New From Ohio

[Jaeantonio]

Hello.
I would like to set up a reef tank for my family to enjoy and have trouble on where to begin. I purchased a 75 gallon Marine land ensemble at Pet smart but it is not reef ready. Again i have no idea where to begin and tbh i have visited a few local shops but they really have not been helpful i almost feel like they are trying to up sell me and i am trying to make sure i stay within budget. I have some rock cycling in my garage which is what one of the shops told me to do since it was in a cichlid tank about 8 years ago and he said could take 12 or more weeks to kill any old bacteria on the rock. if someone can help with this it would be greatly appreciated i would like advice on how to set up my tank for success. i know a lot is based on preference but i cannot have a preference without experience. This is usually the answer i get from the shops when i ask questions about anything relating to a reef tank.

Thank you all in advance

 

[Vette67]

Hey. Welcome. I’m also from Ohio. Where are you in Ohio?

We can start with the rocks. Do you know what kind of rocks they are? You want to try to stay with porous limestone for saltwater tanks.

After that, where you go with equipment will depend on what you want to do. Do you want fish only, soft coral, and / or hard coral. Each of those goes up slightly in order of difficulty and expense. Equipment and additives for stony corals are more expensive than what is required for just keeping fish.

So give us some ideas of what you want in your tank and we can get more specific.

 

[BighohoReef]

Welcome to R2R! For your rock how are you cycling, are you using microbacteria or Dr. Tim’s to help with the healthy bacteria? You also should clean and scrub the rock to remove as much of the old stuff as possible. It’s been my experience that fresh and salt water things don’t mix.

I highly recommend reading @revhtree Supreme Guide before going any further.
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.84/
The last thing I would recommend is that you take it slow.. a patient reefer is highly rewarded.
Keep posting questions here to help.

 

[dwest]

Welcome!

 

[Jaeantonio]

I am currently in North Canton. The rocks are south seas rock i purchased them about 8 years ago and had them in a 55 cichlid tank. I had this tank for maybe a year but had to relocate for work so i re homed the fish and kept all the rock. As for my build i guess im looking for a mix im willing to put in the effort. Im willing to start slow and move up to more difficult corals as i gain experience and knowledge. if i have to purchase new rock i'm willing to do so as form what i was told i will have to wait 12 weeks to event start my tank.

Thank you for the quick response

 

[Jaeantonio]

Welcome to R2R! For your rock how are you cycling, are you using microbacteria or Dr. Tim’s to help with the healthy bacteria? You also should clean and scrub the rock to remove as much of the old stuff as possible. It’s been my experience that fresh and salt water things don’t mix.

I highly recommend reading @revhtree Supreme Guide before going any further.
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.84/
The last thing I would recommend is that you take it slow.. a patient reefer is highly rewarded.
Keep posting questions here to help.

Thank you. i will def read this

 

[Jaeantonio]

Hey. Welcome. I’m also from Ohio. Where are you in Ohio?

We can start with the rocks. Do you know what kind of rocks they are? You want to try to stay with porous limestone for saltwater tanks.

After that, where you go with equipment will depend on what you want to do. Do you want fish only, soft coral, and / or hard coral. Each of those goes up slightly in order of difficulty and expense. Equipment and additives for stony corals are more expensive than what is required for just keeping fish.

So give us some ideas of what you want in your tank and we can get more specific.

I am currently in North Canton. The rocks are south seas rock i purchased them about 8 years ago and had them in a 55 cichlid tank. I had this tank for maybe a year but had to relocate for work so i re homed the fish and kept all the rock. As for my build i guess im looking for a mix im willing to put in the effort. Im willing to start slow and move up to more difficult corals as i gain experience and knowledge. if i have to purchase new rock i'm willing to do so as form what i was told i will have to wait 12 weeks to event start my tank.

Thank you for the quick response

 

[Waters]

Welcome from Northeast Ohio !!

 

[NC122606]

Welcome! Ohio gang!

