First Time Set Ups.

[Naringlo]

So, I'm looking in to buying a reef aquarium and was wondering if anyone knew of any good first time set ups. I'm currently looking at the Juwel Rio 180 and converting it to marine. Cabinet doesn't have much room for a sump though. I was also wondering if there is anything like a full start up kit inc. tank, sump, protein skimmer etc around? Not really interested in those all included built in equipment 100L aquariums like the kent something. They seem very limiting to stock and I hear people just upgrade the equipment anyway. I will also be scouting eBay of course.

This may sound a bit weird in SW section but I don't really have a massive amount of money to spend. But I hear SW doesn't particularly have to be expensive.

Also, I really don't know what I would need as well. Trying to plan the cost and so on. At the moment I know I need:

Aquarium
Sump
Protein Skimmer (apparently this is optional but recommended you get one)
Live Rock
Live Sand
Refractometer/Hydrometer ( I think they're the same but one being electrical, to measure salt levels)
Wave maker/Power head for water movement and corals)
Salt for salinity
Master Saltwater Test Kit
RO unit (have no idea how this even works) or chemicals just add to tap water to put in? Sounds a bit cheap for the SW side of things but does this work?
And am I right in thinking this water needs to me made a few days before?
Thermometer
Heater
Suitable lighting

and just some additional info to help, all I'm interested in keeping is a simple CUC, smaller fish like clowns, chromies, wrasses, dart fish and maybe one bigger one if a 200L approx allows it, corals, polyps.

Anyway this is just planning but I appreciate any help and advice!

 

[Naringlo]

Actually I'm hoping to go with a 100L nano reef. After looking up the specs, they're not too bad except the size. Are they any good for keeping 1-2 fish?

 

[Naringlo]

They come with built in equipment too

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

i can list what my 180litre marine tank cost to setup up brand new...
Aquarium ----- £429 aquamarine 900
Sump ----- (not got 1 id rather have 1 though lol)
Protein Skimmer (apparently this is optional but recommended you get one) ------ deltec mce 300 £90 (considered 1 of the best for a tank my size)
Live Rock ----- £12kg in most lfs, can easily get it for £5kg on marine classified ads(just becareful of all the nasties that can come with it, on a plus side if u can transport it quickly ull get all the good stuff too)
Live Sand ----- £20 and i had loads left
Refractometer/Hydrometer ( I think they're the same but one being electrical, to measure salt levels) ----- refractometer here £30
Wave maker/Power head for water movement and corals) ------ i picked up two off the classifieds £24 each
Salt for salinity ----- £45 for a bucket thatll last me a year
Master Saltwater Test Kit ---- £30ish on ebay although i use salifert range of test kits that are realllly accurate usually £7-14 for each type of test
RO unit (have no idea how this even works) or chemicals just add to tap water to put in? Sounds a bit cheap for the SW side of things but does this work? ...
And am I right in thinking this water needs to me made a few days before? -- i get my RO water from my LFS costs me like £2 for 25 litres (just make sure u buy ur own water drums) then u just mix RO water and salt upto 1.025 salinty in a seperate container (i use 1 of those 30 litres storage tidy clear boxes)
Thermometer --- (mine came with my tank, im sure ur LFS wouldnt mind throwin in a few freebies like this if ur buying a tank lol)
Heater - again should come with a new system or theyre abit tight probably around £25 otherwise
Suitable lighting - depends if u only want soft corals you need T5 lighting or better.. hard corals you should be looking at lighting like metal halide

i have a "start up marine system" mine came with tank, cabinet, T5 lighting,heater, thermometer and a filter system (which i didnt like so i traded it out)... and i also bartered discount off the salt and refractometer as i was spending so much on 1 day
my friend has the rio 180 and the cabinet is abit "small" considering he can only just fit a external in there.

give us a few links of the tanks you want? ... nano tanks can be kept beautifully with like u said a few fish and corals however the smaller the tank the more water parameters can fluxuate as a general rule.

just a final note i did buy all mine brand new and the cost is considerably higher than if u really shopped around looking at bargains online and in classified ads if u got anymore questions ill try my best to answer them however im only a few months into my own marine experience so i dont know everything yet lol only going on my own experience


edit: also check out the M.A.R.C tons of info in there

 

