Wanting to get into the hobby

EzCheez · Jan 7, 2015

Goodmorning everyone,
I just recently moved to the Trussville area. I have a 40g african cichlid tank and a 20g blood red parrot/community tank. Ive been wanting to get in to saltwater for some time now, but feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the information. Ive been up to Aquarium Imports to try and trade my african cichlids in, so that i could convert my 40g over, but he's full right now. My thought was to start with my live rock/sand and then eventually add couple clowns and invertebrates. Any help or feedback on getting me started would be greatly appreciated!

Ep3n3wp · Jan 7, 2015

Hi,
Welcome to the forum... Equipment is gonna be thing that I would stress over first and foremost.
That's gonna make or break you, I'd start with the tank. Personally I started out with a 40 gallon acrylic tank and a canister filter(newb move) eventually I found out that it just wasn't enough(and totally not the right equipment). I then moved onto a 24 gallon JbJ Nano-Cube for a year.. Great little tank and did what I needed at the time( eventually ran out of room and I wanted to get into more coral) also with a nano-cube you kind of limit yourself with equipment room, ie: skimmer, reactors

I finally made the jump to a "Real Tank" a 75 Gallon with overflow and sump and said to myself why didn't I start with a tank like this??
Having the tank with a sump allows more water volume(easier on corals and fish to deal with parameter swings) it also allows you to have the "Right Equipment" and have room for it!

Id say try and find a deal on a nano-cube to start yourself off with then when you have the hang of things then step up to a bigger tank and hang on to the nano-cube and use it as your Quarantine tank.

Hope that helps...

Also takes patience having a saltwater tank (especially the beginning)

rayn · Jan 7, 2015

Welcome! Is it a standard 40 or a 40 breeder? The 40 breeder is no slouch for a tank with its foot print, but a 40 no matter what is a good starting point. As in fresh volume helps stability, so the larger volume of water you have, the better. Have you considered having or drilling it yourself and allowing yourself a sump? This would put your equipment in a smaller tank under the main tank and hide it all. Going sumpless is no big deal, I have one too. Your equipment just hangs on the back -hob- rather then in the sump. Figure this out and then get sand and rock. Don't bother with the live rock, just get some good clean dead rock from places like marco rocks or bulk reef supply. Then once everything is filled and running, start your cycle with either a additive like Dr. Tims bacteria in a bottle or a piece of uncooked raw shirmp. Watch your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels and you are off to a start!

Good luck and keep us posted on how your are doing.

Chameleon · Jan 7, 2015

EzCheez said:
Goodmorning everyone,
I just recently moved to the Trussville area. I have a 40g african cichlid tank and a 20g blood red parrot/community tank. Ive been wanting to get in to saltwater for some time now, but feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the information. Ive been up to Aquarium Imports to try and trade my african cichlids in, so that i could convert my 40g over, but he's full right now. My thought was to start with my live rock/sand and then eventually add couple clowns and invertebrates. Any help or feedback on getting me started would be greatly appreciated!

Hi and welcome to the forums.
It sounds like you are on the right track. My advice would be to pick up a used setup off the forums or craiglist to try out saltwater and see how you like it. That would give you a chance to try things out without investing a lot of money upfront. I do highly recommend a sump setup as well as a tank such as the 40g breeder with a larger footprint and less height if you plan on doing a reef tank (corals). If you plan on fish only taller tanks work fine, but I'd recommend a bigger tank so you can keep a better variety of fish. Make sure to properly cycle the tank and have a good way to measure your salinity and you should be good to go at first. For coral you must consider lighting as they are mainly photosynthetic. Their are a lot of good options if you go this route. The guys at aquarium imports are very knowledgeable and its a good place to visit. I'd also suggest you check out Mark's and Chris's store as its out your way. Its called Reef Revolution and they carry a good variety of corals and have a cool display tank. They also have been doing this a while and have good advice. One place you may want to check out is the Chemistry Forum here on R2R. Check out the sticky's as its some good reading. Let us know if you have more questions and welcome to Birmingham reefing group.

