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Isaacm211

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hi thank you for adding me to forum.

My family and I are looking to start a salt water tank. I had one years ago and never got past the live rock part. So was wondering what’s the best kind of set up for beginners and any tips tricks to do. Thank you in advance and can’t wait. And if your in San Diego and have a set up for sale let me know thank you fish lovers.
 
Welcome!

Start small, be very patient, the best setup will depend on your budget and what kind of fish and coral (if any) you’d like to keep . You could consider an all in one tank (e.g. innovative marine, biocube etc) or something like the Red Sea reefer or Waterbox. Get live rock if you can, it will speed up the cycle.
 
First, find a tank that meets your budget and a size you think you will be able to handle (will either be an all in one or a tank with a sump, more than likely). Decide between live or dry rock. Decide if you want to go bare bottom or add a substrate (most go with a substrate). If you have a sump, choose a return pump relative to the return needed for your size tank. Get some salt and a RO/DI unit. Add in a powerhead (or two) and you're well on your way!

From that point, look a skimmers and reactors (skimmer first, reactor as you get more comfortable).
 
AS
Welcome to R2R!

Check out this post. There's a lot there, but take it slow and feel free to ask any questions you might have.

There are tons of great retailers down in your area (who are also here on these forums - bonus!). For example; Aqua SD has provided me with not only some awesome corals, but also fantastic service. #TeamAquaSD
 
Welcome! I just started 6 months ago myself, my best advice is do a ton of research, check out BRS Tv 52 weeks of reefing on YouTube. Also find a build thread on reef2reef of someone who’s tank matches what you’d like and follow their build and you’ll likely be able to emulate their success.
 
Chewy.com
Thank you everyone for the replies and advice. I have some more searching to do sounds like. I will keep you updated.
 
I did 3-4 months of research before starting my first saltwater tank (which also happened to be my first ever fish tank, since I really didn't have interest in freshwater). I still made a costly mistake and another smaller goof before I got things going. I cannot stress enough that patience during the cycle of live rock is key to whether you have a good experience with saltwater or not. The longer you leave the tank be, the better your chances of success. Live Rock or Dry Rock (Live Rock that is dead) seeded with a piece of live rock and a source of ammonia to get the cycle started will do it. Plan on a 30-60 day cycle period. Sometimes it happens faster, and if you purchase cured rock and keep it wet (ie a complete used setup) it can happen almost instantly or within a week or two. Either way though I recommend going in with the mentality that it takes 30-60 days, that way you are less likely to make a mistake. You also need to really look into what kind of fish, corals or other stock you want in your tank and what the minimum tank size requirements are and the general temperament of the fish in question. Live Aquaria is probably one of the most accurate websites out there for minimum tank sizes and basic info on fish available in the aquarium trade. If you feel a little pressure on your wallet and aren't committed to an RODI system as of yet, you can check around at your various LFS (Local Fish Store) in San Diego as virtually any saltwater fish place sells RO/DI water or RO/DI Saltwater pre-mix. Definitely DO NOT USE TAP WATER!!!!! It has minerals and solids that make algae explode like crazy in saltwater tanks. There was a guy on another site that compared Distilled Water (which is still purer than most tap water) to RODI and the difference was stunning. After 2 days with distilled his glass and rocks were covered with ugly brown algae, after 7 days with his RODI mix he was barely getting any brown algae in the corners of the glass and rocks. So whether you buy it to start or get your own RO/DI system and mix it yourself, DO NOT USE TAP WATER!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.liveaquaria.com/category/15/marine-fish
 
Welcome to R2R.
As everyone has stated before, buy a tank that is in your budget. However, buy the largest volume tank that is in your budget. Larger water volume = less stress on you. Also try to get a tank that is RR or reef ready. This will allow you to pump a sump in and will solve a ton of issues. I never suggest have small AIO tanks for anyone starting out in the hobby since they are the absolute hardest things to handle. lol
 
I would say it depends on how small the AIO is. I personally don't think there is anything wrong with a 28-32 gallon biocube or Red Sea Kit as a starter tank or as a small long term tank to keep as a secondary tank. I would agree though that something like the Fluval 13.5 gallon AIO is not worth it since it is just too small to really do much with.
 