[SaltNoob]

i can list what my 180litre marine tank cost to setup up brand new...
Aquarium ----- £429 aquamarine 900
Sump ----- (not got 1 id rather have 1 though lol)
Protein Skimmer (apparently this is optional but recommended you get one) ------ deltec mce 300 £90 (considered 1 of the best for a tank my size)
Live Rock ----- £12kg in most lfs, can easily get it for £5kg on marine classified ads(just becareful of all the nasties that can come with it, on a plus side if u can transport it quickly ull get all the good stuff too)
Live Sand ----- £20 and i had loads left
Refractometer/Hydrometer ( I think they're the same but one being electrical, to measure salt levels) ----- refractometer here £30
Wave maker/Power head for water movement and corals) ------ i picked up two off the classifieds £24 each
Salt for salinity ----- £45 for a bucket thatll last me a year
Master Saltwater Test Kit ---- £30ish on ebay although i use salifert range of test kits that are realllly accurate usually £7-14 for each type of test
RO unit (have no idea how this even works) or chemicals just add to tap water to put in? Sounds a bit cheap for the SW side of things but does this work? ...
And am I right in thinking this water needs to me made a few days before? -- i get my RO water from my LFS costs me like £2 for 25 litres (just make sure u buy ur own water drums) then u just mix RO water and salt upto 1.025 salinty in a seperate container (i use 1 of those 30 litres storage tidy clear boxes)
Thermometer --- (mine came with my tank, im sure ur LFS wouldnt mind throwin in a few freebies like this if ur buying a tank lol)
Heater - again should come with a new system or theyre abit tight probably around £25 otherwise
Suitable lighting - depends if u only want soft corals you need T5 lighting or better.. hard corals you should be looking at lighting like metal halide

i have a "start up marine system" mine came with tank, cabinet, T5 lighting,heater, thermometer and a filter system (which i didnt like so i traded it out)... and i also bartered discount off the salt and refractometer as i was spending so much on 1 day
my friend has the rio 180 and the cabinet is abit "small" considering he can only just fit a external in there.

give us a few links of the tanks you want? ... nano tanks can be kept beautifully with like u said a few fish and corals however the smaller the tank the more water parameters can fluxuate as a general rule.

just a final note i did buy all mine brand new and the cost is considerably higher than if u really shopped around looking at bargains online and in classified ads if u got anymore questions ill try my best to answer them however im only a few months into my own marine experience so i dont know everything yet lol only going on my own experience


edit: also check out the M.A.R.C tons of info in there

The refractometer is not electrical, it just refracts light based on the salinity and you get a very accurate reading if you have calibrated correctly. The Hydrometer just floats in the tank with a piece of paper glued in it with a green section. The hydrometer is very cheap and with cheap you get inaccurate and you really don't know the salinity. IF you can get the recracto, get it!

You can buy water from your LFS which is pretty cheap to be honest, unless you have a huge tank.... It would take me 3 years to pay off the cost of a good RO/DI machine with my 30gal doing 7gal water changes every 5 days...

 

[Naringlo]

Thank you! That gives me some great pricing ideas.

I have to say though, with my limiting budget but addiction to fish, I like the look of this regardless to what I first posted.
http/www.seapets.co.uk/products/aquarium-supplies/aquariums/interpet-aquariums/kent-marine-bio-reef-aquarium.html
It looks reasonably priced, fairly good, especially for just a few fish and corals. And the specs don't seem to be as bad as I thought.

I won't be getting it for a long time as I'm saving up for a discus or african cichlid tank first. Then a car, college things and going out and so on. So plenty of time to research.
But I may change my mind and get this first.

And thanks for the water info. That is much better that I don't have to buy a RO unit for a small tank. So I Guess chemicals to make marine water are bad?

Yeah I read through M.A.R.C a bit. I will more intensively when it is nearer to the time but I do like to talk to people as well as read.

Thanks again, but yes, check the link and let me know your thoughts.

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

Thank you! That gives me some great pricing ideas.

I have to say though, with my limiting budget but addiction to fish, I like the look of this regardless to what I first posted.
http/www.seapets.c...f-aquarium.html
It looks reasonably priced, fairly good, especially for just a few fish and corals. And the specs don't seem to be as bad as I thought.

I won't be getting it for a long time as I'm saving up for a discus or african cichlid tank first. Then a car, college things and going out and so on. So plenty of time to research.
But I may change my mind and get this first.

And thanks for the water info. That is much better that I don't have to buy a RO unit for a small tank. So I Guess chemicals to make marine water are bad?

Yeah I read through M.A.R.C a bit. I will more intensively when it is nearer to the time but I do like to talk to people as well as read.

Thanks again, but yes, check the link and let me know your thoughts.

