I'm here to learn

[Lubbockniner1]

Ok, let me preface this post by saying I am an absolute rookie when it comes to saltwater.

I had a 30 gallon freshwater tank with a community of cichlids for almost 6 years that I got bored with. I eventually gave that tank away to a buddy and currently am aquarium free.

I am looking into getting an Oceanic 54 corner aquarium and making it a reef tank complete with a clown fish and anemone. (Maybe a flame hawk too) Feel free to suggest what type of fish too....

I need to know some info from all of you veterans out there......

How much should I spend for the setup?
What should I expect?
Is 54 gallons too small for a salt water rookie?
What books should I read?
Any other advice?

Thanks!

 

[blide]

IMO you should start with 70+ gallon tank... You will always want to upgrade, but starting a little larger will help.

 

[albert7753]

Welcome. .... our monthly meeting is this Wednesday and you are more than welcome to join us. What part of the metroplex are you currently in ? I see by your name Lubbockninner1 you maybe an out of town-er.

I would agree by buying a large enough tank you can afford. Small tanks are nice but hard to stick with after a few months. The urge to upgrade is to much.

You can find all sizes in the for sale forum sometimes full set-ups. You can check out Marc's website for coral identifications or what fish are compatible. Also has great ideas and info on how to projects.

 

[Shane_pcs]

I would buy what you can afford to make good equipment purchases. I started with a 75 gallon tank because it is what I had, but I wish I would have started smaller. Live rock, live sand, and even the equipment gets more expensive as that tank gets bigger. I have had to buy subpar equipment and less live rock than is optimal, because my financial planner (read: wife) disagrees with how much we can afford to spend on my hobby. And then if you upgrade later you have a smaller tank that you can use of rother things like quarantine.

Thats my .02, but I feel like I am the only one in this hobby on a budget.

I would also buy everything you can from this forum, as that would have saved me a ton of money.

 

[sunfun]

I have only ben in the hobby for a short while, but here are a few things that I have learned. Bigger is better and used is much less expensive.

@Lubbockniner1 wrote:

Depends on if you go new or used and how big/what you want to keep. A new 54G reef setup can cost you thousands of dollars new while a used FOWLR setup can be had for as little as a few hundred dollars.

@Lubbockniner1 wrote:

Long hours with your arm up to the shoulder in salt water, going to bed everynight with pruny fingers, and hours "wasted" spent staring at the tank as new things emerge and you notcie the smaller details of your setup.

@Lubbockniner1 wrote:

54G is a good "starter" setup. That being said, you will outgorw it in a VERY short time, so if you can go bigger do it.

@Lubbockniner1 wrote:

The conscienctious reefkeeper
Marine Fishes 500 + Aquarium Species By Scott Michael soft cover $17.99
A Pocket Expert Guide Marine Invertebrates 500+ Essential to know aquarium species by Ronald L. Shimek

 

[Shane_pcs]

I would make a note that depending on the tank deminsions, most of the corner units are taller and thus have less surface area. That means you have to have better lighting, and there is less surface area for gas exchange.

I am getting into the hobby on the cheap (I started with tank/stand/powerheads) and I have already spent over $400 on the bare necessities.

 

[Lubbockniner1]

Thanks for the replies.

I’m here in Las Colinas and the only store that I’ve really been to over the years is Keller Fish farms. They always had a great selection of freshwater fish and tanks.

I have a similar financial planner to Shane

I’m not real certain I could get much more than the 54 gallon based on the wife. She could care less what the inside of the tank looks like, she wants the tank itself to be in-line with the “theme” of the house.

I did find this tank on Craigslist and I'm thinking of checking it out...Only 44 gallons though. (would need to be made salt water ready and a new light though...)

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[Tag]

Lubbockniner1,

Watch the "Forsale/Trade" area in this forum. There are some good deals in there all the time... :lol:

IMO
Pro: The larger the tank, the more water. The more the water, the more stable.
Con: The larger the tank, the more cost to setup.


Tag

 

[bellapoison]

@Lubbockniner1 wrote:

I agree that you should try to get a long tank (a regular 55 gallon is about 4 feet long) rather than a corner or tall tank. You'll have much more room for rockwork, for fish to swim around, to keep stinging corals from touching each other.

What's the "theme" of your house? You can buy/make wooden stands and canopies in any finish imaginable. For a more modern look, I've seen bowfronts (Oceanic, I think) with stand/canopy in black acrylic and stainless steel for a very modern look.

If possible, try to get a reef-ready tank--that is, one that's drilled to be used with a sump. Mine's not, and I'm already kinda regretting that. If you buy a used tank, always try to find out if it has any leaks and if it's ever been used with copper.

Overall, I've found lots of great deals (and great people!) on the forums here.

 

[Lubbockniner1]

Bella,

I really like the Bowfronts that Oceanic has. They would fit the modern theme to a T. Keller Fish Farms has said they can do the drilling for the sump there on site...

Begining to think finding a used one is the way to go. Thanks for the insight.

 

[Kitty]

Welcome to the forums!

Just for curiosity sake, would you update your profile, please? There are places to put in your name, and where you are from. This will come in handy in the future, believe me! :wink:

Thank you!

 

[Lubbockniner1]

Done!

 

[Firewolf4]

I would say that before even buying a tank or planning a set up, Get as many different opinions as you can. Join us for the meeting and do what I do.... Pick people's brains for any trivial info you can. :lol: Also at the meeting, you can find equipment, livestock, etc at really great prices.
Also, consider joining DFWMAS as a member as there's benefits there as well. These forums and the people from the DFWMAS community have indeed made a lasting impact on how I address issues. Everyone here is always more than willing to help, even in an emergency. This was probably the best move I've made since we Moved here from Seattle 3 years back.
If you're worried about costs, you can see my signature and We are running a 55Gal right now and I'm actually Freshwater plumbing testing my 120 and 30Gal Sump. All in All (excluding Corals) we probably spend less than $500 for everything. That's tanks, Pumps, Stands, Lighting, skimmers, etc. Our biggest expendature was the 260W lighting for $125 from Ebay ( I know, I know, Jebo-Oddysea). So you CAN get into the Hobby(Addiction) relatively cheaply and grow as your abilities and funds permit.

 

[bellapoison]

You asked what you should expect to spend. Here's a breakdown of what I've spent so far on my 29-gallon tank, before livestock.

ESSENTIALS:
29-gallon tank & stand, USED $40
sand (~ 50 lbs.) USED $10
rock (60+ lbs.) USED $75
130W Orbit PC fixture USED $118
AquaC Remora skimmer USED $100
Visi-Therm stealth heater $15
MJ 1200 & Other powerheads (4) $40
GFCI power strip $30
test kits (pH, calcium, alk, amm, 'trite, 'trate, phosphates, copper) $40
Aqua Clear 70 filter $30
Instant Ocean salt $13
buckets $6
[<b>TOTAL=$517</b>]

EXTRAS:
Quarantine tank (12 gal. nano cube) $75
hydor flos $20
eggcrate $12
calc/alk supplement $8
joe's juice $8
10" forceps $4
magnetic algae cleaners $10
[<b>TOTAL=$137</b>]

[
GRAND TOTAL=$654 ]

 

[Lubbockniner1]

Where do I find info on that?

 

[Shane_pcs]

Click the Home icon at the top of the page and select membership, or I assume you can ask about it at the meeting tomorrow night.

 

[Ashlar]

Or.. this topic

 

[DalaiTom]

@Lubbockniner1 wrote:

Where do I find info on that? "]

Go here.