Absolute newb

[BigMike81]

Hello everyone, I a completely new to this hobby. My wife and I have been successful at maintaining a goldfish aquarium and love doing it. I am totally in love with salt water tanks and the beautiful colors that come with it. I personally want a mini reef as well. We stumbled upon a great deal on craigslist 250 dollars for a 55 gal. tank, stand, filter, blue hippo, 3 clown fish, and some live rock. I need serious guidance in what to do with this tank or should I avoid it as a complete newb. Just look for some solid first steps in the right direction so I can achieve a thriving healthy tank for my family and me to enjoy. I just want to do things right and will be patient enough to do the necessary steps to achieve my goals and be a successful hobbiest. I know this is an expensive endevor and will take the necessary time to build the proper aquarium I have dreamed about.

 

[Tahoe61]

Welcome.:wave:

 

[mike007]

Welcome to r2r!! Lots of good help here.

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[ethridge78]

Welcome

 

[Naiad]

Welcome. It wouldn't hurt to look at the tank but be sure to ask a few questions. 1. Why is the person selling. 2. Has the tank ever had any serious illness and been medicated. 3. Has there been any major equipment failure. Now people sadly are not always honest so you have to judge for yourself the state of the tank. I can tell you right off the bat that tang can't stay in a 55. This forum will get you well on your way with a brand new tank or a good old fixer upper.

 

[Pete polyp]

Welcome to r2r.

The 55 gallon is one of the tanks that people tend to stay away from if they want a reef. The 12" depth makes it awkward to aquascape and stock. As said before, the tang was a poor choice to put on this tank, and I would use that as a reflection of how this tank was cared for.

 

[chris124]

Ok first off the tang will not do well in a 55 gallon tank. I would also look for a 75 gallon reef ready tank. In my opinion fish do better in a 75 than a 55 gallon and do lots of research before starting and it will be a lot easier. This is a fun hobby and I think you and your wife will enjoy it. Good luck.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Welcome to R2R!! I agree with what has been said in this thread. I have a 55 and I can't wait to upgrade!! It is way too narrow!!

 

[BigMike81]

Ok first off the tang will not do well in a 55 gallon tank. I would also look for a 75 gallon reef ready tank. In my opinion fish do better in a 75 than a 55 gallon and do lots of research before starting and it will be a lot easier. This is a fun hobby and I think you and your wife will enjoy it. Good luck.

Thank you all for welcoming me to the boards. I am so glad I asked before just jumping in. I didn't really feel quite ready for something like that yet. I do have great new though. I saw a 75 gal. for salt without any fish so I can set it up any way I want to like that. Same price as the 55 and comes with all the trimmings so I think I will focus on that one.

 

[VicD81]

Welcome!!! My advice...

A 55g is fine. The prob is from what you stated it sounds like it is not reef ready. A tank with an overflow and sump are way easier to maintain. Also if you do decide to go with it, I would find a way to trade the fish maybe to a LFS or another reefer and set it all up with no live stock. You are prob going to go through a mini cycle after you set it up. Find out what kind of Filter its got, what kind of lights, how much rock and what kind of sand (dont want anything too coarse). You are also prob going to want to invest in an RODI filter for your water changes.

 

[VicD81]

Oops sorry started that @ 630 and didnt post till 730 smh! But that is good news. Take it slow it will pay off in the end. A lot of good advice to be taken in from everyone on R2R.

 

[Eienna]

Try to get a tank that's already reef ready, and up and running so you can see how it works. I've had overflowless saltwater tanks before and let me tell you, I couldn't wait to get one with a sump >.<

 

[m0nk3y69d]

Yes get a reef ready tank mine is not and I use a hang on overflow and it sucks

 

[fishroomlady]

welcome to the forum! you've already gotten some great advice, yes, look for a 75 reef ready and that will be an awesome start! you are going to love this hobby and having the forums for advice is an invaluable resource

 

[dasteve003]

I am still a beginner myself but the people here have been very nice and helpful. A couple things I've learned:

1. The biggest thing seems to be patience, hurrying things now as much as you wanna put a fish in is only gonna hurt the fish now and potentially cause issues later. Slow and steady wins the race.

2. Another tip I picked up is to find out what type of fish you want a have a plan for adding them. Some fish that can be a little territorial seem to do much better if introduced last into your tank instead of before other fish and they are more likely to become territorial if newbies come into "their house".

3. Also check into the different ways to help cycle a tank when starting, some people use damsels but I decided to go the raw shrimp route and it sped my process up significantly without causing harm to any live fish. I've heard of other ways as well and when your levels check out and you put that first fish in it really does start to make all the worrying, reading, and issues seem worth it Hope that helps you out a little!

 

[m0nk3y69d]

+1^ I totally agree in this hobby patients is defiantly required

 

[BigMike81]

Okay guys, I got great news, we found a 75g bowfront close to home with a sump and is reef ready, I think that will be my first step in getting started. Any other suggestions while I am shopping?

 

[BigMike81]

What kind of filters do I need to look at, what kind of test equipment do I need, how much live rock do I get? I thought I needed cured, someone suggested to get dry rock, what is that? and where do I purchase these things at? I am thinking out loud and just trying to get a good start. I really want to do things right. How do I cycle a new tank? How long to cycle before I can add coral and livestock?
I know it is a lot so I will consider all suggestions as long as there are no shortcuts.

 

[cymonous]

Your main filtration will be the live rock. For added filtration, look into protein skimmers. The best ones go in a sump. Reef Octopus is a good brand to start with. To start, you will need tests for ammonia, nitrite,nitrates. After, you will want tests for Alk, MG, and Calcium. The best brands IMO are salifert and Red Sea. Buying all live rock can be awfully expensive. Dry rock is rock that has never seen water or was cleaned after use. Dry rock is very much cheaper and will eventually become live. You can get rock from a lfs, craigslist, local reefers or online.

After your tank is setup with saltwater, sand and rock, you add an ammonia source. You can use a dead cocktail shrimp or pure ammonia. You will want to do tests for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. Ammonia will convert to nitites, then to nitrates. Once you have 0 ammonia AND nitrites, do a water change to reduce your nitrates. Then, you can start adding your CUC.