Tank looks good my friend had a nano tank similar with a built in filtration system, they can work aslong as your on top of the water parameters side of it. People do use tap water with water de chlorinaters (like seachem prime, nutrafin aqua plus etc), but you really do need to know how your tap water is in terms of hardness etc, so its easier to get pure "RO" water and just add salt as you then you know you have complete control.

 

[Naringlo]

Oh that's good news since on the SW side, things are fairly more expensive unlike the Kent Aquarium. And I'm up for the task of keeping on top of water parameters. I'll be posting here first though. :L

Okay I will most likely go with RO water then in that case but good to know.

Thanks again!

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

yeh it seems a pretty good aquarium id like to get some other experienced member knowledge on the lighting front though from some other members as im realllly rubbish at trying to work out wattage etc lol so i hope some1 else can chip in.

any other questions?

 

[GGtank]

Welcome to the salty side as they say!

Glad you're going marine, you'll never look back trust me! hehe

You can get a lot of good tanks cheap online 2nd hand (I just sold my Juwel Rio 125L for 80 euro). Most of the used ones will be in good nick (people just like upgrading once they get addicted

A lot of stuff is optional, desirable but optional.

Sump - not a necessity at all (but really valuable if you get one as hides equipment, increases total water volume, allows for addition of supplements that would otherwise hurt corals when in direct contact like certain buffers etc, allows for a refugium to keep copepods etc) I didn't have one until my current tank and I got along just fine, so it's not necessary

Skimmer - good idea, really helps with water quality, make sure you get one that is good quality and appropriate for your tank size.

Lights - tricky area. You want softies/mushies a couple T5s should be fine, you want more than that think LEDs or MHs. LEDS have longer life spans, cost less to run and add a lovely shimmer to the water but are more expensive me thinks. I kept softies with no problem with T5s. Then after a few months bought one LED and screwed it onto lid, then bought another a few months later etc etc (ie you don't need to START off with perfect lights, you can build up your lighting once you're patient enough to ensure your stocking suits your lighting). Metal Halides are expensive, create a lot of heat which needs it's own cooling system in big tanks, bulbs have to be replaced often enough comparatively. There is an old (but good) reefkeeping article on lighting >>>> http/reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-08/dw/index.php but of course LEDS are new and not included in it, I like them and defo think they are the way forward in aquarium lighting, but debate is out there. If you want more of a scientific outline check out advanced aquarist article>>>>> http/www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/2/aafeature

Live rock will be one of you big costs, depends on if you can get it second hand (ppl breaking down tanks) or whether you want to wait and seed your own rock. How much you say? Another debate. Depends on your bio load and gallons. In short: few fish, you can get away with less rock, good skimmer = you can get away with less rock. Some people say 1.5lbs per gallon. You can also get some live rock and then just plain porous rock and seed it, but you do need a fair amt of live rock to begin with.

IMO don't bother with a RO unit. You can get water from your LFS to do water changes. Also no need for a wavemaker, get some powerheads (cheaper). In terms of which you need aim 10 - 20 times the water volume (though again this depends on if you keep stony corals etc)

You need the test kits at least just for Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite to begin with. And a good thermometer and heater is a must.


In all reality, you need very little to start off, you can slowly build up your equipment as your tank matures and progresses

 

[Naringlo]

Thanks for that. I didn't know you could just build up while it's maturing.

Also on my first post with the list, did I miss anything I may need?

I hear on Youtube videos that the lighting makes corals and such grow like crazy. So seems to be good. Not sure if they were soft or hard. Don't really understand that yet.

But thank you both again, this has been one of the most helpful posts I've done.

 

[vanny]

I would also invest in a refugium or a DIY algae scrubber to combat algae, it would be good to have one from the start and not have to deal with nuisance algae later when the tank has established.

 

[Naringlo]

Oh yes I've heard about this problem. What do you recommend?

 

[vanny]

Oh yes I've heard about this problem. What do you recommend?

I don't have a favourite, but it all depends on how much space you have. for me personally I prefer an algae scrubber as I like DIY things and have a place to put it (you can retrofit it). however, a refugium is also a good idea as you can grow more than just algae and provides a haven for new comers or more delicate live stock to keep. (kinda like killing two birds with one stone ).
overall, an algae scrubber is meant to reduce algae growth in the main tank so you would see better results if your gaol is just to remove algae
good luck

 

[GGtank]

Or get a dozen or so hermit crabs, a few Astraea snails, a couple nassarius snails, maybe toss in an emerald crab and perhaps an algae blenny and if u get a serious problem then throw in an urchin as well and you got yourself a very good algae control unit!!!! no need for scrubber!