Jesterrace said:
I would say it depends on how small the AIO is. I personally don't think there is anything wrong with a 28-32 gallon biocube or Red Sea Kit as a starter tank or as a small long term tank to keep as a secondary tank. I would agree though that something like the Fluval 13.5 gallon AIO is not worth it since it is just too small to really do much with.
Click to expand...
I learned on an 8 gallon BioCube. It sucked because of how much maintenance you have to keep up with but its doable. Larger tanks = costs more = greater water volume so little hiccups aren't as noticeable = more opportunities for less maintenance. Smaller tank = costs less = smaller water volume so greater chance hiccups will be noticeable = more maintenance
 
AS
A drilled 40g breeder with a sump (you can use another tank or a prebuilt sump) is a great starter tank with a good footprint for aquascaping. It is also shallow so most light options will work well.

This is a cheaper option if you don't want to spend too much. There are also a lot of options in this size range that are pricey like Red Sea and glass box that are great beginner tanks as well
 
Mr.Rocc said:
Welcome to R2R.
As everyone has stated before, buy a tank that is in your budget. However, buy the largest volume tank that is in your budget. Larger water volume = less stress on you. Also try to get a tank that is RR or reef ready. This will allow you to pump a sump in and will solve a ton of issues. I never suggest have small AIO tanks for anyone starting out in the hobby since they are the absolute hardest things to handle. lol
Click to expand...

Definitely buy the largest tank that you can afford and have the space for. I know some say start out small and the reason is if you can maintain a small aquarium, you definitely can handle a larger one. I personally like thinking the reverse logic, I got the biggest tank for my space and am happy I did so. Yes I would like to upgrade to a larger tank, but I would also have to move to another house to do so.

What I am saying is the parameters won't swing as much the larger the water volume. You can likely find a deal with someone getting out of the hobby that is selling something that may fit in your space. That is the direction I would take if I were you. I wouldn't buy new from an LFS because they are likely going to steer you in a direction that is going to make you regret dealing with them. The person that you buy from will give you all the knowledge they have about the tank they are selling, plus you will save a bunch of $$$ on the complete setup versus buying everything new and experimenting with this and that.

Happy reefing!!
 
Isaacm211 said:
hi thank you for adding me to forum.

My family and I are looking to start a salt water tank. I had one years ago and never got past the live rock part. So was wondering what’s the best kind of set up for beginners and any tips tricks to do. Thank you in advance and can’t wait. And if your in San Diego and have a set up for sale let me know thank you fish lovers.
Click to expand...

What look are you wanting from your setup? Do you care if it is an eye sore with stuff everywhere, or do you want something that is a furniture piece in your space? Depending on that answer will also help determine your investment in the aquarium alone.
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
Orphek OR3 reef aquarium LED bar
I recommend you start the tank with macro algaes as the first thing then do the rest. That way you will have a system balanced out and stabilized by the algae. Makes it much more forgiving of my type errors.

Best to use a refugium to separate the algaes from the fish as the fish will eat the algae. That can be just a simple in tank partition like 1/4" plastic grid lighting diffusers for drop ceilings.

For a first fish I recommend common FW mollys.

Then do the rest.

my .02
 
Mr.Rocc said:
I learned on an 8 gallon BioCube. It sucked because of how much maintenance you have to keep up with but its doable. Larger tanks = costs more = greater water volume so little hiccups aren't as noticeable = more opportunities for less maintenance. Smaller tank = costs less = smaller water volume so greater chance hiccups will be noticeable = more maintenance
Click to expand...

I agree that anything under 10 gallons is virtually worthless for saltwater fish and really you need 20-30 gallons just to get to the point where it's not ridiculously difficult and you have a few options for fish.
 
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