and ask for prices. The LFS are the best place to buy a new tank.

Your questions are wonderful. I hope my answers are helpful. Others will chime in with likewise good comments. You are off to a good start. Enjoy.


Edited by Mark Peterson - May 14 2010 at 2:27am

Welcome Shayne!

Lighting is way daunting.  Keep digging.

It really depends on what you're planning to keep. My tank uses about $100 in electricity and probably $35-50 in food, supplements, etc.