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Hobby 
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 Topic: Hello I'm new.
Posted: January 30 2009 at 4:48pm |
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Well I have decided to start a reef tank. I have a thousand questions. Where do I begin? First do I have to have a sump? What size tank is ideal? Which lights are best?
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Debbles
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Posted: January 30 2009 at 5:02pm |
Welcome to the board and to the "addiction". You have come to the right place if you have questions. I have learned so much from the people here. Ask away.....
Deb 
I guess I should answer the questions you have already asked....  . Do you know what kind of tank you want?.....reef, fish only, aggresive etc. that will help determine what size tank to suggest and what kind of lighting you will need.
Edited by frednwilma1999 - January 30 2009 at 5:04pm
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Yes Mikey...I still have fins!!!
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Hobby
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Posted: January 30 2009 at 5:22pm |
I know I want to keep corals but I am unsure about what kind of fish. I'm just trying to learn right now. I'm thinking 40-90 gals.
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Cameron
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Posted: January 30 2009 at 5:26pm |
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Go with the biggest you can afford. I would reccemond trying to find a complete setup in the buy sale trade section. MH Lights IMO are the best, but are not cheap. The bigger tank you go, the easier it will be to keep stable. I reccemond going to see other people tanks. Youre always welcome to come see mine if ur ever this way. A sump is not required, but it helps out alot. Have a plan on what fish you want to keep and try to stick to that plan. Do not rush the hobby or else you WILL regret it and it could become expenxive very fast.
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Andreason
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Posted: January 30 2009 at 5:50pm |
I would look on here and KSL for a used set up. They are generally much cheaper and often come with stuff such as a sump set up, plumbing, lights, etc. You can get corals on here as well for reasonable prices. Look at some of the tank builds on here, there are some really good ones with lots of pictures that you could learn a lot from on how it all goes together. The most important thing is to be patient. I think that is the hardest thing as well! If you rush it, you will regret it.
Wendy
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Andreason's
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BobC63
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Posted: January 30 2009 at 6:57pm |
If you could give us an approximate $$$ amount that you wanted to spend setting one up, we could probably be more specific with advice on what you should expect for that much money.
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- My Current Tank: 50g Starfire Cube Reef
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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Cameron
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Posted: January 30 2009 at 6:59pm |
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Yep....
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Mike Savage
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Posted: January 30 2009 at 10:20pm |
Welcome Hobby!
I would start out by coming up with a budget; How much do you have to start the tank. Next you should visit people's tanks. Most of us are more than willing to show off our tanks and give free advice. When you visit tanks ask questions and you will figure out what types of animals (coral), fish, inverts etc that you would like to keep. Then start figuring out what the requirements are to keep them healthy and if you are able to provide that with your budget. You are welcome to come visit me and my 10 gallon tank any time.
Mike
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 31 2009 at 4:53pm |
The 75 and 90 gallon tanks are excellent because they are 4 feet long and 18 inches wide. The 90 is just a few inches taller. There are many ways to set up a reef tank and many more ways to make it overly expensive. There is a lot of unnecessary equipment sold in the hobby. Don't be fooled. We here on the WMAS message board have no ulterior motive when giving advice. Unlike the LFS (local fish store), we are not trying to sell you anything. Tip: Take any advice heard at the LFS back to this MB to determine just how accurate it is. Are you a person who likes to start with the bare minimum and build up or do you like to do it top scale with all the bells and whistles from the start? If you are economical minded yet would like to have coral growing in any size starter tank within a week, here is the place to start learning: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Hobby
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Posted: February 01 2009 at 11:54pm |
This is great info Mark! Thank you for the link!
What I would like to do is be able to grow any reefs I would like too. I'm not interested in fish at the present. Of corse I would like to set this tank up as affordable as possible but again I would like to grow all types of corals. My questions are these....
1. Can all corals live togeather?
2. Do I have to have a refugiuim?
3. Can my sump and refugiuim be one unit?
4. What lights are best?
5. What temp is best?
6. What equipment do I need?
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CrimsRayne
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Posted: February 02 2009 at 9:23pm |
 Hobby wrote:
This is great info Mark! Thank you for the link!
What I would like to do is be able to grow any reefs I would like too. I'm not interested in fish at the present. Of corse I would like to set this tank up as affordable as possible but again I would like to grow all types of corals. My questions are these....
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Disclaimer: There are many different opinions about what is "best", "needed", Etc.
If you were in the area, I'd say come on over and check out my tanks. I have a wide variety of setups.  No two tanks of mine have the same combination/type of equipment. Including: lights, filtration, livestock, Etc.
1. Can all corals live togeather?
In theory yes. In application... There are many members that have a wide variety of corals, but it takes time, patients, and effort to learn how to do it and get those kind of results. However, there are many great "beginner" corals that are easy to care for with minimal effort.
The type of corals you want will determine the kind of tank you "should" get. (also up for debate)
2. Do I have to have a refugiuim?
No. There are lots of tanks that run just fine w/o a sump or refugium. It has been debated numerous times if it is possible to have a nice reef tank w/o them.
3. Can my sump and refugiuim be one unit?
Yes, very much so. Many members use their sumps as combo refugiums. The "catch" is that there needs to be enough room and the "right" layout for it to work well.
4. What lights are best?
A HUGE can of worms. There are probably more debates and opinions about this than anything else SW related.
The "usual" range of lighting from low to high is: NO (Normal Output lights not w/o light), T5 (not the T5 HO), PC (Power Compact), VHO (Very High Output), T5 HO (T5 High Output, usually what people mean by T5), Metal Halide (abbreviated MH).
