NEED HELP! First time salt water tank owner!

[megan.911]

Hello, I am BRAND NEW to the fish world and was gifted a 13 gallon Fluval salt tank and need to know where to start. I’ve watch YouTube videos, I’ve read up but for some reason can’t figure out where to start. Where is the best place to get supplies? Is it safe to just go off what the fish store worker recommends? If someone on here has the time and could give me a little check list including brands that aren’t too pricey I would greatly appreciate it! I am looking to have shrimp, coral, and maybe some clown fish!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello, I am BRAND NEW to the fish world and was gifted a 13 gallon Fluval salt tank and need to know where to start. I’ve watch YouTube videos, I’ve read up but for some reason can’t figure out where to start. Where is the best place to get supplies? Is it safe to just go off what the fish store worker recommends? If someone on here has the time and could give me a little check list including brands that aren’t too pricey I would greatly appreciate it! I am looking to have shrimp, coral, and maybe some clown fish!

Welcome to the world of:
Aggravation
Expense
Worry
Ocean in your home
Chemistry

BUT ITS SO WORTH IT

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

welcome!

there are so many details that we could go into, but lets start with the basics.

I would recommend sitting down and watching brs 5 minute guide to reefing series. very helpful for a new reefer.

After that come back and ask any specific questions you have any we would be more than happy to help you out!

 

[Not an IT guy]

Welcome. It depends on what livestock you want. Do you want Corals. Etc. salt to each their own. I will say that Amazon has a lot of what you’ll need but to each their own.

 

[Seymo44]

I started with the same tank! You’re going to be blasted with a bunch of “recommendations” from people who think their way is the only way.

This is a great all-in-one that has good enough components. Many people are going to tell you that you need to replace ‘this’ or ‘that’, but you can use what the tank comes with at first and upgrade at your own pace.

Below is what I used to start my tank:

Carib sea Arag-Alive special grade sand. This is “live sand” that comes in a bag. I didn’t rinse and it left my water cloudy for a couple days. I’ve rinsed on more recent builds and didn’t have the cloudy issue.

Real Reef (that’s the brand) live rock. I actually hate this stuff, it’s really dense. But it was all that was available at the time. I prefer to cycle dry Marco rock for a few months in an established sump, but the Real Reef rock will be just fine.

For water, I just bought saltwater from my LFS. There’s also a few brands of boxed saltwater that have wild claims of how amazing it is. I prefer water mixed at my LFS over the boxed stuff. You’ll also need RODI or distilled water for your top off. You can mix water at home, but don’t use tap; use rodi or distilled. Tap water has contaminates that are harmful to reef critters and coral.

You can buy bottled bacteria if you’d like, but with the live rock and/or live sand you really shouldn’t need it. Many LFSs will give you a piece of sponge out of an established tank. I did neither and just relied on the sand and rock.

I put egg crate (fluorescent light diffuser, bought at Home Depot) on the bottom, rock on top of than, then sand. I did this because I didn’t want my future pistol shrimp to undermine and collapse my rock structure. You can stack, glue, or mortar (emarco brand) your rocks together if you’d like. I just stacked and never had an issue.

Once I had my scape built and water added I threw in some fish food and let the cycle start.

I know I’m probably forgetting a lot, I’m an awful teacher. I’ve changed a few things about the tank since it’s initial setup. I can write up a list of what I’ve changed if you’d like.

Lastly, here’s the most important thing I can tell you:

If you end up facing fish disease, look to Jay Hemdal and Vetteguy for advise and treatment options. They don’t know it, but they’re the only reason I haven’t thrown in the towel.

Now…. Im off to catch a shark nosed goby out of my 65 and start my next fallow period. Yay.

 

[G Santana]

Welcome to R2R and welcome to the obsession.
That is a simple yet loaded question.
It really depends on what your needs are.

If you're looking to save money, Facebook marketplace is the place to go, many folks leaving the hobby sell their setups there.

Identify the size tank you're looking for and compare new/used prices.
Lights, same deal.

But it all boils down to taking that first step, determining tank size. Then the fun begins.
Good luck with your build.

 

[megan.911]

I started with the same tank! You’re going to be blasted with a bunch of “recommendations” from people who think their way is the only way.

This is a great all-in-one that has good enough components. Many people are going to tell you that you need to replace ‘this’ or ‘that’, but you can use what the tank comes with at first and upgrade at your own pace.

Below is what I used to start my tank:

Carib sea Arag-Alive special grade sand. This is “live sand” that comes in a bag. I didn’t rinse and it left my water cloudy for a couple days. I’ve rinsed on more recent builds and didn’t have the cloudy issue.

Real Reef (that’s the brand) live rock. I actually hate this stuff, it’s really dense. But it was all that was available at the time. I prefer to cycle dry Marco rock for a few months in an established sump, but the Real Reef rock will be just fine.

For water, I just bought saltwater from my LFS. There’s also a few brands of boxed saltwater that have wild claims of how amazing it is. I prefer water mixed at my LFS over the boxed stuff. You’ll also need RODI or distilled water for your top off. You can mix water at home, but don’t use tap; use rodi or distilled. Tap water has contaminates that are harmful to reef critters and coral.

You can buy bottled bacteria if you’d like, but with the live rock and/or live sand you really shouldn’t need it. Many LFSs will give you a piece of sponge out of an established tank. I did neither and just relied on the sand and rock.

I put egg crate (fluorescent light diffuser, bought at Home Depot) on the bottom, rock on top of than, then sand. I did this because I didn’t want my future pistol shrimp to undermine and collapse my rock structure. You can stack, glue, or mortar (emarco brand) your rocks together if you’d like. I just stacked and never had an issue.

Once I had my scape built and water added I threw in some fish food and let the cycle start.

I know I’m probably forgetting a lot, I’m an awful teacher. I’ve changed a few things about the tank since it’s initial setup. I can write up a list of what I’ve changed if you’d like.

Lastly, here’s the most important thing I can tell you:

If you end up facing fish disease, look to Jay Hemdal and Vetteguy for advise and treatment options. They don’t know it, but they’re the only reason I haven’t thrown in the towel.

Now…. Im off to catch a shark nosed goby out of my 65 and start my next fallow period. Yay.

WOW THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! This was PERFECT.

 

[megan.911]

Welcome. It depends on what livestock you want. Do you want Corals. Etc. salt to each their own. I will say that Amazon has a lot of what you’ll need but to each their own.

Coral, shrimp And possibly clown fish!

 

[tharbin]

Welcome to R2R! Well you have the hardest decision out of the way, you have a tank. There are a lot of people on here with the small Fluval salt tanks. I would suggest you visit the AIO and Nano Member tank areas for builds that look like what you want to accomplish. Don't let builds with lots of gear or modifications intimidate you. Let them be food for thought for maybe something down the road but the reality is that if you are careful with your choice of coral, your Fluval has everything you need for a simple saltwater tank except water, sand, rock and livestock. Oh, and I don't believe it comes with a heater you will need a 50 or 75 watt heater. Eheim is a good reliable and inexpensive option. Do not buy one of the preset heaters (no temperature adjustment PetSmart sells several of these) they are basically junk.

You can get water from your LFS and that is probably a good option in the beginning. You should buy a refractometer so that you can check the salinity of your saltwater and you will need a few gallons of purified (distilled or reverse osmosis) water from grocery store. You will have evaporation and you need to replace the water that evaporates with purified freshwater as the salts do not evaporate, only the water. BRS actually has a nice beginner series on their 'Bulk Reef Supply" YouTube channel by a guy named Matthew. They will help a lot. Good Luck and ask questions.