Complete Newbie

[Kubbster]

Hello all!

I'm a physician who is recently out of training and bought my first house. I finally have some stability in my life and wish to look at building a saltwater tank. My last tank was middle-school high school where I had a 30 gallon with some goldfish in it. I know it's probably a big leap just going into a saltwater right away, but I'm willing to put in the research and time. I majored in Biochemistry in undergrad (not sure if that helps), and I feel like I understand a lot of the chemistry stuff already. I'm not looking to rush into anything, and want to carefully plan everything out. I really want to spend 6 months-1 year making a great setup, possibly before putting fish in. So here are my questions:
1.) Am I crazy for starting with saltwater (especially since I want a large tank 100 gallon +)? Tell me if I should stop researching now and go start with some small freshwater tank since it has been so long since owning fish.
2.) Budget is $5,000-7,000. The main question is should I build my own setup or buy one of these expensive ones on Waterbox or Red Reefer? I'm fairly handy, and have a good assortment of powertools. I haven't done a ton of woodworking but I think I could manage it. What do you think would be best for a newbie? Go with making my own or buying the complete setup? I feel like for the size /dimensions I want the Waterbox or Red Reefer would consume most of my budget.
3.) I love the look of LPS. Not sure on fish- but so far I know I want quite a few clownfish. I've seen some recommendations. Any coral/fish recommendations for beginners?
4.) I want to put the tank by a gas fireplace, doesn't really emit a lot of heat and only used in November - Jan since we live in northern CA. This a problem?
5.) Anything you wished you had changed when doing your first tank?

Thank you for your responses. Much appreciated.

 

[PeterC99]

First - Welcome to R2R!

Great idea to start with what you want! I started with a 34 gallon and quickly upgraded to a 90 gallon. You shouldn’t have any problems if you do your research before buying things.

Build vs buy is a personal choice. Since you are in a research stage, keep checking out the Marketplace and local forums for someone selling a complete setup. You might find a great setup at a great price.

Patience with the corals. It’s takes some time to get a saltwater aquarium established for corals. Rushing it will only cause disappointment.

You are on the right track with your thoughts and questions. They only other piece of advice would be to find a local mentor. Will make the startup process more enjoyable and successful!

 

[tharbin]

Welcome to R2R! If you know you want a larger tank, start with one. A bigger tank has some of its own issues (cost, possible complexity) but it is also inherently more stabile and stability is one of the keys to success. My recommendation would be to either purchase a full tank setup or buy a used setup. Many reefers have trouble getting the plumbing correct when they are starting up. That can be very frustrating. As to putting it by the fireplace, I wouldn't really recommend it unfortunately. That said, I'm sure that you can build it all out yourself and even deal with the potential fireplace issues. Lots have in the past. Have fun and start a build thread where you can ask questions, get ideas and bounce ideas off of others and generally document the process. They are a great tool.