Note: most reefers use PC, VHO, T5 (HO), or MH. The others are usually considered too low for reef keeping.
A lot of people say that depending on what kinds of corals you want, there are lights that are "best" for them. I know that there are a lot of different styles/types of lighting that work just as well as others.
I suggest looking up the lighting "requirements" for the types of corals you want to keep and go from there. The typical guidelines (not facts, so no one say that I'm wrong  ) are: soft corals (leathers, mushrooms, zoanthids and other polyps...) can be kept in nearly all kinds of lighting.
LPS (corals with flesh over a hard skeleton base, like candy cane, frogspawn, brain coral, acans, blastos...the list goes on and on) depending on the type can also be kept under a variety of lights (often med to high).
SPS ("small polyp stoney" corals, hard branching corals that kinda look like trees w/o leaves) are almost always kept under higher lighting.
Anemones (not a coral, but usually gets grouped in with things that need certain lighting) can have a wide variety of lighting.
5. What temp is best?
Also depends on what livestock there is and personal preference. As long as the temp stays the same (day and night) I've seen anywhere from 70-82. I like to keep mine 72-76 depending on the tank.
6. What equipment do I need?
See all the above.  Basicly all you "need" is tank, some sort of flow in the tank, and some sort of filtration (even just live rock).  For a basic low level SW tank you should also have some lighting (even just sunlight, If you are Mark Peterson), and some sort of livestock.
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"What we know from this hobby is too hard to share with the people who just want to look and not get wet." -Rioreefer
"The Puffer Girl"
Zoo freak :)
West Jordan
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 03 2009 at 9:01am |
Excellent responses.
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Xacttech
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Posted: February 03 2009 at 9:41am |
Advice from someone who has "started" in this hobby twice 
My first stint was for about 2 years, then I bought a house, and didn't have a good location set for a tank so I sold my equipment. I just started up again however, and am very excited.
Here are my opinions and experiencesÂÂ
First tank was 50 gallons, no sump, HOB filter. Live rock deep sand bed. After 3 months I upgraded to a 90 gallon with sump/refugium. Biggest mistake with my first tank (which didn't crash and was going well) was that it didn't have an overflow and sump. Some may debate wether or not you need a sump, but I can tell you from my limited experience, it makes things a lot easier.
A sump gives you a place to put your heaters, dosers, skimmers, filter media etc. etc. So they're not just hanging in the tank... echk! Also adding to your overall Water volume makes maintaining consistent water parameters much easier.
A sump can be cheap, an old fishtank off of KSL or from the D.I.
I recently purchased and have started a 28 gallon nano... due to placement restrictions at my house, and wanting to get back in to the hobby nice and easy, I went with this small all in one unit... So far I'm very happy with it. It has Halide Lighting, a protein skimmer, and a wavemaker. But I can already see issues arising down the road. Temperatures, and water parameters are more difficult (for me) with such a small volume of water. I really wish I had a refugium, and think I'll add an HOB BakPak Refugium (or build one).
Best advice... read read read... and Petsmart DOESN'T have what you need to get started ;)
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vadryn
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Posted: February 03 2009 at 10:01am |
Hobby - You maybe should have introduced yourself as an experienced FW person. There are several of us dabbling here. A couple of threads that were particularly good were the "affordable Reef" one and then Bob??? has a 225 build thread I really enjoyed and found quite educational.
I've been trying to decide just how to dive in, so I'll be watching your progress with interest.
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Hobby
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Posted: February 03 2009 at 11:19am |
How nice to see you vadryn. Everyone's super nice and very helpful over here. I would love to see links to the threads you mentioned above. I've been reading and reading and reading......... I'm hoping to have a tank setup this weekend. I'm been thinking about doing this since last NOV. Keep me posted on your progress as well.
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Hobby
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Posted: February 03 2009 at 11:22am |
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You all are awesome! Thank you for the input and please keep the info coming!
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BobC63
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Posted: February 03 2009 at 12:14pm |
Hobby wrote:
How nice to see you vadryn. Everyone's super nice and very helpful over here. I would love to see links to the threads you mentioned above. I've been reading and reading and reading......... I'm hoping to have a tank setup this weekend. I'm been thinking about doing this since last NOV. Keep me posted on your progress as well. |
Here is the link to my 225 Build Thread:
It's a mere 20 pages long you should breeze right throught it
Pretty much everything in it can be applied to any size tank set up
Have fun!
- Bob
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- My Current Tank: 50g Starfire Cube Reef
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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Hobby
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Posted: February 03 2009 at 12:17pm |
Thank you! Another great thread!
Edited by Hobby - February 03 2009 at 12:29pm
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Chevmaro
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Posted: February 03 2009 at 12:22pm |
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I did a few tanks before I got it right. It always seemed the small tanks were not big enough. If you can afford it start with a big one so your not upgrading in a couple months. If you are looking for affordability it seems a 55 is a decent size and equipment and rock is not that expensive for it. You should run a sump or refugium of some kind. If you decide to run one later it might be hard to get it in the stand. I would get a big sump and put it in there before putting the water in the tank. Dont spend alot on them. They can be made from regular glass tanks with glued in baffles or even a rubermade container. Bigger the better. Get the biggest you can fit.
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Turbostud653
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Posted: February 03 2009 at 6:24pm |
Welcome Hobby,
If your ever in town you can come check out my 24 gallon aquapod.
Matt
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Here is what a customer said while on hold Oh my gosh! Did you open the door? I told you not to open the door. Dre is in here completely naked and he's got freak'n Macaroni and Cheese in his hands.
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