Beginner HELP! Where to start!?

Tidal Gardens
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Tidal Gardens
In order...

1. Start with you wallet. Look in there first. If you find a bunch of lint, consider another hobby. :eek:

2. Knowledge. Read, read and read some more and ask questions.

3. Patience. Nothing good happens when you try to speed things up, so take your time.

As far as size, it boils down to money and if you have the space and time to handle something big.
 
Alex Driscoll said:
So what are some of your suggestions on what to start with? Size tank, equipment, ect. Where/what to buy and what to stay away from... anything can help! Thanks!
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For starters, if we haven't properly welcomed you to the forum yet
Welcome to R2R!!
welcome12_af875eaa887ed91c39e4c81c7d4fd966-0ed06ab93ea565647147c6beddbca4eb.gif
giphy.gif

As far as what size tank to start with, start with a size you're comfortable with. 40 gallon breeder in my opinion is the perfect start size. not to small but not to big that it gets overwhelming. Bulk Reef Supply is a great source for equipment and who I primarily use. As far as equipment, that is going to be all a matter of personal preference. Go slow, and do lots of research.
 
Deltec
Welcome!!

Start with what makes you comfortable, now that i have had a couple of tanks varying is size i would say start as big as your budget will allow. Nano's are great and i ran a 6g nano cube for 3 years and really enjoyed it....but you have to be on top of it, very little room for error. The more water volume the more forgiving mistakes (their will be plenty, we all do it!) will become, thats not an excuse to be lazy but it allows us not to kill our tanks as beginners.

Definitely patience, i still struggle with this but it is the single most important aspect of this hobby. I hope you enjoy it!
 
Deltec
redfishbluefish said:
1. Start with you wallet. Look in there first. If you find a bunch of lint, consider another hobby. :eek:
Click to expand...

<Giggle>LOVE that one</Giggle>

Figure a budget... and then figure you're going to blow that budget :) That big, expensive glass box? By the time you're done, the cost of that glass box isn't even going to be a major percentage of what you will spend on a full blown reef tank. Costs grow exponentially with size. Lighting a 24" tank? Easy. Buy top of the line... you only need one. Lighting a 6' tank? Multiply by 3. Now, that top of the line, $400 light doesn't look so attractive. Even simple stuff... water changes. I go through a 55lb box of salt every other month... and by the standards around here, my tank is medium sized!

Here's my list:

1) Research. You're here, that's a good start. Check out BRS's 52 weeks of reefing series. Look at the different 'systems' that vendors offer (Triton, Red Sea, Zeo-vit, Aquaforest, etc). Evaluate those systems against your goals. Understand how they're working. I'm not suggesting that you pick one... though that's not a bad plan, but even if you don't end up using any of these 'systems'... knowing and understanding them will better enable you to design your own system. Don't buy _anything_ until you know what it is that you're wanting to achieve.

2) Buy used. Turnover in this hobby is huge. There's _always_ some poor sap that spent a bundle on a brand new system, figured out just how HARD it is to really get the kind of results they wanted, and is ditching the hobby. Even among successful reefers, the upgrade bug is strong. There's literally TONS of good, used equipment out there.

3) Take your time: The number one resource consumed by a successful reef is time. You spend the time to learn, the time to select the proper equipment, the time to pick critters that can coexist in peace, the time to maintain, test, clean, and just plain observe your tank. If you can't invest the time, don't invest the money... Unless you can afford to go all the way and hire an experienced maintenance company, you just can't buy success in this hobby.

4) Have fun! This is a hobby. You want to look at a gorgeous reef once in a while? Buy a season pass at the public aquarium :) A hobby, by definition, will consume as much of your available time, energy, space, and money, as you'll allow it. If you don't enjoy the process, what's the point!
 
+1 ^^^ The Greybeard is wise. ;)
 
You received some really really good advice. Do your research, take your time, don't rush into setting up a tank. Read up as much as you can. This link is a very good starting point. It will give you a very good idea from setting up your tank to cycling your tank.

Have patience. Things that can go wrong will go wrong. You will make mistakes. You will be frustrated. Don't ask me why but at the end of the day when you see that new zoa polyp coming out or you see your coral growing or changing color, when you see your fish are doing well it all seems worth it. Whatever you do, take your time setting up your tank. As everyone mentioned, it's an expensive hobby. Research and spend wisely.
 
AS
1. What is your budget? This will depend on the answers to the next questions. Do you go new or look for something used?
2. Where is the tank going? Space constraints? Floor load capacity? Keep in mind the larger the tank you have, the more weight you are putting on a small section of your overall flooring. Not as important if you're on a slab and have no basement. Don't place the tank in front of anyhting that you would need to get access to along the line. Sometimes we overlook this, but can easily cover up access panels and the like. Do you plan on re-painting in the near future? Have the tank enough off the wall so you will be able to do so.
3. What are your tank plans? Fish only? Corals and fish? This will depend on what type of equipment you need to look at.
4. Get a good idea of your equipment list. Price that out as for some builds, the equipment can match or exceed the price of the tank.
5. Find a good LFS or online retailer. I don't have a lot of LFS near me so I depend heavily on online retailers and use Bulk Reef Supply for 95% of my orders. Marine Depot is my second go to.
 
Alex Driscoll said:
So what are some of your suggestions on what to start with? Size tank, equipment, ect. Where/what to buy and what to stay away from... anything can help! Thanks!
Click to expand...

