bmr
Active Member
Hello,
I am new to the forum and the world of being a saltwater aquarist. I do not have a tank setup as yet, but I am quickly moving at the pace of a snail to get one setup. The following is a mixture of things I have done along my way to creating my vision of saltwater paradise. The following is not intended as advice it is just the way I did things as a newbe, right or wrong.
I have read in many places get the biggest tank you can afford but that statement didn't include the fact the tank is actually a very small percentage of the total aquarium system cost. I didn't get the biggest I could afford, but I did buy big. I want to have a reef system and prefer a deep aquarium. I purchased a 200 gallon, 48"x38"x27", Starfire glass, predrilled with dual corner over flows. The tank is a six week delivery so I had plenty of time to get other things started prior to it's arrival. I did buy the tank as a system. It isn't arriving with top of the line parts (not the cheapest either) and I will most likely start upgrading parts soon. I will have to make sure I take my upgrade desires into consideration when plumbing, i.e. plenty of unions and ball valves.
The system comes with:
Model 4 Marineland Acrylic Sump
2 - NJ5500 Marineland pumps (I will upgrade to external pumps)
2 - 250watt stealth heaters
1- AQ LIFE LIGHT 48" 2-150W HID 2-T5 HO 4 LUNAR
I have also purchased:
-Tank Equip-
Coralife Cone Skimmer 300g
Digital Aquatics ReefKeeper Elite (Net) Controller
Lifegard Aquatics 25 Watt UV Sterilizer QL-25
Tunze Turbelle® Stream 2 Controllable Pump 6105
-Rock Curing-
100 gallon rubbermade tank
2 Marineland 1200 Maxi-Jet waterpumps
200watt heater
150 lbs of Florida aqua cultured rock (base rock)
100lbs High end show rock (not purchased yet, will take suggestion)
-Substraight-
160lbs carbsea aragonite
120 cabsea argalive fiji pink
-Water Making-
50 Gallon per day RI/RO
3 - 38 gallón rubbermaid trash cans w/rollers
3 - 75 watt heaters
3 - marinland 400 Maxi-Jet waterpumps
116 lbs of Kent Marine Salt
Saltwater testing kit
ammonia test strips
kent Purple Tech
-quarantine tank -
20 gallon
75 watt heater
marineland bio-wheel filter
This is getting long for a first post. I will post pictures and some of what I have encountered with curing the rock in the next post.
I am new to the forum and the world of being a saltwater aquarist. I do not have a tank setup as yet, but I am quickly moving at the pace of a snail to get one setup. The following is a mixture of things I have done along my way to creating my vision of saltwater paradise. The following is not intended as advice it is just the way I did things as a newbe, right or wrong.
I have read in many places get the biggest tank you can afford but that statement didn't include the fact the tank is actually a very small percentage of the total aquarium system cost. I didn't get the biggest I could afford, but I did buy big. I want to have a reef system and prefer a deep aquarium. I purchased a 200 gallon, 48"x38"x27", Starfire glass, predrilled with dual corner over flows. The tank is a six week delivery so I had plenty of time to get other things started prior to it's arrival. I did buy the tank as a system. It isn't arriving with top of the line parts (not the cheapest either) and I will most likely start upgrading parts soon. I will have to make sure I take my upgrade desires into consideration when plumbing, i.e. plenty of unions and ball valves.
The system comes with:
Model 4 Marineland Acrylic Sump
2 - NJ5500 Marineland pumps (I will upgrade to external pumps)
2 - 250watt stealth heaters
1- AQ LIFE LIGHT 48" 2-150W HID 2-T5 HO 4 LUNAR
I have also purchased:
-Tank Equip-
Coralife Cone Skimmer 300g
Digital Aquatics ReefKeeper Elite (Net) Controller
Lifegard Aquatics 25 Watt UV Sterilizer QL-25
Tunze Turbelle® Stream 2 Controllable Pump 6105
-Rock Curing-
100 gallon rubbermade tank
2 Marineland 1200 Maxi-Jet waterpumps
200watt heater
150 lbs of Florida aqua cultured rock (base rock)
100lbs High end show rock (not purchased yet, will take suggestion)
-Substraight-
160lbs carbsea aragonite
120 cabsea argalive fiji pink
-Water Making-
50 Gallon per day RI/RO
3 - 38 gallón rubbermaid trash cans w/rollers
3 - 75 watt heaters
3 - marinland 400 Maxi-Jet waterpumps
116 lbs of Kent Marine Salt
Saltwater testing kit
ammonia test strips
kent Purple Tech
-quarantine tank -
20 gallon
75 watt heater
marineland bio-wheel filter
This is getting long for a first post. I will post pictures and some of what I have encountered with curing the rock in the next post.
lane:to Las Vegas:hat:, but when I get home 
