Considering Reef Setup

[ozzkilledtoto]

Hello everyone. I have absolutely NO experience with marine/saltwater setups but have always wanted to have a reef tank. What has kept me away from it was the stigma it has for being so difficult (and also a bit more pricey but that doesn't bother me too much as it seems worth it) I only have experience with tropical/planted and very little brackish experience. So I guess what i'm trying to get out of this post is a nudge in the right direction. I don't wanna buy anything yet (tank, equipment, stock) until I know absolutely what I wan't to do, and how i'm going to do it. So what should I be thinking about first? I know I wan't about a 25-30 us Gallon sized tank. I prefer a long tank but a taller square one is fine. I would like some marine fish... I haven't decided on any particular species though, I know I would like fish with crustaceans as well as starfish, snail, urchin, things of that nature. Any recommendations would be appreciated, it would be nice if someone could include compatible mates in their recommendations. Anyways, I know the live stock is the last thing I should worry about (kinda anyway, despite the fact that the setup should revolve around the species being considered but you know what i mean) I don't really know anything so I have a lot to learn about substrates and the live rock/ coral, anemones, the symbiotic relationships, the salinity, gravity thing, temperatures, algae (i've always wanted a tank with that red velvet algae, think thats what its called). So if anyone could shed some light on what the heck i should do first it would be greatly appreciated. Maybe some good guides/articles online, or both. The more information pointing me the right way the better. Thanks in advance.

- Ozz

 

[-Nemo-]

You're starting out well with doing research first

Do you want corals or not? That will change quite a few things depending on whether you want them or not. I'd look around at a bunch of corals like on liveaquaria.com and see what interests you. There are some fish that are nippy with corals.

PS. Welcome to the salty side

 

[foley69]

the tank size to start with is a good starter tank you will have to also decide if you want a sump (another glass tank that sits below the main tank) this will store all your equiptment skimmer etc, itr also increasses the water volume you have. other that that you will need your substrate coral sand i find is best, then salt again i find red sea pro my fav, and i would reccoment using reverse osmosis water ( purified water) you can source this from most LFC for that size aquarium you will most probably need around 15-20kg of live rock for a good reef if that is what you may decide to do.

as of fish you would be looking at things that get no bigger than about 4" (clowns, some pygmy angels, fire fish, smaller wrasse) just see what you fancy and see if the fish you like can live together. as for corals most soft corals can live under t8 lighting, you will need better lighting for hard corals t5, LED's.

hope this helps a little bit.

andy

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

All this helps quite a bit, I know I DO want coral, as well as anemones and things of that nature. I don't think i have used any of the filtration methods you have mentioned so i will have to do some research as far as everything i will need. I use power filters in my tropical tanks but I presume things are different on the "salty side". Which filtration method is best at performance and least complicated? i've also never used skimmers, or anything else typical in marine tank setups.

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

oh and i like "oddball" type fish.. as well as bright colorful ones.. but i always like to keep one or two oddballs. What are some reef types?

P.S. found the book on amazon shipping from my state for $5.91.. it seems a bit old though... might it be outdated? or you think its still a good idea to get it?

 

[-Nemo-]

My ultimate filtration suggest would be a sump with refugium section along with protein skimmer and live rock.

If you opt out of the sump, then just do Live rock and a skimmer. It will do a good job.



Oddballs are tough.... Most oddballs I can think of either get too big, eat coral or eat other fish... Hawkfish are kind of oddballish I guess. They stare up at you with those freaky eyes.

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

OOPS, sorry the book i was referring to was a book suggested to be in another forum, fishlore.com, got the pages confused i suppose. in case anyone is wondering about it the book suggested to me was "Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Micocosms"

Anyways.. with that filtration method you suggested will i be able to have coral, anemone?

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

i'm LOVING this.. http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+2856+661&pcatid=661 uh oh.. i feel an obsession coming on.

 

[injektion]

mushrooms are usually very easy to keep as they do not require much in terms of lighting and flow. it is important to keep water parameters at an optimal amount, though that would apply with or without corals anyway.

as for fish you would probably want something that is peaceful, and like nemo said, most oddballs are carnivorous or grow too large. hawkfish certainly are weird but cute at the same time. one reason you might not want a hawkfish would be because they might eat inverts like snails, shrimp, and hermit crabs. if you don't mind it that then you should definitely get a hawkfish. i would recommend clownfish, blennies, pygmy angels, damsels (though you shouldn't mix clowns and damsels in the same tank), and wrasses that don't grow too large (around 3-4"). you might want to just check out your local fish store and see what they have for sale, see what catches your eye and come back with the names of the fish and we'll tell you which ones would be a good fit for your tank.

for filtration i would recommend live rock in your tank (usually around 1 lb per gallon) and a sump with a refugium. in your refugium i would also recommend you to add some macroalgae as these will remove nitrates and phosphates in your water, which should be very close to 0 if you plan on keeping corals. you should also get a skimmer, which will remove waste and any toxins corals may release naturally.

research is your friend and you're headed towards the right direction so far . be sure to keep us updated!

 

[-Nemo-]

An additional note on the hawkfish as well, Falco and Red spotted hawkfish tend to be known as the most reef safe hawkfish. I have a a red spotted and he doesn't harm any inverts, but he does have a liking for smaller fish