A couple questions from an uber newb.

[jdm237]

Hi all,

My name is Jeff. I have always wanted to get into this hobby nd now that I am out of school and into a a career I have a little disposable income for it. I am in the very early stages and gathering info, lots of info. I am lanning to make a list of what I need and acquire the pieces over time after indepth research.

My questions are:

1. Glass or acrylic? I know it is probably personal preference but I curious about everyones opinions
2. I want to eventually have a reef tank. I think I want to start with dry rock and do the shrimp cycle method. After the cycle I add in the cleaning crew. My question is should I go straight to coral and then add fish or fish then coral?

Thanks everyone in advance. I am really excited to be part of this wonderful community.

 

[Zero Nitrates]

I like glass tanks. Coral or fish is really just what you want to do. There are species of each that are good to start with.

 

[CastAway]

Welcome! I like glass because it's more "long term". If you rent, or plan on upsizing relatively soon, you might consider acrylic. It'll scratch and haze over time, it's inevitable, but it's light. Number of gallons is a variable in the glass/acrylic decision as well. Glass is better for larger tanks IMO. Coral or fish? Well you can add more coral faster IMO, as it's not as reliant upon the bacteria established just after the initial cycle. But, coral requires nutrients, most easily introduced by fish. So it's a balance. Invest in a good skimmer, and good LED lights. You won't regret that. Again, welcome to the forum!

 

[fagundespavinp3]

Welcome Im Also New to the Hobby I started with Glass Bc Its easy to clean without worrying about scratching and most of the time there Is a big lip around the top of acrylic tanks for support that's hard to clean. as for the fish / coral I was always told coral first bc If your trying to maintain parameters without adding a bio load (Fish poop and food) to throw off the basics but as stated above the corals will consume the micro nutrients in the water. so it kinda up to you which parameters do you want to fight; nitrates and phos or calk and mag. just my 2 cents. I kinda added both at the same time but very slow like one fish one coral....

 

[Karen]

Hi, I just started my tank in mid March. I got the bio cube all in one mainly due to size (I rent an apartment). I like the glass aquariums due to the scratch and fog factor. Also, I added some zoas first then some GSP and Xenia before getting my first fish for the tank. Zoas have quadrupled in number after adding my fish and starting to feed the tank. I think I may be ready to learn the fine art of fragging coral shortly.

Good luck with your new aquarium. If I have learned anything about the hobby from the forums ( plural) I have been reading, it is that there is no set in stone way to do anything.