 

[Vette67]

Yeah, you are about 45 minutes from me. Not too far. In normal days, I might be up for a road trip, but these are not normal days.

Usually for a reef, you want about 1 - 1.5 pounds of rock per gallon. So depending on how much you have, you’ll probably need more. I would highly recommend buying live rock. There are several well known vendors here. It’s not cheap, around $10.00 a pound when you factor in over night shipping, but the beneficial bacteria, algae and other fauna that comes with live rock, makes it worth the investment in my book. But you can also start with dry base rock and use bacteria cultures. Disadvantage of dry rock is it takes much longer to cycle, disadvantage of live rock is that you may get unwanted hitch hiker pests. So you have to decide the trade offs.

But as others have said, do a lot of reading and take things slow. Nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank.

 

[fishguy242]

hi welcome to the reef going to love it here!!
lots of fun/info/fun/help/fun....
nice size starter reef,

 

[AcroNem]

Not from Ohio but welcome

 

[Jaeantonio]

Not from Ohio but welcome

Thank you

 

[Jaeantonio]

Yeah, you are about 45 minutes from me. Not too far. In normal days, I might be up for a road trip, but these are not normal days.

Usually for a reef, you want about 1 - 1.5 pounds of rock per gallon. So depending on how much you have, you’ll probably need more. I would highly recommend buying live rock. There are several well known vendors here. It’s not cheap, around $10.00 a pound when you factor in over night shipping, but the beneficial bacteria, algae and other fauna that comes with live rock, makes it worth the investment in my book. But you can also start with dry base rock and use bacteria cultures. Disadvantage of dry rock is it takes much longer to cycle, disadvantage of live rock is that you may get unwanted hitch hiker pests. So you have to decide the trade offs.

But as others have said, do a lot of reading and take things slow. Nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank.

Yea the shop here by my house has it at about $7 per pound. Do you recommend me spending more of my time and money on the plumbing/filtration? I have been looking at the Eshopps external overflow which requires me to drill the tank but i hear horror stories on the hang on back. For a sump should i build my own?

 

[Vette67]

Yea the shop here by my house has it at about $7 per pound. Do you recommend me spending more of my time and money on the plumbing/filtration? I have been looking at the Eshopps external overflow which requires me to drill the tank but i hear horror stories on the hang on back. For a sump should i build my own?

I am a big fan of DIY, so I am going to give you a biased “Yes” answer to your question about that. I would get the biggest sump that you can. If you have room to do something external to your tank, then you aren’t limited to what can fit in your stand. Generally speaking, the more water volume you can get in your system, the more stable it will be.

If it were me, I would definitely drill the tank. If you watch a couple of YouTube videos, and properly cool the drill bit with water, it is not that difficult to drill a tank. I drilled my 75 by myself in 1998, and that tank is still up and running. I too would be afraid of external siphon tubes getting gas trapped in the line and losing siphon. Overflows always work because gravity always works!

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Welcome from Nashville! Suggest you read Ron Reefman's articles here. Also, go to Bulk Reef Supply on the web. They are a major vendor and have a whole bunch of videos on everything.
Also, check out books at your local library. I am a newbie too. I learn something new almost every day!

 

[Enzodog]

Welcome from Amherst Ohio. BRS videos educational. Read here, learn a lot.

 

[Jaeantonio]

Welcome from Amherst Ohio. BRS videos educational. Read here, learn a lot.

I have spent countless hours watching their videos.

 

[Payne Train]

Welcome to the party ! Think about whatever your budget is and then multiply it by 63.

that will get you half of what you need lol

Oh and I would vote live rock or marko rock . With Marco/dry rock you will possibly Want bacteria in a bottle to start your cycle. I like turbo start 900, but a lot of people like Dr Tims too !
Good luck and welcome !

 

[NC122606]

I have spent countless hours watching their videos.

Agreed! If you haven’t watch the 52 weeks, best series on how to start.