Starting a saltwater aquarium

[Shanlee]

So I have been working with freshwater aquariums for quite some time now and it isn’t satisfying me lately. I have been doing TONS of research and watching videos and I’m sure that I want to set up a saltwater aquarium no matter what the cost. But first I have some questions I’m hoping some of you could answer.
#1 - We have pump (well water). Could this be used for the tank or would I still have to buy a RODI system?
#2 - Is 30g a good starting point to you?
#3 - I really want a reef tank. Do you think I should work on the corals THEN have fish last?
#4 - With the algae growing, how would I go about dealing with that in my tank?
Give me all the advice you can think of !

 

[Diesel]

1) I would still filter your well water.

2) 30 gal is a great size to start, just do your reseach on the fish you like to have in there.

3) you can do both at the same time make sure you looking into a quarantine tank to cure or make sure your fishies are healthy.
And don't trust your LFS if they say they quarantine.

4) if you cycle your tank long enough and start slow on the live stock and feeding process you should have a problem on that.

 

[VietExtender]

If you have the space, start big. I have a 90 gallon and I regret not starting bigger. Not enough space for more fish and corals [emoji24]. Also when you start small, tank parameters can change really quickly when compared to a larger tank. That’s why it’s recommended to test daily and more water changes. I also use well water and have to use a rodi system. If you use the water without filtering it, say hello to a ton of nuisance algae.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Standard 40B (3 foots long) or 55 gallons (4 foots long) are great starter for numerous reasons: it's a good size tank to start, it's well in range for easy maintenance, weekly water change and if thing went wrong you can easy do 100% WC or taking stuff out and restart at last resort. The bigger is always better but easy get overwhelm with large water change and costly but it's easier to keep water condition stable, also equipment for bigger tank are cost a lot too.

 

[madweazl]

#1 - We have pump (well water). Could this be used for the tank or would I still have to buy a RODI system?
- The only way to know is to test your water; our tap water is very good and it can be used directly from the tap but that isn't the case in many areas. I still run a RO/DI unit for consistency.

#2 - Is 30g a good starting point to you?
- Size is personal preference; for the money though, a 40g (36x18x16) is tough to beat (especially during the $1/gallon sales) and the dimensions are also well balanced for a reef should you go that route (unless is is the 30g long but they end up shallow at 12" which may or may not be something you want).

#3 - I really want a reef tank. Do you think I should work on the corals THEN have fish last?
- Being it's your first saltwater setup, starting with a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) will provide a base for moving towards a reef should you decide to stick with it.

#4 - With the algae growing, how would I go about dealing with that in my tank?
- Our 75g never had nuisance algae issues at until about a week ago (18 months in) due to a refugium experiment (ended up with two small patches of hair algae which should fade away shortly). I don't run GFO (granular ferric oxide) or any other means of chemical filtration to lower nutrients.

Edit: 55g tanks are extremely narrow for a reef tank which typically results in a wall of rock leaned up against the back. Not a "bad" thing, just something to be aware of if that isn't the look you're after.

 

[jd371]

A few things I can add are :

If you can go bigger on the tank do so. I would have loved to add certain fish to my tank that I can't because of the size.

If your adding a sump make sure the tank is reef ready, drill it, or get one that is. When I started I was too scared to drill my brand new tank. Not that there is anything wrong with a HOB overflow and in the two years there hasn't been an issue with it at all, it's just aesthetically a drilled tank looks cleaner without tubes and such hanging over the back.

Secure your rocks. I didn't with the thinking if I had to remove them for any reason it would be easier if they weren't secured together. Well, in the 2 years I've had my tank I had to move one rock and that was because I didn't know better and put Green Star Polyps on the main rocks. I was able to take that one rock with the GSP and isolate it in the corner. Although the rocks are stacked pretty much securely, it gets nerve wracking gluing frags down on rocks that budge occasionally.

If I could do it over these are the three things I would definitely have changed.