New Tank Checklist

[shabubbles]

Hello!

I'm so glad I found this site! My husband and I have started this new adventure into saltwater tanks. We started out with a 14 gallon tank and realized (based on research and recommendations) that we needed a bigger tank. We started cycling the 14 gallon tank last week with one small live rock and live sand to start. This past weekend we moved into a 46 gallon tank; transferred the water, sand and rock and added more water, sand a few more rocks and some biro spiro. At this point I've read so much and watched a lot of tutorials, that I'm suffering from TMI. I'd like to add more live rock soon while the tank is still fairly new and was thinking about ordering some dry ones online since they seem to be cheaper, but I'm very nervous about that. This is our new hobby together but my husband wants to do it his way, which is the opposite of what I've been researching. Since I'm no expert, my two cents mean nothing (and I don't blame him).

Does anyone have any recommended sites where I could get a basic "checklist" of some sort so I can go down the list of cycling/building our tank? From basic equipment, testing schedules (what and when) to when it's finally safe to add livestock and eventually coral. We have a heater but he does not think he needs one. =( He grew up on a tropical island and used to have a saltwater tank as a teenager so he doesn't believe in the heater, but we don't live in the tropics anymore! LOL We also need wave pumps which he is relunctant to buy and will only think of buying ONE! How long can we get away without using a heater and having wave action? I want this to go right, but since I have even less experience than him, I have no credible arguments other than, "I read it online" or "I saw it on YouTube." I just need to bring him to a one-stop-shop kinda website/checlist.

Thank you in advance!

Sha

 

[McReefer]

Without a doubt you need a heater! Temps need to be between 76 an 82 and even then that's to big of a range for some.

The waves you don't need to start. For your first year I would get soft coral only. If you try and branch out to soon it can ruin the fun of the hobby.

After the heater, and tank cycle you should be ready for fish. Clowns, firefish and chromes make great starter fish if you get them from a healthy system.

 

[hnurge]

a checklist is hard, because there are so many ways to do it.you can build a tank high tech, low tech, and everything in between - and have a huge variety of techprocesstechniques to choose from. just about everyone has at least a slightly different set up.

- the tank will cycle fine with dead rock. it may take longer, but if you add Bio-Spira it should off set that.
- test as frequently as needed. the goal is a stable tank with good water parameters. so test frequently until you get a few good results in a row, then less often. if you can be pretty sure what a test will say, you probably don't need to run it. test whenever there is doubt. once a tank has been stable for a year or more, its not uncommon to only test when something is changed or looks wrong. you get a feel for the tank after a while, but it is good to test every other day or weekly for a new tank just so you have a good grasp on what is going on and how effective you filtration and process is. it is possible to run a healthy tank without ever testing, but i wouldn't recommend it unless you are very experienced.
- circulation is important. you want oxygenated water to flow around all the rock, and something to push the sediment and detritus off the bottom or off the corals and into you filter. how much flow and turbulence depends on which corals you keep - it is definitely possible to have too much. you could use a wavemaker for this, but i would not consider a wave-maker an essential piece of equipment for a first reef tank. adjust your return flow and perhaps ad some basic power heads untill you are happy with the flow, and you can add the wave maker later when/if you see the need for one (and in the meantime, use a turkey baster to blow off any sediment that gathers).
- temperature stability is VERY important. pick a temperature between 76 and 82 and figure out how you will keep the tank to within 1 deg of that temperate all day every day all year. you will need a good thermometer, and some combination of AC/window unit/chiller/fans/heaters. keep in mind that all the equipment adds some heat to the tank, so keeping the tank cool is much more difficult that keeping it warm. however, a good fish tank heater is cheaper and easier to use than any of the cooling options, so it would be silly to suffer a loss because you didn't install a heater.
- lastly, lights. i didn't see you mention lights. there are lots of good options, but whichever you go for, if you want coral, you need good lights.