New to reefing. Any tips?

[JPF648]

I’ve been thinking about doing this for a long time and finally decided to do it. Yesterday I bought a 32 bio cube, a 16lb bag of Carib sea arag alive reef sand, and a bag of instant ocean reef crystals. I’m waiting on a stand to come tomorrow. I know I need more stuff to get started.
I live in Monroe, NY.
I believe I’m going to need an RO/DI and live rock too. I saw I might be able to order online but it appears to be dry live rock and from what I’ve read that doesn’t always work out well. Any suggestions to get me started would help.

 

[jsker]

Welcome to R2R!!

 

[Quietman]

Welcome Aboard R2R!!! Plenty of dry rock alternatives out there. Previous live rock has to be cured, real live rock is expensive and can have some serious hitchhikers...good and bad.

Good luck!

 

[Silent]

Read, read, and read some more. If you think you got it down, read some more.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Welcome to the hobby!

 

[Peace River]

Welcome to R2R!!! We’re glad you’re here!

I encourage you to read the following R2R article:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[fuelman]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Billldg]

Welcome to R2R!!! The best tip is always the hardest to follow, have patience.

 

[BeejReef]

Welcome!

you obv love to research. I'd suggest figuring out what you think you'd like to try and then asking a bunch of questions to weigh your options. No shame whatsoever in finding someone who has been very successful w a similar philosophy and flat out copying them.. lol

 

[fishface NJ]

Welcome to R2R!!

 

[Pau Hana Reefer]

Welcome to R2R!!!

My tip... this is an amazing forum with a lot of great information and knowledge. It can be pretty overwhelming to find the information you're looking for, so I sometimes use Google to help find what I'm looking for. For example, I might look up the keywords on "setting up a new reef tank reef2reef" so that Google only looks for content on R2R.

If you can't find what you're looking for, start a thread and ask. There are a lot of really good people here who are extremely helpful. A few might give you a hard time and tell you to "look it up" but they are rare and I would just ignore them. Others will chime in and provide the help you're seeking.

 

[Vinman]

Welcome to R2R !... never give up

 

[ccombs]

Once you think you know what you are doing, understand that you have barely scratched the surface lol.

That is an encouragement btw, there are always new ways to explore the hobby. Check out this Mt. Stupid graph as a great illustration of Perceived vs. Actual Knowledge.

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

 

[KJ]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Ippyroy]

Welcome to R2R! Looking forward to your build thread

 

[LiveWire]

Welcome to the REEF!!

 

[Big G]

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Welcome to R2R! You have a great start. Some advice:

1. Refractometer mandatory.
2. Ro/di with a brute can with a float shut off switch installed.
3. Buy good equipment once. Clean used gear is a great option.
4. An ATO.
5. Have fun. Go to frag swaps, meet some reef people.

 

[lapin]

HOWDY

Dry rock works fine. Be sure to rinse the sand before adding to your tank