EzCheez · Jan 7, 2015

Thank you everyone for your input! Its great to be able to come on here, and get so much insight. I have a 40g standard so not a large footprint. I really wanted to get something bigger for my saltwater, but in all honesty, Im ready for a change from cichlids. Ive checked craigslist, and there are a few things here and there, but nothing that jumps out to me that would fit my situation.

Triggreef · Jan 7, 2015

Start with the biggest you can afford/have space for. You will be happier in the end and save money in the long run. Extremely addicting hobby. I would say those two tanks you have would make great quarantine setups. I'm a big quarantine advocate. I've done it both ways for a long time, and i would have given up long ago if I didn't develop a good qt strategy for myself. There are millions of parasites in the marine world and the more you learn about them the more you understand why you need to qt. That will also pay for itself in the long run.

EzCheez · Jan 7, 2015

saltwater aquarium 30 gallon

Do you guys think this would be a good deal? No livestock, but a 29g is smaller than what i want.

EzCheez · Jan 7, 2015

These are the pics he sent me

LetItReef · Jan 7, 2015

EzCheez said:
saltwater aquarium 30 gallon

Do you guys think this would be a good deal? No livestock, but a 29g is smaller than what i want.

Not sure on the Rocks but I would buy a new Sand. We started with a 29g and works well with my schedule- maintenance and cost to maintain it. Good luck.

beaslbob · Jan 7, 2015

My advice is to start the tank with macro algaes right from the start. That will balance out and stabilize the tank in much the same way and for the same reasons as a FW planted tank.
then do the rest.
I also use a molly to cycle the tank which can save compared to an expensive marine only fish.
I found I didn't need skimmers, live rock, live sand, RO/DI water, and ran the tank with a heavy bioload for over 9 years with unmeasureable nitrates/phosphates.
my .02

aslmx · Jan 7, 2015

I'd try to find a 90 gallon. Bigger is so much easier. And that's a good size to resale if you didn't like it. Do a pot of research and by everything used. Dry sand and dry rock is the key I think when starting a new tank. Petsmart has a great deal on dry sand btw.

Chameleon · Jan 7, 2015

EzCheez said:
saltwater aquarium 30 gallon

Do you guys think this would be a good deal? No livestock, but a 29g is smaller than what i want.

That looks like an OK deal and would get you started. The rock looks a like the water quality has been neglected which means it may take you a while to get rid of the algae, but itwill work fine in the long run. The stand really worries me being smaller than the footprint of the tank. Its not drilled and has no sump or overflow so all in all I'd look for something else.

Chameleon · Jan 7, 2015

This is a good deal if budget allows:
http://bham.craigslist.org/for/4789025917.html

EzCheez · Jan 7, 2015

Chameleon said:
This is a good deal if budget allows:
Salt Water Reef Aquarium - 75 Gallon

Awesome thank you Chameleon for finding that. What would be the benefits of a biocube compared to a regular tank?

Chameleon · Jan 7, 2015

EzCheez said:
Awesome thank you Chameleon for finding that. What would be the benefits of a biocube compared to a regular tank?

Its smaller and usually have a built in overflow/refugium chamber built into the back. I dont like the biocubes and prefer the traditional setup but if you need a space saving design to set on your desk at work they work.

Chameleon · Jan 7, 2015

EzCheez said:
Awesome thank you Chameleon for finding that. What would be the benefits of a biocube compared to a regular tank?

You still may want to drill that or get a hob overflow and put a 20g under it for a sump.

Chameleon · Jan 7, 2015

Another one:
65 gallon reef ready setup for sale

bmoore92 · Jan 7, 2015

That ones been sold

Chameleon said:
Another one:
65 gallon reef ready setup for sale

JustinFromAL · Jan 8, 2015

I know someone who has a cherry 110g setup for sale. Let me know if you're interested. Good luck either way, asking for advice BEFORE you buy was a great step either way!

EzCheez · Jan 8, 2015

JustinFromAL said:
I know someone who has a cherry 110g setup for sale. Let me know if you're interested. Good luck either way, asking for advice BEFORE you buy was a great step either way!

That is a great setup Justin and thanks for that. A little bit more than Im looking to spend at this point. I want to "test the waters" (get it? :neutral

first. Im quite busy as work goes, some from home, so I want to make sure whatever i get, that Im able to keep up on and enjoy it and it not be overwhelming.