Hey Y'all-new guy

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ironman58

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Just joined ARC because I 'm just starting out converting my 50 gallon freshwater to a reef tank and I want to do it RIGHT!!! I'm really excited and looking forward to this new adventure-I've had pretty good luck with the freshwater experience, so I'm hoping with y'alls help I can set up a professional-looking healthy reef tank.

Is there a T-shirt?????:tongue2:
 
What dawgdude said.... TAKE IT SLOOOOOOOOW.

If you want to see what happens when you try to go too fast, just look at my posts!

These guys are wonderful and they'll give you the best advice they can give!
 
WELCOME!!! Like everyone said take it slow, research, research then research some more... And buy the good equipment the first time so you don't end up with a closet full of protein skimmers!
 
I think the best advice is for you to do everything we say. You'll need probably about 7 skimmers, 4 sumps, a heater, 14 powerheads, sand, no sand, deep sand, a sense of humor, and a Magnum 350(pm Dakota9). Did I leave anything out? If I did, that's still a good start.
 
DannyBradley;111935 wrote: I think the best advice is for you to do everything we say. You'll need probably about 7 skimmers, 4 sumps, a heater, 14 powerheads, sand, no sand, deep sand, a sense of humor, and a Magnum 350(pm Dakota9). Did I leave anything out? If I did, that's still a good start.
Click to expand...


He needs at least 3 heaters what if one fails!
 
DannyBradley;111935 wrote: I think the best advice is for you to do everything we say. You'll need probably about 7 skimmers, 4 sumps, a heater, 14 powerheads, sand, no sand, deep sand, a sense of humor, and a Magnum 350(pm Dakota9). Did I leave anything out? If I did, that's still a good start.
Click to expand...


Holy Cheese! I thought just buying the "live rock" was gonna be expensive!!! :wow2:

I'm getting my stuff from Optimum Aquarium in Marietta. Those guys seem really sharp, and basically advised me to take it SLOW just like y'all-I'm thinking around 70 lbs of live rock? Is that about right for a 50 gallon?
 
Danny, does that mean that you no longer recommend the 4 lb. sledge hammer for tapping in round holes?
 
There are too many variables that go into fully answering the 'is it enough?' question. I had 200lbs in my 75 because I like the look of a full reef wall, yet I was able to nicely aquascape a fish only 110 with 125lbs. 70lbs falls into the a great start to probably catagory.

Do you have adequte filtration otherwise?
Does it provide enough for aquascaping?
Are you planning out housing larger or open water fish?
Is your tank a standard 55 gallon, or is it wider than 13"?
How dense is the rock? Is it fiji, kailini, tonga, bottle brush, mashall island, carribean, etc?
 
Welcome aboard!!!

50g FW (with tiger oscars) is exactly where we started. At first we thought we could keep the FW tank, maintain it and have a SW tank, too. But the FW became more and more neglected as we were completely captivated by reeftanks. Oscars are long-gone now. Beware!! This <u>is</u> addictive.

You'll need a good http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Commonsense-Successful/dp/1890087025/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198119259&sr=8-2">book</a> or two. And a few good [IMG]http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm">websites</a>. Add a folder in your *Favorites* and bookmark like crazy. Add another folder for forum posts that you find helpful and bookmark those also. (Search engine here can be a little challenging at times.)

[B]Most important:[/B] this board welcomes lots of questions and there are no stupid ones!

Look forward to seeing you at a meeting/event down the road!!
 
I moved up to 20lbs. You have a higher chance of missing, but that is directly related to the coolness of exploding tank factor. A great first book is <u>The New Marine Aquarium</u> by Michael Paletta.
viewPrd.asp
 
dont forget that not all of your live rock has to be live you can use base rock also, but if you want some nice rock real cheap contact horseziggy.
 
Here is my advice...

1. Buy used. Make sure you ask how old the equipment is before you buy and commit. Example: Pumps that are over a year old should be greatly reduced in price compared to one that has a few hours use.

2. Buy the best freakin peice of equipment you can afford every step of the way unless you are REALLY handy. In the end, you will likely spend more going through budget equipment than just ponying up a few extra bucks for say a top notch skimmer.

3. The search engine is your friend. If you don't know it, learn the site command in google. Example: "+bubble +master +skimmer site:reefcentral.com"

4. Read, then read some more and when you think you have it re-read what you just read.

5. Ask questions and lots of them. All of us have been right where you are in some form or fashion and most don't mind helping you out. Try a quick #3 from above first. Often someone has already asked your question and it has been answered.

6. When you are frustrated (and you likely will be at some point), take a break. When you feel overwhelmed (and you likely will be), take a break. For the other huge portion of your time in this hobby, simply enjoy it.

7. Sit back and enjoy. Relaxing is the tricky part to this hobby because there is always something to do or some problem to address.

8. This is likely THE most important part of my advice. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES OVER REACT. DO NOT PANIC. More tanks take a nose dive because someone moved too fast. Even when the params are completely out of whack, take your time.

There is lots more, but this will certainly get you started.
 
Welcome...When in doubt throw everything in at once and hope for the best ;) Dont worry someone will tell you not to do this in a 2 page version :)
 
Welcome...........Please do yourself a big favor; BEFORE you take someone's advice & BEFORE you purchase anything (especially advice from most lfs), just get it validated from a couple of people that YOU trust & that has a reef tank over say 2 years. Any of the people on this.............well, actually......almost any of the people on this thread (just playing david) can do that for you. This goes for brand, size, fish, salt, food, pumps, heaters, methodology, etc. There are so many different ways to do things that it can spin you head around a bit.
 
NavyReefer;111934 wrote: WELCOME!!! Like everyone said take it slow, research, research then research some more... And buy the good equipment the first time so you don't end up with a closet full of protein skimmers!
Click to expand...
lol...never a more truthful statement!
 
Thanks y'all-Hre's what I'm planning to do this weekend-
1)Pack up the freshwater fish and take them to the aquarium store
2) Purchase whatever I need to start out with: (Live rock, sand, lighting, skimmer, power heads-I'm totally relying on the manager at the store-I've already met with him and he gave me a good overview)
3)Clean out the tank real good-(any thoughts on what i should use to clean it?)
4) Add the sand, then arrange the live rock
5) Add water
6) turn everything on and start monitoring the water chemistry.

Now, Can I use my existing biowheel filters (2 rated at 60 gallons) to help accelerate the cycling process since they've already 'cycled' and have bacteria? Will it at least HELP get things going?
 
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