just starting

tony120 · May 12, 2015

So I have 2 fresh water aquariums and an old saltwater 90 gallon tank, my parents had it as a saltwater tank originally and then converted it to freshwater, I have little to no knowledge on saltwater aquariums and I want to start the 90 gallon tank up again. exactly what do I need for the tank?

Joeganja · May 14, 2015

do u want fish only? or also coral?

kevinsmixed90 · May 14, 2015

how old are your parents?...LOL. look through this forum for equipment needs and ideas lot of great resources. I would hate to see you fill an old 90 just to have It leak your Investment on the floor. think about resealing It first.

saltyphish · May 14, 2015

This will get you started, take a minute and read this. https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/ne...guide-setting-up-saltwater-reef-aquarium.html

Tahoe61 · May 14, 2015

Welcome :wave:

tony120 · May 14, 2015

Tahoe61 said:
Welcome :wave:

Lol thanks

tony120 · May 14, 2015

Joeganja said:
do u want fish only? or also coral?

I would like to get both eventually, i have a list of fish already, i will post it later if you want to take a look at it

tony120 · May 14, 2015

kevinsmixed90 said:
how old are your parents?...LOL. look through this forum for equipment needs and ideas lot of great resources. I would hate to see you fill an old 90 just to have It leak your Investment on the floor. think about resealing It first.

I will look into resealing it and if it needs it, my parents aren't too old lol, and i have gone through the forums and i havenstarted a few forums myself, thanks

Mmsetta · May 14, 2015

Sump, good skimmer, good pumps or wavemaker (vortech is my fav), LEDs, plenty of live rock.

kevinsmixed90 · May 14, 2015

good live rock

Rule of thumb Is 1lb. of live rock per gallon. when your ready, do yourself a favor and buy premium live rock. you will be rewarded with all kinds of critters that come on the rock. I have mushrooms and starfish and even some zoanthids that are thriving In the tank. There is some risk of unwanted hitchhikers but the thrill of the hunt and removal of these can keep you thinking and you will thank me later, Hopefully! Happy Reefing and creating your own piece of the ocean!

dan987 · May 14, 2015

+1 for verifying that the old tank is good.

A 90 gallon is both good and bad as a first tank. The only real downside is the initial cost. All the equipment will be the same, but it will need to be twice as powerful as a 40g for example. But if that isn't a big problem, then it's perfect.

That 90 gallons will give you plenty of time to make corrections before something bad happens. Especially if you use a sump. (As big a sump as possible).

With already having fish, do you have an RODI filter? It's never a bad idea.

tony120 · May 14, 2015

I have nothing but the tank and a good sump with a bio field in it, it has an old penguin powerhead pump in it, but idk if it's still good

tony120 · May 14, 2015

Quick question, I have dead rock that I have kept outside for years, can I use that and have live rock on top and let the dead rock come back to life?

tony120 · May 14, 2015

in case yall were wondering, this is the list I have of fish
-midas blenny
-mccoskers flasher wrasse
-ocellaris clownfish captive bred
-black ice ocellaris clownfish captive bred
-carpenters flasher wrasse
-firefish
-one spot foxface
-tail spot blenny
idk if i really want the blennys as I want as much color I can get in the tank and I saw a derasa clam on liveaquaria.com and I want it mainly becasue of the color, is this possible?

kevinsmixed90 · May 15, 2015

the old live rock Is great. rinse It under fresh water and scrub brush It too before use this will save y
u on LR cost. Did you look at the compatibility chart on the fish you have chosen? Also you may want to ask which fish to add first and which to add last some are territorial. yu have some equipment to get first. and get the tank cycled before the fish are added.
hope this helps.

BaritoneJP · May 15, 2015

Welcome to R2R, I'm new to the hobby too. Lot's of great people here to help. Where I live there aren't very many LFS, and the ones that are have very nice people but I can't say that I have "learned" anything other than how to sale product. I have found, however, people that live around me who have been super helpful and will go to the extra mile. I'm starting to really appreciate this hobby for the wonderful people in it more than the fish and coral. :bigsmile:

+1 to kevinsmized90 testing the tank, LR, and compatibility chart

You may want to give this YouTube play list a viewing. I know you don't have a BioCube, and I know that the information may not be recommended by every one in the hobby, but it does step through (one method) the cycle process and does give good info to consider. The details in each video is worth a read too.