Budget, Space Available and Fish Desired are the 3 biggest factors. Without those answered all of your questions are just vague and irrelevant.
 
Jesterrace said:
Budget, Space Available and Fish Desired are the 3 biggest factors. Without those answered all of your questions are just vague and irrelevant.
Click to expand...

I'm wanting to start out with a 40-50 gallon tank. I have plenty of room for it where it will be going. Im going to build the stand my self so i can hide everything. And i do know i want to have some live coral and some Ocellaris Clown fish and an anemone. Still studying and researching about what type of coral i want. Budget getting things started is around $1500-$2000.
 
Chewy.com
Alex Driscoll said:
I'm wanting to start out with a 40-50 gallon tank. I have plenty of room for it where it will be going. Im going to build the stand my self so i can hide everything. And i do know i want to have some live coral and some Ocellaris Clown fish and an anemone. Still studying and researching about what type of coral i want. Budget getting things started is around $1500-$2000.
Click to expand...
Take a look at the SCA 50g cube plug and play system, it has everything you need to start a successful tank and i have been running it for a while now. It is an affordable low iron glass tank, you can get everything you possibly want (controller included) for under your budget, especially if you plan to build your own stand. I am sure there are plenty of options out there for you but this is one i have had success with and really enjoyed.
 
ReefSapper said:
Take a look at the SCA 50g cube plug and play system, it has everything you need to start a successful tank and i have been running it for a while now. It is an affordable low iron glass tank, you can get everything you possibly want (controller included) for under your budget, especially if you plan to build your own stand. I am sure there are plenty of options out there for you but this is one i have had success with and really enjoyed.
Click to expand...


thanks, ill definitely look into that! Where did you get yours?
 
I got mine on Amazon during the black Friday sale, i think it was tank, stand, sump, skimmer, return pump (only thing i swapped out so far) for $700. It may be a little more pricey without black Friday but im sure its in that ballpark. Just look up SCA tanks on Amazon, they have tons of sizes and options.

I purchased heater, filter rack and socks, Apex JR. controller, carbon reactor, all my rock, sand and marine pure blocks and was still under $1500....now that im adding coral and fish i could probably blow by that number lol.

I forgot to mention the light, i got a zetlight 6500 from bulk reef supply on black Friday sale as well, depending on what direction you go with lighting that can obviously be very costly.
 
Tidal Gardens
Alex Driscoll said:
I'm wanting to start out with a 40-50 gallon tank. I have plenty of room for it where it will be going. Im going to build the stand my self so i can hide everything. And i do know i want to have some live coral and some Ocellaris Clown fish and an anemone. Still studying and researching about what type of coral i want. Budget getting things started is around $1500-$2000.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty decent setup and budget, if you go used you could get a much larger setup. I got my 90 gallon completely setup for less than that. Just my personal opinion but a tank with a 4 foot length does give you more options in terms of fish as they like to run the length of a tank more than anything else.
 
+1 ^^^^^^ exactly. Because when you think about it, what we primarily do is manage water quality. Everything else comes later.
 
Tidal Gardens
Greybeard said:
<Giggle>LOVE that one</Giggle>

Figure a budget... and then figure you're going to blow that budget :) That big, expensive glass box? By the time you're done, the cost of that glass box isn't even going to be a major percentage of what you will spend on a full blown reef tank. Costs grow exponentially with size. Lighting a 24" tank? Easy. Buy top of the line... you only need one. Lighting a 6' tank? Multiply by 3. Now, that top of the line, $400 light doesn't look so attractive. Even simple stuff... water changes. I go through a 55lb box of salt every other month... and by the standards around here, my tank is medium sized!

Here's my list:

1) Research. You're here, that's a good start. Check out BRS's 52 weeks of reefing series. Look at the different 'systems' that vendors offer (Triton, Red Sea, Zeo-vit, Aquaforest, etc). Evaluate those systems against your goals. Understand how they're working. I'm not suggesting that you pick one... though that's not a bad plan, but even if you don't end up using any of these 'systems'... knowing and understanding them will better enable you to design your own system. Don't buy _anything_ until you know what it is that you're wanting to achieve.

2) Buy used. Turnover in this hobby is huge. There's _always_ some poor sap that spent a bundle on a brand new system, figured out just how HARD it is to really get the kind of results they wanted, and is ditching the hobby. Even among successful reefers, the upgrade bug is strong. There's literally TONS of good, used equipment out there.

3) Take your time: The number one resource consumed by a successful reef is time. You spend the time to learn, the time to select the proper equipment, the time to pick critters that can coexist in peace, the time to maintain, test, clean, and just plain observe your tank. If you can't invest the time, don't invest the money... Unless you can afford to go all the way and hire an experienced maintenance company, you just can't buy success in this hobby.

4) Have fun! This is a hobby. You want to look at a gorgeous reef once in a while? Buy a season pass at the public aquarium :) A hobby, by definition, will consume as much of your available time, energy, space, and money, as you'll allow it. If you don't enjoy the process, what's the point!
Click to expand...

Please follow my build once it gets started & give me practical advice all the time. :).
 
Welcome. Take the advice on the all in one. I regret not taking this advice. I already had a 50 gallon rimless & stand. I still took a $$$ hit.
 
Tidal Gardens

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%

  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%

  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%

  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
See comments…

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